Science fiction icon Connie Willis brilliantly mixes a speculative plot, the wit of Nora Ephron, and the comedic flair of P. G. Wodehouse in Crosstalk, a genre-bending novel that pushes social media, smartphone technology, and twenty-four-hour availability to hilarious and chilling extremes as one young woman abruptly finds herself with way more connectivity than she ever desired. In the not-too-distant future, a simple outpatient procedure to increase empathy between romantic partners has become all the rage. And Briddey Flannigan is delighted when her boyfriend, Trent, suggests undergoing the operation prior to a marriage proposal - to enjoy better emotional connection and a perfect relationship with complete communication and understanding. But things don't quite work out as planned, and Briddey finds herself connected to someone else entirely - in a way far beyond what she signed up for. It is almost more than she can handle - especially when the stress of managing her all-too-eager-to-communicate-at-all-times family is already burdening her brain. But that's only the beginning. As things go from bad to worse, she begins to see the dark side of too much information, and to realize that love - and communication - are far more complicated than she ever imagined.

Once a hotshot investigative reporter, Jack Tagger now bangs out obituaries for a South Florida daily, "plotting to resurrect my career by yoking my byline to some famous stiff." Jimmy Stoma, the infamous front man of Jimmy and the Slut Puppies, dead in a fishy-smelling scuba "accident" may be just the stiff Jack needs-if only he can figure out what happened. Standing in the way are [among others] an editor who wants Jack to "break her cherry," Stoma's ambitious pop-singer widow, and the soulless, profit-hungry newspaper owner Jack once publicly humiliated. As clues from Stoma's music give Jack Tagger the chance to trade obits for a story that could hit the front page, murder gives his career a new lease on life.

Is Mercedes Strand living every tween girl's dream, or a sane person's nightmare?****This version is a combination of the first three books of the Evanescence series: Evanescence, The Mirror, and Soul Cannibal****For the girl who has everything, Mercedes Strand can't possibly ask for more. But more she will get. She's earned it after all. She's kind, altruistic, and a total whiz on the computer. What will her rewards entail? How about a hot vampire boyfriend? Yeah, nearly draining her dry of blood and informing her she's earned the wrath of an evil psychopath vampire doesn't usually happen on the ideal first date, but hey, who said love was predictable? Clouds and silver linings, no? Their love shall be everlasting.Surely Mercedes' rewards won't stop there? You bet your backside they won't. Even better than being the breath of life to a hot vampire, she soon catches the eye of Tarasque, the king of dragons himself. Blackmailed by a powerful enemy, he whisks her away to his kingdom of magnificent mountains and endless treasures. And she gets two rewards for the price of one when it's all up to her to convince Tarasque not to commit genocide against the vampires. Fortunately, he's enthralled with her beauty, wit, and sheer mystery to the point where he wishes to rip apart her beloved boyfriend who just so happens to be a…Huh.Well, clouds and silver linings people. Clouds and silver linings. Mercedes' rewards still don't stop there, no siree. How often does a human become so important to an evil Aztec god to the point where his plans can't come to fruition without her? With her pure angelic voice she can unite the cowardly sirens, the blind dragons, and the fanatical vampires against the forces of evil. They won't ignore her, beat her, or try to kill her…Huh.Maybe the term "rewards" is a bit on the loose side.

Jim and his best friend Charlie bug the staff room, and overhear two teachers speak in a strange language. What does "spudvetch" mean? Why do Mr Kidd's eyes flicker with fluorescent blue light when Charlie says spudvetch to him? A high-powered adventure can end only with a Boom!

Saki's (a.k.a Hector Hugh Munro) unique brand of humor has resonated with readers for over a century. Both macabre and also at times vicious, his writing nonetheless manages to perfectly capture the trivial absurdities of the Edwardian era in England.His subjects are almost always louche members of the upper classes - in particular his perfectly observed anti-heroes such as Clovis and Reginald - who wouldn't feel out of place in the world of P.G Wodehouse's 'Bertie Wooster'.The fatal flaw of hypocrisy receives particular attention in Saki's world, with vengeful justice often meted out in the most unlikely and unexpected fashion by birds, beasts and children alike.

