The Book of Proper Names is set in contemporary Paris, its main character an orphan named Plectrude. Before the child's birth her nineteen-year-old mother shoots and kills her nineteen-year-old (and somewhat feckless) father because she hates the names he's devised for their child--she fears they will doom their unborn child to mediocrity. The mother confesses openly to what she has done, and why. She is arrested and thrown into prison, where she gives birth to the child, names her, to everyone's bafflement, Plectrude--an obscure saint, and an albatross of a name--and then hangs herself. The novel therefore begins on the borderline between tragedy and absurdity, but as Plectrude grows--raised by a loving, indulgent, and eccentric aunt--it becomes a deeply moving and simultaneously chilling portrait of girlhood. Plectrude's great gift turns out to be for ballet, and she throws herself into dance as if her life depended upon it. Few novels have shown us the implacable and unforgiving world of ballet with more intuitive sympathy, yet also with a keen-eyed assessment of the true price of artistic perfection.. Inevitably, the doom hovering over Plectrude's life from birth returns to haunt her, and in the end she learns to survive in the only way she knows how--by committing an act of deadly self-preservation her mother would have perhaps understood best. The Book of Proper Names is vintage Amelie Nothomb--alternatively mordant and poignant, a portrait of adolescence that is fierce and funny at the same time. There is nothing mediocre either about Nothomb nor her creations.

I’m fucked. Royally. She tempted me—screwed with my head—and gained the upper hand. She’s the enemy. I can’t forget that. My weakness jeopardized my company. The Feisty Princess of Manhattan will not win this war. No matter how fantastic her lips felt around my cock. *Book two in a three part erotic romance series. Super naughty new series From NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Michelle A. Valentine (Rock the Heart, Phenomenal X, Demon at My Door). *

This rarefied novel adopts the form of the interior monologue characteristic of Lispector's (1925-1977) oeuvre. A woman sits by the open window of her Brazilian beachfront studio, writing a long letter to someone no more specific than "you." She parries with language (which is "only words which live off sound") and is wholly consumed with problems of epistemology: "I want to die with life." A painter, she struggles as well to recreate the world around her: "On certain nights, instead of black, the sky seems to be an intense indigo blue, a color I've painted on glass." When she listens to music, she says, "I rest my hand lightly on the turntable and my hand vibrates, spreading waves through my whole body." While the narrator's self-consciousness ("And if I say 'I,' it's because I don't dare say 'you,' or 'we,' or 'a person.' I'm limited to the humble act of self-personalization through reducing myself, but I am the 'you-are.' ") and diction ("the ultimate substratum in the domain of reality") may strike some readers as academic, others will appreciate the challenges of Lispector's philosophical investigations. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Lily isn't home ALONE - but she sort of wishes she was; looking after her three younger siblings is a lot of responsibility. When Mum goes off on holiday with her new boyfriend and her stepdad fails to show up, Lily is determined to keep the family together and show they can cope without any grown-ups. But taking care of 6-year-old twins, her 3-year-old sister and the family's flat feels overwhelming and Lily is worried that school or social services might discover their situation and break up the family. What could be better than to take all the little ones for a camping adventure in the park? Plenty of space to run about, no carpet to vacuum, and surely no chance anyone will guess they're there . . .

Norbert the horse has a problem - his teeth are GREEN!Worried that this will ruin his chances with Delilah, the pretty pony from the next field, Norbert turns to his only friend Colin the cuckoo for help.Will Colin succeed in his daring mission to pinch a toothbrush from Norbert’s owner, Farmer Finbar?Will Norbert clean his teeth and win Delilah's heart?A fun chapter book for kids aged 4+The FIRST book in the Norbert the Horse series!Norbert the horse has a problem - his teeth are GREEN! Worried that this will ruin his chances with Delilah, the pretty pony who lives in the next field, Norbert turns to his only friend Colin the cuckoo for help.Will Colin succeed in his desperate mission to pinch a toothbrush from Norbert’s owner, Farmer Finbar?What will happen if the grumpy old farmer catches him?And will Norbert ever win the heart of his beloved Delilah?A fun chapter book for kids aged 4+

Albert Puller taught Woodrow Wilson’s daughter to ride a horse, rode a seventeen hand gelding over a 1920 sedan to inaugurate the horse coliseum at the NY State Fair grounds, worked the harness tracks in Saratoga Springs and Rutland Vermont,and worked with the horse who challenged the great John Braden in a match raceHe trained Thoroughbred hunters and jumpers, three gaited and five gaited America Saddle bred show horses; and at one point in his career, totting horses at race tracks in New England. This is a story about Albert Pouler. The horse trainer, it was said, who could train anything with hair on it. He was black as a chunk of wet coal; with a smile so large it made me wonder if he had extra teeth. At five feet eight or so, he was not tall, but when he spoke he seemed to be taller. Exuberance in his voice gave it authority, and made him seem taller than anyone in the room. He had the same effect on horses; when he spoke they sensed his authority and responded as he wished. There is a movie, or maybe a book, about the Horse Whisperer; Albert didn’t have to whisper. He spoke and they responded. The story describes his experiences as a gaited horse trainer for a wealthy businessman in New York, talks about him training a three gaited horse colt belonging to a family in central New York, and ultimately follows him to Aroostook County Maine to prepare a trotting horse for a match race against a famous pacer known as the Cock of the North. The reader will come to recognize Albert as a man with the ability to train horses of any breed, gaited show horses, pleasure horses, or the trotters and pacers known as harness horses.

40 short stories written at one a week over the course of a ten-month period. From the Andes to Andalucia and many places in between: As varied a selection of short stories as will ever be read.40 short stories written at one a week over the course of a ten-month period. These stories tell tales from the Andes to Andalucia and many places in between: as varied a selection of short stories as will ever be read. Stories by the author of soon to be published Gibbous House.

