The Hotel Years

      Joseph Roth
     The Hotel Years

The Hotel Years gathers sixty-four feuilletons: on hotels; pains and pleasures; personalities; and the deteriorating international situation of the 1930s. Never before translated into English, these pieces begin in Vienna just at the end of the First World War, and end in Paris near the outbreak of the Second World War. Roth, the great journalist of his day, needed journalism to survive: in his six-volume collected works in German, there are three of fiction and three of journalism. Beginning in 1921, Roth wrote mostly for the liberal Frankfurter Zeitung who sent him on assignments throughout Germany - the inflation, the occupation, political assassinations - and abroad, to the USSR, Italy, Poland and Albania. And always: “I celebrate my return to lobby and chandelier, porter and chambermaid.”

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    Shelter Dogs

      Peg Kehret
     Shelter Dogs

From the award-winning author Peg Kehret comes a collection of true stories about the amazing lives of eight shelter dogs. Many of these dogs were unwanted because of their size, behavior, or medical condition. All of the dogs found owners who loved and cared for them and ultimately helped change their lives in tremendous ways. The dogs have changed the owners' lives, too."Animal lovers will enjoy these eight short stories about shelter dogs going on to do great things." —BooklistPeg Kehret has always loved to write. As a child she wanted to be a writer or a veterinarian. Now she includes animals in most of her books and, when she isn't writing, she helps animal rescue groups. Peg's books have won more than fifty state young reader awards.Greg Farrar is from Seattle, Washington. His parents gave him his first camera when he was ten years old. After college he started working for newspapers. About the same time he met Peg Kehret and began taking pictures of...

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    Moonshine

      Tess Oliver
     Moonshine

A sexy, historical romance with plenty of drama, suspense and hot scenes. Having been 'dry' long before Prohibition, locals living in Virginia, along the base of the Blue Ridge mountains, had a head start on the moonshine business. And when the country craved something to quench its thirst, the Tidewater bootleggers were ready. In his small hometown in the shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Jackson Jarrett is known as a decorated war hero, a damn successful bootlegger and a man who never gives his heart to anyone. Personal tragedy and fighting on the front line in France have left Jackson scarred and hardened to the notion of falling in love until the traveling carnival with its colorful tents, exotic side shows and Charli Starfield, the beautiful and fearless motorcycle stunt rider, rolls into town.

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    Lady in Black (Drekinn Book 6)

      Jana Leigh
     Lady in Black (Drekinn Book 6)

Warning: For Mature Adult Audiences. Contains language and actions some may deem offensive. Sexually explicit content. Ménage – MFM. In book six of Drekinn: The Lady in Black has appeared, disappeared, and made their lives a living hell for months. The Drekinn Pack has just about had enough of her crap, especially Calli. So when the two go head to head in an epic battle, the situation...

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    The History of Pendennis

      William Makepeace Thackeray
     The History of Pendennis

Arthur Pendennis ("Pen" to his friends) is the only child of a prosperous physician and former apothecary now deceased. He and his foster sister Laura are raised in the village of Fairoaks by his indulgent mother, Mrs. Pendennis. The family has risen to gentility in the past generation or two but is not wealthy. At age 18, Pen falls in love with an actress, Emily Fotheringay, who is about ten years his senior. Emily's father, Captain Costigan, believes Pen is rich and wants Pen to marry his daughter, but Pen's mother is horrified. She summons Major Pendennis from London, and the Major derails the marriage simply by telling Costigan his nephew is not rich. Emily jilts Pen.

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    Oak Openings

      James Fenimore Cooper
     Oak Openings

It ought to be matter of surprise how men live in the midst of marvels, without taking heed of their existence. The slightest derangement of their accustomed walks in political or social life shall excite all their wonder, and furnish themes for their discussions, for months; while the prodigies that come from above are presented daily to their eyes, and are received without surprise, as things of course. In a certain sense, this may be well enough, inasmuch as all which comes directly from the hands of the Creator may be said so far to exceed the power of human comprehension, as to be beyond comment; but the truth would show us that the cause of this neglect is rather a propensity to dwell on such interests as those over which we have a fancied control, than on those which confessedly transcend our understanding. Thus is it ever with men. The wonders of creation meet them at every turn, without awakening reflection, while their minds labor on subjects that are not only ephemeral and illusory, but which never attain an elevation higher than that the most sordid interests can bestow.

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    Upon A Midnight Clear

      Kalifer Deil
     Upon A Midnight Clear

On Christmas Eve, somewhere out in the Asteroid Belt, a lonely prospector happens across something he never expected to find.When an autopsy finds traces of the banned insecticide Chlordane in the anointing oil on the corpse of a local big-wig, Pittsburgh police bring Lupa Schwartz, an outspoken non-believer, into an investigation focused on a well-liked local clergyman. Worried that the police are planning to use him as a political fall-guy, Schwartz coerces Cattleya Hoskin, a magazine reporter with a connection to his family’s past, to chronicle his process and squelch any misgiving that his world-view influenced the outcome. Suspicion in the case is focused on Fr. Coneely, an outspoken euthanasia advocate who had earlier made the mistake of telling the family of the now-dead man that, hypothetically, he could safely apply poison-laden oil to their suffering father during last rites, and nobody need be the wiser. Was Mr. Hanson the willing victim of a mercy killing, or was a lapsing insurance policy the real motive for one of Hanson’s five children to taint the oil?All of the elements which are to become the unique hallmarks of the Lupa Schwartz series are birthed in this story: Schwartz’s compulsion to flatten the tires of parking rule scofflaws, Cattleya’s frustration with Schwartz’s refusal to carry a credit card or cell phone, their unspoken agreement to never discuss their shared history, and Schwartz’s fondness for comedy movies. We also meet the supporting cast who populate each of the stories: Mia, the feisty mechanic who lives in Schwartz’s large Victorian during the week to work on his car collection, but who visits her grandmother on weekends; Beverly, the cook and housekeeper who may or may not be in love with Schwartz; and Trevor Johns, the Pittsburgh police homicide detective by day, and Jazz/Blues clarinet player by night. We also meet most of the circulating cast of bit-players who appear in stories as needed: Jana, Cat’s friend at Gamut Magazine HQ; the Five Seekers, members of a discussion group Schwartz belongs to; and Victor Jenkins, a newspaper reporter.

