From Granny Catchprice, who runs her family business--and her family--with senility, cunning, and a handbag full of explosives to sixteen-year-old Benny, who dreams of transforming a failing automobile franchise into an empire--and himself into an angel--the Catchprices may be the most spectacularly contentious family since Dostoevsky's Karamozovs.  But when a beautiful and very pregnant agent of the Australian Taxation Office enters their lives, the resulting collision becomes, in Carey's hands, masterpiece of coal-black humour and compassionate horror. -- From the Hardcover edition.

The highest-rated drama in BBC history, Call the Midwife will delight fans of Downton Abbey Viewers everywhere have fallen in love with this candid look at post-war London. In the 1950s, twenty-two-year-old Jenny Lee leaves her comfortable home to move into a convent and become a midwife in London's East End slums. While delivering babies all over the city, Jenny encounters a colorful cast of women—from the plucky, warm-hearted nuns with whom she lives, to the woman with twenty-four children who can't speak English, to the prostitutes of the city's seedier side. Based on Jennifer Worth's bestselling memoirs, Call the Midwife is the true story behind the beloved PBS series.

In The Excess Road paths to wisdom diverge on the campus of Wessex College where you can find a good education and good party but you can also lose your mind like Joaquin Chandler.In The Excess Road, youth must pay a toll and the path to wisdom starts at the hilltop campus of Wessex College. There you can find a good party but you can also lose your mind like Joaquin Chandler did. He’s an eighteen year old looking for love and his own trail to tread during his freshman year in 1993. The party scene at Wessex is overwhelming for Joaquin and even though he feels like an outcast the kid makes friends. Then the beautiful Elyssa comes along and his heart sets. The chase for her affection begins with an unsettling event but she enters his life. After an initiation into the grittier reality of college life, Joaquin discovers his new best friend Tim is the campus drug dealer and Elyssa is using him to get drugs. Anxiety attacks and hallucinations begin to haunt Joaquin after a bad LSD trip. Joaquin fights to regain control of his life as the anxiety attacks get worse. Then, at the end, a tragic events calls for a choice and change. He makes one. This book is not about happy endings and cliched epiphanies. It is about a young man whose worst enemy is himself and his existential struggles while dealing with a burgeoning mental-illness. And if you don't like pathetic fallacy, don't read this. For more sophisticated readers only.

Sometimes you have to let go of the past, refuse what is expected of you and embrace your future as it was meant to be. With the help of her new friends, Alexis might just be able to get it right, if she could only look beyond her hurt. A Christian love story centered around faith, love and sacrifice and set on the beautiful, Caribbean island of Grenada.A biracial romance burns out after eight years, leaving young Alexis fatherless and angry at the mother she believes is responsible. Alex has a plan to escape it all but her world is turned upside down when things suddenly seem to be going right. Reuben Clark with his talk of faith and true love, somehow captures Alex’s heart, but can he love someone so messed up? More importantly, who is the stranger lurking in the shadows and what is the secret that he must tell? Can two strangers forge a lasting friendship and save young Alexis from the forces that threaten to destroy her? Or will she be forced to succumb to her mother’s legacy after all?Set in the beautiful tropical island of Grenada, Twist of Faith takes you on an inspirational journey of love, friendship, forgiveness and faith. Sometimes you have to let go of the past, refuse the future that is expected of you and embrace your future as it was meant to be...

In Confessions of a Prayer Slacker, author Diane Moody traces her own personal prayer journey with a touch of humor and a healthy dose of transparency. ''I want my readers to stop the merry-go-round of prayerlessness, and get serious about this thing called prayer. Without it, we'll never experience the warm, one-on-one relationship God desires to have with each one of us.''Let's face it. Most of us are clueless at praying. Why is that? And how come we've never done anything about it? Let's face it. Most of us are clueless at praying. Why is that? And how come we've never done anything about it? In Confessions of a Prayer Slacker, author Diane Moody traces her own personal prayer journey with a touch of humor and a healthy dose of transparency. ''I want my readers to stop the merry-go-round of prayerlessness, quit acting like a bunch of spiritual babies, and get serious about this thing called prayer. Without it, we'll never experience the warm, one-on-one relationship God desires to have with each one of us.''

