Bad Medicine

      Robert Sheckley
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Elwood is a homicidal maniac with a gun who seeks help from a robot psychiatrist. Only problem is, this one is designed to treat...Martians. Based on a story by Robert Sheckley, this episode of X Minus One originally aired on July 10, 1956. X Minus One premiered in April 1955 on NBC and ran until January 1958. Like its predecessor series, Dimension X, X Minus One featured stories by the greatest names in modern science fiction: Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Clifford Simak, Robert Bloch, and many more.

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    Planet Urth (Book 1)

      Jennifer and Christopher Martucci
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than two hundred years into the future, human beings are an endangered species. The planet has been battered by war, its inhabitants plagued by disease and death. Few survived and remained unaffected. Seventeen year-old Avery is alive and unchanged. She has lived on the run for much of her life, in terror. Forced to hide deep in the forest, Avery and her sister are constantly hunted.The world has changed. It’s dangerous, deadly. Inhuman creatures rule the planet. Animals have mutated. The land is hostile. But it’s all I’ve ever known. Hunger. Fear. Panic. Those emotions are my reality. They are my every day. I am Avery, and I am seventeen. My father died a year ago. Since then I’ve been responsible for my eight-year-old sister, June. I worry we are the only humans left.Humans have been hunted for centuries, to the brink of extinction. I must fight each day to protect my sister. It is the reason I wake, the reason I breathe. But how long can I go on fighting? How long will it be before they find us? More than two hundred years into the future, human beings are an endangered species. The planet has been battered by war, its inhabitants plagued by disease and death. Few humans survived and remained unaffected. Most changed dramatically and evolved into something else entirely. Irrevocable alterations caused by chemical warfare have created a new species. North America is in ruins and has been overtaken. Humanity has fallen at the hands of mutants known as Urthmen. Seventeen year-old Avery is alive and unchanged. But she has not been immune to the harshness of the new world. She has lived on the run for much of her life, in terror. After losing her father, Avery is the sole guardian of her eight-year-old sister, June. Avery is now charged with June’s safety as well as her own, a nearly impossible task.Forced to hide deep in the forest and away from the cities overrun by Urthmen, Avery and her sister are constantly hunted. Danger awaits them at every turn. They fear they are the only human beings left, that they are the last of their kind. But are they truly alone?Find out in this raw and riveting first installment of the Planet Urth series.

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    In Sylvan Shadows

      R. A. Salvatore
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Enter the Forest of Shadows... In Sylvan Shadows follows Cadderly the scholar-priest, as he leaves his home to combat the evil unleashed by the Chaos Curse. To counter Castle Trinity's plans for conquest, the cleric and his friends enter the beautiful forest of Shilmista. But among the trees and glades of the forest, Cadderly must battle a monstrous evil. From the Paperback edition.

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    Buried Fire

      Jonathan Stroud
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Two brothers, Michael and Stephen MacIntyre, together with their sister Sarah and the local vicar Tom Aubrey, uncover a deadly secret buried near their village. But time is short: can they prevent the awakening of an ancient evil before its powers corrupt them for ever?

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    Chesapeake

      James A. Michener
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Once again James A. Michener brings history to life with this 400-year saga of America's great bay and its Eastern Shore. Following Edmund Steed and his remarkable family, who parallel the settling and forming of the nation, CHESAPEAKE sweeps readers from the unspoiled world of the Native Americans to the voyages of Captain John Smith, the Revolutionary War, and right up to modern times. From the Paperback edition.

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    The Spook's Stories: Witches

      Joseph Delaney
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For years, the local Spook has been keeping the County safe from ghosts and boggarts, but more especially from witches. And here are five dark and terifying witch stories from the Spook's own collection. There are child-eating witches, witch assassins, Celtic witches, dead witches, and witches so beautiful they can break a man's heart.

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    Erin The Fire Goddess: The Beginning

      Lavinia Urban
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Erin is a 15 year old girl, born with a birthmark covering the left side of her face.She moves to her parent’s home town of Galladale, where all is not what it seems.From day one, Erin is bullied by Jessica, for looking at Sean.Why is she trying to keep Erin away? Will the bullying ever stop? Can Erin control the fire that builds inside her?Bobby Lorman is a High School freshman, and bully-bait. His struggle to cope is compounded with guilt when his chief bully forces him to commit a crime. He must keep his transgression secret to avoid disappointment from his parents and prosecution from the authorities. His religious faith is tried as he seeks God's forgiveness, but can't bring himself to confess to people. When he is sent for the summer to his aunt and uncle's bed-and-breakfast near Natchez, Mississippi, he is introduced to an ancient wisdom that could help him. But to follow this new path he must face new bullies, religious censure from the community, and the ghosts that haunt a local Indian mound.

