William Styron traces the betrayals and infidelities—the heritage of spite and endlessly disappointed love—that afflict the members of a Southern family and that culminate in the suicide of the beautiful Peyton Loftis.

A collection of Antonia Fraser's compelling stories exploring the dark hearts and lethal secrets of criminals. This collection features the tale of the jealous wife who engineers revenge for the lovers who wronged her.

A story of archaeology set in modern day Jerusalem and the search for the Temple of the Jews, destroyed in 70AD by the Roman Emperor to be Titus, who sacked the city and razed the Temple to the ground.A story of archaeology set in modern day Jerusalem and the search for the Temple of the Jews, destroyed in 70AD by the Roman Emperor to be Titus, who sacked the city and razed the Temple to the ground. Today the Temple Mount is crowned by the Haram esh-Sharif controlled by the Muslim Waqf. A successful writer, Pat O'Connelly, is contacted by a strange French archaeologist in Paris who has developed a theory relating to the site of the Temple using documents dating from the nineteenth century when the British Army surveyed Palestine. The archaeologist seeks O’Connelly’s assistance in the hope of finding a publisher for his work. O’Connelly discovers the arcane world of Biblical archaeology and the conflict between Jewish and Muslim authorities in the Holy Land.

MIXED MEDIA is a surreal tale of masterpieces, Delphic sugar cubes, and the promise of new perspectives. What's hidden by what we see?Mario Santa Maria is an artist who has lost his dreams - literally. Insomnia, unemployment, and a failing relationship are his lot. Things are going badly, and then things get strange. On a visit to the Vos Modern Art Museum, Mario discovers he has the ability to intercept the communication between art and a viewer. MIXED MEDIA is a surreal tale of masterpieces, Delphic sugar cubes, and the promise of new perspectives.What's hidden by what we see?

Blue Boy Crumpets lives with his family in the land of clouds. No one from the land below can see Blue Boy, but he can see them. He loves watching the children play, and longs to go there. One day, his cousin tells him a secret. "You can go to the land below. I will show you how if you dare to go." Will he take his cousin's dare?Blue Boy Crumpets lives with his family in the land of clouds. No one from the land below can see Blue Boy, but he can see them. He loves watching the children play, and longs to go there. One day, his cousin tells him a secret. "You can go to the land below. I will show you how if you dare to go." Blue Boy is afraid, but his desire to visit the land below is greater than his fear. So he jumps on a snowflake and tumbles downward. Down and down he goes, fearing for his life as one snowflake after the other melts, and then he lands on the perfect snowflake that carries him safely to his destination. What he encounters on the land below is not at all what he expects. Instead of children, there are tiny men with pointed ears and funny hats. And he has to work! Blue Boy is no stranger to work, so he does his best to do a good job. He even has a lot of fun. But he soon becomes homesick. Will he ever get home again?

The first in a series, this novella covers the origins of a centuries-old on-and-off relationship between a wealthy young lawyer and his mistress.The Duck And The Doe is the tale of two immortal beings whose eternal love has soured a bit in the last two centuries. Written as a memoir by the "hero", this novella is a musing on both what love is and how much America has changed since the early 19th century. The first volume deals with both the supernatural and the racism of the old American south. Told with humor and passion (and the occasional rant) the story of these strong characters, including a wealthy young lawyer and a clever courtesan, will change your idea of what "love forever'' really means.

During the course of a long afternoon, Elgin Brick remembers his life and the people he loved.WARNING: This book contains descriptions of a sexual nature and might not be suitable for all readers.(This selection is also available in: The Empty House, assorted stories)excerpt: She would come by once or twice a week to look in on him, though he was nothing to her but a neighbor. Yesterday, her excuse for doing so amounted to no more than the fact she’d just, an hour before, baked up a big batch of cookies. She and Kevin would never eat them all, or at least they shouldn’t, she said; handing over a paper bag tied up with a big blue ribbon bow, she added, to quell any remaining objection, he’d be doing her a favor by accepting the cookies, removing the temptation. Back inside the house, opening the bag, he’d marveled at the treasure of a dozen saucer-size sugar molasses cookies, each one individually wrapped in a square of cellophane pulled smooth across the top and folded neatly together under the bottom. As he turned over and removed the cellophane wrap from one of the cookies, using the same slow age-worn deliberation and care with which he had untied the paper bag’s ribbon the day before, Elgin again wondered why he couldn’t have found at some point, for his own, someone like this neighbor gal Anne. He told himself if he were half a century younger and she were still looking, he’d be all after her—and factually, he’d said as much—directly to her—more than once. But it had gotten to be such an old and familiar joke she no longer even blushed. Instead, she’d learned to just laugh the words off, fluttering her eyes towards the heavens while sighing, “Oh Elgin, if only…”