The Police are stumped by a baffling dismemberment case. They turn to Akkadia, the Abracadabrical hero of "The Cowering Inferno" for help."I laughed so hard I fell to pieces." -- Patsy Cline, The Seance City NewsIn an alternate steamfunk Haiti, at the height of General Toussaint's revolution, two lovers separated by class and a young woman whose love is forbidden, are thrust into war, sorcery and a quest for liberation on their own terms. . .On the island of Saint-Domingue, in the dead of night, thousands of slaves crept silently along the path through the trees and wiry brush to Bois Caïman. In the clearing the Houngan Dutty Boukman, a huge, self-educated slave with a fierce countenance, and Mambo Cecile Fatiman, a mulatto slave woman, waited to led them in ceremony. They petitioned the Loa for protection, for deliverance from slavery’s lash—calling upon the darkest spirits. . .

What do you do when you’re where you don’t want to be? What do you do when you’re with who you don’t want to be with? What do you do when the law fails you? Whatever it takes. You do whatever it takes…Elisa is fourteen years old. She has an English mother and a Sicilian father. She was born in England but raised in Sicily, and when her parents split up, she returns willingly to England with her mother. This is where the problems start.Unfortunately for her, her father has the law on his side, the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction. And he uses it. The problem is, though, that she doesn’t feel abducted. And how can she have been abducted if her father had paid for her ticket to England in the first place? How can she have been abducted if he’d then sent money every month so she could stay there? You’d think it would be an open-and-shut case, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, the law thinks otherwise. And now she finds herself back in Sicily, back with him, back without her mother. This is her story. This is how she plays the hand an inflexible and unforgiving law has dealt her.

Jet-packs, Dragons, Barbarians, Dinosaurs, Magic, Space-Ships, Chainsaws and Beards. This epic tale of hilarity, emotion and adventure is the true story of Grigor: The Destructionator!The five pieces of awesome are objects scattered around the universe that grant the wielder near ultimate power. If the Evil Lord gets them first then the Universe will be thrust into a nightmareish hell, if Grigor gets them first, there's a slim chance he can save everyone. But the pieces already have owners, will Grigor and his rag tag group of comrades (including an immortal legendary pirate and a man with chainsaws for arms) get the pieces first and save the world? Or will the Evil Lord plunge the universe into indomitable darkness forever?Before Grigor even realises that he's on an amazing adventure he has to face his day job as a Viking Bank Financier. This has it's own challenges, like Evil Zombie Ninjas and even worse, a visit from the Aduit Team.A hilariously ironic slant on the space opera and fantasy epic style. Un-like anything you will ever read.

Marrying for money would save the career of a penurious young captain. But winning the daughter of The Wangler, an English tycoon, was a prospect to fear. Author John Ivor delights with this humorous account of bride-seeking in the early 1800s. The characters interact in an unusual, yet richly endowed, county mansion.If you were offered the chance to be totally irresistible, even to the most gorgeous boy you know, would you stop to think there might just be the tiniest bit of a catch?Well, I didn’t. And believe me, it wasn’t a tiny catch. It was the worst catch of all.See, it turns out the girl I thought was my best friend is a real, genuine freak.And I know that because now I’m one too.Yeah, I’m a freaking freak!

