This short satirical work proposes that backbenchers be removed, benches and all, from the Canadian House of Commons, in the interests of modernity and efficiency for both the backbenchers and the rest of the House of Commons.This short work proposes that backbenchers be removed, benches and all, from the Canadian House of Commons, in the interests of modernity and efficiency. A special “Backbencher’s Heaven,” can be set up not far from the Parliaments buildings. There, backbenchers could spend most of their time in up-to-date offices dealing with the voters in their ridings. At the same time, the rest of the Members of Parliament (the ones that really matter) could have the space to install and use current data collection and display systems (built into their desks), the better to debate bills with the facts at their fingertips. A giant leap in productivity is predicted.

A star-studded anthology with a devilish hook, whose proceeds benefit 826nyc: the fabulous literacy non-profit founded by Dave Eggers.   Can you imagine the most cantankerous book editor alive? Part Voldemort, part Cruella de Vil (if she were a dude), and worse in appearance and odor than a gluttonous farm pig? A man who makes no secret of his love of cheese or his disdain of unworthy authors? That man is Herman Mildew. The anthology opens with an invitation to a party, care of this insufferable monster, where more than 80 of the most talented, bestselling and recognizable names in YA and children’s fiction learn that they are suspects in his murder. All must provide alibis in brief first-person entries. The problem is that all of them are liars, all of them are fabulists, and all have something to hide...

Frank "Dolly" Dillon has a job he hates, working sales and collections for Pay-E-Zee Stores, a wife named Joyce he can't stand, and an account balance that barely allows him to pay the bills each month. Working door-to-door one day, trying to eke money out of folk with even less of it than he has, Dolly crosses paths with a beautiful young woman named Mona Farrell. Mona's being forced by her aunt to do things she doesn't like, with men she doesn't know--she wants out, any way she can get it. And to a man who wants nothing of what he has, Mona sure looks like something he actually does. Soon Dolly and Mona find themselves involved in a scheme of robbery, murder and mayhem that makes Dolly's blood run cold. As Dolly's plans begin to unravel, his mind soon follows. In A HELL OF A WOMAN, Jim Thompson offers another arresting portrait of a deviant mind, in an ambitious crime novel that ranks among his best work.

THIS WAY TO THE END TIMES: Classic Tales of the Apocalypse, gathers 21 compelling, gripping stories of the not-too-distant demise of the earth as we know it. And what a collection. From little-known, brilliant tales by sci-fi legends Jules Vernes and Olaf Stapledon, to intense short works by sci-fi masters Ursula K. Le Guin, Connie Willis, Jack Vance, and Brian W. Aldiss, to haunting works by contemporary authors Dale Bailey, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, Karen Haber and Megan Arkenberg, THIS WAY TO THE END TIMES paves the road to the fantastical future, alternating humor with grit, and hope with ghastly post apocalyptic visions. Guest editor Robert Silverberg—winner of numerous Hugo and Nebula awards, Grand Master of Science Fiction Writers of America, and a Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductee—hand-picked each story, and offers an introduction to each, as well as an introduction to the anthology as a whole. A unique collection for longtime and new fans of speculative fiction, THIS WAY TO THE END TIMES roars into the future wide-eyed and full speed ahead. Complete list of authors: Jules Verne, James Elroy Flecker, Frank Lillie Pollock, G. Peyton Wertenbaker, Philip Latham, Jack Vance, Fritz Leiber, Brian W. Aldiss, Ursula K. Le Guin, Robert Silverberg, James Tiptree, Jr., Malcolm Edwards, Connie Willis, Karen Haber, by Dale Bailey, Megan Artenberg, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, Olaf Stapledon

This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare's finesse to Oscar Wilde's wit, this unique collection brings together works as diverse and influential as The Pilgrim's Progress and Othello. As an anthology that invites readers to immerse themselves in the masterpieces of the literary giants, it is must-have addition to any library --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A collection of interwoven stories, this is a portrait of two worlds - a small Alpine village bound to the earth and by tradition, and the restless, future-driven culture that will invade it - at their moment of collision. The instrument of entrapment is love. Lives are lost and hearts broken.

This is a selection of 22 poems written over a span of some years. They are widely diverse in subject matter as well as in style. I have provided a very brief explanatory note to many of the poems, where I feel that this will be helpful to the reader.This is a selection of 22 poems written over a span of some years. They are widely diverse in subject matter and in style. For instance the poems cover some of the following themes:The dreams of a cat; The passing of dragons; An extraordinarily beautiful and empathic young girl; An insane genius and my own tribute to Tolkiens' Lady Galadriel, from 'The Lord of the Rings', to cite but a few. I have provided a very brief explanatory note to many of the poems, where I feel that this may be helpful to the reader. This is a varied collection and should be of interest to lovers of poetry.

