The first book in the Athena's descendants series. A fictional fantasy series based around Greek mythology, about twelve ring bearers and their destiny to save the earth from the dreaded monsters of Tartarus. The second book will be available soon so keep a look out for it (the witch's curse)Blurb:After two tiresome years of searching, the twelve ring bearers are finally united. When Jay Perry joins the group, the Gods talk of a quest which they must undertake. Five must fight their way around the globe to find the powerful Jewel of Barthimia, sending all mythical encounters back to Hades, back to the dreaded underworld. What might they find? Will they even return? Will Athena's descendants continue to fill their destiny as protectors of Olympus?Find out in this gripping novel, the start of a thrilling series following the twelve ring-bearers on their nail-biting quests. The prophecy has begun. The reign of the ancient Gods is coming to an end. Only twelve talented youths may take their place. These youths are Athena's descendants.If you like this book, then keep an eye out for the second book in the series: Athena's descendants and the witch's curse.

In middle age, Annie Oh—wife, mother, and outsider artist—has shaken her family to its core. After twenty-seven years of marriage and three children, Annie has fallen in love with Viveca, the wealthy, cultured, confident Manhattan art dealer who orchestrated her professional success. Annie and Viveca plan to wed in the Oh family's hometown of Three Rivers, Connecticut, where gay marriage has recently been legalized. But the impending wedding provokes some very mixed reactions and opens a Pandora's box of toxic secrets—dark and painful truths that have festered below the surface of the Ohs' lives. We Are Water is an intricate and layered portrait of marriage, family, and the inexorable need for understanding and connection, told in the alternating voices of the Ohs—nonconformist Annie; her ex-husband, Orion, a psychologist; Ariane, the do-gooder daughter, and her twin, Andrew, the rebellious only son; and free-spirited Marissa, the youngest Oh. Set in New England and New York during the first years of the Obama presidency, it is also a portrait of modern America, exploring issues of class, changing social mores, the legacy of racial violence, and the nature of creativity and art. With humor and breathtaking compassion, Wally Lamb brilliantly captures the essence of human experience in vivid and unforgettable characters struggling to find hope and redemption in the aftermath of trauma and loss. We Are Water is vintage Wally Lamb—a compulsively readable, generous, and uplifting masterpiece that digs deep into the complexities of the human heart to explore the ways in which we search for love and meaning in our lives.

Remarkable, hilarious and unsettling re-imaginations of reality by "a dynamic writer of extraordinary talent " (Jenifer Levin, New York Times Book Review). Girl with Curious Hair is replete with David Foster Wallace's remarkable and unsettling reimaginations of reality. From the eerily "real," almost holographic evocations of historical figures like Lyndon Johnson and overtelevised game-show hosts and late-night comedians to the title story, where terminal punk nihilism meets Young Republicanism, Wallace renders the incredible comprehensible, the bizarre normal, the absurd hilarious, and the familiar strange. This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN: 0393313964/9780393313963

This richly imagined novel, set in Hawai'i more than a century ago, is an extraordinary epic of a little-known time and place---and a deeply moving testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. Rachel Kalama, a spirited seven-year-old Hawaiian girl, dreams of visiting far-off lands like her father, a merchant seaman. Then one day a rose-colored mark appears on her skin, and those dreams are stolen from her. Taken from her home and family, Rachel is sent to Kalaupapa, the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i. Here her life is supposed to end---but instead she discovers it is only just beginning.

Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide? In his million-copy bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond examined how and why Western civilizations developed the technologies and immunities that allowed them to dominate much of the world. Now in this brilliant companion volume, Diamond probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to collapse into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? As in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Moving from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally to the doomed Viking colony on Greenland, Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe. Environmental damage, climate change, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of these societies, but other societies found solutions and persisted. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. Despite our own society's apparently inexhaustible wealth and unrivaled political power, ominous warning signs have begun to emerge even in ecologically robust areas like Montana. Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide?

In her most ambitious work to date, Joyce Carol Oates boldly reimagines the inner, poetic, and spiritual life of Norma Jeane Baker -- the child, the woman, the fated celebrity and idolized blonde the world came to know as Marilyn Monroe. In a voice startlingly intimate and rich, Norma Jeane tells her own story of an emblematic American artist -- intensely conflicted and driven -- who had lost her way. A powerful portrait of Hollywood's myth and an extraordinary woman's heartbreaking reality, "Blonde" is a sweeping epic that pays tribute to the elusive magic and devastation behind the creation of the great twentieth-century American star.

