The Tree Where Man Was Born

      Peter Matthiessen
     The Tree Where Man Was Born

In this classic volume, Matthiessen exquisitely combines both nature and travel writing to bring East Africa to vivid life. He skillfully portrays the daily lives of herdsmen and hunter-gatherers; the drama of the predator kills; the hundreds of exotic animals; the breathtaking landscapes; and the area's turbulent natural, political, and social histories.

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    The Zürau Aphorisms

      Franz Kafka
     The Zürau Aphorisms

The essential philosophical writings of one of the twentieth century’s most influential writers are now gathered into a single volume with an introduction and afterword by the celebrated writer and publisher Roberto Calasso. Illness set him free to write a series of philosophical fragments: some narratives, some single images, some parables. These “aphorisms” appeared, sometimes with a few words changed, in other writings–some of them as posthumous fragments published only after Kafka’s death in 1924. While working on K., his major book on Kafka, in the Bodleian Library, Roberto Calasso realized that the Zürau aphorisms, each written on a separate slip of very thin paper, numbered but unbound, represented something unique in Kafka’s opus–a work whose form he had created simultaneously with its content. The notebooks, freshly translated and laid out as Kafka had intended, are a distillation of Kafka at his most powerful and enigmatic. This lost jewel provides the reader with a fresh perspective on the collective work of a genius.

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    A Dangerous Game

      Heather Graham
     A Dangerous Game

The third novel in the New York Confidential series by long-established NYT bestselling romantic suspense author Heather Graham. This is the author's romantic-suspense stream, in addition to her successful ongoing mass market paperback paranormal romantic suspense series. Psychologist Kieran Finnegan is thrust into the middle of an investigation into human trafficking when a desperate woman shoves an infant into her arms and then flees...only to be murdered minutes later on a busy Manhattan street. Despite the fact that it isn't an FBI case, Special Agent Craig Frasier starts poking around, because Kieran can't stop thinking about the child and the victim. Their one lead comes through the pub, Finnegan's on Broadway. One of the waitresses also volunteers at a church outreach center, and had been in contact with a distraught young pregnant woman, whom she recommended Kieran to as someone who might be able to help her. When Kieran goes to the outreach center to do some off-the-books investigating of her own, she is approached by two women who are worried for their missing friend, and who reveal that they were part of a human trafficking ring that did business in babies. As Craig and Kieran delve deeper into the underbelly of NYC trying to find out more, the dangerous elements of the ring come to the surface, hoping to silence Kieran before she exposes them.

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    The Periodic Table

      Primo Levi
     The Periodic Table

The Periodic Table by Primo Levi is an impassioned response to the Holocaust: Consisting of 21 short stories, each possessing the name of a chemical element, the collection tells of the author's experiences as a Jewish-Italian chemist before, during, and after Auschwitz in luminous, clear, and unfailingly beautiful prose. It has been named the best science book ever by the Royal Institution of Great Britain and is considered to be Levi's crowning achievement.

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    His Big Mountain Axe

      Madison Faye
     His Big Mountain Axe

Beard? Check. Alpha as hell? Check. Huge, hard lumber? Very check. The biggest outlaw on the mountain has his sights on one woman, and he’s carrying a very big axe… Beast. Monster. Outlaw. I’ve been called a lot of things, but let me promise you, a knight in shining armor ain’t f*ckin’ one of them. But when the man I’m supposed to kill lays a hand on her – the firecracker cocktail waitress with the soft lips and the sweet curves that make my pine tree grow – there’s no way I’m not stepping in. Beautiful, blonde, tempting as hell. She’s got a body that was made for me to claim, and legs that were born to spread around my bike. Or my waist. But I’m a man with a mission – a blood vendetta that has to be paid. Mixing it up with Larkin is a bad idea at best. At worst, it might get us killed. But once I feel that sweet little body of hers pressed against mine with my chopper rumbling between her legs, I know there ain’t a chance in hell I’m letting her go. I’m not here to save her. I’m here to take her – over my bike and across my bed. Pretty little Larkin is about to get a taste of how a real man claims his woman. Because up on my mountain, I carry a big axe. …And I know how to use it. Now didn’t I promise you that Axe was getting a book? ;) Get ready for Blackthorn Mountain’s biggest, baddest, most growly alpha hero and the sassy heroine he’s laid his eyes on. So light a fire, find a cozy cabin, and get ready for one truly panty-melting, bodice-ripping ride. As with all my books, this one is safe, with no cheating, and a HEA guaranteed.

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    Heaven, Texas

      Susan Elizabeth Phillips
     Heaven, Texas

Come heck or high water, Gracie Snow is determined to drag the legendary ex-jock Bobby Tom Denton back home to Heaven, Texas, to begin shooting his first motion picture. Despite his dazzling good looks and killer charm, Bobby Tom has reservations about being a movie star — and no plans to cooperate with a prim and bossy Ohio wallflower whom he can’t get off his mind or out of his life. Instead, the hell-raising playboy decides to make her over from plain Jane to Texas wildcat. But nothing’s more dangerous than a wildcat with an angel’s heart in a town too small for a bad boy to hide. And all hell breaks loose when two unforgettable people discover love, laughter, passion — and a match that can only be made in Heaven.

