On a night in December someone is telling you a story in front of a warm fire about a beautiful forest. You soon realise this story has a secret. A secret so large that if it escaped it would put in danger the great forest itself and everything the speaker holds dear. What happens in the forest when nobody is looking? And what does Christmas look like outside in the forest under under the stars?On a night in December someone is telling you a story in front of a warm fire about a beautiful forest at Christmastime. It begins like many others but soon you realise this story has a secret. A secret so large that, if it escaped, it would put in danger the great forest itself and everything the speaker holds dear.And then you realise that most of the characters the speaker talks about are behaving strangely for people, snuffling about the forest for food or standing tall and proud as people walk under them. Who are all these characters in the forest who talk with a little awe and fear of "humankind"? And why have they all heard of Gerald Jr?Suddenly the speaker himself sounds strange. Clever and polite but strange. He lives in a burrow and talks of paws instead of hands but he likes you and wants to tell you a story. So as the fire crackles he tells you the Secret Story of Gerald Jr the Christmas Tree and what Christmas looks like from outside in the forest under the stars.Welcome to the world of the Fantastic Forest where the tree next to you may have as much to say as the (well travelled) mouse by your foot. You would do well to listen to them: they have wonderful stories to tell, some ancient, some new and not a few secrets to share if you become their friend.

A screen-play set in the neolithic period following a boy and his guardian's magical education and enlightenment.The story of metals and how they helped people move from the Stone Age into the Bronze. A screen-play telling the story of Uther Pendragon and his flight after his realm is invaded my monsters using magical technology. His guardian and he runs to the city of Babylon where they learn the secrets of metal making. An adventure story full of magic and intrgue...

We save and invest and plan for our future, but in twenty, thirty, forty years, science fiction will become our new reality. How do we go about retirement planning when human cloning will likely be a viable option? What degrees should we encourage our children to pursue when robots are competing for the best jobs? How will the housing market be affected by the discovery of parallel universes?We save and invest and plan for our future, but in twenty, thirty, forty years, science fiction will become our new reality. How do we go about retirement planning when human cloning will likely be a viable option? What degrees should we encourage our children to pursue when robots are competing for the best jobs? How will the housing market be affected by the discovery of parallel universes? Your financial portfolio might be in dire need of a major readjustment if you haven't considered these and other scenarios, because after all, you can't adequately plan for YOUR future without planning for THE future.

Book 2 of the Silent Lady series. Join Captain Ellie and her first mate Raven for another adventure. As they search their world trying to find life and their lost memories, they soon find that something else is searching for the same thing, but for entirely different reasons.Book 2 of the Silent Lady series. Join Captain Ellie and her first mate Raven for another adventure. As they search their world trying to find life and their lost memories, they soon find that something else is searching for the same thing, but for entirely different reasons. With a new villain on the horizon Ellie must find the courage to save her people and herself. Come along for the ride as they fight for what is right and discover their true selves.

Robert had received a sticky saying he would find God at a Kosciusko Street address. He accepted the invitation and met with the woman you see in the picture. The conversation they had, the lunch they enjoyed at Angelo's Pizza Palace, and the monumental event that occurred there will astonish you and strain your credulity.Charlotte Jones is moved to the Willow Hill Group Home, located in the heart of Bozeman, Montana. She locks herself in a room with 5 other foster children and her brother, Clark. They quickly begin to learn more about each other, and the lies that reside within the group home.

This book contains a story written in prose and also poetry based on the story.It is a surrealistic mind-triggering piece, a speculative allegory of paranormal existence and conspiracy theory.Snippets When he opened his eyes he found that they were walking on a shore. Arizel’s foot caught onto something, she picked it up and was surprised to see it was a book. She started reading it as she strolled away from the shore with him. Suddenly she gave the book to him and said that this book looks like the Timebook of Clocks, but it is not. He nodded and said, “I know, this is the one made in the Toolshed in the times when I was searching for you. We are in the place of which we dreamt. We are in Sysandria. When a pair of Kayles is about to arrive in Sysandria two drops of tear fall from the eye of the statue of their Goddess. One drop turns into a man and another into a woman. They have powers above all Kayles and they leave Sysandria. They are known as Vasitvens. But this time when he and Arizel arrived two drops of blood fell instead of tears. According to the prophecy the goddess will bleed on the arrival of the first Kayle reborn. Delivering darkness over the dayPlay the game of a warrior without nameOne who finds the Timebook of clocks,wields the unknown and becomes sublime.He knows whom he must protect,and whom he must decline.What he receives he returns more and in the right time.Justice is the purpose of the divine,what remains dreams or realityyou will find.

