This volume has the best stories from top science fiction writers as C. M. Kornbluth, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Isaac Asimov, Fritz Leiber and many more.

Before she leaves for art camp, Karen has a fight with her best friends Hannie and Nancy, which she shares in a special puppet show.

A ruthless corporation is about to take command of the seas.  This is a mission for Kurt Austin and the NUMA team. 

The second of the Draka series.The Eurasian War is over. Nazi Germany and the Japanese Empire have been defeated. With the exception of the British Isles Europe belongs to the Domination. Now it is the turn of the Europeans to be experience life as serfs under the heel of the Domination. Now it is their turn to be Under the Yoke.

**Charles Dickens's masterful assault on the injustices of the British legal system** As the interminable case of 'Jarndyce and Jarndyce' grinds its way through the Court of Chancery, it draws together a disparate group of people: Ada and Richard Clare, whose inheritance is gradually being devoured by legal costs; Esther Summerson, a ward of court, whose parentage is a source of deepening mystery; the menacing lawyer Tulkinghorn; the determined sleuth Inspector Bucket; and even Jo, the destitute little crossing-sweeper. A savage, but often comic, indictment of a society that is rotten to the core, *Bleak House* is one of Dickens's most ambitious novels, with a range that extends from the drawing rooms of the aristocracy to the poorest of London slums. This edition follows the first book edition of 1853, and includes all the original illustrations by 'Phiz', as well as appendices on the Chancery and spontaneous combustion. In his preface, Terry Eagleton examines characterisation and considers Bleak House as an early work of detective fiction.  For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. **

APRIL HAD ALWAYS FELT LIKE AN OUTSIDER. Her older sister Brenda was tall, athletic, competitive, and sure of herself. But April Taylor was short, sensitive, and overweight -- and she couldn't bounce back from their father's cutting criticisms the way Brenda did. April didn't know why their once-loving dad had become a coldhearted monster, but she was sure it had something to do with her. And she could see how his cruel behavior was tearing away at her gentle mother. But a glimmer of happiness returns when Brenda brings home her college roommate: beautiful, bewitching Celia. And April wonders if she might not be so different from Brenda after all....

For the past year, Tasha has thrown herself into her catering business with her sisters, but she’s been keeping a secret. The hot, moody owner of Prime Beef is the man she left behind in college...the man she thought she’d never see again. He’s also the only man she’s ever loved. For the past year, Jericho Smythe has been waging a war with himself. Does he want to know why Natasha broke his heart and left without looking back? Hell yes. But he’s paralyzed by the glimpses he’s gotten of her at Three Sisters Catering and he hasn’t been ready for a confrontation. Neither of them are content with their lives, but so much has happened since those stolen moments in college. Can the right amount of spice remind them of the love they once shared? A Touch of Cinnamon may be all they need to give Tasha and Jericho back the richness they’ve been lacking.

From the bestselling author of the Shopaholic series comes a story of humour, heart and heartache. Finding Audrey is Sophie Kinsella’s first novel for teens, sure to appeal to her legions of adult and young adult fans all over the world. Audrey can't leave the house. she can't even take off her dark glasses inside the house. Then her brother's friend Linus stumbles into her life. With his friendly, orange-slice smile and his funny notes, he starts to entice Audrey out again - well, Starbucks is a start. And with Linus at her side, Audrey feels like she can do the things she'd thought were too scary. Suddenly, finding her way back to the real world seems achievable. Be prepared to laugh, dream and hope with Audrey as she learns that even when you feel like you have lost yourself, love can still find you . . .

She’s been mine from the second I saw her. Tonight, I’ll make sure everyone knows that. The tabloids call me “Prince Magnum,” and it’s not because I’ve got a big kingdom. A royal “suitor’s ball”, full of single, untouched female royalty, should be a buffet for a man like me. It doesn’t matter what a woman’s bloodline is - once I’ve set my sights on her, she’ll be on her knees in minutes. But that’s before I walk in and lock eyes with her. Princess Imogen. She’s sweet and untouched, with eyes that beg me to take her and an innocence that’s just waiting to be claimed. Once I’ve seen her, nothing is going to stop me from taking what’s mine… And Imogen will be mine. A “suitor’s ball” to find her a husband, huh? F*ck that. She’s been mine and only mine since the minute I laid eyes on her. And tonight, I’m going to make this princess my queen. *Please note that each of the Possessing Beauty books are completely standalone stories centered around one couple, with no cliffhangers. Stealing Beauty is a quick and filthy modern fairytale involving an utterly obsessed alpha hero and enough insta-love, kindle-melting steam, and sugary-sweetness to make your dreams come true. If you love over-the-top, slightly unrealistic, and wildly dirty stories, this one’s for you! HEA with NO CHEATING!

