Nita Callahan is at the end of her rope because of the bullies who've been hounding her at school... until she discovers a mysterious library book that promises her the chance to become a wizard. But she has no idea of the difference that taking the Wizard's Oath is going to make in her life. Shortly, in company with fellow beginner-wizard Kit Rodriguez, Nita's catapulted into what will be the adventure of a lifetime -- if she and Kit can both live through it. For every wizard's career starts with an Ordeal in which he or she must challenge the one power in the universe that hates wizardry more than anything else: the Lone Power that invented death and turned it loose in the worlds. Plunged into a dark and deadly alternate New York full of the Lone One's creatures, Kit and Nita must venture into the very heart of darkness to find the stolen, legendary Book of Night with Moon. Only with the dangerous power of the wizardly Book do they have a chance to save not just their own lives, but their world...

"You have to teach your heart and mind how to sing together... then you'll hear the sound of your soul." Mia Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. She's an Ivy League graduate, a classically trained pianist, and the beloved daughter of a sensible mother and offbeat father. Yet Mia has been stalling since graduation, torn between putting her business degree to use and exploring music, her true love. When her father unexpectedly dies, she decides to pick up the threads of his life while she figures out her own. Uprooting herself from Ann Arbor to New York City, Mia takes over her father's cafe, a treasured neighborhood institution that plays host to undiscovered musicians and artists. She's denied herself the thrilling and unpredictable life of a musician, but a chance encounter with Will, a sweet, gorgeous, and charming guitarist, offers her a glimpse of what could be. When Will becomes her friend and then her roommate, she does everything in her power to suppress her passions—for him, for music—but her father's legacy slowly opens her heart to the possibility of something more. A "heartbreaking and romantic" (Aestas Book Blog) debut, Sweet Thing explores the intensity and complexities of first love and self-discovery.

I had the perfect life. The perfect husband. Colin Cassidy—the incredibly talented, extremely gorgeous, and unbelievably humble star NFL quarterback. The perfect marriage. Our bond was unbreakable. His support unwavering. The perfect career. As the recently-appointed executive director for the Boston chapter of Mending Hearts, a child abuse prevention and treatment program, my daily reward was helping to keep vulnerable, innocent children from being preyed upon and destroyed. It’s all I’d wanted to do since I was a teenager. Perfect city. Perfect car. Perfect house with the perfect view. From the outside looking in, it was impossible to find a single flaw in my life. I had it all. Everything I'd ever wanted. But that kind of perfection came at a price. Demanded the ultimate sacrifice. What happened when I discovered what I'd been missing all along? When I began to question if the lies were worth protecting? What if suddenly the last thing I wanted was to be perfect?

During this savage civil war, all efforts to end Jacen Solo's tyranny of the Galactic Alliance have failed. Now with Jacen approaching the height of his dark powers, no one--not even the Solos and the Skywalkers--knows if anything can stop the Sith Lord before his plan to save the galaxy ends up destroying it.Jacen Solo's shadow of influence has threatened many, especially those closest to him. Jaina Solo is determined to bring her brother in, but in order to track him down, she must first learn unfamiliar skills from a man she finds ruthless, repellent, and dangerous. Meanwhile, Ben Skywalker, still haunted by suspicions that Jacen killed his mother, Mara, decides he must know the truth, even if it costs him his life. And as Luke Skywalker contemplates once unthinkable strategies to dethrone his nephew, the hour of reckoning for those on both sides draws near. The galaxy becomes a battlefield where all must face their true nature and darkest secrets, and...