Hailed as the final memorial to the work of a great scholar and teacher and a wise and noble mind, this work paints a lucid picture of the medieval world view, as historical and cultural background to the literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Bestselling author Pat Conroy acknowledges the books that have shaped him and celebrates the profound effect reading has had on his life. Pat Conroy, the beloved American storyteller, is also a vora­cious reader. He has for years kept a notebook in which he notes words or phrases, just from a love of language. But read­ing for him is not simply a pleasure to be enjoyed in off-hours or a source of inspiration for his own writing. It would hardly be an exaggeration to claim that reading has saved his life, and if not his life then surely his sanity. In My Reading Life, Conroy revisits a life of passionate reading. He includes wonderful anecdotes from his school days, mov­ing accounts of how reading pulled him through dark times, and even lists of books that particularly influenced him at vari­ous stages of his life, including grammar school, high school, and college. Readers will be enchanted with his ruminations on reading and books, and want to own and share this perfect gift book for the holidays. And, come graduation time, My Reading Life will establish itself as a perennial favorite, as did Dr. Seuss’s *Oh, the Places You’ll Go! *

Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare… Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core. Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached. But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.

Every woman wants me--except the one I sing for. Seattle shakes with anticipation: they call it the concert of the year. They say girls are getting pregnant just thinking about Crack Bikini being in town. But when you love a girl, you don't leave her with nothing but a ring and a promise. Any man with half a brain should know. So what did I expect my girl would do when she saw me again? Well, for starters, she loathes our music. Particularly the song I wrote about her. When I sing it, the stadium is in an uproar. Thousands of fans scream my name like I'm a god--but yeah, not her. Crystal clear: the girl's not happy to see me. Black hair, black boots, a bad attitude, that's her -- Pandora Stone is a freaking man-eater and she's out for my blood. That's alright. Let her come at me. Because I'm out for her heart and, this time, there's no way she can stop me.

Lady Isobel is a Norman laird's daughter, living near the Scots border where her father, Lord Pembroke, is trying to keep the peace. But her mother was a Highlander and the man Isobel loves most of all is Laird Marcus McEwan, who has been bringing news of her mother's people for years. But now Isobel's father wishes her wed to an English nobleman, who will carry on his title. Isobel will wed no other man but her heart's desire—and that is one braw Highlander from her mother's homeland. Laird Marcus McEwan has loved the feisty lass forever. For years, Marcus has tried to convince Lord Pembroke to allow him to wed his daughter. But the Norman lord will not allow it. Then ambushes and murders make it too dangerous for Marcus to reach a peaceful resolution. Nothing goes as planned and keeping the lass for his own is fraught with danger, as they try to determine who was behind the killings. Isobel and Marcus will do everything in their power to ensure they are together as they have always vowed they would be.

Princess for president! Student body president, that is -- nominated by her power-mad best friend, Lilly. This is not how Mia imagined kicking off her sophomore year, but as usual, she has bigger problems to worry about, like Geometry. And now that Mia's one true love, Michael, is uptown at college, what's the point of even getting up for school in the morning? But the last straw is what Lana whispers to her on the lunch line about what college boys expect of their girlfriends. . . . Really, it's almost more than a princess in training can bear!

Dear Peaches, America is perfect! Okay, so Vicenza isn't being totally honest with Peaches, her best friend back in Manila. But what fun is it being the new girl at snooty Grosvernor High? Or rooting through the Salvation Army for unholey cashmere sweaters? Or having culture-shocked, embarrassingly clueless parents? Maybe being Claude Caligari's ignored geometry partner is sort of fun, but Vicenza would rather be his girlfriend ... or at least his date to the annual fancy-schmancy Soire e d'Hiver. Instead, she's stuck going with scrawny family friend Freddie in an outlet-purchased, coupon-reduced dress that is nothing short of disaster! But Vicenza won't be friendless, fashionless, or "fresh off the boat" for long -- it's only a matter of time before she sees what's right before her eyes, and her luck begins to change.

Oracles can see the future, but are sworn to never interfere. Charlotte Westing learned this lesson the hard way--but after a series of murders in her small town, she's beginning to wonder if she learned too well. Are there some futures Charlotte as a responsibility to change? When a new girl with strange powers shows up at school on the same day Charlotte has a vision of a grisly double homicide, Charlotte must decide whether the time has come to free herself from the rules of the Sisters of Delphi once and for all. But what will be the price? Book Two of the Charlotte Westing Chronicles!

