In the City of Art

      J. Brerchman Bernard Stewart
     In the City of Art

Selected poems by J. Berchman Bernard Stewart“Mr. Stewart’s poems reveal a new luminary incarnation of the ancient but ever-present Celtic bardic tradition. With an astonishing variety of voices and styles, his mastery of words and images provides an exhilarating and scintillating experience of a rare and unique poetic power, not to be missed.”Dr. Joseph GrossHerein are selected poems by J. Berchman Bernard Stewart. These poems were created over ten years in relative isolation; hence, this is the first public exhibition of Mr. Stewart's poetry.Most of the works took 1,000-6,000 hours, yet a few fell like ink drops from the pen and appear here almost unaltered from their original drafts.They range from "closed form", metered, to looser internal rhyme. They are in all styles, from imagist to jazz. Some are romantic, some solemn, some a bit silly, and one a touch scary.These works are concise and speak clearly.Above all else, the goal of this poet is to move the reader with "a thing of beauty," which "is joy forever."

Read online

  • 930

    Before I Black Pt. 2 - Malcolm's X

      Brandon D. Fuller
     Before I Black Pt. 2 - Malcolm's X

This is definitely a story from the other side of the gun. When people think of injustice, the disenfranchised, and often trivialized voices of minority victims, it is usually from behind a protective glass so to speak, so as to not step too close to the dangers. Here I've attempted to weave together a vivid picture of social injustice for any and all that dare to get close. Thank you for readingKaleb Blackman and the Knox Twins are big time, the best that Langston Reigns Middle School has to offer. Like most boys, they love the spotlight, totally ambitious, yet unaware of the many vices that often come with it. In what has become a way of life all too familiar where the three boys have grown up, their story will determine if their loss was in vein. If they are indeed destined to overcome the stereotypes, the peer pressures, and the trials determined to rip them apart, it’ll be because they stuck to their principles and by each other’s side. This is the journey of a friend, a son, and ultimately of a survivor. This is to remembering a life before everything became only a synthesis of color, before everything had a price, and when each child was truly a blank slate of potential. This is remembering a life, Before I Black.

Read online

  • 930

    Artinia: The Journey of Three Island Princesses

      Sheilane Nadia
     Artinia: The Journey of Three Island Princesses

Two teen Princesses must leave their majestic and envied island of Artinia in search of their little sister, who may or may not have been kidnapped by a gang of raiders. Will they be able to find her? Or is she gone forever?Two teen Princesses must leave the majestic island of Artinia for the first time and embark upon an island hopping adventure (via canoe) to find their little sister, who may or may not have been kidnapped by enemy warriors.Throughout the journey, the sisters become fascinated with and humbled by the uniqueness of each island; and thus try to create peace among the islanders- something that have never before existed. However, their main motive is always to find their sister before it is too late. Will they be able to?Young girls will learn a lot from the powerful issues of: love, loss and betrayal, portrayed in the story. They will also fall in love with its fun and whimsical nature; as well as the unique island setting.

Read online

  • 930

    Collected Short Stories: Volume IV

      Barry Rachin
     Collected Short Stories: Volume IV

* Bethany Glaspell approached the first-ever meeting with Great-uncle Vern, a man who returned from the jungles of Vietnam with a Hmong bride and warped personality, much as a cat burglar might plan his next heist, telling no one, neither friend nor family, her intentions.* Bethany Glaspell approached the first-ever meeting with Great-uncle Vern, a man who returned from the jungles of Vietnam with a Hmong bride and warped personality, much as a cat burglar might plan his next heist, telling no one, neither friend nor family, her intentions.* There are five levels of gifted intelligence ranging from bright to profoundly gifted. One in every thirty thousand is 'exceptional', which makes Curtis Stedman, the part-time dishwasher at Nagel’s Bagels, one smart cookie!* Tawana Saunders is writing the great American novel. Problem is, six months into the project, she’s only got a rough draft plus three lousy paragraphs.* Lenny slept with Elsie McGivney, a woman so dim-witted she can't make change or hold down an entry-level job. Lenny bedded the chucklehead but got no sex in the bargain. So why is he going back for more?These are just a few of the situations you will find in this collection of bittersweet short stories, where the characters struggle to manage their lives in a user-unfriendly universe.

