Why a lady Lutheran minister helped an atheist physician die contentedly. That's all I'll tell you. Click the blue below to see why. Here it suffices to say that the story is short and free. Why read a summary when with little more effort you can read the whole thing? If you can't spare a moment more, you shouldn't be wasting time reading fiction anyway. Go back to work!"One can not judge a book by its cover." So we are told. But a cover is usually the only thing a reader has to base a judgment on. Smashwords tries to aid readers by providing summaries, one short, one long, for each book it distributes. For non-fiction this works well. But this, it seems to me, defeats the whole purpose of fiction. After all, one reads a story to find out what will happen. It’s the uncommon twists and turns that make a story interesting. But if a summary has told all this beforehand, what fun is to be had in the reading? Therefore, no summary of the present short story is given. It's short and it’s free! So read the whole thing and see if you like it. I ask you to do this because I think it is the best book judging method. To find fiction you like you must first read around enough to learn something of the style and stories of different authors. Then you can judge books, not by their cover, but by the your opinion of the writer. I'd like to help you do this. The present short story is one of several which I will make available free at Smashwords. Read a few (or all of them) and decide if you like them. It won't cost you a dime. If you like them, you can then purchase some of my not free (but still inexpensive) longer stories. All these stories are of one particular kind. To reflect this similarity all have the same cover picture, the Kitty & Rose shown above. So after you’ve read a few, you can, in fact, judge them by their cover. The common theme of the Kitty & Rose stories is human sexuality. This is not unusual. Most fiction concerns sex in one way or another; ranging from romances so sedate and demure an extraterrestrial could never know sex is at the root of everything described, to erotica so unrestricted even an extraterrestrial might blush. Kitty & Rose stories are in the middle of this range. All deal with human sexuality, but none do so explicitly. Rather, they are seemly. The dictionary gives three meanings for seemly: Attractive or agreeably fashioned; Decorous or conventionally proper; and Appropriate or suited to its purpose. With respect to appropriateness, seemly sex stories range from the humorous to the inspirational, but all concern human sexuality. So they are clearly appropriate. These stories are also seemly in the decorous and conventionally proper sense. For, while they treat sex candidly, they do not do so graphically. There is nothing pornographic nor erotic in any seemly sex story. Of course, different persons’ opinions about this may differ. A few consider frank pornography decorous. At the opposite extreme are those like the abbot of the monastery where the great biologist Gregor Mendel did his epochal research. This abbot thought Mendel’s studies were decidedly indecorous because they involved the sex of pea plants! Finally, there is the principal sense of seemly, attractive and agreeably fashioned. Like every author I exert my every effort and ability trying to make these stories seemly in this regard. But like every author, I must await your determination of the degree of my success. Since both of us will be pleased if you find them attractively seemly, I very much hope you do.Happy reading!BobbyBP.S. This is the twelfth free Kitty & Rose short story, uploaded March 1, 2017.a

This Book which has 34 differently titled Poems , is actually part 8 of the Book titled – Hide and Seek – Rhyming & Non Rhyming Poems ( 702 pages ) .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.

From Louis Sachar, New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Newbery Medal for HOLES, comes the young adult novel THE CARDTURNER, an exploration of the human condition. How are we supposed to be partners? He can’t see the cards and I don’t know the rules! The summer after junior year of high school looks bleak for Alton Richards. His girlfriend has dumped him to hook up with his best friend. He has no money and no job. His parents insist that he drive his great-uncle Lester to his bridge club four times a week and be his cardturner—whatever that means. Alton’s uncle is old, blind, very sick, and very rich. But Alton’s parents aren’t the only ones trying to worm their way into Lester Trapp’s good graces. They’re in competition with his longtime housekeeper, his alluring young nurse, and the crazy Castaneda family, who seem to have a mysterious influence over him. Alton soon finds himself intrigued by his uncle, by the game of bridge, and especially by the pretty and shy Toni Castaneda. As the summer goes on, he struggles to figure out what it all means, and ultimately to figure out the meaning of his own life. Through Alton’s wry observations, Louis Sachar explores the disparity between what you know and what you think you know. With his incomparable flair and inventiveness, he examines the elusive differences between perception and reality—and inspires readers to think and think again. From the Hardcover edition.

2018 RITA ® Award Winner for Best Short Contemporary Romance Professor Audrey Graham shouldn't be alive. But she didn't walk away from the accident that should've taken her life. She shouldn't have ever walked again according to the doctors. But after two years of physical therapy and countless surgeries, she's got a second lease on life. First stop? Camp Firefly Falls to try and catch up on some of the living she never did before her accident. Firefighter Hudson Lowell shouldn't be alive. In the wake of losing two members of his team in a structure fire gone wrong, he's been unable to work, unable to pull himself out of the survivor's guilt. In a last ditch effort to snap him out of it, his family surprises him with a 2 week reunion session at Camp Firefly Falls, reminder of a simpler, better time. The last thing he expects to find is the woman he helped cut out of a snarled up wreck of a car two years before. As sparks ignite between rescuer and rescuee, Audrey finally gets the chance to repay her hero. But can she convince this proud, stubborn man that life is still worth living? Or will Hudson let this chance at happiness slip through his fingers?

