万本电子书0元读

万本电子书0元读

The Pinballs
The Pinballs
Byars, Betsy
¥39.24
You can't always decide where life will take you--especially when you're a kid. Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts another coin in the machine and off you go again. But against her will and her better judgment, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own Iives. Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts another coin in the machine and off you go again. But against her will and her beter judgement, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own lives.
Castle in the Air
Castle in the Air
Jones, Diana Wynne
¥44.73
Abdullah was a young and not very prosperous carpet dealer. His father, who had been disappointed in him, had left him only enough money to open a modest booth in the Bazaar. When he was not selling carpets, Abdullah spent his time daydreaming. In his dreams he was not the son of his father, but the long-lost son of a prince. There was also a princess who had been betrothed to him at birth. He was content with his life and his daydreams until, one day, a stranger sold him a magic carpet. In this stunning sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones has again created a large-scale, fast-paced fantasy in which people and things are never quite what they seem. There are good and bad djinns, a genie in a bottle, wizards, witches, cats and dogs (but are they cats and dogs?), and a mysterious floating castle filled with kidnapped princesses, as well as two puzzling prophecies. The story speeds along with tantalizing twists and turns until the prophecies are fulfilled, true identities are revealed, and all is resolved in a totally satisfying, breathtaking, surprise-filled ending.
107. A Nightingale Sang
107. A Nightingale Sang
Barbara Cartland
¥24.44
Dejected and jobless like so many other Servicemen after the end of the Great War of 1914-18, Tybalt Hampton escapes a ball in Berkeley Square and meets a delightful young girl who has also sought refuge in the little Temple in the nearby gardens because no one has asked her to dance. It is too dark to make out her face, but in an enchanted moment they kiss in the moonlight and a nightingale sings in the trees above as if just for them. Two years later the beautiful Aleta Wayte, the recipient of that anonymous kiss, and her brother, Sir Harry Wayte, are forced to let their beloved ancestral mansion to a millionaire American called Cornelius Wardolf, disguising themselves as servants in their own home and at their tenant’s beck and call. Of noble birth but penniless, Aleta still dreams of that handsome stranger. So, when Fate in the form of a road accident brings him injured to her door, her hopes are raised and then instantly dashed. In her guise as a lowly servant how can she reveal herself as Tybalt Hampton is now the fifth Duke of Stadhampton and anyway, because of his impoverished estates, he has been earmarked by Cornelius Wardolf to marry his attractive daughter, Lucy-MayIs it possible that Fate could be so cruel as to bring love so close only to snatch it away?
111. A Dream from the Night
111. A Dream from the Night
Barbara Cartland
¥24.44
To afford the food and medicine her ailing mother needs, the beautiful Honourable Olinda Selwyn, daughter of the late Lord Selwyn, former Lord Chief Justice of England, is obliged to conceal her background to take employment with the Dowager Countess of Kelvedon as an expert embroiderer at the family stately home in Derbyshire. Taken aback to find that the ageing but still beautiful Countess is having a love affair with a dissolute young rake, Olinda sympathises with her estranged son, the Earl, who despises his mother for her loose morals. Drawn reluctantly into the Kelvedon family’s tangle of bitterness and resentment, Olinda finds herself gently advising the Earl – or as he puts it, inspiring him. But just as the love she has only ever dreamt of seems almost within her grasp, Kelvedon is rocked by a sudden and suspicious death – and, incredibly, the man she loves with all her heart stands accused.
112. Sweet Enchantress
112. Sweet Enchantress
Barbara Cartland
¥24.44
When her father, a famous archaeologist, died, he left young Zaria Mansford with little other than debt, poverty, the memory of his bullying and a useful knowledge of archaeology and Arabic. She is close to starvation from lack of money and there is nothing that could help her make her lonely way in the world. But then to her amazement she is informed by her father’s Solicitors that she has inherited her rich aunt’s fortune, including a sumptuous yacht, The Enchantress. The yacht she is told has been chartered by a wealthy American for a voyage to Algeria and he needs an assistant with a knowledge of archaeology and Arabic as he intends to start excavating a Roman site close to the City of Algiers. Soon Zaria finds herself secretly taking the place of the young lady employed for the job and, after meeting in strange circumstances the handsome Chuck Tanner, who is in desperate need of her assistance and she then becomes embroiled in a maze of subterfuge and deceit. Before long Zaria realises that she has fallen deeply in love with Chuck and, caught between murderous gangsters, the Algerian Police and Arab rebels she fears for his life even more than for her own.
