Grimbledung and Drimblerod- are just trying to get along in life when their worlds collide.Drimblerod runs a moderately reputable second-hand wand shop that does pretty well at moving inventory. Grimbledung runs a disreputable second-hand wand wagon that he moves regularly to avoid the authorities. Together, they get involved in invasions, city-wide fires, and a little bit of love here and there.They were the Best of Gnomes, They were the Worst of Gnomes.Well, one each, really. Grimbledung and Drimblerod- are just trying to get along in life when their worlds collide. Drimblerod runs a moderately reputable second-hand wand shop that does pretty well at moving inventory. Grimbledung runs a disreputable second-hand wand wagon that he moves regularly to avoid the authorities.Drimblerod thinks he has found the perfect partner- someone he can trust (he's a fellow Gnome, after all) and that will keep away pesky non-buying window shoppers. Little does he realize that his new-found partner suffers from Pixie Madness! And not the good kind.As Grimbledung gets used to his new life of respectable shop ownership, the pair end up befriending Nulu Bentknees the Trolless across the street, Pozzuoli Consigliore the Dwarf next door, and even the town constable- Akita Finnish (a Werewolf who would rather bask in the sun than do anything else).Along with Big Julie, the headmistress of the school of magic down the road, this diverse group learns to deal with Grimbledung's antics as they try to refocus his outlandish get rich schemes and unpredictable outbursts into something more productive. Or at least more quiet! Or at maybe even get him to pay for some of his drinks. And perhaps not start a brawl every time he goes to a bar.Things start to heat up for the gang when Grimbledung manages to annoy the entire Great Halfling Empire. Well, not the whole Great Halfling Empire but at least the Halfling soldiers in town. It takes until late in Book 2 for the ENTIRE empire to get annoyed with him. He is just one Gnome, after all. With an impending invasion, everyone is on their toes. It doesn't help that Grimbledung is stepping on them!We'd like to say that "Everything works out in the end" but "Raging Inferno!" is probably more accurate.Book 6, "It's the Election, Stupid" is now out. Grimbledung tries his hand at managing a campaign.

Nine-year-old Karl Anders Nilsson is the unwelcome foster child of an uncaring couple. Lonely and neglected, he yearns for simple things, things that many children already have: a warm, loving home of his own, someone to share his sorrows and joys with, and, most important, his real father.  Then, on October 15th, Karl Anders Nilsson simply disappears. Where has he gone? (Police are searching for him!) But Karl is far away from chilly Stockholm, in Farawayland, where he has found his father, who is none other than the King of that land. And now Karl faces a truly dangerous mission. Prophecies have foretold his coming for thousands of years. He, his new best friend Pompoo, and Miramis, his wonderful flying horse with a golden mane, must travel together into the darkness of Outer Land to do battle with Sir Kato, the cruel abductor of the children of Farawayland. Only a child of the royal blood can stop him....

Danger waits on both sides of the grave. Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance . . . With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"—the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

"In the latest Novel of the Elder Races, two mates find themselves on different paths, torn between their duty to the Wyr and the passion that binds them..."" " Before she met Dragos, half-human/half-Wyr Pia Giovanni was alone and on the run. Now she's mated, pregnant and heading south to repair the Wyrs' frayed relationship with the Elves. Being separated from Dragos is painful, but for the good of the Wyr demesne they need to figure out how to be partners--in more places than just the bedroom. In New York to preside over the Sentinel Games, Dragos is worried about his mate, but knows that finding two replacement sentinels is essential to show the rest of the Elder Races just how strong and brutal the Wyr demesne can be. But as the Games heat up, Pia's negotiations with the Elves take a turn for the dangerous, straining her bond with Dragos and threatening everything they hold dear...

Smart, bookish Belle, a captive in the Beast’s castle, has become accustomed to her new home and has befriended its inhabitants. When she comes upon Nevermore, an enchanted book unlike anything else she has seen in the castle, Belle finds herself pulled into its pages and transported to a world of glamour and intrigue. The adventures Belle has always imagined, the dreams she was forced to give up when she became a prisoner, seem within reach again. The charming and mysterious characters Belle meets within the pages of Nevermore offer her glamorous conversation, a life of dazzling Parisian luxury, and even a reunion she never thought possible. Here Belle can have everything she has ever wished for. But what about her friends in the Beast’s castle? Can Belle trust her new companions inside the pages of Nevermore? Is Nevermore’s world even real? Belle must uncover the truth about the book, before she loses herself in it forever.