From USA Today bestselling author Katie Reus comes the second book in the ALL NEW Redemption Harbor series where sparks fly and so do bullets… He's a former Marine, her new fake boyfriend, and the only way to escape her dangerous past. Having a child changed everything for Olivia—she vowed to keep her little girl safe from the mistakes of her past. But when the most dangerous person she ever met blackmails her into doing one last heist, the world she’s so carefully built goes into a tailspin. Frantic, she heads to Redemption Harbor in search of help. Sparks fly when she meets Savage, a man who will do anything to keep Olivia and her daughter safe. He’ll help her get her life back, but can he handle seeing who she once was? Can they pull it off? Savage poses as her obsessive ex during a daring undercover operation—and soon the line between reality and their cover story becomes blurred. He’ll use every trick he knows to keep the sensual woman alive and out of jail—and in his life. But the clock is ticking and if they can’t find a way to trust each other, no one will make it out alive. Length: NOVEL Author note: all books in the Redemption Harbor series can easily be read as individual titles. There are no cliffhangers and each story has an HEA.

Oct. 11th, 1943 - A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun. When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution. As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage and failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy? Harrowing and beautifully written, Elizabeth Wein creates a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other. Code Name Verity is an outstanding novel that will stick with you long after the last page.

Alice Ellis is a Midwestern refugee living in Manhattan. Still recovering from a painful divorce, she depends on the companionship and camaraderie of tightly knit circle of friends. At the center of this circle is a rock band struggling to navigate New York’s erratic music scene, and an apartment/practice space with approximately fifty key-holders. One sunny day, Alice enters the apartment and finds two of the band members shot dead. As the double-murder sends waves of shock through their lives, this group of friends begins to unravel, and dangerous secrets are revealed one by one. When Alice begins to notice things amiss in her own apartment, the tension breaks out as it occurs to her that she is not the only person with a key, and she may not get a chance to change the locks. Jane Smiley applies her distinctive rendering of time, place, and the enigmatic intricacies of personal relationships to the twists and turns of suspense. The result is a brilliant literary thriller that will keep readers guessing up to its final, shocking conclusion. From the Trade Paperback edition.

After enduring years of hunger, deprivation, and devastating loss at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, ten-year-old Loung Ung became the "lucky child," the sibling chosen to accompany her eldest brother to America while her one surviving sister and two brothers remained behind. In this poignant and elegiac memoir, Loung recalls her assimilation into an unfamiliar new culture while struggling to overcome dogged memories of violence and the deep scars of war. In alternating chapters, she gives voice to Chou, the beloved older sister whose life in war-torn Cambodia so easily could have been hers. Highlighting the harsh realities of chance and circumstance in times of war as well as in times of peace, Lucky Child is ultimately a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and to the salvaging strength of family bonds.

*“What sort of thing are you?” asked the little creature. “I’m a moomintroll,” answered Moomintroll, who had had time to feel brave again. “And this is my mother…”* And so, for the very first time, we meet the young Moomin, Moominmamma and Sniff as they search through forest and flood for long lost Moominpappa, last seen wandering with the Hattifatteners. Along the way, in a series of delightful adventures, they encounter Hemulens, stranded kittens and the blue-haired Tulippa. The Moomins and the Great Flood was the original Moomin story, published in Finland in 1945. A rediscovered gem, it offers an extraordinary glimpse into Tove Jansson’s unique vision, featuring beautiful sepia watercolours as well as the pen and ink drawings that would become her trademark.

Maggie O'Farrell is one of England's best young writers. Her first novel, "AFTER YOU'D GONE," won a Betty Trask Award and earned her a spot on the "21 great talents for the 21st century" list compiled by the Orange Prize for Fiction panel. "MY LOVER'S LOVER" was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller. In "MY LOVER'S LOVER," Lily meets Marcus, a magnetic, elusive architect, outside a gallery in London. They have an instant, electric attraction to each other, and within a week she has moved into his echoing loft apartment in East London. But nothing could have prepared her for what she finds there. A distinct presence lingers in the loft, that of a woman who seems to have disappeared in a hurry, leaving behind a single dress hanging in the closet, a puzzling mark on the wall, and the suffocating scent of jasmine. Marcus, who is deep in the throes of an unnamed grief, refuses to talk about the woman or her fate. The apartment's other inhabitant, Aidan, seems to understand Lily's unease, but is unwilling to give her any information about the unsettling situation. Who was this woman? And what exactly were the circumstances of her sudden disappearance? Lily begins to be haunted by the spirit of this mysterious woman, and it doesn't take long for her curiosity to grow into an all-pervading obsession. "MY LOVER'S LOVER" is a haunting tale of obsession and betrayal, a modern day R"EBECCA" set in London that keeps readers hooked until the very en