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    Bech: A Book

      John Updike
     Bech: A Book

The Jewish American novelist Henry Bech—procrastinating, libidinous, and tart-tongued, his reputation growing while his powers decline—made his first appearance in 1965, in John Updike’s “The Bulgarian Poetess.” That story won the O. Henry First Prize, and it and the six Bech adventures that followed make up this collection. “Bech is the writer in me,” Updike once said, “creaking but lusty, battered but undiscourageable, fed on the blood of ink and the bread of white paper.” As he trots the globe, promotes himself, and lurches from one woman’s bed to another’s, Bech views life with a blend of wonder and cynicism that will make followers of the lit-biz smile with delight and wince in recognition. From the Trade Paperback edition.

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    A Chapter of Hats: Selected Stories

      Machado De Assis
     A Chapter of Hats: Selected Stories

Two gentlemen standing outside a church in Rio de Janeiro see a respectable lady emerge - one of them has an unexpected, and to him inexplicable story to tell about her past life as a prostitute; a popular composer of polkas burns the midnight oil in a desperate attempt to create great classical music; a teenager finds himself caught up by the sight of the bare arms of an older woman who lives with his employer; an impoverished, lazy young man turns to the lucrative trade of catching runaway slaves; dull, monotonous Mariana has a tiff with her husband about the hat he wears to town, and decides to sing "the Marseillaise of matrimony" by going off on a trip to town herself with her more daring, flirtatious friend Sophia.These are some of the situations developed in these stories, some of the most brilliant to have been written in the nineteenth century. They echo Poe and Gogol, they anticipate Joyce, they have been compared to contemporary works by Chekhov, Maupassant, and Henry James, yet they are not quite like any of these. Anyone who has read Epitaph of a Small Winner or Dom Casmurro, his most famous novels, will want to savour these stories - those who haven't, will find them a varied and enjoyable introduction to Machado's work.

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    The Complete Stories

      Clarice Lispector
     The Complete Stories

The recent publication by New Directions of five Lispector novels revealed to legions of new readers her darkness and dazzle. Now, for the first time in English, are all the stories that made her a Brazilian legend: from teenagers coming into awareness of their sexual and artistic powers to humdrum housewives whose lives are shattered by unexpected epiphanies to old people who don’t know what to do with themselves. Lispector’s stories take us through their lives—and ours. From one of the greatest modern writers, these stories, gathered from the nine collections published during her lifetime, follow an unbroken time line of success as a writer, from her adolescence to her death bed.

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    Timeless Kisses

      Monica Burns
     Timeless Kisses

Make your skin tingle and your heart race with this short sampler of sweet, steamy, and tantalizing kiss scenes by ten bestselling authors. Excerpts by Sabrina York; Julie Johnstone; Bronwen Evans; Tammy Andresen; Monica Burns; Gina Conkle; Shana Galen; Vanessa Kelly; Amanda Mariel; and Meara PlattSusana and the Scot, Sabrina YorkMake your skin tingle and your heart race with this short sampler of sweet, steamy, and tantalizing kiss scenes by ten bestselling authors. Excerpts by Sabrina York; Julie Johnstone; Bronwen Evans; Tammy Andresen; Monica Burns; Gina Conkle; Shana Galen; Vanessa Kelly; Amanda Mariel; and Meara PlattSusana and the Scot, Sabrina YorkAndrew Lochlannach is famous for his conquests. Banished to the highlands after a kissing contest, he has no regrets—especially his embrace with the beguiling Susana. Susana is not some innocent farm girl, and she refuses to be just another conquest of the wicked Scot who won a kiss from her.My Fair Duchess, Julie JohnstoneYears of playing a rogue to hide a dark secret, leaves the Duke of Aversley feeling tainted beyond redemption until hope arrives in the form of a quick-witted lady. Facing financial ruin, Lady Amelia De Vere finds herself participating in a bet between her brother and the handsome Duke Of Aversley. A Whisper of Desire, Bronwen EvansLady Marisa Hawkestone’s nightmare begins when she wakes up naked next to Maitland Spencer, the “Cold Duke” of Lyttleton. As a Libertine Scholar, Maitland must be vigilant, despite his bride’s attractions. But now he must save Marisa, who sets his heart aflame or die trying.Midnight Magic, Tammy AndresenJessie Walsh is running for her life. Disguising her identity, she flees to Texas hoping she’s run far enough. Jake Tate has his hands full and doesn’t need another problem. But when passion ignites between them, will Jessie’s past destroy their future?Kismet, Monica BurnsA dark, seductive sheikh with a tortured past fights to control his obsession for a woman who offers him a wager he refuses to lose. What happens between them is...KISMET To Find a Viking Treasure, Gina ConkleSestra’s lived by her wits, but she wants security. Uppsala’s in turmoil and she holds the key to a buried treasure that means life or death for many. Brand’s plans don’t include saving anyone, especially not a lushly curved, sharp-tongued thrall. But he vows to protect Sestra, and they must now share trust.Earls Just Want to Have Fun, by Shana GalenMarlowe runs with the Covent Garden Cubs, a gang of thieves living in the slums. But she once went by a different name. Maxwell, Lord Dane, is intrigued by the beautiful hellion thought to be the lost daughter of a Marquess. Teaching her to navigate society’s eddies, he’s drawn into her dangerous world, where love is the greatest risk of all.How to Marry a Royal Highlander, by Vanessa KellyTen years after Alasdair Gilbride fled the Highlands and an arranged betrothal, tending to his responsibilities that would be much easier without the distraction of beautiful Eden Whitney. Snubbed by the ton, Eden is rusticating in the Scottish wilderness with only Alasdair for temptation. Now his life and her reputation are at stake—and their hearts already irreparably lost.Scandalous Intentions, by Amanda MarielFaced with losing his father’s support, notorious rake Lord Julian Luvington sets his sights on the respectable Lady Sarah. But the lady is not easily won. Lady Sarah Roseington is determined to marry for love. A blackguard like Luvington could destroy her reputation, but marriage has its advantages. What’s a lady to do? My Fair Lily, by Meara PlattEwan Cameron, proud of his Scottish heritage, visits London because of a deathbed promise. No one can tempt him to remain past his three-month obligation, except a beautiful bluestocking. When the Duke of Lotheil approaches Lily Farthingale with the chance to earn her place in the Royal Society, she accepts a challenge to reconcile Lotheil and his grandson.