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    Soap Opera Uncensored: Issue 26

      Nelson Branco
     Soap Opera Uncensored: Issue 26

Weekly summary of soap opera's hottest news, stories, humour, gossip, blind items, fearless predictions, top stars/stories/couples/characters to watch, snark galore, review and analysis.INSIDE — Exclusive Interview: Jack Wagner On Being “Hurt” After B&B Fired Him, Being Booted Off Dancing With The Stars, His Long-Lost Daughter, Being in A.A., And His GH Prospects! Plus: Katherine Kelly Lang on Wagner, “Bricky” and B&B’s Latest Italian Sojourn! Eric Braeden Part Two: Soap Cancelations, The Economic Malfunction, Pay Disputes, Y&R! James Franco back on GH? DAYS Recasting Another Role; Is Eric Brady Finally Back? Whoohoo: GH “Renewed!” New Kristina Cast on GH! Best Casting Ever: Crystal Chappell Joins B&B As A Lesbian! Plus: Creator of THE TEAM Responds To Rumoured Anti-Gay Agenda! DAYS “Shocker:” EJ Is Not Stefano’s Son! The Latest On The B&B Anniversary Book! HOLLYWOOD HEIGHTS: Another Ex-Soaper Joins Cast! Soap Star Dies! Every Week: Fearless Predictions! Plus: Last Week's Reviews, Unbelievable Blind Items, and Next Week's Cheat Sheet!

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    The Tent

      Michael C. Boxall
     The Tent

A young photographer gets a glimpse of an unfamiliar world.1900 wordsThe Incident at Kruger 60A miner on a journey to search for Ununpentium, also known as UUP takes on a young girl in space as a partner, and they discover something neither of them believe. It could be alien life, and looks that way. Or is it?Alex and Laura have to find the answer before a incident occurs in the history of space that could have severe consequences for mankind itself. Along the way they meet the worst kind of people, and some of the best as well. But the question is who can you really trust when everyone is trying to advance their own interests.Follow Alex and Laura from Kruger 60 to Kroatzys' Station, Tau Ceti, Morda Prima, and finally to Trajians 7 while they try to find out what is really going on in space...

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    High Heels, With a Touch of Prufrock

      David Sheppard
     High Heels, With a Touch of Prufrock

I wrote this short story during the summer of 1992. It helped me flesh out a couple of characters in my first novel, The Escape of Bobby Ray Hammer, which I was writing at the time. I wrote it one Saturday evening, and the next afternoon, I read it to a rather large writing class. Our instructor loved it, and the class, mostly women, gave it a loud round of applause, something unheard of.Brenda is sitting up in bed leaning against the headboard with the white sheet and pink quilt pulled to her neck. She's naked and has her right hand down between her legs and her left hand on her right nipple squeezing hard. She's also thinking hard about Norman Todd, so hard in fact sweat is breaking out on her forehead and in her armpits. Spit is filling her mouth so fast she has to keep swallowing to keep it from running down her chin. She's thinking of the future, on a fantasy date with Norman, and he's got her where she wants to be most, pinned on her back in the seat of his brand new '57 T-Bird. She's also thinking of the past, about losing her virginity two months ago with Thomas Powers in the grassy foothills just outside of town (wondering why it happened with him, he's such a jerk), and the steamy date she had with Melvin Swensen last night. She can't believe how delicious he was. Her problem is, she can hear her mother's high heels clicking rapidly on the hardwood floor down the hall toward her bedroom. Brenda hopes she can come before her mother does. And, she's wondering why her mother is wearing high heals. The reason Brenda's mother has hurried down the hall and is now turning the doorknob to Brenda's bedroom (Brenda is at this very second in the throes of ecstasy) has a lot to do with the reason she's wearing high heels. Her name is Ramona, and today she is forty. Just yesterday she was thinking that when she was born, her grandmother was forty, and she had always thought her grandmother was very old. Now Ramona is the same age her grandmother was then. That's bugging the shit out of her, even though she's not a grandmother, maybe in part because she is not a grandmother; maybe she could accept her age if she was a grandmother; but the fact is, she's not. She exists in this woman's no-woman's-land; she still feels young and vital, and she has never crossed over into that state of mind, that state of mental existence, that state of being old and knowing it, as she expected she would. She specifically does not mean a state of acceptance; no that is not what she means at all. When you are old, she thinks, it should be like you were always old. You shouldn't have to accept it. You're just that — old. Enough said. It is on you just like skin. You don't even have to think about it. Someone asking about your age should be like asking about your skin. "Do you have skin?" "Yes, I have skin, of course I have skin," you would reply. Just like that. No question about it. "Are you old?" "Of course I'm old. I'm forty. I've always been old. What a silly question." But it just isn't that way. That isn't the way she feels at all.So Ramona at her advanced age, and yet still feeling very young, put on her high heels this morning just after breakfast, after she fixed a breakfast of ham, eggs and toast...

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