In the peaceful English village of Meadthorpe, the church and chapel have existed in an uneasy peace. Now a young curate arrives at St Simeon's, bringing high church ritual and ways of worship. Gildas Haven, the daughter of the chapel minister is furious to discover the curate is enticing "her" children away. The ending of this sensitively told romance is likely to come as a surprise.For several years in the peaceful English village of Meadthorpe, the church and chapel have existed in an uneasy peace while the rector and the chapel minister are distracted by poor health. Now a young curate arrives at St Simeon's, bringing high church ritual and ways of worship. Gildas Haven, the daughter of the chapel minister is furious to discover the curate is enticing her Sunday school children away. The curate insists that his Church ways are right, and Gildas who has only known chapel worship says the opposite.Battle lines are quickly drawn by leaders and congregations. Mary Haycraft writes with light humour and surprising insight in what could be a controversial story line. With at least one major surprise, the author seems to be digging an impossible hole for herself as the story progresses. The ending of this sensitively told romance is likely to come as a surprise.

Siphewe Fasala idolised his father, but everything changed for Siphewe the day he died. Turning to a life of crime was his way of showing that he did not care.Siphewe Fasala idolised his father, but everything changed for Siphewe the day he died. Turning to a life of crime was his way of showing that he did not care.With Siphewe a member of The Paperboys, life is never again the same in Site Five. Struggling to be the most powerful gang in the township, the only way they can drive out The Seven-Ups is if The Paperboys and The Juvies join forces.Although this is the talk between the two teenage gangs, this is something Siphewe doesn’t care about. He wants to put fear in the residents of Site Five, and this he accomplishes by taking on another name. Over the years, ‘Ampie’ reminded grown men of what fear tastes like, but, even in a township where you are faceless, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

A short story about an old man who tries to slow down time for his dying wife.A blog by the author trying to understand life.Dave Roberts is ex-army, forced out of the job he loved after a Friendly Fire accident in Iraq. He contemplated becoming a British Jack Reacher and chancing his luck on the open road, until a phone call from an old army friend put him right back where the action is - Iraq. What they found would blow their minds! What was under it could blow them away?Join the team on their “Scavenger Hunt”. The trouble is who do they trust not the police. To die was not an option! Or so they thought…

An imaginary walk through the Gospel of Mark with Jesus and the Disciples. NOTE: THIS VERSION INCLUDES THE BIBLE VERSESTake a walk through the Gospel of Mark. Stand on the bank of the Jordan and look down as John baptizes Jesus. Walk the dusty roads, wind down the cobble streets and climb the mountain paths as we get to know this man. Follow Him as he heals the sick, cures the leper and raises the dead. Be there at Calvary when He is crucified for our sins. Then praise His name as you learn that He is risen. Use your God given imagination and walk through the Gospel of Mark with me.

Lancelot is an orphaned joey growing up on a farm. One day he comes across a kangaroo mob and wants to join it. He escapes from home and injures his arm so badly that it has to be amputated. Left alone in the bush he has to overcome dangerous situations. He is lucky that a girl kangaroo from the mob is curious to find out who Lancelot is and wants to help him."Eulalia, the flying girl who first taught me the beauty and necessity of getting lost once in a while, lived in an old abandoned house in the woods of a small island in the Baltic Sea a whole many years ago. It was a strange thing that I would meet her there, but I'm sure happy about it. She was really weird, but in the nicest way... She used to say that she was `the laughter and the silence around it´ and `that thing you never missed until you found it´. And it's sure hard to describe her better - but in this book I've tried my very best."Eulalia Starwind is a fairytale for all ages. Readers young and old have been blown away by this story about a boy on summer vacations with his grandmother on a small island in the Baltic Sea - and about his make-believe (?) friend. It's a heart-rending yet hopeful tale of friendship between and within generations, of loneliness and imagination, of mystery and the power of language. Or as Kalle, 7, stated: "This is even better than Roald Dahl!"Niklas Aurgrunn, the author, is the now middle-aged dreamer who has been looking for Eulalia ever since that summer when he was seven years old. He says he still does not know how to fly but does consider himself quite the expert lost-getter.

