Calvin the scientist out tent-camping with family opened his e-car door to a peace shattering din. His inner rage exploded into barely restrained lashing out at the invasive next door trailer. Through an irritating weekend of adaptation he realized campground power generators had awakened his fury over people's non response to climate change. His struggle triggered action never before considered.A scientist out on a weekend camping trip pulled in beside the family tent after a day at the beach to the hammering clatter of a next door power generator. Struggling to deal with the irritation, he found his inner rage surging to form a lineup of imagined spray bombed messages, wire-cutters and shotgun blasts. His own quiet attempts at switching to an e-car to alleviate climate change became a futile attempt to bring about his desire for a peaceful camping experience. The disrupting noise of two cycle engines around him, he realized, turned out to be symbolic of the data that he had been researching over the last several years. Behind the noise of internal combustion engines boomed the incessant threat of climate change. He found he had to act, and the action he knew he needed take turned out quite different than his initial reactionary lashing out at the next door noise.

The pursuit of wealth by bankers and their friends in London, Moscow and hong Kong.City bankers : Pat Kennedy, Michael Fitzwilliams,Sergei Tarasov and their friends Tom Barton and John Francis continue their pursuit of wealth in a rapidly changing international political and business environment. Thwarted by Vladimir Putin's dreams of a Greater Russia, they are faced with falling commodity prices, the annexation of Crimea and the struggle for power and influence in London, Moscow and Hong Kong. Kennedy, Barton, Francis and their friend Pat O'Connelly search, each in his own way, to survive the dangers building up around them in an increasingly volatile geopolitical situation.

Sundara Kãnda the Canto Beautiful of the epic' Valmiki Ramayana' is sought for spiritual solace; many believe that reading Sundara Kãnda or hearing it recited would remove all hurdles and usher in good tidings! Miracles apart, it's in the nature of Sundara Kãnda to inculcate fortitude and generate hope in man for it’s a depiction of how Hanuman goes about his errand against all odds.With rhythm of its verse and the flow of the narrative this over 3,000 sloka to sloka transcreation of the foremost poetical composition in the world, Hanuman's Odyssey that paves the way for Rama to rescue his kidnapped wife is bound to charm the readers and listeners alike. Interestingly, as the following verses illustrates, it was the forerunner of the magic realism of our times – “Gripped she then him by shadow / Cast which Hanuman coast to coast; Recalled he in dismay then / What Sugreev said at outset / That one fiend had aptitude / To grip its prey by mere shadow.”

Friday 17th October. Morning. D-Day!Bad omen in the sky! A good omen would be hard rain, lightningeven better! However, the sky is clear, and unfortunately for me,that is our cue to step into the plane.Bags are carefully packed, tightly secured, and I hope, fullytested, but instead of dreaming of flying to distant Greek islands,the ‘bags’ are tightly strapped to our mother’s backs.Skydiving!An unborn baby can't choose its mother, but this one really has drawn the short straw! This book is presented as a daily secret diary of an unborn. Our hero is the product of a drunken holiday fling between his mother and a intoxicated Scottish tourist. Unfortunately,his mother Sally Summers, has no intention on quitting her alcohol intake. Meanwhile, at eight weeks, and despite a body size of less than an inch and a half, this little person would experience first love. Dara Doo is the unborn daughter of one of Sally's friends, and serves as his love interest for the next 30 weeks or so. He must experience poisonous Australian snakes,plane hi-jacking,skydiving, While most expectant moms are improving their diet, beginning maternity vitamins and perhaps starting a fitness programme of light exercise, our hero's mom is consuming equal parts vodka, gin, and tobacco. Her routine of dangerous driving, partying, clubbing, and believe it or not, skydiving, is not altered. Along with the effects of his mother's dangerous addicted lifestyle, our hero must also deal with devious New Kid setting his sights on Dara's affection."Dara says I'm becoming more handsome as the weeks pass. Think she could be right!""Mother forgot to buy the frisky fried, chicken crisps I like...What do I get? Vodka on the rocks via the umbilical!" Review-It is well written and original. Bending's wit adds an intriguing element of dark humour to a serious topic. I read on wondering how this little person would ever survive to full term. I recommend The Absurd Secret Diary Of An Unborn Baby to those looking for something different in their next read. By William R. Potter for Reader's Choice Book Reviews

This is a fictional story about Thomas, a family man that dies and goes to heaven. The universe has millions of stars and solar systems; good people that go to heaven get to spend eternity living and traveling through out the beautiful planets that God has created. Heaven is a delightful place and the best part is being able to reunite with family and friends. Thomas describes his first 50 years.This is a fictional story about Thomas, a family man that dies and goes to heaven. The universe has millions of stars and solar systems; good people that go to heaven get to spend eternity living and traveling through out the beautiful planets that God has created. Heaven is a delightful place and the best part is being able to reunite with family and friends. Thomas describes his first 50 years.In this tale, all good souls are welcome in heaven. God loves all people and welcomes them no matter what they believed on earth. But there is one simple key to open the gate.

