The Inside Job: And Other Skills I Learned as a Superspy

      Jackson Pearce
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Hale, who turned double-agent against the corrupt spy organization he was raised in, knows his super-spy parents can't come home until the Sub Rosa Society is neutralized--and that he and his friends are all that's standing between SRS and their worldwide crimes. So Hale wants to hit the bad guys where it hurts: their bank account. Hale and his allies all travel to Switzerland and discover that this won't be a smash-and-grab job like they expected. SRS doesn't have any actual money that can be taken--it's all hidden in secret digital accounts. Oh, and some super heavy gold bars. To take them down, Hale's crew will have to undo SRS's crimes and get to the inside man at the bank, all while artfully evading SRS's notice. There's plenty of action, a big fluffy show dog, a nefarious clown, and, as readers expect from this series, all kinds of comedic, high-stakes adventure.

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    Gargantua and Pantagruel

      François Rabelais
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The dazzling and exuberant moral stories of Rabelais (c.1471-1553) expose human follies with their mischievous and often obscene humour, while intertwining the realistic with carnivalesque fantasy to make us look afresh at the world. Gargantua depicts a young giant, reduced to laughable insanity by an education at the hands of paternal ignorance, old crones and syphilitic professors, who is rescued and turned into a cultured Christian knight. And in Pantagruel and its three sequels, Rabelais parodied tall tales of chivalry and satirized the law, theology and academia to portray the bookish son of Gargantua who becomes a Renaissance Socrates, divinely guided in his wisdom, and his idiotic, self-loving companion Panurge.

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  • 369

    Fear Itself

      Andrew Clements
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Time is ticking as the countdown to Ben Pratt’s school’s total demolition continues. Ben has been given a handful of clues that could help them save the school, but they are all written in maritime riddles. “After five bells sound, time to sit down.” What the heck does that mean? It’s hard to know where to begin when Ben and Jill don’t even know what they are looking for. All Lyman, the snake posing as the school janitor, needs to know, though, is that they are looking, and that could mean the end of the 30-million-dollar development deal that pays his salary. (Which, by the way, is MUCH larger than what a typical janitor makes.) As Lyman lurks in the shadows—and sometimes not in the shadows—Ben and Jill have to add another to-do to their list of things to accomplish in the next twenty-one days: (1) Figure out the clues left by past Keepers of the School groups, (2) figure out how these clues will help them save the school, and (3) stay one step ahead of Lyman. That’s the mission…which seems, at times, impossible. The second book in this riveting and mysterious six-book series is as action-packed as the first one, culminating in a faceoff between Ben, Jill, and Lyman. “After five bells sound, time to sit down” makes for a good riddle, but Ben and Jill also knows when it’s time to stand up…for Oakes School and for themselves.

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  • 369

    The Wizard’s Promise

      Cassandra Rose Clarke
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All Hanna Euli wants is to become a proper witch – but unfortunately, she’s stuck as an apprentice to a grumpy fisherman. When their boat gets caught up in a mysterious storm and blown wildly off course, Hanna finds herself further away from home than she’s ever been before. As she tries to get back, she learns there may be more to her apprentice master than she realized, especially when a mysterious, beautiful, and very non-human boy begins following her through the ocean, claiming that he needs Hanna’s help.

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  • 369

    The Map That Changed the World

      Simon Winchester
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In 1793, a canal digger named William Smith made a startling discovery. He found that by tracing the placement of fossils, which he uncovered in his excavations, one could follow layers of rocks as they dipped and rose and fell -- clear across England and, indeed, clear across the world -- making it possible, for the first time ever, to draw a chart of the hidden underside of the earth. Determined to expose what he realized was the landscape's secret fourth dimension, Smith spent twenty-two years piecing together the fragments of this unseen universe to create an epochal and remarkably beautiful hand-painted map. But instead of receiving accolades and honors, he ended up in debtors' prison, the victim of plagiarism, and virtually homeless for ten years more. Finally, in 1831, this quiet genius -- now known as the father of modern geology -- received the Geological Society of London's highest award and King William IV offered him a lifetime pension. The Map That Changed the World is a very human tale of endurance and achievement, of one man's dedication in the face of ruin. With a keen eye and thoughtful detail, Simon Winchester unfolds the poignant sacrifice behind this world-changing discovery.

