Midnight Crossroad

      Charlaine Harris
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Take a trip to the small town where only outsiders fit in with the first novel in Charlaine Harris’ paranormal mystery series—as seen in NBC’s primetime television series Midnight, Texas.  **Welcome to Midnight, Texas, a town with many boarded-up windows and few full-time inhabitants, located at the crossing of Witch Light Road and the Davy highway. It’s a pretty standard dried-up western town. There’s a pawnshop with three residents. One is seen only at night. There’s a diner, but people stopping there tend not to linger. There’s a newcomer, Manfred Bernardo, who just wants to work hard and blend in. But Manfred has secrets of his own... **From Booklist Harris comes off the ending of her wildly popular Sookie Stackouse series with a new mystery-romance-paranormal mash-up, slated as the first in a planned trilogy. The inhabitants of Midnight, Texas, have all chosen the derelict little town for its size and its ­quietness—it’s a great place to hide. But what are they hiding from? Bobo Winthrop, proprietor of the local pawn shop, seems to know a little bit about everyone in town, and they all have secrets. The new tenant in the basement of the pawn shop only comes out after dark, while New Age instructor Fiji Cavanaugh openly claims to be a witch and can talk to her cat, Mr. Snuggly. When Bobo’s girlfriend, Aubrey, disappears, people start to ask too many questions, and everyone begins to fear that their pasts will be exposed, along with Aubrey’s. Although it’s much lighter on the paranormal elements than Harris’ usual fare, this should still make the lists of readers who miss Sookie and company. HIGH DEMAND BACKSTORY: Between her books and the HBO spin-off True Blood, Harris has a large fan base. Now that both the print and the television series have ended, they’re looking for something new to read. --Rebecca Vnuk Review Praise for Charlaine Harris and Her Novels of Midnight, Texas “[Harris is] the Mark Twain of things that live under your bed.”—Houston Press “[An] out-of-the-ordinary mystery.”—Publishers Weekly “More addictive and more satisfying than a class A drug.”—SFBook “A little magic, a little mystery, and a lot of imagination make for a story that is both fun and edgy.”—Kirkus Reviews “As intimate and deep as the Stackhouse novels.”—Library Journal “Move over Bon Temps, Midnight, Texas, has arrived.”—Fresh Fiction

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    Blue Ribbon Blues: A Tooter Tale

      Jerry Spinelli
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Ever since her family moved to Aunt Sally's farm, Tooter's known that farm life is definitely not for her. There's no pizzeria  for miles, her nearest neighbor is a dumb boy, and even her own pet chicken hates her! So Tooter decides to show everyone what she's made of by winning the blue ribbon at the County Fair's goat show. Now all she has to do is keep her little brother--and his paint brush--away from her prize goat!

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  • 576

    What Are We Doing Here?

      Marilynne Robinson
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New essays on theological, political, and contemporary themes, by the Pulitzer Prize winner Marilynne Robinson has plumbed the human spirit in her renowned novels, including Lila, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, and Gilead, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. In this new essay collection she trains her incisive mind on our modern political climate and the mysteries of faith. Whether she is investigating how the work of great thinkers about America like Emerson and Tocqueville inform our political consciousness or discussing the way that beauty informs and disciplines daily life, Robinson's peerless prose and boundless humanity are on full display. What Are We Doing Here? is a call for Americans to continue the tradition of those great thinkers and to remake American political and cultural life as "deeply impressed by obligation [and as] a great theater of heroic generosity, which, despite all, is sometimes palpable still."