In the last great battle of the great controversy between God and Lucifer, God is going defeat Lucifer's empire of evil through a remnant of weak and vulnerable men. On their loyalty He will stake the honor—and survival—of His throne. This story explores why all the power of hell rages against a devoted remnant that will dare to stand for God in the worst conflict there will ever be.Can God defend His law against Lucifer’s colossal arsenal of evil? Can the weakness of God's love Defeat the power of Lucifer's domination? The controversy between God and Lucifer has been raging for millennia. In the last great battle of this conflict God is going defeat Lucifer's empire of evil through a remnant of weak and vulnerable men. On their loyalty He will stake the honor—and survival—of His throne. This story explores the issues at stake in this controversy and why all the power of hell rages against a devoted remnant that will dare to stand for God in the worst conflict there will ever be.

First published in 1818, *Persuasion* was Jane Austen's last work. Its mellow character and autumnal tone have long made it a favorite with Austen readers. Set in Somersetshire and Bath, the novel revolves around the lives and love affair of Sir Walter Elliot, his daughters Elizabeth, Anne, and Mary, and various in-laws, friends, suitors, and other characters, In Anne Elliot, the author created perhaps her sweetest, most appealing heroine. At the center of the novel is Anne's thwarted romance with Captain Frederick Wentworth, a navy man Anne met and fell in love with when she was 19. At the time, Wentworth was deemed an unsuitable match and Anne was forced to break off the relationship. Eight years later, however, they meet again. By this time Captain Wentworth has made his fortune in the navy and is an attractive "catch." However, Anne is now uncertain about his feelings for her. But after various twists and turns of fortune, the novel ends on a happy note. In *Persuasion*, as in such novels as *Sense and Sensibility*, *Pride and Prejudice*, and *Emma*, Austen limned the plight of young women who could escape the constraints of family life only by marrying, and suggest the foolishness of women who believed they were free and not dependent on the financial and social resources of men. At the same time, *Persuasion* offers an ironic and subtle paean to the true love that enables one woman to rise above straitened economic circumstances and the stifling social conventions that restricted women to narrowly circumscribed lives in the common sitting room. Sure to appeal to admirers of Jane Austen, *Persuasion* will delight any reader with its finely drawn characters, gentle satire, and charming re-creation of the genteel world of the 19th-century English countryside. **

Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life -- boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies -- he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him...and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn't help. Despite himself, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, The Choice ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive? *Did You Know?--- Gabby was named after one of the former athletes on the track team that Nicholas coaches? This is the second novel, along with A Walk to Remember, that Nicholas set in Beaufort, North Carolina? Travis’s character was modeled after Nicholas’s brother Micah? The structure of The Choice was modeled after The Notebook?*

One of the most provocative and original voices in contemporary literature, Chinua Achebe here considers the place of literature and art in our society in a collection of essays spanning his best writing and lectures from the last twenty-three years. For Achebe, overcoming goes hand in hand with eradicating the destructive effects of racism and injustice in Western society. He reveals the impediments that still stand in the way of open, equal dialogue between Africans and Europeans, between blacks and whites, but also instills us with hope that they will soon be overcome.From the Trade Paperback edition.

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Marked Men books comes the second installment in the Saints of Denver series featuring a bad girl and a by the book attorney who could be her salvation...or her ruin. Avett Walker and Quaid Jackson’s worlds have no reason to collide. Ever. Quaid is a high powered criminal attorney as slick as he is handsome. Avett is a pink-haired troublemaker with a bad attitude and a history of picking the wrong men. When Avett lands in a sea of hot water because of one terrible mistake, the only person who can get her out of it is the insanely sexy lawyer. The last thing on earth she wants to do is rely on the no-nonsense attorney who thinks of her as nothing more than a nuisance. He literally has her fate in his hands. Yet there is something about him that makes her want to convince him to loosen his tie and have a little fun…with her. Quaid never takes on clients like the impulsive young woman with a Technicolor dye job. She could stand to learn a hard lesson or two, but something about her guileless hazel eyes intrigues him. Still, he’s determined to keep their relationship strictly business. But doing so is becoming more impossible with each day he spends with her. As they work side-by-side, they’ll have to figure out a way to get along and keep their hands off each other—because the chemistry between them is beyond charged.

Richard Sharpe, the former private in His Majesty's army who now commands a company of riflemen, finds himself fighting his old enemies, the French, in 1811. Sharpe has been sent by Wellington on a mission to Cadiz, now the capital of Spain, to rescue the British ambassador -- who happens to be Wellington's brother -- from a spot of undiplomatic trouble. The city has been blockaded by the French but is supported by the British from the sea. It contains a rare mix of pro- and anti-British citizens, diplomats, courtiers, adventurers, and spies. Sharpe's mission -- complicated, undercover, and political -- turns out to be completely different from the one on which he was sent. It brings him through the besieging enemy army to triumph in the Battle of Barrosa, where the British, deserted by their allies, defeat an overwhelmingly stronger French force.