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    Angel

      J.T. Lewis
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Pulled out of a car wreck in progress, Gabriel finds himself in a strange room with a stranger like he has never met before.Angel is part of the prequel of Murder! Too Close to Home and Gabriel's Revenge by JT Lewis, part of the 'Adventures of Gabriel Celtic'.Pulled out of a car wreck in progress, Gabriel finds himself in a strange room with a stranger like he has never met before.Angel is part of the prequel of Murder! Too Close to Home and Gabriel's Revenge by JT Lewis, part of the 'Adventures of Gabriel Celtic'.

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    Its All Wormholes Now

      Paul Edwards
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With the new emphasis in particle physics of using wormholes to explain some of the phenomenon of quantum mechanics, which strangely is eerily similar to the magic system in my books, I decided to try and create particles using this magic system. The essay is just an accumulation of notes written over the course of the year. I got some very surprising results,Painter Eric Snyder harbors a secret known only to his wife, Lynne. When Eric’s latest disappearance raises the suspicions of best friends Sam and Renee Ahern, Lynne can no longer keep the truth under wraps. While the Aherns ponder this phenomenon, Eric embarks upon a search for his father, once again taking him far from the woman he loves.In Part Two, set in 1961, as the Snyders adjust to change, Sam Ahern relives some of his Korean War experiences. Sam’s wife Renee is alarmed by his candor, while Laurie Abrams reveals that his cousin Seth also served in Korea, but returned an altered man. Meanwhile Lynne Snyder undergoes a transformation and Stanford hosts an exhibit of Eric’s work that catapults the artist into sudden fame.In this third part of the series, set in 1962, the culmination of the Snyders’ dreams becomes reality, yet the truth about Laurie and Stanford makes Sam wary. Pastor Marek Jagucki is introduced, providing peace to Eric, but slight worry for Lynne. However it’s Renee to fret most, when Sam’s sister Frannie makes a dramatic announcement.

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    Falling Up

      Shel Silverstein
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> *Millie McDeevit screamed a scream So loud it made her eyebrows steam. She screamed so loud Her jawbone broke, Her tongue caught fire, Her nostrils smoked...* Poor Screamin' Millie is just one of the unforgettable characters in this wondrous new book of poems and drawings by the creator of *Where the Sidewalk Ends* and *A Light in the Attic.* Here you will also meet Allison Beals and her twenty-five eels; Danny O'Dare, the dancin' bear; the Human Balloon; and Headphone Harold. So come, wander through the Nose Garden, ride the Little Hoarse, eat in the Strange Restaurant, and let the magic of Shel Silverstein open your eyes and tickle your mind.

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    Bluebeard's Egg

      Margaret Atwood
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By turns humorous and warm, stark and frightening, *Bluebeard's Egg* infuses a Canada of the 1940s, '50s and '80s with glowing childhood memories, the harsh realities of parents growing old, and the casual cruelty that men and women inflict on each other. Here is the familiar outer world of family summers at remote lakes, winters of political activism, and seasons of exotic friends, mudane lives and unexpected loves. But here too is the inner world of hidden places and all that emerges from them—the intimately personal, the fantastic and the shockingly real...whether it's what lies in a mysterious locked room or in the secret feelings we all conceal. *From the Paperback edition.*

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    The Man Who Had All the Luck

      Arthur Miller
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The forgotten classic that launched the career of one of America's greatest playwrightsIt took more than fifty years for The Man Who Had All the Luck to be appreciated for what it truly is: the first stirrings of a genius that would go on to blossom in such masterpieces as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible. Infused with the moral malaise of the Depression era, the parable-like drama centers on David Beeves, a man whose every obstacle to personal and professional success seems to crumble before him with ease. But his good fortune merely serves to reveal the tragedies of those around him in greater relief, offering what David believes to be evidence of a capricious god or, worse, a godless, arbitrary universe. David’s journey toward fulfillment becomes a nightmare of existential doubts, a desperate grasp for reason in a cosmos seemingly devoid of any, and a struggle that will take him to the brink of madness. This Penguin Classics edition includes an introduction by Christopher Bigsby. 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.