“As our vision becomes more global, our storytelling is stretching in many ways. Stories increasingly change point of view, switch location, and sometimes pack as much material as a short novel might,” writes guest editor Elizabeth Strout. “It’s the variety of voices that most indicates the increasing confluence of cultures involved in making us who we are.” The Best American Short Stories 2013 presents an impressive diversity of writers who dexterously lead us into their corners of the world. In “Miss Lora,” Junot Díaz masterfully puts us in the mind of a teenage boy who throws aside his better sense and pursues an intimate affair with a high school teacher. Sheila Kohler tackles innocence and abuse as a child wanders away from her mother, in thrall to a stranger she believes is the “Magic Man.” Kirstin Valdez Quade’s “Nemecia” depicts the after-effects of a secret, violent family trauma. Joan Wickersham’s “The Tunnel” is a tragic love story about a mother’s declining health and her daughter’s helplessness as she struggles to balance her responsibility to her mother and her own desires. New author Callan Wink’s “Breatharians” unsettles the reader as a farm boy shoulders a grim chore in the wake of his parents’ estrangement. “Elizabeth Strout was a wonderful reader, an author who knows well that the sound of one’s writing is just as important as and indivisible from the content,” writes series editor Heidi Pitlor. “Here are twenty compellingly told, powerfully felt stories about urgent matters with profound consequences.”

EVEN THE BROKEN, THROUGH LOVE, CAN FIND GRACE... Secrets never stay hidden. The burden of guilt never lifts from the heart. Born and raised in The Order of David, Sister Phebe knows nothing but cult life. Head of the Sacred Sisters of New Zion, Phebe was groomed from childhood for one purpose: to seduce. Prized as a harlot, as a New Zion whore, Phebe is taken from the doomed cult by Meister, the notorious leader of the Aryan Brotherhood. Taken as his possession. Taken to be the woman who will obey his every sexual demand. Under his heavy hand, Phebe finds herself in a place much worse than she could ever have imagined... with absolutely no one to help. And no glimpse of hope. Xavier ‘AK’ Deyes is content with his life as Sergeant-At-Arms of the Hades Hangmen. Leader of the infamous ‘Psycho Trio’ and ex-special ops sniper, AK knows how to fight. Experienced in warfare and schooled in military operations, AK is vital to the Hangmen. When his Vice President needs help retrieving his missing sister-in-law, Phebe, from a Klan-funded trafficking ring, AK volunteers to go in. AK remembers the redhead from New Zion. Remembers everything about her from the single time they met—her red hair, blue eyes and freckled face. But when he finds her, heavily drugged and under Meister’s control, her sorry condition causes him to remember more than the beautiful woman he once tied to a tree. Saving Phebe forces hidden demons from his past to return. A past he can never move on from, no matter how hard he tries. As AK fights to help Phebe, and in turn she strives to help him, they realize their secret sins will never leave them alone. Kindred broken souls, they realize the only way they can be rid of their ghosts is to face them together and try to find peace. Despair soon turns to hope, and damaged hearts soon start to heal. But when their deep, painful scars resurface, becoming too much to bear, the time comes when they must make a heavy choice: stay forever damned; or together, find grace. Dark Contemporary Romance. Contains explicit sexual situations, violence, disturbingly sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and very mature topics. Recommended for age 18 and over.

Misty's Twilight is part thouroughbred, part Chinoteague pony, and one hundred percent fire and talent. A direct descendant of the most famous pony ever, Misty of Chinoteague, Twilight has greatness in her blood. Now it's her turn to shine, perhaps as a cutting horse, a jumper, or in the graceful art of dressage. Can Twilight, whose ancestors were wild ponies living on an untamed island, do it? Can she compute against the best horses in the world...and win?

Here is a Siberia unheard of in the West. Once the most remote place of exile in all of Russia, Mowat describes it as a burgeoning land of opportunity and growth. Granted extraordinary freedom to visit places rarely seen by any westerner since 1917, Farley Mowat and his wife, Claire, travelled more than 29,000 miles over mountains, steppes, taiga and tundra to meet the people who have chosen to make Siberia their home and livelihood. With his classic exuberance and wit, Mowat brings to life a place and a people who share the top of the world with us – their hopes and aspirations, their humour, and their dedication to the dramatic awakening of Sibir, the Sleeping land. From the Hardcover edition.