EDITORIAL REVIEW: *New York Times* bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell cuts a new edge in suspense with this thrilling tale of passion, danger, and international intrigue in which a pair of former operatives must stop a deadly plot that threatens a major American city—and ultimately the world When she joined St. Kilda's, the elite security consulting firm, Emma Cross thought she'd left behind the blood, the guilt, and the tribal wars that defined her life at the CIA. Yet, trading spying for investigating yacht thefts didn't alleviate the danger—or melt away her professional paranoia. Now, the same good instincts that got her into trouble at the agency might be what will help her survive her latest case. With some arm-twisting, St. Kilda and Emma are tracking a yacht named *Blackbird*, a dead ringer for another ship that went missing somewhere between Vladivostok and Portland a year earlier. Emma knows the boat's intended cargo is lethal. What she needs to find out is whether it's biological, chemical, or fissionable. And she's only got seven days to uncover the truth . . . or a major American city will be lost. Fortunately, she's working with a new partner as menacing and distrustful as the worst enemy she's ever faced—and as deadly. A honed killer, MacKenzie Durand led a special ops team that was deployed to some of the world's nastiest places. But five years ago everything went to hell in Afghanistan, when bad intel hung his team out to dry. The only survivor, Mac walked away and never looked back, preferring to make money sailing high-end boats like *Blackbird*. But Emma and Mac aren't the only eyes watching *Blackbird*. Taras Demidov, an expert in extortion and execution in the pay of the oligarchs running the former Soviet Union, is also waiting in the shadows, determined to intercept a fearsomely powerful arms dealer with the money, weaponry, and connections to alter the geopolitical balance. Thrown together by an organization of enemies with global ties more dangerous than either of them realize, Mac and Emma must put aside their growing attraction for each other to save more than just their own lives. In a deadly game where the rules change without warning and the line between friend and foe is blurred, the pair must find answers fast—or watch as innocent civilians are sacrificed in a cold-blooded grab for power and supremacy. And even Mac and Emma aren't sure just who will get to the finish line alive. . . . A breathtaking tale of passion and danger, *Death Echo* is superb entertainment from the queen of suspense, *New York Times* bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell.

Mars has become divided by love. Not one, but two princes and a Jeddak are vying for the love of Thuvia of Ptarth. When she is mysteriously kidnapped, treachery threatens to throw Barsoom into bloody war.

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

Rick Raphael (1919-1994) was a US writer and journalist who began publishing sci-fi with "A Filbert is a Nut" for Astounding in November 1959 and established a considerable reputation in the field with a comparatively small output of about ten stories, most of them assembled in The Thirst Quenchers (coll 1965) and Code Three (fixup 1966).

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

If historical precedent be wrong—what qualities, then, must man possess to successfully colonize new worlds? Doctor Ashby said: "There is no piece of data you cannot find, provided you can devise the proper experimental procedure for turning it up." Now—about the man and the procedure....

The Dragon of Wantley - His Tale is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Owen Wister is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Owen Wister then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Through the stillness of a drowsy June day broke the intoning of the library bell, chiming the hour. Three heads lifted quickly to listen. Three pairs of eyes met, the same thought flashed through three minds. "Won't we miss that bell, though? I've seen grads when they've come back stand perfectly still and listen to it with their eyes all weepy looking. That's the way we'll feel by and by," one of them said slowly. "And the chimes used to make me dreadfully homesick! Don't those frosh days seem ages ago?"

Tom is a fifteen year old boy who lives in New York City with an old man named Jacob in Mrs. Flanagan’s rooming house. They pose as grandfather and grandson, but, while Tom understands that they are no real relation, he knows nothing about his real family. Tom makes a living for them both as a street bootblack. Just before Jacob dies, he tells the boy that he is really Gilbert Grey, the son of a wealthy Cincinnati, OH, businessman named John Grey. However, John’s brother James conspired with Jacob to spirit the child away, claiming that he drowned, so that James could inherit the family wealth. Jacob has written a confession explaining all the details. So after Jacob’s death, Tom, or Gilbert, heads for Cincinnati to see if he can locate his uncle and claim his fortune. What will he find? Can he succeed? Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832-1899) was a nineteenth-century American author who wrote approximately 135 novels, beginning with Ragged Dick in 1867, most of which have been described as rags to riches stories, illustrating how down-and-out boys might be able to achieve the American dream of wealth and success through hard work, courage, determination, and concern for others. The son of a Unitarian minister, Alger also became a Unitarian minister in Brewster, MA, but soon retired from the ministry and moved to New York City where he formed an association with the Newsboys Lodging House and other agencies offering aid to impoverished children. Alger's empathy with the young working men, coupled with the moral values he learned at home, formed the basis for his stories. He is noted as a significant figure in the history of American cultural and social ideals, even though his novels are rarely read these days. Tom the bootblack is a good role-model of honesty, hard work, and persistence. There are a couple of references to dancing, but the evils of alcoholic drink are strongly emphasized. The book is recommended by Nathaniel Bluedorn in Hand That Rocks the Cradle: 400 Classic Books for Children, saying, “These stories teach good character and the benefits of entrepreneurial business practices.” Though Alger’s books may be considered by some as hopelessly outdated and even “weird” today, I can easily see why young boys used to eat them up until they went out of style, and to be honest, even looked upon as pulp fiction, they are still a lot better than much of the trash that poses as young people’s literature in our time. At the end of Tom, the Bootblack, Alger apparently included a couple of short stories, one about Davie Cameron, a poor Scottish peasant who finds a buried treasure, and the other about a young boy named Lloyd who tries to save a schooner during a storm by building a fire on the beach. Faith in God is stressed in both.