It was the vacation of a lifetime - the chance to experience a day in the life of a famous person from history - as a "hitchhiker" inside their mind. What could possibly go wrong?GENRE: Children’s Adventure(An Unofficial Minecraft Book for Kids Ages 9 -12)Book 1: The Angry GhostSteve can't wait for the carnival to come to town. Excited, he drags his sister to see the creature they brought as the main event - a ghost called Herobrine. But it all goes horribly wrong as Herobrine escapes. Steve realizes he has a connection to Herobrine - but what could it be? Steve and his sister must set off to a journey that takes them to the capital city and to the Nether to find out more.Author’s Note: This short story is for your reading pleasure. The characters in this "Minecraft Adventure Series" such as Steve, Endermen or Herobrine...etc are based on the Minecraft Game coming from Minecraft ®/TM & © 2009-2013 Mojang / Notch

The Swoop tells of the simultaneous invasion of England by several armies and features references to many well-known figures of the day, among them the politician Herbert Gladstone, novelist Edgar Wallace, actor-managers Seymour Hicks and George Edwardes, and the boxer Bob Fitzsimmons.

Joe Finch thinks he is leading a perfectly happy existence until the day he discovers that he isn't. After a violent seizure, he is diagnosed with a brain tumour and given five months to live. Unfortunately, with the new direction that his life has taken, five months may be far longer than he can stand. It isn't long before Joe begins to wonder; is he delusional, or is he the only one who's sane?Book Three of the Series.The adventure continues with cannot-take-a-breath action. As Amanda’s adventure takes them to strange places, they meet even stranger beings and creatures - all deathly afraid of the "new" Wielder.As the kids battle unbelievable creatures to the death, and find even stranger friends along the way, all in the hope of finding the Shards of Legend to help Amanda to survive the Necklace of Power... one begins to question the journey. Will they stay with Amanda or abandon her as she fights the spirits within the Necklace who want to possess her?Stand with Amanda and the others as they struggle against devastating injuries - and the potentially fatal injuries to little Sadie.Will Amanda and her friends survive the last battle when the Necklace refuses to help her? Take a deep breath as the story continues.

Plagued by a rare disease and the vengeful curse of a former school headmaster, Timmy Wicketts finds himself a directionless vagabond on the streets of the 19th century English town of Upper Southrump. Out of desperation he turns to street performing, and that choice leads him on a journey grander than any he could have imagined. His is a true tale of love, friendship, and perseverance.Five years ago intergalactic hitman, Chase Darkstaar hid a weapon of pant wettingly devastating proportions and had his memory wiped.Now, with intergalactic civil war on the cards, he's back. Sort of. He's spent the last five years being a bit of a wuss. Gathering a team of equally misfit misfits he has to travel across the stars putting his memory back together so that they can find the Trimedian and save the Universe. honestly, we're doomed. His plans are generally rubbish...

The new vegetable-loving sheriff of Broken Jaw Junction outwits outlaws, bank robbers and cattle rustlers--using just a few carrot sticks and celery! But one day, he meets an unexpected and unbeatable foe ...In the year 1885, the sleepy little Nevada town of Broken Jaw Junction is a quiet place--until Old Jake finds gold!Suddenly the town is overrun by outlaws, galoots and trouble makers of all kinds, and there doesn't seem to be a sheriff in the old west who can stop them.That is, until vegetable-loving 'Itchy Mitch' Gardener arrives. He looks like a harmless West Virginia farm boy who would rather just plant tomatoes and hoe weeds than fight outlaws. But somehow he manages to stop quick draws, bank robbers, cattle thieves, claim jumpers and bullies. And he does it all with just a few carrot sticks and celery!It looks like Sheriff Mitch is unstoppable and that law and order and vegetable salad have come to Broken Jaw Junction to stay. But even Itchy Mitch isn't invincible, and one day he meets his match in a most unexpected foe ...

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians is the first adventure in a fantasy series for young readers by the #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. The fast-paced and funny series is now available in deluxe hardcover editions illustrated by Hayley Lazo. On his thirteenth birthday, foster child Alcatraz Smedry gets a bag of sand in the mail-his only inheritance from his father and mother. He soon learns that this is no ordinary bag of sand. It is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians who are taking over the world by spreading misinformation and suppressing truth. Alcatraz must stop them, using the only weapon he has: an incredible talent for breaking things. "In this original, hysterical homage to fantasy literature, Sanderson's first novel for youth recalls the best in Artemis Fowl and A Series of Unfortunate Events." -VOYA