The small island of Sark in the English Channel is the last feudal government in Europe. By law, no motor vehicles run on the road, and no lights burn at night. Only the lord of the island may keep hounds.Into the strange, high house of Wrongerwood wanders Hal Landfall, penniless graduate student at Magdalen College, looking for his missing friend Manfred Hathaway, who has just inherited the lordship, the house, and the island. What he finds instead is the lovely, green-eyed Laurel, a beautiful girl from Cornwall who is Manfred's wife-to-be. There is said to be a haunted chamber in the house, erected by Merlin in ancient days, where a man who enters remembers his true and forgotten self. When Hal and Laurel step in, they remember, with fear and wonder, a terrible truth they must forget again when they step outside. John C. Wright is one of the living grandmasters of science fiction and the author of THE GOLDEN AGE, AWAKE IN THE NIGHT LAND, and CITY BEYOND TIME: TALES OF THE FALL OF METACHRONOPOLIS, to name just three of his exceptional books. He has been nominated for the Nebula Award, and in 2015, he was nominated for a record 5 Hugo Awards.

It has been nearly ten years since the starship Phoenix returned to Alpha, the station orbiting the world of the atevi, which had been abandoned following a rift between a faction of the station's inhabitants and the spacers' Pilot's Guild. The unexpected return of the Phoenix has forever changed the lives of both atevi and Mospheirans, for over the ensuing decade, the captains of the Phoenix have brought both species into space. Their motivation seemed simple: Reunion Station, a human station in another sector of space, had been destroyed by aliens. But on his deathbed, the senior captain of the Phoenix admits that he lied to the crew—that Reunion was merely damaged, not destroyed, and many people may have survived. At this disclosure, the crew rebels and forces the Phoenix to undertake a rescue mission to Reunion. Onboard the rescue mission are Bren Cameron, brilliant human paidhi representing the atevi...

The breakout book from "the funniest writer in America"—not to mention an official Genius—a trade paperback original and his first nonfiction collection ever. George Saunders's first foray into nonfiction is composed of essays on literature, travel, and politics. At the core of this unique collection are Saunders's travel essays based on his trips to seek out the mysteries of the "Buddha Boy" of Nepal; to attempt to indulge in the extravagant pleasures of Dubai; and to join the exploits of the minutemen at the Mexican border. Saunders expertly navigates the works of Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, and Esther Forbes, and leads the reader across the rocky political landscape of modern America. Emblazoned with his trademark wit and singular vision, Saunders's endeavor into the art of the essay is testament to his exceptional range and ability as a writer and thinker.

STRENGTH FROM LOYALTY (Lost Kings MC #3)by Autumn Jones LakeAs a dark cloud descends over Hope and Rock’s already precarious future, will a long-hidden secret of Hope’s push them both past the point of no return?Struggling attorney Hope Kendall loves her outlaw biker boyfriend Rochlan “Rock” North with all her heart, but the questionable activities his motorcycle club is involved in threaten her legal career.But does she even want this career anymore?As a near-death situation makes their professional differences seem insignificant, a cloud descends over their personal relationship’s already unsteady future.Even though Hope seems to have finally found her niche in the club as Rock’s ol’ lady, can she mingle in politics with neighboring clubs as well? A trip to the Lost Kings MC downstate charter will put her to the test.While Rock works hard to give Hope the honesty she craves without betraying his loyalty to his brothers, tension from outside forces threatens to push him to the brink. But it’s the one secret Hope has hidden all along that may finally drive them apart for good.

HELL ON WHEELS After failing as a magician's assistant, a photographer, and most recently, a bride, Miranda Puckett takes a position as a driver for Beeline, Half-Moon Hollow's premiere vampire concierge service. Miranda's assignment? Driving Collin Sutherland, the world's most fastidious vampire from Washington to Kentucky, so he can deliver a mysterious black case to Council official Ophelia Lambert. Collin, a paranoid, aristocratic vampire with a debilitating fear of flying, refuses to let the case out of his sight. Miranda needs this time on the road to decide whether to permanently cut her ties with the fiance that had an "emotional affair" with a childhood pal, but Collin’s neatnik tendencies are driving her around the bend. The man acts as if leaving a fast food wrapped on the passenger seat is reason for a full-on CDC de-contamination scrub-down of the car. All she can do is promise to stop intentionally doing the things that make his stiff upper lip twitch with irritation. As more and more mishaps occur on the road trip from hell, Miranda and Collin work together to meet his delivery deadline. Hotel rooms are destroyed. Beloved cars are defiled. And somewhere along the line, client-driver hostilities become snarky flirtation. Will Collin and Miranda make it to the Hollow in one piece? And if they do, will Miranda leave old, safe relationships behind for something new and well, just plain weird?