On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she'd become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways. She didn't. And then she died. Now she's stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge--as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past. Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly's afterlife has been miserable. But this year, everything is about to change. . . .

"NEW YORK TIMES "BESTSELLER Laurie R. King's "New York Times" bestselling novels of suspense featuring Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, comprise one of today's most acclaimed mystery series. Now, in their newest and most thrilling adventure, the couple is separated by a shocking circumstance in a perilous part of the world, each racing against time to prevent an explosive catastrophe that could clothe them both in shrouds. In a strange room in Morocco, Mary Russell is trying to solve a pressing mystery: "Who am I?" She has awakened with shadows in her mind, blood on her hands, and soldiers pounding on the door. Out in the hivelike streets, she discovers herself strangely adept in the skills of the underworld, escaping through alleys and rooftops, picking pockets and locks. She is clothed like a man, and armed only with her wits and a scrap of paper containing a mysterious Arabic phrase. Overhead, warplanes pass ominously north. Meanwhile, Holmes is pulled by two old friends and a distant relation into the growing war between France, Spain, and the Rif Revolt led by Emir Abd el-Krim--who may be a Robin Hood or a power mad tribesman. The shadows of war are drawing over the ancient city of Fez, and Holmes badly wants the wisdom and courage of his wife, whom he's learned, to his horror, has gone missing. As Holmes searches for her, and Russell searches for her"self, " each tries to crack deadly parallel puzzles before it's too late for them, for Africa, and for the peace of Europe. With the dazzling mix of period detail and contemporary pace that is her hallmark, Laurie R. King continues the stunningly suspenseful series that Lee Child called "the most sustained feat of imagination in mystery fiction today." Praise for "Garment of Shadows" "As always, the relationship between Holmes and Russell is utterly understated yet traced with heat and light."--"Booklist" (starred review) "[A] taut tale . . . original and intriguing . . . This tantalizing glimpse into the life and times of a rapidly evolving Arabic society has remarkable resonance for our own uncertain times."--"Publishers Weekly" "Those new to the series are in for a treat."--Bookreporter

This richly colored memoir chronicles the exploits of a flamboyant Jewish family, from its bold arrival in cosmopolitan Alexandria to its defeated exodus three generations later. In elegant and witty prose, André Aciman introduces us to the marvelous eccentrics who shaped his life--Uncle Vili, the strutting daredevil, soldier, salesman, and spy; the two grandmothers, the Princess and the Saint, who gossip in six languages; Aunt Flora, the German refugee who warns that Jews lose everything "at least twice in their lives." And through it all, we come to know a boy who, even as he longs for a wider world, does not want to be led, forever, out of Egypt.

After bidding good-bye to New York's brightest star, Elizabeth Holland, rumors continue to fly about her untimely demise. All eyes are on those closest to the dearly departed: her mischievous sister, Diana, now the family's only hope for redemption; New York's most notorious cad, Henry Schoonmaker, the flame Elizabeth never extinguished; the seductive Penelope Hayes, poised to claim all that her best friend left behind—including Henry; even Elizabeth's scheming former maid, Lina Broud, who discovers that while money matters and breeding counts, gossip is the new currency. As old friends become rivals, Manhattan's most dazzling socialites find their futures threatened by whispers from the past. In this delicious sequel to The Luxe, nothing is more dangerous than a scandal... or more precious than a secret.

Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is the debut novel from a major new voice in fantasy fiction.

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny used to live alone in a boxcar. Now they have a home with their grandfather, and they’re about to meet a mysterious mummy! The Greenfield Museum is holding a special exhibit all about ancient Egypt, and the main attraction is a 4,000-year-old mummy. The Aldens are helping the museum curator set up the exhibit and learning all about life in ancient Egypt. But ever since the mummy arrived, nothing’s gone right for the museum or its workers. The longer the Aldens are around the mummy, the more things go wrong. As the children search for the cause of all the bad luck, everything points back to the spooky sarcophagus. Has the museum been struck by the curse of an ancient mummy? The Aldens are about to find out, whether they’re ready or not!

Its first-person protagonist, Jacob Horner, suffers from nihilistic paralysis: an inability to choose a course of action. As part of a schedule of unorthodox therapies, Horner's nameless Doctor has him take a teaching job at a local teachers college. There Horner befriends the super-rational existentialist Joe Morgan and his wife Rennie, with whom he becomes entangled in a love triangle, with tragic results. The book deals with several issues that were controversial at the time, including racial segregation and abortion. (from wikipedia)