"Father has started keeping secrets so deep and so large that he has locked himself in his study..." so starts the series of letters that Hanna Hunt sends to her best friend in America. With her friend's encouragement, Hanna teams up with her younger sister in hopes of solving the mystery surrounding their father. But what the girls are unaware of is just how dark and deadly his secrets are.Daniel Connors knows he's a monster.He’s been on the run since that terrible night three years ago, when he killed three adult men... including his own father. Every time he blacks out, someone dies.When a dog begins following him on the road, Daniel begins to feel almost normal, not counting the dreams about his cousin Kayla asking him to return home. “You can save us all,” she tells him. Daniel knows he can’t save anyone.As he travels through the Midwest, the hitchhiker in Daniel’s head leaves a trail of blood in his wake. When escape doesn’t seem possible, he will have to decide if his destiny lies home, in Wolf Point.

Many people associate Peru with historic sites like Machu Picchu and the Nazca Lines, but few realise that the 30 million-strong country is among South America’s fastest growing economies. Growing confidently with trade liberalisation and retail modernisation over recent years, Peru is worth more attention from those who are looking for emerging markets.‘Now is the darkest time of the night; the darkest time of the year…’The festival of Longest Night is Bryony's favourite time of year. However, this year will be different from any other, as a newcomer to the village reveals something that will change her view of the world - and herself - forever.

A Robin Redbreast in a Cage is a novel about a teenaged girl taken from her alcoholic and promiscuous mother and sent to live with her uncle, a tyrannical fundamentalist minister. The only non-fundamentalist she befriends in high school is Jeremy Lawrence, a boy whose father was killed in a car accident; years later they serendipitously meet again.As he does with his earlier novels, Burnham takes his time in skillfully creating his characters so that by the end, the readers know them inside out, down to their raw hearts. Some characters suffer a transformation; others don’t; but each word and action count and stay true to them, making them distinctive. Most fascinating about this story is the mind-splitting moral debate that goes on inside Charlie’s mind at every second as she tries to fight her uncle from totally controlling and brainwashing her like he’s already done to his family. ... Charlie’s story ... pulls the reader in, and this reviewer was anxious to see what was going to happen to her — and whether or not she’d end up having a happy ending like she deserved. Jeremy’s character, while also sympathetic, is somehow less interesting than Charlie, who is obviously the star of the show. The hypocrisy and evil of religion and conservative governments is a recurrent theme in Burnham’s novels, such as On a Darkling Plain and The Many Change and Pass. Other questions explored in the novel include what it means to be a good Christian and the role of women in Christianity. If you’re interested in fiction dealing with social issues, this is an author whose works you’ll definitely want to read. — Mayra Calvani

You're invited to attend the dinner party where Jacqueline Bouvier and Senator John F. Kennedy were first introduced by mutual friends. Experience the quiet exhiliration, the instant chemistry, and the nagging doubts that Miss Bouvier experienced, and find out what stubmling blocks almost kept them from becoming America's most iconic couple.Jacqueline Bouvier is under a lot of pressure. Her parents are anxious for her to marry a suitable bachelor, and her current beau, John Husted, has hinted at getting married. Although John is handsome and has a promising career, Jackie isn't quite ready to run down the aisle. To help get her mind off things for an evening, she accepts a dinner invitation from her dear friends, Charlie and Martha Bartlett. Jackie's evening at the Bartlett's changes the course of her life forever, as she is introduced to the intriguing, attractive Congressman Kennedy. She's instantly infatuated and becomes overwhelmed by a rush of emotional turmoil. But does John F. Kennedy feel equally as enthralled?

Eighteen-year-old John Conkling is already apprehensive about boarding the Titanic with his mother, sister, and stepfather, Charles. Once aboard, his fears are confirmed when Charles, a Cleveland steel tycoon, reveals a secret that could ruin both of them. It's up to John to save himself and his family...before it's too late.Eighteen-year-old John Conkling is already apprehensive about boarding the Titanic with his mother, sister, and stepfather, Charles. Once aboard, his fears are confirmed when Charles, a Cleveland steel tycoon, reveals a secret: his former employee has stolen a confidential document that could ruin both of them. He sends John on a mission to confront the thief and save his business. Along the way, John discovers Charles isn't the person he thought he was. It's up to him to save his family...before it's too late.