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  • 576

    A Far Cry From Kensington

      Muriel Spark
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Set on the crazier fringes of 1950s literary London, A Far Cry from Kensington is a delight, hilariously portraying love, fraud, death, evil, and transformation. Mrs. Hawkins, the majestic narrator of A Far Cry from Kensington, takes us well in hand and leads us back to her threadbare years in postwar London. There, as a fat and much admired young war widow, she spent her days working for a mad, near-bankrupt publisher ("of very good books") and her nights dispensing advice at her small South Kensington rooming house. At work and at home Mrs. Hawkins soon uncovered evil: shady literary doings and a deadly enemy; anonymous letters, blackmail, and suicide. With aplomb, however, Mrs. Hawkins confidently set about putting things to order, little imagining the mayhem that would ensue. Now decades older, thin, successful, and delighted with life in Italy--quite a far cry from Kensington--Mrs. Hawkins looks back to all those dark doings and recounts how her own life changed forever. She still, however, loves to give advice: "It's easy to get thin. You eat and drink the same as always, only half...I offer this advice without fee; it is included in the price of this book."

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  • 576

    Oath Breaker

      Michelle Paver
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A thrilling story about friendship, loyalty, and revenge When he was outcast, Torak was the hunted one. Nine moons later he becomes the hunter when he vows to avenge the killing of one of his closest friends. Racked by guilt and grief, he follows the killer into the Deep Forest, where the World Spirit stalks the hidden valleys as a tall man with the antlers of a stag. But there is a rottenness at the heart of the Forest, for its clans have succumbed to the lies of the Soul-Eaters. Here, Torak must face fire, war, and overwhelming evil. Oath Breaker is a story about keeping promises and the true cost of vengeance.

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  • 576

    Yo!

      Julia Alvarez
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At last! A zesty, exuberant follow-up to the wildly popular How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, full of Julia Alvarez's keen observations and tender affection for her characters. The Garcia Girls are back, most notably Yolanda, or Yo, who has grown up to be a writer. In the process, she has managed to get kicked out of college, break more than a few hearts, have her own heart broken many times, return for extended visits to the Dominican Republic her family fled when she was a child, and marry three times. She has also infuriated her entire family by publishing the intimate details of their lives as fiction. This brilliant novel is a full and true exploration of a woman's soul, a meditation on the writing life, and a lyrical account of the immigrant's search for identity and a place in the world. !Yo!'s bright colors, zesty dialogue, warm feeling, and genuine insight could only come from the palette of Julia Alvarez. Description from Penguin Group.

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  • 576

    The Disappearing Staircase Mystery

      Gertrude Chandler Warner
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Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny used to live alone in a boxcar. Now they have a home with their grandfather, and they’re fixing up the old Bugbee House, a spooky mansion in their neighborhood! The Aldens are helping the Heart and Hands group restore an old estate. The house is bursting with collections of its mysterious and eccentric former owner. But when the contents of the house are auctioned off, the Aldens discover that much of the collection is missing! And that’s not the only mystery awaiting the Aldens in this strange mansion. As the children explore, they come across hidden rooms, secret passageways, and strange noises coming from the walls. The Aldens are determined to learn the secret of the Bugbee house . . . but are they the only ones?

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  • 576

    The Dark River

      John Twelve Hawks
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A brilliant follow-up to the New York Times bestseller, The Traveler, The Dark River follows the Harlequin, Maya, and the Traveler, Gabriel Corrigan, on their search for Gabriel’s lost father. In his first novel, John Twelve Hawks introduced the world of two brothers, Gabriel and Michael Corrigan, who learned they were Travelers, a line of prophets through history who are able to travel into different realms of consciousness and existence, and Maya, a Harlequin who, like Harlequins before her, pledged to lay down her own life to protect any Traveler. The Dark River opens following Maya and Gabriel’s narrow escape from his brother, Michael, and the group of powerful men who have been pursuing them. The landscape has shifted: Michael has become part of the group that wants to capture Gabriel, and thanks to advanced surveillance technology there are few places for them to hide. While he is recuperating and staying in the shadows in New York City, a shocking piece of information trickles back to Gabriel concerning his and Michael’s father. A Traveler who was believed to be dead for nearly twenty years, Gabriel hears, may still be alive and trapped somewhere across the globe. Gabriel, Maya, Hollis and Vicki must plan their escape from New York as well as their path to Gabriel’s father, who has the ability to revive the failing Traveler movement. But Michael and his group of Tabula mercenaries are equally motivated to find both Gabriel and their father–for both represent an obstacle to Michael’s unchallenged power. The Dark River is a scintillating novel that, like The Traveler, is deeply and richly drawn, showcasing a superb and original voice.