Being a kid with wings -- constantly on the run -- has never been easy, and Max and her flock are getting tenser than ever. First, on a trip to Africa, they meet a mysterious billionaire whose intense scrutiny of the Flock makes her fear the worst. And as if an impending apocalypse weren't bad enough, canny birdkid Angel makes a dire prophecy about Max's soul mate: Fang will be the first to die. Max's desperate desire to protect Fang brings the two closer than ever. But can the team weather the storm, or will the turmoil rip them apart for the last time?

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees... Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy. Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side. As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny? Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

First published in 1955, The Violent Bear It Away is now a landmark in American literature. It is a dark and absorbing example of the Gothic sensibility and bracing satirical voice that are united in Flannery O'Conner's work. In it, the orphaned Francis Marion Tarwater and his cousins, the schoolteacher Rayber, defy the prophecy of their dead uncle--that Tarwater will become a prophet and will baptize Rayber's young son, Bishop. A series of struggles ensues: Tarwater fights an internal battle against his innate faith and the voices calling him to be a prophet while Rayber tries to draw Tarwater into a more "reasonable" modern world. Both wrestle with the legacy of their dead relatives and lay claim to Bishop's soul. O'Connor observes all this with an astonishing combination of irony and compassion, humor and pathos. The result is a novel whose range and depth reveal a brilliant and innovative writers acutely alert to where the sacred lives and to where it does not.

Bond is back on secret loan to the United States Government and primed to confront an old and deadly adversary which now has a sinister new leader and a devastating operation underway. Armed with a pair of Sykes-Fairbairn commando daggers, a new Heckler & Koch VP70 handgun and a gorgeous new partner – the daughter of his old friend Felix Leiter – Bond experiences the full deadly force of SPECTRE's new power. "Just as enjoyable as the originals." --London Evening Standard

Seventy-two-year-old August Brill is recovering from a car accident at his daughter's house in Vermont. When sleep refuses to come, he lies in bed and tells himself stories, struggling to push back thoughts about things he would prefer to forget-his wife's recent death and the horrific murder of his granddaughter's boyfriend, Titus. The retired book critic imagines a parallel world in which America is not at war with Iraq but with itself. In this other America the twin towers did not fall and the 2000 election results led to secession, as state after state pulled away from the Union and a bloody civil war ensued. As the night progresses, Brill's story grows increasingly intense, and what he is so desperately trying to avoid insists on being told. Passionate and shocking, Man in the dark is a novel of our moment-one that forces us to confront the blackness of night even as it celebrates the ordinary joys of everyday life.

The New York Times bestselling author of Falling presents a warm, wise, and wonderfully vivid novel about a mother who asks her three estranged daughters to come home to help her end her life. Ronni Sunshine left London for Hollywood to become a beautiful, charismatic star of the silver screen. But at home, she was a narcissistic, disinterested mother who alienated her three daughters. As soon as possible, tomboy Nell fled her mother's overbearing presence to work on a farm and find her own way in the world as a single mother. The target of her mother s criticism, Meredith never felt good enough, thin enough, pretty enough. Her life took her to London and into the arms of a man whom she may not even love. And Lizzy, the youngest, more like Ronni than any of them, seemed to have it easy, using her drive and ambition to build a culinary career to rival her mother's fame, while her marriage crumbled around her. But now the Sunshine Girls are together again, called home by Ronni, who has learned that she has a serious disease and needs her daughters to fulfill her final wishes. And though Nell, Meredith, and Lizzy are all going through crises of their own, their mother s illness draws them together to confront old jealousies and secret fears and they discover that blood might be thicker than water after all.

Too hot to handle... Tabitha Allen grew up in the thick of Chaos--the Chaos Motorcycle Club, that is. Her father is Chaos' leader, and the club has always had her back. But one rider was different from the start. When Tabby was running wild, Shy Cage was there. When tragedy tore her life apart, he helped her piece it back together. And now, Tabby's thinking about much more than friendship... Tabby is everything Shy's ever wanted, but everything he thinks he can't have. She's beautiful, smart, and as his friend's daughter, untouchable. Shy never expected more than friendship, so when Tabby indicates she wants more--much more--he feels like the luckiest man alive. But even lucky men can crash and burn...