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  • 369

    Gods' Concubine

      Sara Douglass
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From ancient Greece they came, remnants of the glorious Trojans. Led by Brutus, Kingman, holder of the bands of gold that wield the very magic of the Gods, these travelers are bowed but not broken, and they have come to Albion to begin anew. A vision of beauty called them to create a new Troy, and when they landed on the shores of the land that became Britain, they found an old magic that was fading. And so they began to construct a new Labyrinth, a place of magic that will bring unimaginable power to those who can control it. The temptress who brought Brutus to this land seeks to use him for her own purposes, but in that she fails, for it is the bride of Brutus who dooms the completion of the labyrinth . . . and sends all the players in this drama---handsome Brutus, his beautiful wife, Cornelia, and the sensuous and deadly Genvissa---into a hell of death and rebirth, until the Labyrinth is completed and the ancient magic is set free. A thousand years pass. Cathedrals rise in place of mud and wattle huts, hymns to saints replace odes to Celtic and Greek gods. But the magic from the dawn of time waits, and the players are not yet done with their destinies. They have new faces and new bodies, but old souls---and not all who have come back remember their parts in this drama. There are kings and princes, deadly court intrigues, and ancient powers awoken. And a warrior across the sea who only waits for his opportunity to finish what was started centuries before . . .

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    The Separation

      Christopher Priest
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Christopher Priest excels at rethinking SF themes, lifting them above genre expectations into his own tricky, chilling, metaphysically dangerous territory. The Separation suggests an alternate history lying along a road not taken in World War II. But there are complications. In 1999, history author Stuart Gratton is intrigued by a minor mystery of the European war which ended on 10 May 1941. The British-German armistice signed that month has had far-reaching consequences, including a resettlement of European Jews in Madagascar. In 1936, the identical twin brothers Joe and Jack Sawyer win a rowing medal for Britain in the Berlin Olympics: it's presented to them by Rudolf Hess. The brothers are separated not only by a twin's fierce need "to be treated as a separate human being", but by sexual rivalry and even ideology. When war breaks out Jack becomes a gung-ho bomber pilot, Joe a conscientious objector. Still they're inescapably linked, and sometimes confused. Both suffer injuries and hauntingly similar ambulance journeys. Churchill writes a puzzled memo (later unearthed by Gratton) about the anomaly of a registered-pacifist Red Cross worker flying planes for Bomber Command. Hess has significant, eventually incompatible meetings with both men. Contradictions are everywhere. As in his magical 1995 novel The Prestige Priest is fruitfully fascinated by the legerdemain of twins, doubles, impostors, symmetrical roles. Churchill's double briefly appears. So does the famous conspiracy theory that the Hess who flew to Britain with his quixotic peace deal wasn't the real Hess ring true? Clearly The Separation was impressively, extensively researched. Its evocations of bombing raids--from either side of the bomb sites--are memorable. The unfolding story strands become increasingly disorienting and hallucinatory; the easy escape route of dismissing one strand as delusion is itself subtly undermined. The Separation is filled with a sense of the precariousness of history; of small events and choices with extraordinary consequences. --David Langford

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  • 369

    Outside the Lines: A Sons of Templar Novella 2.5

      Anne Malcom
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My life's not easy. I'll tell you that now. It's not neat. I don't fit into society the way most people expect me to and I don't color studiously between the lines, outside the lines is where I reside. The fringes of society is where I found my place, with the Sons of Templar MC. The life they lived gave me everything I wanted, and everything I needed. Most importantly, it gave me something I'd been lacking for over a decade--family. A place to belong. Club girl--that was my title. There were other words for what I was, but I preferred the less derogatory version. Sure, I'd love to be an Old Lady. It's the dream. But, as someone who escaped into fantasy worlds when life got too much, I knew the difference between dreams and reality. I had resigned myself to the fact, I'd always belong to the club. It didn't mean I didn't crave one man in particular to claim me. To put me on the back of his bike and ride off into the sunset with the man who'd captured my heart the first day I saw him--Hansen. The dream where he'd finally see me and make me his, existed strictly in Macy's world of wonder. Until now. Until somehow my fantasy world and reality world collided and he looks at me in the way I'd dreamt of for a year. Fairy tales usually had neat and happy endings once the hero and heroine got together. This wasn't a fairy tale. Hansen wasn't your traditional hero and I was the furthest you could get from a heroine. I feared my past might dictate my future. That my world outside the lines would go from messy to complete disaster. Outside the Lines is a 35,000 word novella that can be read as a standalone. HEA and no cliffhangers.**

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    Drifter (MC Sinners Next Generation #2)

      Bella Jewel
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They say opposites attract. In my world that isn’t a good thing. I did everything I could to escape the motorcycle club I grew up in when I turned twenty-one. It wasn’t about fear, or betrayal, or even lack of love. I just needed my own life. I had to know how it felt to stand on my own two feet without their protection. Then I met Diesel. Mysterious, dark, with eyes that screamed to be understood. From the second I met him, I knew I needed to be in his life. There’s just one problem – he’s a member of a different motorcycle club. Two things that should never be combined. Yet I can’t stay away. No matter how hard he pushes. I can see beyond his mask. I need to know who he is and I’ll overcome any obstacle to be in his life. A friendship is born, followed by an epic love. Our relationship is forbidden. But I’ll do anything to be in his life. Anything.