A Must-Have "Early Chapter Book" For Your Little Adventurers. Courageous Siblings! Dragons! Fantasy and Magic! Humor! What more could you ask for?Aside from their kind of unusual names, the sister and brother team of Mophie and Picholas are pretty much your average 6-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy, who live in a pretty average town. But outside of their town--well, nothing is pretty average at all. For example, just a hop, skip and a jump away is a wonderful place called the Kingdom of the Magic Horses. And way down the river is the Kingdom of Bleh, ruled over by the evil Queen Blunderpuss. She has super magic powers, a lot of hang-ups, and a nephew who's a big bully and who's very happy helping her try to make everyone else very unhappy!Can these two meanies take a wonderful event like a visit to the park, and turn it into a gigantic, yucky disaster? Will Mophie and Picholas find a way to outsmart them? Come along, and let's find out! (The Adventures of Mophie and Picholas series is intended primarily for children ages 4 to 9.)

‘It’s not fair,’ said Sophie indignantly. ‘Why do we have to go and stay with some old aunt we’ve never even heard of?’Sophie and Jessica think their holiday will be boring. But that is before they discover that their Aunt Hazel is a witch!Set in a country in Southeast Asia, three conservation activists - who are unlikely friends - continue in their struggle to save endangered wildlife from being sold and exploited, including rescuing the enigmatic 'Pangolin'.They are unaware that they are being watched and face a great danger, an ancient enemy, once familiar to man, but now forgotten.At the same time, a Captain in the elite 5th Recon Unit is brought back to face an unspoken tragedy that no one believes happened, whilst elsewhere, recent supernatural events re-activate secretive vanguard for human salvation: The LIMA.

A guide working for a Ghost Tour company tries to preserve the memories of the deceased by telling their stories in a tourist town where the only spirits people are coming to see anymore are in the liquor stores.Jacob’s First Day: Sharing is Caring is the first release in the Building Character book series. It is a story about a six year old boy named Jacob Robinson. The story highlights the importance of giving and sharing. While in kindergarten Jacob did not share with the other kids, but now he’s had a change of heart. On his first day of first grade, he was excited to share with everyone. The story takes place at D.C. Smith Elementary School where on his first day of class Jacob gave an apple to his teacher Mrs. Mc Donald. Jacob then shares a cubby space with Sue Lee Mitchell, a student in his class. Later in the story Jacob shares his lunch with Noah Alexander, a student in the lunchroom. Although Jacob is only six years old, he is learning to build character. This book is ideal for introducing character building blocks that will last a lifetime. Remember Jacob’s favorite mantra… sharing is caring! The story also features Jacob’s friends Penny Polk, Noah Alexander, and Sue Lee Mitchell, characters who appear in other stories by this author.

A black cat that needs to rescue its brother from a witch's spell enlists the help of a lonely ten-year-old Mary Smith. It is Tib the black cat who leads Mary to the strange flower in the woods. When she discovers a little broomstick shortly afterwards, she is astonished to feel it jump in to action. Before she can gather her wits, it is whisking her over the treetops, above the clouds, and in to the grounds of Endor College, where: 'All Examinations Coached for by A Competent Staff of Fully-Qualified Witches.' Here she discovers evidence of a terrible experiment in transformation - deformed and mutant animals imprisoned in cages. In the moment after her broomstick takes off, she realises that Tib has been captured. Returning to the College the following day, she manages to free the animals, but not before the Head of the college, Miss Mumblechook, and her colleague, Doctor Dee, have seen her. Mary manages to flee... but the evil pair are in hot pursuit!

Picking up where Beautiful Bastard left off, Chloe Mills and Bennett Ryan continue their steamy, combative relationship. Just when Chloe’s career starts to take off, Bennett wishes it would all slow down long enough to spend a wild night alone with his girlfriend. But after he refuses to take no for an answer, Chloe and Bennett find themselves with two plane tickets, one French Villa, and a surprising conversation that, predictably, leaves them wrestling under the covers.

This is an alternate cover edition for isbn13: 9781942206132 A deadly rivalry. Two families at war. Nobody is safe, not even the innocent. Especially the innocent. Blood will be spilled. Genevieve "Genna" Galante knows a thing or two about causing trouble. After all, it's engrained in her DNA. As the only daughter of Primo Galante, notorious boss of the Galante crime family, her life is dictated by a certain set of rules… rules Genna was never very good at following. Matteo "Matty" Barsanti never wanted anything to do with the family business, but as the first-born Barsanti son, certain things are expected of him. It's his duty, according to his father, to help take down the enemy... even if that enemy means something to him. A chance encounter on an elevator changes the course of lives, causing the biggest trouble of Genna's young life. The only good Barsanti is a dead Barsanti. She's heard it said time and time again. So what happens when she falls in love with one of them? The story of star-crossed lovers caught in the middle of the biggest rivalry New York has ever seen, determined to make it… if only they can survive their parents' feud.

For five hundred years a statue of the Madonna has watched over Venice. Now, dulled by time and pollution, she is prepared for restoration. As Simon Raikes immerses himself in the painstaking task of cleaning and repairing, he is inexorably drawn to the stories of violence and lust which have surrounded this stone virgin. Simon’s investigations lead him to Chiara Litsov, the wife of a renowned sculptor. A dangerous attraction develops between them and it appears inevitable that once again the stone virgin will bear witness to passion, betrayal and murder.

Preach the gospel to the last 1700 languages. Help Muslims to better understand Christianity.This book helps Christians combine faith and works. It also describes how we can unite Ishmaelite's and Israelites. It explains the 10 horns in Revelations and also gives up to date prophetic scriptures.