A GRIMM FAMILY REUNION For Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, the latest in a long line of fairy-tale detectives, there is one mystery they want to solve more than all the others: Who kidnapped their parents more than a year ago? Sabrina enters the hideout of the Scarlet Hand, the sinister group of Everafters who are keeping her parents prisoner. She has a chance to rescue her mom and dad but is foiled by the most famous fairy-tale character in the world. How can a human child defeat a magic one? With the help of her little sister (who might be tougher than Sabrina realizes) and a long-lost relative, Sabrina finds a powerful weapon for fighting her enemies, and discovers that magic has a high price.

Ancient Egypt The Kinley built a ship capable of traveling faster than light, and it carried a group of scientists to a small, distant planet-Earth. When their ship was destroyed, they were stranded. They buried remnants of their technology deep beneath the desert and sent a last message home… Modern Day Kinley hovers on the brink of extinction. An enemy that nearly obliterated their race has risen again-with the ability to destroy them for good. A lone soldier named Pruit is sent on a desperate mission: follow the ancient beacon back to Earth and recover the secrets to faster-than-light travel. Technology that once allowed them to cross vast reaches of space might allow them to outrun their enemies and find a safe world to call their own. Pruit’s quest draws enemies after her and awakens ancient foes on Earth. At every turn she finds adversaries willing to risk everything to stop her, each one hoping to steal the knowledge for themselves. The rivals meet in modern-day Egypt and their struggle alters the fate of worlds.

There’s more than one way to get the girl in this fun and fast-paced novel about one epic party and a kiss that could change everything. Tonight’s the night: Simon’s big chance to finally get with Cassie. Cassie, who he’s loved for ages. Cassie, who is newly boyfriend-free. Cassie, who just happens to be throwing the biggest party of the year. Simon’s plan is simple: He’ll go to the party, she’ll fall in love with him, they’ll make out like crazy, and the night will be a complete success. But things don’t ever go as planned…especially when it comes to Cassie. In two alternating plotlines, Simon goes after the girl of his dreams and stumbles toward his destiny. It’s one night, one party, and a thousand ways for things to go wrong…but a million ways for them to go right.

1 New York Times bestselling author and Queen of True Crime Ann Rule delivers another gripping true-crime story; this time a shattering case of Christmastime murder off the coast of Washington State, with a shocking amount of drama, greed, sex, and scandal and no shortage of suspects. With more than 50 million copies of her thirty-four books in print, from The Stranger Beside Me, her chilling personal account of knowing Ted Bundy, to fourteen hardcover books, including Small Sacrifices; Green River, Running Red, Too Late to Say Goodbye and sixteen collections in her #1 bestselling Crime Files series, "Ann Rule is without a doubt America's best true-crime writer" (Kirkus Reviews). In Practice to Deceive, her first book-length investigative chronicle since In the Still of the Night, Rule unravels a shattering case of Christmastime murder off the coast of Washington State. presented with the clarity, authority, and emotional depth that Rule's readers expect. It's a case with enough drama, greed, sex, and scandal to be called "The Real Housewives of Whidbey Island"; but this was not reality television. This was murder: pure, cruel, ugly, and senseless. And someone had to pay the price. Nestled in Puget Sound, Whidbey Island is a gem of the Pacific Northwest. Accessible only by ferry and the soaring Deception Pass Bridge, it is known for its artistic communities and stunning natural beauty. Life there is low-key, insular, and the island's year-round residents tend to know one another's business. But when the blood-drenched body of Russel Douglas was discovered the day after Christmas in his SUV in a hidden driveway near Whidbey's most exclusive mansions, the whole island was shocked. A single bullet between his eyes was the cause of death, but no one could imagine who among them could plot such a devious, cold-blooded crime. At first, police suspected suicide, tragically common at the height of the holiday season. But when they found no gun in or near the SUV, Russel's manner of death became homicide. Like a cast of characters from a classic mystery novel, a host of Whidbey residents fell under suspicion. Brenna Douglas was Russel's estranged and soon-to-be-ex wife, who allowed him to come home for a Christmas visit with their children. The couple owned the popular Just B's salon. Brenna's good friend Peggy Sue Thomas worked there, and Brenna complained often to her that Russel was physically and emotionally abusive. Peggy Sue's own life has been one of extremes. Married three times, hers is a rags-to-riches-and-back-again tale in which she's played many roles: aircraft mechanic, basketball coach, the "drop-dead gorgeous vamp"; beauty queen as a former Ms. Washington, Las Vegas limousine driver, million-dollar horse breeder, wealthy divorcee. But in 2003, her love affair with married guitarist Jim Huden led the two Whidbey Island natives to pursue their ultimate dreams of wealth and privilege;even at the expense of human life. Unravel the tangled web woven by Russel Douglas's murder in Practice to Deceive, the newest heart pounding true-crime tour de force from Ann Rule.