This is an adventure novel written in the early 20th century by Percy Westerman, and like many of Westerman’s other works, it is suitable for young readers who are interested in military and naval books.This is an adventure novel written in the early 20th century by Percy Westerman, and like many of Westerman’s other works, it is suitable for young readers who are interested in military and naval books.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

This is a reproduction of the historic book, Mrs Pexiada By Henry Harland (AKA Sidney Luska) . This was originally published in 1886. Here is an excerpt:CHAPTER I—A CASE IS STATED. ON more than one account the 25th of April will always be a notable anniversary in the calendar of Mr. Arthur Ripley. To begin with, on that day he pocketed his first serious retainer as a lawyer. He got down-town a little late that morning. The weather was superb—blue sky and summer temperature. Central Park was within easy walking distance. His own engagements, alas, were not pressing. So he had treated himself to an afterbreakfast ramble across the common. On entering his office, toward eleven o’clock, he was surprised to find the usually empty chairs already tenanted. Mr. Mendel, the brewer, was established there, in company with two other gentlemen whom Arthur did not recognize. The sight of these visitors caused the young man a palpitation. Could it be—? He dared not complete the thought. That a client had at last sought him out, was too agreeable an hypothesis to be entertained. Mr. Mendel greeted him with the effusiveness for which he is distinguished, and introduced his companions respectively as Mr. Peixada and Mr. Rimo. Of old time, when Arthur’s father was still alive, and when Arthur himself had trotted about in knee-breeches and short jackets, Mr. Mendel had been their next door neighbor. Now he made the lawyer feel undignified by asking a string of personal questions: “Vail, how iss mamma?” and “Not married yet, eh?” and “Lieber Gott! You must be five-and-twenty—so tall, and with dot long mustache—yes?” And so forth; smiling the while with such benevolence that Arthur could not help answering politely, though he did hope that a desire for family statistics was not the sole motive of the brewer’s visit. But by and by Mendel cleared his throat, and assumed a look of importance. His voice modulated into a graver key, as he announced, “The fact is that we—or rather, my friends, Mr. Peixada and Mr. Rimo—want to consult you about a little matter of business.” He leaned back in his chair, drawing a deep breath, as though the speech had exhausted him; mopped his brow with his handkerchief, and flourished his thumb toward Peixada. “Ah,” replied Arthur, bowing to the latter, “I am happy to be at your service, sir.” “Yes,” said Peixada, in a voice several sizes larger than the situation required, “Mr. Mendel recommends you to us as a young man who is smart, and who, at the same time, is not so busy but that he can bestow upon our affairs the attention we wish them to have.” Notwithstanding Arthur’s delight at the prospect of something to do, Peixada’s tone, a mixture as it was of condescension and imperiousness, jarred a little. Arthur did not like the gratuitous assumption that he was “not so busy,” etc., true though it might be; nor did he like the critical way in which Peixada eyed him. “Indeed,” he said, speaking of it afterward, “it gave me very much such a sensation as a fellow must experience when put up for sale in the Turkish slave market—a feeling that my ’points’ were being noted, and my money value computed. I half expected him to continue, ’Open your mouth, show your teeth!’. Peixada was a tall, portly individual of fifty-odd, with a swarthy skin, brown, beady eyes, a black coat upon his back, and a fat gold ring around his middle finger. The top of his head was as bald as a Capuchin’s, and shone like a disk of varnished box-wood. It was surrounded by a circlet of crisp, dark, curly hair. He had a solemn manner that proclaimed him to be a person of consequence. It turned out that he was president of a one-horse insurance company. Mr. Rimo appeared to be but slightly in advance of Arthur’s own age—a tiny strip of a body, wearing a resplendent cravat, a dotted waistcoat, pointed patent-leather gaiters, and finger-nails trimmed talon-shape—a thoroughbred New York dandy, of the least effeminate type.

An ancient Chinese proverb comes to life through a faithful translation by one of our most captivating storytellers.A young boy learns to be a man after being given a gift of magic. Chu Yuan-chang wants to find his destiny. But that destiny can only be found in the depths of the Bluestone!