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  • 576

    Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses

      Alison Weir
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The war between the houses of Lancaster and York for the throne of England was characterised by treachery, deceit and - at St Albans, Blore Hill and Towton, - some of the bloodiest and most dramatic battles on England's soil. Between 1455 and 1487 the royal coffers were bankrupted and the conflict resulted in the downfall of the houses of Lancaster and York and the emergence of the illustrious Tudor dynasty. Alison Weir's lucid and gripping account focuses on the human side of history, on the people and personalities involved in the conflict. At the centre of the book stands Henry VI, the pious king whose mental instability led to political chaos, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and Henry's rival, and most important of all, Margaret of Anjou, Henry's wife who took up her arms in her husband's cause and battled for many years in a violent man's world.

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  • 576

    The Girl With the Windup Heart

      Kady Cross
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In 1897 London, a final showdown is about to begin. London's underworld is no place for a young woman, even one who is strong, smart and part-automaton like Mila. But when master criminal Jack Dandy inadvertently breaks her heart, she takes off, determined to find an independent life, one entirely her own. Her search takes her to the spangled shadows of the West End's most dazzling circus. Meanwhile, taken captive in the Aether, Griffin King is trapped in an inescapable prison, and at the mercy of his archenemy, The Machinist. If he breaks under the hellish torment, The Machinist will claim his powers and control of the Aether itself, and no one in either world will be safe-especially not Finley Jayne and her misfit band of friends. Finley plunges headlong into the Aether the only way she knows how, by temporarily dying. But she cannot parry The Machinist's maneuvers for long. To defeat him for good, Griffin will have to confront his greatest fear and finally come face-to-face with the destructive power he wields.

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  • 576

    An Empire Unacquainted With Defeat

      Glen Cook
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An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat collects all of Glen Cook’s short fiction set in the vast world of the Dread Empire, from “The Nights of Dreadful Silence”, featuring the first appearance of Bragi Ragnarson, Mocker, and Haroun bin Yousif, to the culture-clashing novella “Soldier of an Empire Unacquainted with Defeat”; from “Silverheels”, Cook’s first published work of fiction, to “Hell’s Forge”, a haunting tale of cursed pirates and strange lands, appearing here for the first time. Also including a detailed introduction and extensive story notes by Glen Cook, An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat charts the development of this influential American author and the massive, multifaceted world that he created.

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  • 576

    Beyond the Deepwoods

      Paul Stewart
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Abandoned at birth in the perilous Deepwoods, Twig Verginix is brought up by a family of woodtrolls. One cold night, Twig does what no woodtroll has ever done before – he strays from the path. So begins a heart-stopping adventure that will take Twig through a nightmare world of fearsome goblins, bloodthirsty beasts and flesh-eating trees. Can he discover the truth about his past? Beyond the Deepwoods is the first book of the Twig Saga – second trilogy in The Edge Chronicles. Each book is a stand-alone adventure, so you can read The Edge Chronicles in any order you choose.

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  • 576

    I Like It Like That

      Cecily von Ziegesar
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It's spring break and love is in the air. Or is that a blend of Chanel no. 9 and Gucci Rush? Is there a difference?Blair moves in with Serena and they're back to being best friends. But will the love-fest last or will they end up tearing out one anothers newly highlighted hair? And speaking of new, Nate is on the straight and narrow, playing Nate-in-shining-armor to his crazy new girlfriend, Georgie. But he will definitely get more than he bargained for when he, Georgie, Blair, and Serena end up hanging out together in Sun Valley, Idaho. Back in Manhattan, Jenny is spending time with a mysteriously nice new boyfriend and Dan is spending time crying in the office of the Red Letter literary journal. And Vanessa, wait, is that Vanessa shopping at Barneys with a guy in a Lacoste shirt?The long cold winter is over and the sun is finally shining along Fifth Avenue. The trees are in bloom and NYC's most fabulous are ready for a truly outrageous vacation