Welcome to New Manhattan, home of Dictator Kay Pierce, and her enemies in the Resistance... Leading them is Amity. Working undercover for them is the man who betrayed her. Because even when her world is broken, Amity will risk her life to fix it. Set in a daring and distorted echo of 1940s America, Black Moon brings this epic series of corruption, romance and intrigue to an explosive finale.

Trixie is a wise-cracking waitress trying to work her way through college when a late-night storm blows in a stranger. He’s not like the usual customers with his pale skin and dark clothes. Her kindness to him is rewarded with an invitation to his house in the country, and she finds herself in a sticky relationship when he returns her kindness with more than just a thank-you.THE THREE-PART SERIES IS COMPLETE!** Due to mature sexual content, recommended for readers aged 18+ **THE PALE SERIES - Sparks and pigs fly when a wise-cracking waitress meets a reclusive billionaire.Book #1 - Pale StrangerBook #2 - Pale CompanionBook #3 - Pale LoverTrixie is a wise-cracking waitress trying to work her way through college when a late-night storm blows in a stranger. He's not like the usual customers with his pale skin and dark clothes. Her kindness to him is rewarded with an invitation to his house in the country, and she finds herself in a sticky relationship when he returns her kindness with more than just a thank-you.

When Lorelei first sees sparks coming from her hands, she worries it's all in her mind. She tells her best friend who seems more interested in separating her from Patrick, a classmate she can't keep off her mind. After being nearly killed by a succubus, Lorelei learns she and her closest friends are Gifted, or sorcerers, and it's up to her to unite the factions of Others to slay the Succubus QueenLorelei Abrahms knew she’d never be famous. She’d never change the world. Lorelei’s just an introverted college student losing faith in her dreams as her life plods onward with no meaning. That is, until she discovers she has strange powers and someone wants her dead. When Lorelei first sees the sparks coming from her hands, she worries it is all in her mind. She tells her best friend Heath, but he seems more interested in separating her from Patrick, a classmate she cannot keep off her mind. After being nearly killed by Thea, a succubus disguised as a college student, Lorelei learns she and her closest friends are Gifted, or sorcerers, and Patrick and his family are Sang, also known as vampires, though no one uses the common terms. Somehow, she must control her new powers and unite the Gifted, the Sang, and the Dark, the Gifted’s opposing faction of sorcerers, to defeat Thea. Unfortunately, Thea is much more than just a succubus and no faction is safe on its own.

Toey and three friends arrive in Bangkok, a city engulfed by the choking miasma of a zombie plague. As their Airbus lands they witness another of the mass turnings. The Bangkok airport is an arena of death playing host to lifers, infected, the dead and the newly-undead. As new convulsions wrack the city they realize they're in the opening skirmishes of an undead global war. The struggle begins.From zombie plague ... to an undead world.In a bleary-eyed state of shock Toey Cholwasa and three friends arrive back in Bangkok, a city engulfed by a zombie plague, a choking miasma of flesh rotting in the tropical heat. As their Airbus lands Toey witnesses another in a rolling series of mass turnings. A freshly-risen horde throws itself at the still-moving plane, and gets plowed under … leaving a blood-trail of body parts in the plane’s wake. It would have been a mercy if the plague had merely killed its victims. Zombie death would be the least of its effects. As a researcher in consciousness and trance states Toey is one of the few equipped to piece together what the zombie rules of engagement will have to be. Failing this, the fallout from such a fight won’t bear thinking of. The new airport they pass through is a morning-after war zone, an arena of death playing host to lifers (survivors), infected, the dead, and the newly-undead. Later, the silent city they pass through echoes with the screams of the infected who died there only hours earlier. Most of those have not yet turned. But as new convulsions wrack the city they realize they’re in the opening skirmishes of an undead global war. The struggle begins.

Richard Adams, the author of *Watership Down*, creates a lyrical and engrossing tale, a remarkable journey into the hearts and minds of two canine heroes, Snitter and Rowf. After being horribly mistreated at a government animal research facility, Snitter and Rowf escape into the isolation, and terror, of the wilderness. Aided only by a fox they call ''the Tod,'' the two dogs must struggle to survive in their new environment. When the starving dogs attack some sheep, they are labeled ferocious man-eating monsters, setting off a great dog hunt that is later intensified by the fear that the dogs could be carriers of the bubonic plague.