These five short stories tell, each in their own way, what people do when change enters their lives.Written clearly and concisely, the stories are tragic, ironic, touching, and hopeful.Whether it's about love, loneliness, or the yearning for recognition, in each story a decision must be made to give up, or to keep going, in the face of new situations.Secrets unravel in this science-fiction fantasy about a girl troubled by the death of her twin sister. Haunted by dreams and memories, seventeen-year-old Casey George struggles to reconnect with her former self, and when strange things start happening at school, Casey is convinced she's going crazy. Things go from bad to worse when Casey is implicated in the strange goings-on, and her future at the Malvern Academy hangs in the balance. After an attack by a malevolent creature, handsome newcomer, Caleb, takes Casey to Displacia - a rogue planet where the inhabitants possess unusual and powerful gifts. In this new world, Casey learns that her life is not what it seems and that her sister's death may not have been the tragic accident it was thought to be. Surrounded by mystery and intrigue, can Casey overcome her personal barriers to save both Earth and Displacia from the sinister force known as the Shadows? Please note: this book is the first part of a trilogy, the second instalment will be available Winter 2017.

Three Plays. Two One Act. One Three Act. Theater of the Absurd inspired.I wrote these back in college and have hardly touched them since. If you enjoy them, I would appreciate feedback.If you perform one, I would love to see it.When success and even love are not enough, you need a miracle...Daniel Clay has good looks, money, and a rising career as a New York investment advisor. Meanwhile, his personal life is barren of love and family. But when a distant relative dies and leaves him a house in England, Daniel embarks on a life-changing journey—toward love and his soul’s awakening.He meets and falls in love with Claire, a children’s palliative care nurse. With her help, he opens his home and heart to comfort young patients in their final days. As Claire tends to the children in a beautiful glassed-in room overlooking the sea, Daniel prays for miracles. Just when his prayers are answered, a mysterious illness strikes him down and relentlessly drains away his life. With no hope for a cure, Daniel holds fast to a deep secret that he can never reveal. And now, he needs a miracle of his own.

In this haunting debut, Garth Stein brilliantly invokes his Native American heritage and its folklore to create an electrifying supernatural thriller. When a grieving mother returns to the remote Alaskan town where her young son drowned, she discovers that the truth about her son's death is shrouded in legend— and buried in a terrifying wrinkle between life and death. When Jenna Rosen abandons her comfortable Seattle life to return to Wrangell, Alaska, it's a wrenching return to her past. Long ago the home of her Native American grandmother, Wrangell is located near the Thunder Bay resort, where Jenna's young son, Bobby, disappeared two years before. His body was never recovered, and Jenna is determined to lay to rest the aching mystery of his death. But the spectacular town provides little comfort beyond the steady and tender affections of Eddie, a local fisherman. And then whispers of ancient legends begin to suggest a frightening new possibility about Bobby's fate. Soon, Jenna must sift through the beliefs of her ancestors, the Tlingit— who still tell of powerful, menacing forces at work in the Alaskan wilderness. There beliefs are shared by Dr. David Livingstone, a practicing shaman who had been hired to "cleanse" Thunder Bay of its restless spirits. The experience almost cost him his life, and he warns Jenna about the danger of disturbing the legendary kushtaka— soul-stealing predators that stalk a netherworld between land and sea, the living and the dead. But Jenna is desperate for answers, and she appeals to both Livingstone and Eddie to help her sort fact from myth, and face the unthinkable possibilities head-on. Armed with nothing but a mother's ferocious protective instincts, Jenna's quest for the truth about her son— and the strength of her beliefs— is about to pull her into a terrifying and life-changing abyss... Coloring powerful legend with universal emotions, Garth Stein masterfully evokes our most primal dreams and fears. Remarkably vivid and relentlessly suspenseful, "Raven Stole the Moon" marks the arrival of a stunningly imaginative new talent.

“I did not go to Nicaragua intending to write a book, or, indeed, to write at all: but my encounter with the place affected me so deeply that in the end I had no choice.” So notes Salman Rushdie in his first work of nonfiction, a book as imaginative and meaningful as his acclaimed novels. In The Jaguar Smile, Rushdie paints a brilliantly sharp and haunting portrait of the people, the politics, the terrain, and the poetry of “a country in which the ancient, opposing forces of creation and destruction were in violent collision.” Recounting his travels there in 1986, in the midst of America’s behind-the-scenes war against the Sandinistas, Rushdie reveals a nation resounding to the clashes between government and individuals, history and morality. From the Trade Paperback edition.