Forty years after its original publication, James Agee's last novel seems, more than ever, an American classic. For in his lyrical, sorrowful account of a man's death and its impact on his family, Agee painstakingly created a small world of domestic happiness and then showed how quickly and casually it could be destroyed. On a sultry summer night in 1915, Jay Follet leaves his house in Knoxville, Tennessee, to tend to his father, whom he believes is dying. The summons turns out to be a false alarm, but on his way back to his family, Jay has a car accident and is killed instantly. Dancing back and forth in time and braiding the viewpoints of Jay's wife, brother, and young son, Rufus, Agee creates an overwhelmingly powerful novel of innocence, tenderness, and loss that should be read aloud for the sheer music of its prose.

Ceri D'Altroy watches too much Oprah Winfrey - and it's having serious repercussions. Bored with London life and writing yet another 'have the perfect orgasm' feature, she's decided to take Oprah's advice and follow her heart's desire. Going back to college might not be everyone's dream but all Ceri's has ever wanted to do is lecture . . . Unfortunately, Ceri's new start seems to involve disrupting lives: within days she's reunited a happily uncoupled couple, encouraged her new flatmate to do something about his unrequited love, and outed the secret relationship of her two colleagues. Only, while Ceri's playing Cupid for others, the highlight of her social calendar is trying a new hair conditioner. Something needs to be done, but can Ceri stick to her vow to give up her accidental matchmaking for good. . ? A delicious comedy about love, life and following your heart...

Spiderweb is the twelfth novel by Booker Prize winning author Penelope Lively. Stella Brentwood has led an exotic life for a woman of her time. Her frivolous best friend at Oxford, Nadine, knew early what she wanted: marriage and children. Stella, too, has had her share of passion, but her work as an anthropologist - always the outsider, the observer, was her priority. Now she has decided to root herself in Somerset landscape. But she finds that village society in England us far more chaotic, more unpredictable, and even more cruel, than she has known before. And that she cannot - or will not - conform to its rules. 'She is a writer of great subtlety and understanding, and this is her best novel since Moon Tiger, which won the Booker Prize in 1987' The Scotsman 'Evokes an escalating atmosphere of menace . . . Lively at her deceptively easy-to-read best' *Daily Mail * Penelope Lively is the author of many prize-winning novels and short-story collections for both adults and children. She has twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize: once in 1977 for her first novel, The Road to Lichfield, and again in 1984 for According to Mark. She later won the 1987 Booker Prize for her highly acclaimed novel Moon Tiger. Her other books include Going Back; Judgement Day; Next to Nature, Art; Perfect Happiness; Passing On; City of the Mind; Cleopatra's Sister; Heat Wave; Beyond the Blue Mountains, a collection of short stories; Oleander, Jacaranda, a memoir of her childhood days in Egypt; Spiderweb; her autobiographical work, A House Unlocked; The Photograph; Making It Up; Consequences; Family Album, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Costa Novel Award, and How It All Began. She is a popular writer for children and has won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Award. She was appointed CBE in the 2001 New Year's Honours List, and DBE in 2012. Penelope Lively lives in London.

Gray doesn’t make friends with women. He has sex with them. Until Ivy. The last thing star tight-end Gray Grayson wants to do is drive his agent’s daughter’s bubblegum pink car. But he needs the wheels and she’s studying abroad. Something he explains when she sends him an irate text to let him know exactly how much pain she’ll put him in if he crashes her beloved ride. Before he knows it, Ivy Mackenzie has become his best texting bud. But then Ivy comes home and everything goes haywire. Because the only thing Gray can think of is being with Ivy. Ivy doesn’t have sex with friends. Especially not with a certain football player. No matter how hot he makes her… Gray drives Ivy crazy. He’s irreverent, sex on a stick, and completely off limits. Because, Ivy has one golden rule: never get involved with one of her father’s clients. A rule that’s proving harder to keep now that Gray is doing his best to seduce her. Her best friend is fast becoming the most irresistible guy she’s ever met. Which means Gray is going to have to use all his skills to get himself out of the friend zone and into Ivy’s heart. Game on

The vampire drug, brew, nearly ruined Gwen Sparks’ life. Just when things started to get back to normal between her and Aiden, she is summoned by the North American Witches Council to their central city of Moon. A war is imminent between vampires and witches, and Gwen’s experiences with brew are being used to fuel the fire. She is about to discover just how powerful she is with the help of the ruggedly handsome Angel of Death and just how far some people will go to get what they want. Gwen is going to learn exactly what it means to be Deceived.