113. The Kiss of The Devil
113. The Kiss of The Devil
Barbara Cartland
¥24.44
Against her cousin Jimmy’s earnest advice, the hot-headed but beautiful Skye Standish is determined to go off on an exciting adventure in the strife-torn South American country of Mariposa. Rebelling against her wealthy British background and the tiresome social world of New York, she ventures into the remote heartlands of Mariposa where she is kidnapped by the followers of a revolutionary known to everyone as El Diablo –The Devil! Although furious and insulted at her capture, Skye at first assumes that he simply wants a ransom for her, which she can easily have paid. But then he announces abruptly that she is to be his wife, willing or unwilling. It is not her money he wants, it is her humiliation! Imprisoned in his network of secret caves in the mountains, she plots her escape from his clutches and to go back to civilisation and her elegant yacht and twice fails and then she has to face El Diablo’s terrible wrath. And her hatred of this cruel man is now complete. Yet observing his devotion to his impoverished people, she uncovers another, almost gentlemanly, side of El Diablo and the ominous phrase on the lips of those who fear him – ‘the kiss of the Devil’– takes on a passionate new meaning for Skye.
HarperCollins
HarperCollins
MacLachlan, Patricia
¥44.85
"Did Mama sing every day?" Caleb asks his sister Anna. "Every-single-day," she answers. "Papa sang, too." This Newbery Medal winning book is the first of five books in Patricia MacLachlan's chapter book series about the Witting family. Set in the late nineteenth century and told from young Anna's point of view, Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of how Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton comes from Maine to the prairie to answer Papa's advertisement for a wife and mother. Before Sarah arrives, Anna and her younger brother Caleb wait and wonder. Will Sarah be niceWill she singWill she stayThis children's literature classic is perfect for fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books, historical fiction, and timeless stories using rich and beautiful language. Sarah, Plain and Tall gently explores themes of abandonment, loss and love. Supports the Common Core State Standards
The Golden Notebook
The Golden Notebook
Lessing, Doris
¥95.39
Anna is a writer, author of one very successful novel, who now keeps four notebooks. In one, with a black cover, she reviews the African experience of her earlier years. In a red one she records her political life, her disillusionment with communism. In a yellow one she writes a novel in which the heroine relives part of her own experience. And in a blue one she keeps a personal diary. Finally, in love with an American writer and threatened with insanity, Anna resolves to bring the threads of all four books together in a golden notebook. Doris Lessing best-known and most influential novel, The Golden Noteboo k retains its extraordinary power and relevance decades after its initial publication.
Alas, Babylon
Alas, Babylon
Frank, Pat
¥55.38
"Alas, Babylon." Those fateful words heralded the end. When a nuclear holocaust ravages the United States, a thousand years of civilization are stripped away overnight, and tens of millions of people are killed instantly. But for one small town in Florida, miraculously spared, the struggle is just beginning, as men and women of all backgrounds join together to confront the darkness.
HarperOne
HarperOne
Lewis, C. S.
¥162.29
A masterpiece of satire, this classic has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life from the vantage point of Screwtape, a senior tempter in the service of Our Father Below. At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C. S. Lewis gives us the correspondence of the worldly-wise old devil to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man. The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging and humorous account of temptation and triumph over it ever written. Now, for the first time, The Screwtape Letters is presented with its full text alongside helpful annotations provided by Lewis enthusiast and dramatist Paul McCusker. The notes include literary, theological, and biographical information to enhance Lewis core themes and demystify complex ideas. McCusker also guides readers to concepts and references from the beloved author other treasured volumes to deepen and enrich this timeless classic. The annotated edition is the ultimate guide for understanding the heavenly truths buried in these epistles from below.
83.The Husband Hunters
83.The Husband Hunters
Barbara Cartland
¥24.44
After the death of her parents, young Andrina Maldon has selflessly borne the responsibility not only for the running a household impoverished by her father’s profligacy but also for the future happiness of her two sisters. Strikingly beautiful as they are, there is no hope of their finding a suitable suitor without someone to introduce them to the Social world. So she travels unchaperoned to London to seek the assistance of the Duke of Broxbourne, her father’s friend and the Godfather she has never met. On the stagecoach journey Andrina has a frightening encounter with a gentleman at a Posting inn – and on arrival at Broxbourne House she is appalled to find that this man is none other than the Duke of Broxbourne himself. At first unwilling to help her, the Duke grudgingly agrees to her requests and although grateful, Andrina despises this arrogant and insensitive man – until, little by little, his true nature is revealed and a very different emotion begins to stir in her heart.
Karmalitics
Karmalitics
Duncan Abbott
¥24.44
In his pacey, darkly humorous first novel, Duncan Abbott doesn't pull any punches. With a searing eye for satire and a great deal of comic ingenuity he proposes some startling new political ideas at a time when paucity of thought and poverty of ideals seem to be the norm. Join our hero George King, a talented, popular and ethical MP, and his cadre of madcap idealists as they saunter amusingly through the sordid side of parliament changing the nation as they go! Watch them improve the lives of millions, sweep away swathes of avarice and laugh in the face of adversity, while tearing down a sex, drugs and prostitution-based blackmail campaign that could bring down British politics as we know it.