Raymond Carver called Anton Chekhov "the greatest short story writer who has ever lived." This unequivocal verdict on Chekhov's genius has been echoed many times by writers as diverse as Katherine Mansfield, Somerset Maugham, John Cheever and Tobias Wolf. While his popularity as a playwright has sometimes overshadowed his achievements in prose, the importance of Chekhov's stories is now recognized by readers as well as by fellow authors. Their themes - alienation, the absurdity and tragedy of human existence - have as much relevance today as when they were written, and these superb new translations capture their modernist spirit. Elusive and subtle, spare and unadorned, the stories in this selection are among Chekhov's most poignant and lyrical. The book includes well-known pieces such as The Lady with the Little Dog, as well as less familiar work like Gusev inspired by Chekhov's travels in the Far East, and Rothschild's Violin, a haunting and darkly humorous tale about death and loss. The stories are arranged chronologically to show the evolution of Chekhov's art. About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Two women. Two love affairs. One unforgettable story. Kings Cross station, 1943. Rose arrives in London hoping to swap the drudgery of wartime for romance, glamour and jiving with GIs at Rainbow Corner, the famous dance hall in Piccadilly Circus. As the bombs fall, Rose loses her heart to a pilot but will lose so much more before the war has done its worst. Las Vegas, present day. A beautiful woman in a wedding dress walks into a seedy bar and asks the first man she sees to marry her. When Leo slips the ring onto Jane's finger, he has no idea that his new wife will stop at nothing to get what she wants. So when Jane meets Rose, now a formidable older lady, there's no love lost between them. But with time running out, can Rose and Jane come together to make peace with the tragic secrets that have always haunted their lives? After the Last Dance is an extraordinary story of two women, separated by time but connected by fate, that will make you believe in the redemptive power of unexpected love.

Joy Candellaro once loved Christmas more than any other time of the year. Now, as the holiday approaches, she is at a crossroads in her life; recently divorced and alone, she can’t summon the old enthusiasm for celebrating. So without telling anyone, she buys a ticket and boards a plane bound for the beautiful Pacific Northwest. When an unexpected detour takes her deep into the woods of the Olympic rainforest, Joy makes a bold decision to leave her ordinary life behind--to just walk away--and thus begins an adventure unlike any she could have imagined. In the small town of Rain Valley, six-year-old Bobby O’Shea is facing his first Christmas without a mother. Unable to handle the loss, Bobby has closed himself off from the world, talking only to his invisible best friend. His father Daniel is beside himself, desperate to help his son cope. Yet when the little boy meets Joy, these two unlikely souls form a deep and powerful bond. In helping Bobby and Daniel heal, Joy finds herself again. But not everything is as it seems in quiet Rain Valley, and in an instant, Joy’s world is ripped apart, and her heart is broken. On a magical Christmas Eve, a night of impossible dreams and unexpected chances, Joy must find the courage to believe in a love--and a family--that can’t possibly exist, and go in search of what she wants . . . and the new life only she can find.

A race track gambler has a plan to buy an Eden Gray horse and enter it into races and win a fortune, but when he finds the reclusive, deaf mute who owns the horses, the owner refuses to sell.

Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg and kinswoman to half the royalty of Europe, was married to the great Englishman John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI. Widowed at the age of 19, she took the extraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her household for love, and then carved out a new life for herself.

In a society where displaying a neon sign is grounds for arrest, something as simple as a practical joke can spur a revolution. In The Man Who Japed, the government's new propaganda minister begins experiencing doubts about the society and his place in it, doubts that are exacerbated when he drunkenly chops the head off a statue of the government's founder.