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    Ginger Breadhouse and the Candy Fish Wish

      Suzanne Selfors
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This short story by Suzanne Selfors is a companion to her novel Kiss and Spell. At Ever After High, Ginger Breadhouse is working on some hextra credit for Science and Sorcery class when a bit of potion spills on a gummy candy fish and brings it to life! Now Ginger has to figure out how to care for a pet made out of sugar! Read this original short story about how Ginger got her pet fish, Jelly.

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  • 369

    Nowhere but Home

      Liza Palmer
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The strategy on the gridiron of Friday Night Lights is nothing compared to the savagery of coming home . . .Queenie Wake has just been fired from her job as a chef for not allowing a customer to use ketchup . . . again. Now the only place she has to go is North Star, Texas, the hometown she left in disgrace. Maybe things will be different this time around. After all, her mother--notorious for stealing your man, your car, and your rent money--has been dead for years. And Queenie's sister, once the local teenage harlot who fooled around with the town golden boy, is now the mother of the high school football captain.Queenie's new job, cooking last meals at the nearby prison, is going well . . . at least the inmates don't complain! But apparently small-town Texas has a long memory for bad reputations. And when Queenie bumps into Everett Coburn, the high school sweetheart who broke her heart, she wishes her own memory was a little spottier. But before...

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  • 369

    The Golden Amazons of Venus

      John Murray Reynolds
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Dakta death, horrible beyond the weirdest fever-dreams of Earth-men, faced Space Ship Commander Gerry Norton. The laconic interplanetary explorer knew too much. He stood in the dynamic path of Lansa, Lord of the Scaly Ones, the crafty monster bent on conquering the fair City of Larr and all the rich, shadowless lands of the glorious Amazons of Venus.

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  • 368

    Rujub, the Juggler

      G. A. Henty
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G.A. Henty was a well-known prolific author of historical adventure novels. Henty's books are also known for being historically accurate, making them both entertaining and educational for all readers. Rujub, the Juggler is a historical novel set in an English community during the Indian Rebellion. The action centers around young Ralph Bathurst who calls upon Rujub to help save the girl he loves.

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  • 368

    Nelly's First Schooldays

      Juliana Horatia Gatty Ewing
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This book was originally published prior to 1923, and represents a reproduction of an important historical work, maintaining the same format as the original work. While some publishers have opted to apply OCR (optical character recognition) technology to the process, we believe this leads to sub-optimal results (frequent typographical errors, strange characters and confusing formatting) and does not adequately preserve the historical character of the original artifact. We believe this work is culturally important in its original archival form. While we strive to adequately clean and digitally enhance the original work, there are occasionally instances where imperfections such as blurred or missing pages, poor pictures or errant marks may have been introduced due to either the quality of the original work or the scanning process itself. Despite these occasional imperfections, we have brought it back into print as part of our ongoing global book preservation commitment, providing customers with access to the best possible historical reprints. We appreciate your understanding of these occasional imperfections, and sincerely hope you enjoy seeing the book in a format as close as possible to that intended by the original publisher.

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  • 368

    The White Crystals: Being an Account of the Adventures of Two Boys

      Howard Roger Garis
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Dr. Glasby looked over the rims of his spectacles at the boy before him. Then he glanced at Mr. Anderson, cleared his throat with a loud "ahem" that made Roger start, and said, very ponderously: "Um!" "Well?" asked Mr. Anderson, a little anxious tone coming into his voice, "what's the verdict, doctor?" "Um!" said the physician again. "Nothing very serious, Mr. Anderson. Roger, here, is a little run down, that's all. He's been studying too hard, his eyes are a trifle weak, muscles flabby, and his blood hasn't enough of the good red stuff in it. In short, he must live out of doors for a year or so, and then I'll guarantee he will come back with red cheeks and a pair of arms that will make you proud of him. Eh, Roger?" and Dr. Glasby pinched the rather small and soft biceps of the boy, smiling the while, good naturedly. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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  • 368

    A Drake by George!

      John Trevena
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Ernest George Henham was a Canadian-British author who wrote novels at the beginning of the 20th Century about Dartmoor and Devon, England. He also published literary works under the pseudonym John Trevena.

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  • 368

    Blackberry Wine

      Anne Spackman
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A short love story set in New York City. John Kramer, a disgruntled Manhattan executive, changes his life when he meets Lucy Graham.A short love story set in New York City. John Kramer, a disgruntled Manhattan executive, changes his life when he meets Lucy Graham. Lucy saves his life unexpectedly, and John decides it's fate.

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  • 368

    The Sagebrusher: A Story of the West

      Emerson Hough
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The Sagebrusher - A Story of the West is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Emerson Hough is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Emerson Hough then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

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