Coming of age can be a difficult time in a young person’s life. It is fraught with excitement, confusion, curiosity, and willfulness. It is the beginning of learning the ancient knowledge that lies dormant in our child-minds, until we reach an age when it is time to unleash that power.The Creek is a completely analogous piece that focuses heavily on finding and nurturing that feminine aspect oComing of age can be a difficult time in a young person’s life. It is fraught with excitement, confusion, curiosity, and willfulness. It is the beginning of learning the ancient knowledge that lies dormant in our child-minds, until we reach an age when it is time to unleash that power.The Creek is a completely analogous piece that focuses heavily on finding and nurturing that feminine aspect of dark, intuitive knowledge that is within every human being. It speaks to the part of us that wants to remain a child because we fear growing older. It speaks to the part of us that wants to see the beauty of life, but is overcome with the darkness of reality.

In the shadow of British and Hessian forces, life goes on for young patriot Joshua and his Native American grandfather, Katu, whose only concern seems to be his tattered old fishing net. Raised to abide his elders, Joshua reluctantly aides the mysterious curmudgeon with his repairs and in so doing gets to know the man he only thought he knew. A man full of surprises.1777. Germantown, PA. Winter Looms. British and Hessian soldiers have encamped just across the sleepy little creek from young patriot, Joshua and his family. Unfazed by the mortal threat on their doorstep, his Native American grandfather, Katu, seems to care nothing for the matters of the white man—king or president, it’s all the same to him. The old man’s only concern is his tattered old fishing net, which seems to be disintegrating nearly as fast as he is. Raised to abide his elders, Joshua reluctently aides his grandfather in the repair of his filthy old net and in so doing, gets to know the man he only thought he knew. A man full of surprises.

Milan Kundera's lightest novel, a divertimento, an opera buffa, Slowness is also the first of this author's fictional works to have been written in French. Disconcerted and enchanted, the reader follows the narrator of Slowness through a midsummer's night in which two tales of seduction, separated by more than two hundred years, interweave and oscillate between the sublime and the comic. Underlying this libertine fantasy is a profound meditation on contemporary life: about the secret bond between slowness and memory, about the connection between our era's desire to forget and the way we have given ourselves over to the demon of speed. And about "dancers" possessed by the passion to be seen, for whom life is merely a perpetual show emptied of every intimacy and every joy.

Bestselling authors Jude Deveraux and Judith McNaught present their most dazzling and wonderful Christmas tales -- the perfect treat for every romantic at heart... Jude Deveraux In the snow-covered hills of Virginia, a young widow finds that miracles really do come in the least expected packages, in "Just Curious," praised as "one of Deveraux's best" (Philadelphia Inquirer). "Change of Heart," set in modern-day Colorado, is the touching story of a clever twelve-year-old who plays matchmaker for his bighearted, impractical mother. Judith McNaught This celebrated author magically portrays Regency London in "Miracles," the enchanting tale of a world-weary lord -- and an outrageous proposal. In "Double Exposure," a determined young woman arrives to photograph a magnificent wedding at a reclusive tycoon's Newport estate, and manages to unlock the secrets of a man's heart.

Growing up with his mother in Germany, Peter Debauer knows little about his father, an apparent victim of the Second World War. But when he stumbles upon a few pages from a long-lost novel, Peter embarks on aquest that leads him across Europe to the United States, chasing fragments of a story within a story and a master of disguises who may or may not exist. Homecoming" "is a tale of fathersand sons, men and women, war and peace. It reveals the humanity that survives the trauma of war and the ongoing possibility for redemption. "From the Trade Paperback edition."

Julieta’s stalker doesn’t play by the rules... Lingerie shop owner Julieta Mederos has worked hard to get her business off the ground. Now she’s looking forward to some quality time with her friends and her big, boisterous family. But explicit texts from random phone numbers and vandalism at her shop makes it clear someone dangerous has fixated on her. Without any solid leads, the police can’t help her and she’s forced to turn to the last man she wants to depend on. …but neither does Ivan. Former Army Ranger and newest Red Stone Security employee Ivan Mitchell has gotten used to being alone in the world. He never even thinks about it anymore—until he meets sexy, independent Julieta. She’s everything he could ever want…but she seems determined to keep him at arm’s length. Until now. Maybe the cops can’t do anything to protect her, but he can. When things escalate faster than even he expected, he finds himself pulling out his most extreme combat skills to protect her. He’ll do what it takes to save her life—and prove to her she belongs in his.