*When this hot, hard-bodied Navy SEAL plays around, he means business… It’s not whether you win or lose.* Navy SEAL Clint “Iceman” McIntyre didn’t earn his name by being a coward. Or a quitter. Having crushed an infamous drug cartel in Columbia, Clint was nothing short of an American hero. Now he’s home, on a much-needed leave, but instead of some R&R, he finds himself neck-deep in the hottest kind of trouble with his best friend’s little sister, Morganna Chavez—the only woman who has the power to bring him to his knees… It’s how you play… Morganna has been secretly working with the DEA to uncover a thriving date-rape drug, which leads her to a shadowy faction that is more deadly than anything her team has ever encountered. Now, it’s up to Clint to keep this beautiful, determined agent out of harm’s way, even while the explosive passion between them threatens to consume them. Soon Clint’s greatest mission will be not just keeping Morganna alive, but getting her into his arms and never letting go.

FBI Special Agent Addison Davidson needs a husband. Not just any guy, but someone highly skilled in weapons’ training, who has served in combat, Special Forces, hard-charging, and who can handle crises situations under pressure, unattached, and preferably is a cougar shifter like her. Captain Dan Steinacker is one hot cougar, and he takes the bait. Now someone’s trying to kill her. A mole on her team? Now a sheriff of Yuma Town, Dan can’t quit thinking about the sexy she-cat he’s fallen hard for. He has to convince Addie he’s the cougar for her, and that means taking on the villains, whoever they are. Guns and teeth and claws readied, the cougars aim to win. Learning who and why she’s on someone’s terminal list is their only mission now—before it’s too late.

Patty and Walter Berglund were the new pioneers of old St. Paul—the gentrifiers, the hands-on parents, the avant-garde of the Whole Foods generation. Patty was the ideal sort of neighbor, who could tell you where to recycle your batteries and how to get the local cops to actually do their job. She was an enviably perfect mother and the wife of Walter's dreams. Together with Walter—environmental lawyer, commuter cyclist, total family man—she was doing her small part to build a better world. But now, in the new millennium, the Berglunds have become a mystery. Why has their teenage son moved in with the aggressively Republican family next door? Why has Walter taken a job working with Big Coal? What exactly is Richard Katz—outré rocker and Walter's college best friend and rival—still doing in the picture? Most of all, what has happened to Patty? Why has the bright star of Barrier Street become "a very different kind of neighbor," an implacable Fury coming unhinged before the street's attentive eyes? In his first novel since The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen has given us an epic of contemporary love and marriage. Freedom comically and tragically captures the temptations and burdens of liberty: the thrills of teenage lust, the shaken compromises of middle age, the wages of suburban sprawl, the heavy weight of empire. In charting the mistakes and joys of Freedom's characters as they struggle to learn how to live in an ever more confusing world, Franzen has produced an indelible and deeply moving portrait of our time.

Bestselling author Alice Hoffman’s bewitching Nightbird is perfect for ages 10-13: love and friendship empower a lonely girl to embrace her uniqueness and discover her strengths.   Twig lives in Sidwell, where people whisper that fairy tales are real. After all, her town is rumored to hide a monster. And two hundred years ago, a witch placed a curse on Twig’s family that was meant to last forever. But this summer, everything will change when the red moon rises. It’s time to break the spell. What Other Authors Are Saying “I love the way Alice Hoffman creates the most ordinary people and then turns their lives magical. . . . [Nightbird] is like reentering a wonderful dream that you vaguely remember.” —Lois Lowry, two-time Newbery Medal–winning author of The Giver “Hoffman reminds us that there are secrets everywhere . . . Nightbird soars.” —The New York Times   “Alice Hoffman has a gift for melding magic and realism in a way that makes nearly anything seem possible.” —Shelf Awareness, Starred “The mix of romance and magic is irresistible.” —Kirkus Reviews From the Hardcover edition.

When Jean Macquart arrives in the peasant community of Beauce, where farmers have worked the same land for generations, he quickly finds himself involved in the corrupt affairs of the local Fouan family. Aging and Lear-like, Old Man Fouan has decided to divide his land between his three children: his penny-pinching daughter Fanny, his eldest son - a far from holy figure known as 'Jesus Christ' - and the lecherous Buteau, Macquart's friend. But in a community where land is everything, sibling rivalry quickly turns to brutal hatred, as Buteau declares himself unsatisfied with his lot. Part of the vast Rougon-Macquart cycle, The Earth was regarded by Zola as his greatest novel. A fascinating portrayal of a struggling but decadent community, it offers a compelling exploration of the destructive nature of human ignorance and greed