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  • 576

    The Boy Who Dared

      Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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A Newbery Honor Book author has written a powerful and gripping novel about a youth in Nazi Germany who tells the truth about Hitler Bartoletti has taken one episode from her Newbery Honor Book, HITLER YOUTH, and fleshed it out into thought-provoking novel. When 16-year-old Helmut Hubner listens to the BBC news on an illegal short-wave radio, he quickly discovers Germany is lying to the people. But when he tries to expose the truth with leaflets, he's tried for treason. Sentenced to death and waiting in a jail cell, Helmut's story emerges in a series of flashbacks that show his growth from a naive child caught up in the patriotism of the times , to a sensitive and mature young man who thinks for himself.

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  • 576

    Shadowfire

      Tanith Lee
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Turek was raised as an orphan nomad, until one grim night when he learns of his heritage. He discovers he is the son of the last woman of a superior race long thought dead – a woman who once dishonored his warrior king father. Intent on revenge, Turek takes his father's name, Vazkor, and embarks on a journey to find his mother – and murder her.Rediscover this realm of brilliant cruel beauty and seductive immortal ruins, of savage war and grand conquest, of falling stars and silver gods—with this 40th anniversary edition of legendary fantastist Tanith Lee's Birthgrave Trilogy.

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  • 576

    Apple and Rain

      Sarah Crossan
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When Apple's mother returns after eleven years of absence, Apple feels whole again. She will have an answer to her burning question – why did you go? And she will have someone who understands what it means to be a teenager – unlike Nana. But just like the stormy Christmas Eve when she left, her mother's homecoming is bitter sweet, and Apple wonders who is really looking after whom. It's only when Apple meets someone more lost than she is, that she begins to see things as they really are.Like a brilliant hybrid of Cathy Cassidy and Jacqueline Wilson, Sarah Crossan entices you into her world, then tells a moving, perceptive and beautifully crafted story which has the power to make you laugh and cry.

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  • 576

    Second Shift: Order

      Hugh Howey
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The incredible second part of Shift, the follow up to bestseller Wool.Donald wasn’t supposed to remember. In fact, he was punished for doing just that. But the information he should have forgotten may end up saving his future. Mission Jones is a young man who wants to change the world around him. The rules, the secrets, the lies. Putting his own life on the line, he fights to build a resistance and save those who have hope. But is he trying to save the wrong people?Donald knows the truth, but is he willing to use it to protect something that he regrets building in the first place?

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  • 575

    Bread Overhead

      Fritz Leiber
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Bread Overhead is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Fritz Leiber is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Fritz Leiber then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

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  • 575

    By Earthlight

      Bryce Walton
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This collection of literature attempts to compile many classics that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.This collection of literature attempts to compile many classics that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.

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  • 575

    Darklands

      Nancy Holzner
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They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its border—but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human… Boston’s demons have been disappearing, and Vicky’s clients are canceling left and right. While fewer demons might seem like a good thing, Vicky suspects foul play. A missing Celtic cauldron from Harvard’s Peabody museum leads her to an unwelcome conclusion: Pryce, her demi-demon cousin and bitter enemy, is trying to regain his full powers. But Pryce isn’t alone. He’s conjured another, darker villain from Vicky’s past. To stop them from destroying everything she loves, she’ll have to face her own worst fear—in the realm of the dead itself.

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  • 575

    The Tale of Grunty Pig

      Arthur Scott Bailey
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He was the smallest of seven children. At first his mother thought she would call him "Runty." But she soon changed her mind about that; for she discovered that even if he was the runt of the family, he had the loudest grunt of all. So the good lady made haste to slip a G in front of the name "Runty."

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