Read online

  • 930

    Metamorphosis of daffadowndilly

      J.B Klimko
     Metamorphosis of daffadowndilly

A collection of selected poems.Parekh's earliest collection of verse. Written in unparallelled fervor, this collection is a delectable blend of topics from love to death, probing into countless infinitesimal aspects of existence which make a significant impact to it. The beauty of this compendium lies in its magical brevity at places and in the most mundane things of life around us brought to the fore like a magicians wand, in brilliant poetic flair by Parekh. Contains poems on topics impossible for one to envisage that a poem could be written about such an inconspicuous little thing-but Parekh evolves bountiful rhyme from the word go and coalesces vivacious color in the little tid-bits of the chapter called life to optimum effect. A must read for all those who find color, charm and significance in even the smallest things of life and are enthused by even the most mercurial bit of stray paper loitering around. A poetic tribute to the ordinary, projecting its colorful extraordinary bit to the planet with raw panache. This book tingles every living being's imagination to fantasize beyond the ordinary. Look at all those meaningful tid-bits around us which have a complete book written in each one of them. All those joyous and unfortunate anecdotes around us which make us blossom into the true spirit of existence; into the amazing celebration of omnipotent life.

Read online

  • 930

    Deep Shadows

      Bella Forrest
     Deep Shadows

The heart-pounding second book of The Child Thief series. After the night's shocking events, Robin, Jace, and their team find themselves thrust into a race for their lives. Robin never could have imagined that things would go so wrong. Never could have dreamed that they would find what they found within that innocuous-looking building. And now it's too late: they've seen what they've seen, and there is no time to talk. No time to even think. Not with the caliber of people who are now on their trail. Fleeing is their priority-but even if they escape, it's uncertain whether they will ever truly be free. Because there's one thing Robin and her comrades can now count on: the deeper they dig in this strange world that was once called "the United States," the darker the shadows become... Buy now! Beware of spoilers in the reviews below that are without spoiler alerts

Read online

  • 930

    Joseph and His Brothers

      Thomas Mann
     Joseph and His Brothers

This remarkable new translation of the Nobel Prize-winner’s great masterpiece is a major literary event. Thomas Mann regarded his monumental retelling of the biblical story of Joseph as his magnum opus. He conceived of the four parts–The Stories of Jacob, Young Joseph, Joseph in Egypt, and Joseph the Provider–as a unified narrative, a “mythological novel” of Joseph’s fall into slavery and his rise to be lord over Egypt. Deploying lavish, persuasive detail, Mann conjures for us the world of patriarchs and pharaohs, the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine, and the universal force of human love in all its beauty, desperation, absurdity, and pain. The result is a brilliant amalgam of humor, emotion, psychological insight, and epic grandeur. Now the award-winning translator John E. Woods gives us a definitive new English version of Joseph and His Brothers that is worthy of Mann’s achievement, revealing the novel’s exuberant polyphony of ancient and modern voices, a rich music that is by turns elegant, coarse, and sublime. --front flap

Read online

  • 930

    Mr G

      Alan Lightman
     Mr G

“As I remember, I had just woken up from a nap when I decided to create the universe.” So begins Alan Lightman’s playful and profound new novel, Mr g, the story of Creation as told by God. Barraged by the constant advisements and bickerings of Aunt Penelope and Uncle Deva, who live with their nephew in the shimmering Void, Mr g proceeds to create time, space, and matter. Then come stars, planets, animate matter, consciousness, and, finally, intelligent beings with moral dilemmas. Mr g is all powerful but not all knowing and does much of his invention by trial and error. Even the best-laid plans can go awry, and Mr g discovers that with his creation of space and time come some unforeseen consequences—especially in the form of the mysterious Belhor, a clever and devious rival. An intellectual equal to Mr g, Belhor delights in provoking him: Belhor demands an explanation for the inexplicable, requests that the newly created intelligent creatures not be subject to rational laws, and maintains the necessity of evil. As Mr g watches his favorite universe grow into maturity, he begins to understand how the act of creation can change himself, the Creator. With echoes of Calvino, Rushdie, and Saramago, combining science, theology, and moral philosophy, Mr g is a stunningly imaginative work that celebrates the tragic and joyous nature of existence on the grandest possible scale.

Read online

  • 930

    To the End of the War: Unpublished Fiction

      James Jones
     To the End of the War: Unpublished Fiction

**Never-before-published fiction by one of the finest war authors of the twentieth century In 1943, a young soldier named James Jones returned from the Pacific, lightly wounded and psychologically tormented by the horrors of Guadalcanal. When he was well enough to leave the hospital, he went AWOL rather than return to service, and began work on a novel of the World War II experience. Jones’s AWOL period was brief, but he returned to the novel at war’s end, bringing him to the attention of Maxwell Perkins, the legendary editor of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Thomas Wolfe. Jones would then go on to write From Here to Eternity, the National Book Award–winning novel that catapulted him into the ranks of the literary elite. Now, for the first time, Jones’s earliest writings are presented here, as a collection of stories about man and war, a testament to the great artist he was about to become. This ebook features an illustrated biography of James Jones including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Read online

  • 930

    Bittersweet (True North #1)

      Sarina Bowen
     Bittersweet (True North #1)

Farmers make the earth move. The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago. At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price. Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way. They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some.