This volume offers a survey of American short fiction in 59 tales that combine classic works with 'different, unexpected gems', which invite readers to explore a wealth of important pieces by women and minority writers. Authors include: Amy Tan, Alice Adams, David Leavitt and Tim O'Brien.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Leftovers and Little Children comes a penetrating and hilarious new novel about sex, love, and identity on the frontlines of America's culture wars.Eve Fletcher is trying to figure out what comes next. A forty-six-year-old divorcee whose beloved only child has just left for college, Eve is struggling to adjust to her empty nest when one night her phone lights up with a text message. Sent from an anonymous number, the mysterious sender tells Eve, "U R my MILF!" Over the months that follow, that message comes to obsess Eve. While leading her all-too-placid life—serving as Executive Director of the local senior center by day and taking a community college course on Gender and Society at night—Eve can't curtail her own interest in a porn website called MILFateria.com, which features the erotic exploits of ordinary, middle-aged women like herself. Before long, Eve's online fixations begin to...

Luke and Eve are heading off on their first holiday together. But they're staying with Eve's dad in his Spanish hotel and things aren't going to go to plan... Eve's dad treats his daughter like a little girl - and if Luke was hoping for a some summer action with Eve, her father soon puts a stop to it. Eve showcases her singing with the hotel band in the evenings, which means she's spending a lot of time with the handsome male drummer. Luke's jealous, but a revenge snog with the gorgeous Catalina doesn't seem to help his relationship with Eve much, and Cat's boyfriend is none too pleased either. Suddenly, it's turning into a holiday from hell...

She wanted to save lives.  The killer wanted to end hers. The first warning was triggered hundreds of miles away.  The second warning exploded only yards from where she and her son stood.  Now Kate Denby realizes the frightening truth:  She is somebody's target. Danger has arrived in Kate's backyard with a vengeance.  And the gifted scientist is awakening to a nightmare world where a ruthless killer is stalking her...where her innocent son is considered expendable...and where the medical research to which she has devoted her life is the same research that could get her killed.  Her only hope of protecting her family and making that medical breakthrough is to elude her enemy until she can face him on her own ground, on her own terms—and destroy him. From the Paperback edition.

Eugenia is dying. Her late husband Zach waits for her as an old Lucy episode plays in the background.Rooh-e-Sadiq is about English poems. The poems are inspired from common and everyday life people. They cover topics of love, motherhood, religion, souls, and many more.

Erin and her mother have been jumping across the country since Erin was six years old. Now she is a senior in High School and her mother lands them in Tacoma, Washington. At Hamilton High School where the least desirable students get one last chance, Erin must use her martial arts skills as well as her artistic talent to find her way. With her dragons wrapped around her, Erin is the Dragon Lady.Erin began drawing dragons on her clothes to hide the stains from free-box finds. Now they are her trademark as she walks the halls of Hamilton High School. She’s puzzled by the actions of the students around her, especially Tony and David, cousins who are constantly fighting. Her own mysteries catch up to her unexpectedly and the consequences will change Erin’s life forever.

Meet George.She’s feisty, good natured and has the knack of walking into trouble.And at the moment, there’s plenty of trouble to go round. Bigg City is alive with rumors, there’s a smell of burning coming from the woods.Well...you know what it’s like with Dragons. They’re so cute and then they grow up....and grow...and grow..Meet George.She’s feisty, good natured and has the knack of walking into trouble.And at the moment, there’s plenty of trouble to go roundBigg City is alive with rumors, there’s a smell of burning coming from the woods.And Baroness Bertha has just come up with a devious plan to get her hands on the people’s money....DRAGON TAX!Well...you know what it’s like with Dragons. They’re so cute at first. Then they grow up.And Grow..And Grow......The classic legend hits the stage in this new version of an old story with a gallery of eccentric and hilarious characters“A lot of fun...we liked this very much” Samuel French Ltd“Great Fun” Children’s Author David Wood

Story of the Boy in Hat is an endeavor to pour out the heart of a lover in words and make you feel the intensity of love one can have for his/her beloved. It is a chain of interconnected poems, first of its kind in history of poetry world that spreads fragrance of love in atmosphere one after another chapter as you explore it and take you through the whirling roller-coaster ride of emotions.Story of the Boy in Hat is an endeavor to pour out the heart of a lover in words and make you feel the intensity of love one can have for his/her beloved. It is a chain of interconnected poems, first of its kind in history of poetry world that spreads fragrance of love in atmosphere one after another chapter as you explore it and take you through the whirling roller-coaster ride of emotions. It’s about the power of love and faith in one’s love, who fight backs the obstacles on earth and in heaven to win over all hardships for their love for each other. Story of the Boy in Hat is a bible for all the lovers on earth who have at any moment, at any part of their life, have felt love or have loved someone beyond conditions and breaking all the limits.