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    Homeroom Diaries

      James Patterson
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James Patterson introduces the best selling "illustrated fiction" format to teens! It's "Middle School" for high schoolers! In James Patterson's first highly illustrated "diary fiction" story for teens, the mega-bestselling author's most endearing and original teen heroine ever proves that everyone can use a helping hand once in a while. Margaret "Cuckoo" Clarke recently had a brief stay in a mental institution following an emotional breakdown, but she's turning over a new leaf with her "Operation Happiness". She's determined to beat down the bad vibes of the Haters, the Terror Teachers, and all of the trials and tribulations of high school by writing and drawing in her diary. And when life gets really tough, she works through her own moments of uncertainty through imaginary conversations with her favorite literary characters. Cuckoo's also got a nearly impossible mission: she, along with her misfit band of self-deprecating friends (who call themselves "the Freakshow") decide to bridge the gap between warring cliques and "bring the Nations together". Not everyone is so willing to join hands and get along, but Cuckoo never stops smiling... until one of her closest friends, pushed to desperation by a Hater prank, decides that enough is enough.

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    Memory Wall

      Anthony Doerr
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Set on four continents, Anthony Doerr's collection of stories is about memory: the source of meaning and coherence in our lives, the fragile thread that connects us to ourselves and to others. In the luminous and beautiful title story, a young boy in South Africa comes to possess an old woman's secret, a piece of the past with the power to redeem a life. In 'The River Nemunas', a teenaged orphan moves from Kansas to Lithuania to live with her grandfather, and discovers a world in which myth becomes real. 'Village 113' is about the building of the Three Gorges Dam and the seedkeeper who guards the history of a village soon to be submerged. And in 'Afterworld,' the radiant, cathartic final story, a woman who escaped the Holocaust is haunted by visions of her childhood friends in Germany, yet finds solace in the tender ministrations of her grandson. The stories in Memory Wall show us how we figure the world, and show Anthony Doerr to be one of the masters of the form.

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    Eulalia!

      Brian Jacques
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Lord Asheye of Salamandastron, now old and blind, has a prophecy: a new Badger Lord must take his place and reign over the legendary badger fortress. But who is this young warrior who 'shuns both armour and sword'? And how is he to be found? Mad Maudie, a feisty haremaid of the Long Patrol, is just the one to do the job. Meanwhile, the unsuspecting future Badger Lord has been captured by an unscrupulous group of Sea Raiders led by the infamous fox, Vizka Longtooth, intent on conquering Redwall Abbey. It is up to our young badger hero to defend Redwall so that he may fulfill his destiny as leader of Salamandastron. Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 10/4/2007 Pages: 400 Reading Level: Age 10 and Up

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    The Maltese Falcon

      Dashiell Hammett
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A treasure worth killing for. Sam Spade, a slightly shopworn private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. A perfumed grafter named Joel Cairo, a fat man name Gutman, and Brigid O’Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime. These are the ingredients of Dashiell Hammett’s coolly glittering gem of detective fiction, a novel that has haunted three generations of readers.

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    The Feast of the Goat

      Mario Vargas Llosa
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Haunted all her life by feelings of terror and emptiness, forty-nine-year-old Urania Cabral returns to her native Dominican Republic - and finds herself reliving the events of 1961, when the capital was still called Trujillo City and one old man terrorized a nation of three million. Rafael Trujillo, the depraved ailing dictator whom Dominicans call the Goat, controls his inner circle with a combination of violence and blackmail. In Trujillo's gaudy palace, treachery and cowardice have become the way of life. But Trujillo's grasp is slipping away. There is a conspiracy against him, and a Machiavellian revolution already underway that will have bloody consequences of its own. In this 'masterpiece of Latin American and world literature, and one of the finest political novels ever written' ("Bookforum"), Mario Vargas Llosa recounts the end of a regime and the birth of a terrible democracy, giving voice to the historical Trujillo and the victims, both innocent and complicit, drawn into his deadly orbit.