Read online

  • 930

    Sun Square Moon writings on yoga and writing

      Inez Baranay
     Sun Square Moon writings on yoga and writing

Writings on yoga practice and writing practice, how yoga and writing reflect, support or conflict with each other, by a widely published author and a long-time yoga practitioner. Practice, discipline, dreams, the body, tradition and life are some of its themes. First published in India and with a review by N Sjoman, author of The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace.What does a monster with an angel's soul do when a prince comes along to steal his girl? He wants to kill him, of course. When the gods meddle in the lives of mortals, personal disaster is assured, and disaster is coming for golem, girl and prince. In the land of Ulmenir, where kings boast the blood of gryphons, some things aren’t quite as they seem. (Third Edition. Content warning: Adult fiction. Also, this is the least GLBTQ book in the series.) The Gryphon Taint: Volume One is the fourth novel chronologically in The Soulstone Chronicles, a fantasy adventure about an enigmatic deity reborn as a human being. The Gryphon Taint set can be read first in the series, since it was written before the Bound in Stone set, which can be considered a prequel.For those who read the Bound in Stone set first, Herfod/Kehfrey returns to the series in a big way in The Gryphon Taint: Volume Three. He's also present in volume two of the Gryphon set.

Read online

  • 929

    Victoria at the Falklands

      Jack Tollers
     Victoria at the Falklands

Peter, an Argentine military cadet, falls in love at first sight with an unknown girl he accidentally meets at a railway terminal. Fortunately, that very evening he meets her again under the most extraordinary circumstances and eventually they get engaged little knowing that dark clouds were gathering in the future: nothing less than war with Britain and Peter being posted to the Falkland Islands.Peter, an Argentine military cadet, falls in love at first sight with an unknown girl he accidentally meets at a railway terminal. Fortunately, that very evening he meets her again under the most extraordinary circumstances involving a barbecue, a storm, a ditched car, and the necessity for an asylum of sorts at the girl’s home in Bella Vista, a suburban town, some twenty-five miles from Buenos Aires City. The girl turns out to be Victoria, who lives with her huge family and is also very much attracted to the young military cadet but refuses to be rushed into what she deems a premature affair. However eventually——after some droll incidents——they get engaged.At the end of the year Victoria and Jimmy——Peter’s best friend——find themselves trapped in a lift for half an hour. Very much to her discomfort, Victoria discovers that Jimmy is in love with her too. But she only has eyes for Peter. They plan to marry and would have done so except that Victoria’s mother suddenly dies leaving Victoria in charge of her small brothers and sisters while Peter, now a graduate officer, is posted far away at a remote location in Patagonia. But suddenly Peter is mysteriously transferred to the 12th Infantry squadron in the north of the country. Jimmy visits him there and they speculate on the strange rumours about impending military operations that mystify the boys. A couple of months later the Argentine Army occupies the Falkland Islands and Britain promises to retake them by force. Peter is already there with the 12th Infantry and is soon fighting against the British. On the other hand, very much to his disgust, Jimmy has not been sent over. Eventually Peter dies manfully in battle and, after a suitable wait, Jimmy tries to woo Victoria to no effect since the girl seems to be ‘at the Falklands’ forever.Years later a group of old friends gather once again on a Sunday evening——they’ve been doing so for years——at what used to be Victoria’s house. Eventually a bespectacled middle-aged woman in a black dress appears and enquires about their chat and when she gets the drift of the conversation——to the effect that youngsters are much too optimistic——she thinks back to that Sunday morning, years ago, when Peter had unexpectedly proposed and how, when she had pointed out that he was rushing things, he had reminded her of the old saying that “it’s later than you think”. When she goes back to the kitchen nobody sees that she is smiling to herself.

Read online

  • 929

    Expect It When You Least Expect It

      TJ Seitz
     Expect It When You Least Expect It

Short story about a teen during the mid 1980's and his job at a local grocery store.Imagine being stuck in school forever. Living there, working there, and eating every meal there. That’s what Taryn and every other kid from her town has to do. What they don’t know is that this so-called slave school is run by Taryn’s father. This secret will lead to heartbreak and despair. Freedom will be had, but not without a heavy cost.

Read online

  • 929