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    Crampton Hodnet

      Barbara Pym
     Crampton Hodnet

Unsuitable romance is the theme of this wickedly comedic novel. A series of entanglements brings together an odd assortment of characters - clergymen, university dons, naive students, and academic hangers-on - with hilarious results.

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    A Maiden's Grave

      Jeffery Deaver
     A Maiden's Grave

Eight vulnerable girls and their helpless teachers are forced off a school bus and held hostage. The madman who has them at gunpoint has a simple plan: one hostage an hour will die unless the demands are met. Called to the scene is Arthur Potter, the FBI's best hostage negotiator. He has a plan. But so does one of the hostages-a beautiful teacher who's willing to do anything to save the lives of her students. Now, the clock is ticking as a chilling game of cat and mouse begins.

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    The Tell-Tale Heart

      Edgar Allan Poe
     The Tell-Tale Heart

Edgar Allan Poe remains the unsurpassed master of works of mystery and madness in this outstanding collection of Poe's prose and poetry are sixteen of his finest tales, including "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "William Wilson," "The Black Cat," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "Eleonora". Here too is a major selection of what Poe characterized as the passion of his life, his poems - "The Raven," "Annabel Lee," Ulalume," "Lenore," "The Bells," and more, plus his glorious prose poem "Silence - A Fable" and only full-length novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. From the Paperback edition.

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    The Red House

      Mark Haddon
     The Red House

From the bestselling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and A Spot of Bother comes a superb book about family and secrets Two families. Seven days. One house. Angela and her brother Richard have spent twenty years avoiding each other. Now, after the death of their mother, they bring their families together for a holiday in a rented house on the Welsh border. Four adults and four children. Seven days of shared meals, log fires, card games and wet walks. But in the quiet and stillness of the valley, ghosts begin to rise up. The parents Richard thought he had. The parents Angela thought she had. Past and present lovers. Friends, enemies, victims, saviours. Once again Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and A Spot of Bother, has written a novel that is funny, poignant and deeply insightful about human lives.

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    Nana: By Emile Zola - Illustrated

      Emile Zola
     Nana: By Emile Zola - Illustrated

How is this book unique? Font adjustments & biography included Unabridged (100% Original content) Illustrated About Nana by Emile Zola Nana is a novel by the French naturalist author Emile Zola. Completed in 1880, Nana is the ninth installment in the 20-volume Les Rougon-Macquart series, which was to tell "The Natural and Social History of a Family under the Second Empire." The novel was an immediate success. Le Voltaire, the French newspaper that was to publish it in installments from October 1879 on, had launched a gigantic advertising campaign, raising the curiosity of the reading public to a fever pitch. When Charpentier finally published Nana in book form in February 1880, the first edition of 55,000 copies was sold out in one day. Flaubert and Edmond de Goncourt were full of praise for Nana. On the other hand, a part of the non-reading public, spurred on by some critics, reacted to the book with outrage. While the novel is held up as a fine example of writing, it is not especially true to Zola's touted naturalist philosophy; instead, it is one of the most symbolically complex of his novels, setting it apart from the earthy "realism" of L'Assommoir or the more brutal "realism" of La Terre (1887). However, it was a great deal more authentic than most contemporary novels about the demimonde. Nana is especially noted for the crowd scenes, of which there are many, in which Zola proves himself a master of capturing the incredible variety of people. Whereas in his other novels -- notably Germinal (1885) -- he gives the reader an amazingly complete picture of surroundings and the lives of characters, from the first scene we are to understand that this novel treads new ground. Flaubert summed up the novel in one perfect sentence: (Nana turns into myth, without ceasing to be real.)

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