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    Boarlander Cursed Bear

      T. S. Joyce
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Don’t miss this riveting final installment to T. S. Joyce’s bestselling Boarlander Bears series. Clinton Fuller has been burned by love, but that doesn’t stop him from thinking of his first mate and what could’ve been. And when she blows into town, with no memory of him or what happened to her, he does his best to stop history from repeating itself. He’s harboring a curse—his bear—and he isn’t right for anyone anymore, especially not some fragile human with a bright future and a legitimate shot at happiness. He can’t drag her through the mud with him again, but Alyssa isn’t taking no for an answer. And now, his dominant, broken animal is putting her in more danger than she’s ever been. He can’t get her out of his head, and now he’ll have to convince her to run if she wants to survive what broke them apart all those years ago. Alyssa Dunleavy is having dreams of a boy who saved her once, but when she lays eyes on Clinton, nothing makes sense anymore. Half of her life has been erased from her memories, and now the stories surrounding her accident are clashing with what she sees. But as she gets to know the standoffish Crazy Clinton of the Boarlanders, it becomes obvious he isn’t the sweet boy from her dreams at all, but a half-crazed monster grizzly shifter who is working through some major life changes. Even though he makes it clear she should stay far away from him for safety’s sake, she can’t help but be drawn to his animal magnetism. And now she’s falling head-over-heels for a stranger keeping a mountain of secrets…or maybe he’s no stranger at all. Content Warning: Explicit love scenes, naughty language, and piles of sexy shifter secrets. Intended for mature audiences.

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    Hero in the Shadows

      David Gemmell
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The ruined city of Kuan Hador reeks of dark mystery. Shunned by brigands and merchants alike, it is home to fearsome wild things and legends that freeze the blood--tales that speak of slavering white beasts, locked behind a powerful wall of spells, who possess an insatiable appetite for death. Millennia have passed since they were bound, and the spell of imprisonment has begun to fade. Soon the foul minions will be free to wreak a horrible vengeance against all that lives. But no army waits to oppose them, only a ragtag group of unlikely heroes. Leading them is the mysterious Gray Man, an enigmatic figure with a blood-drenched past who has killed for principle and for payment--a man of destiny known throughout the lands of the Drenai as Waylander the Slayer . . . From the Paperback edition.

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    Bookends

      Jane Green
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On the heels of her national bestsellers Jemima J and Mr. Maybe, British sensation Jane Green delivers a sparkling tale of old friends reunited and old jealousies rekindled. Catherine Warner and Simon Nelson are best friends: total opposites, always together, and both unlucky in love. Cath is scatterbrained, messy, and–since she had her heart broken a few years back–emotionally closed off. Si is impossibly tidy, bitchy, and desperate for a man of his own. They live in London’s West Hampstead along with their lifelong friends, Josh and Lucy, who are happily married with a devil-spawn child and a terrifying Swedish nanny, Ingrid. All’s well (sort of) until the sudden arrival of a college friend–the stunningly beautiful Portia, who’s known for breaking hearts. Though they’ve grown up and grown apart from Portia, the four friends welcome her back into the fold. But does Portia have a hidden agenda or is she merely looking to reconnect with old friends? Her reappearance soon unleashes a rollicking series of events that tests the foursome’s friendships to the limit and leaves them wondering if a happy ending is in store. Fortunately, Cath has plenty to take her mind off Portia’s schemes–like her gutsy decision to leave her job in advertising to fulfill her dream of opening a bookstore. And then there’s James, the sexy real-estate agent who keeps dropping by even after the bookstore deal is done. With his irresistible smile and boyish charm could he be the one to melt Cath’s heart? Told with Jane Green’s captivating wit and flare, Bookends is above all a story about friendship–its twists, turns and complications–and how it weathers the challenges of love, ambition, marriage, and, most of all, growing up. Warmhearted, sophisticated, and full of delicious surprises, Bookends is Green’s most dazzling novel yet.

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    Sushi for Beginners

      Marian Keyes
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Lisa Edwards This Prada-wearing magazine editor thinks her life is over when her "fabulous" new job turns out to be a deportation to Dublin to launch Colleen magazine. The only saving grace is that her friends aren't there to witness her downward spiral. Might her new boss, the disheveled and moody Jack Devine, save her from a fate worse than hell? Ashling Kennedy Ashling, Colleen's assistant editor, is an award-winning worrier, increasingly aware that something fundamental is missing from her life -- apart from a boyfriend and a waistline. Clodagh "Princess" Kelly Ashling's best friend, Clodagh, lives the domestic dream in a suburban castle. So why, lately, has she had the recurring urge to kiss a frog -- or sleep with a frog, if truth be told? As these three women search for love, success, and happiness, they will discover that if you let things simmer under the surface for too long, sooner or later they'll boil over.

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