William Morrow
William Morrow
Gross, Andrew
¥69.16
15 seconds can tear your life apart . . . Henry Steadman didn't know what was about to hit him when he pulled up to a red light. A successful Florida plastic surgeon, he is in town to deliver a keynote address at a conference when suddenly his life becomes an unrelenting chase to stay alive. Stopped by the police for a minor traffic violation, the situation escalates and he is pulled from his vehicle, handcuffed and told he is under arrest. Several other police cars arrive and the questioning turns scary, but just as Henry is released and about to move on, a blue sedan pulls up and the officer is suddenly killed. As the car speeds away, there is only one suspect left behind Henry. In that moment, his idyllic life becomes a free fall into hell as he becomes the target of a police manhunt, as well as being pursued by a cunning, unnamed perpetrator bent on some kind of vengeance. When Henry turns to a close friend for help, and he, too, ends up dead, Henry realizes he's being elaborately framed. But in a chilling twist, the stakes grow even darker, and he is unable to go to the police to clear his name, without bringing on dire and deadly consequences. With breakneck pacing and nonstop action, 15 Seconds shows what can happen when even the best life is turned upside down in an instant. It is also the story of an innocent man, framed for murder, who has to save the person he loves the most, all while being drawn closer and closer to an inevitable face-to-face standoff with a man determined to destroy his life.
Avon
Avon
Ranney, Karen
¥56.07
Catriona Cameron was once famed for her seductive beauty and charm. Now she saw no one, hiding from the world . . . and no one dared break through her self-imposed exile. No one, that is, until Mark Thorburn burst into her home, and Catriona darkened world began to have color again. Thorburn, secretly the heir to an Earldom, claimed he was a footman. But Catriona didn't care about the scandal their passion could cause . . . for his very touch sparked her back to a life of sensuality, one she thought she'd never have again. Little does she know that Mark is part of a masquerade. One that will end when they become the target of a madman set on revenge. Mark realizes he will have to do more than win her love . . . he will have to save her life as well.
Harper Perennial
Harper Perennial
Wilder, Thornton
¥83.03
On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below. With this celebrated sentence, Thornton Wilder begins The Bridge of San Luis Rey, one of the towering achievements in American fiction and a novel read throughout the world. By chance, a monk witnesses the tragedy. Brother Juniper seeks to prove that it was divine intervention rather than chance that led to the deaths of those who perished in the tragedy. His study leads to his own death -- and to the author timeless investigation into the nature of love and the meaning of the human condition. The Bridge of San Luis Rey is now reissued in this handsome hardcover edition featuring a new foreword by Russell Banks. Tappan Wilder has written an engaging and thought-provoking afterword, which includes unpublished notes for the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, illuminating photographs, and other remarkable documentary material. Granville Hicks insightful comment about Wilder suggests an inveterate truth: As a craftsman he is second to none, and there are few who have looked deeper into the human heart.
90. The Unwanted Wedding
90. The Unwanted Wedding
Barbara Cartland
¥24.44
The heart-breakingly handsome Duke of Tynemouth is appalled to find that his torrid affaire d’coeur with the alluring Aline, Countess of Langstone, is destined to end, because Queen Victoria insists that he marries one of Prince Albert’s German relatives, who is fat and ugly. To refuse is unthinkable, so, in desperation, he agrees to pre-empt his Monarch by cynically marrying Aline’s innocent young niece, Honora. The beautiful Honora is horrified at the prospect of marrying a man she has never met, let alone love, but she has little choice. Heartbroken and facing a life without the love she has always dreamt about, a husband who seems to hate her and a wedding night she dreads, she flees and falls prey to an even worse fate. Now that he might lose her forever, the Duke realises that it is not hate for Honora that beats in his heart. It is love! But has his awakening come too late?
98. Passions In The Sand
98. Passions In The Sand
Barbara Cartland
¥24.44
When the father of headstrong young beauty Vita Ashford announces that she is to marry the wealthy and influential Lord Bantham, she is crestfallen for he is middle-aged and dull. More importantly she does not – cannot ever – love him! Using the completion of her education as an excuse, Vita cajoles her father into allowing her to travel to Italy. Little does he know that her real intention is to journey on to Syria to seek the advice and assistance of her beautiful and controversial cousin Jane Digby, Lady Ellenborough, who, after several marriages to wealthy Europeans, followed her heart into the desert to marry a Sheikh and is now Queen of a Bedouin tribe. Failing to find her cousin at home, foolhardy Vita follows her into the desert and a tumultuous adventure, in which she is kidnapped by a vengeful Arab Sheikh. Escaping on a fine Arabian mare, she is helpless under the cruel desert sun until the despised Sheikh comes to save her and, with a savage kiss, she has her own epiphany on the road to Damascus.
The Secret Circle: The Divide
The Secret Circle: The Divide
Smith, L. J.
¥60.87
Keep your enemies close. . . . For the first time since moving to New Salem, Cassie Blake feels normal. She's dating her soul mate Adam and making new friends in town. But between the secret coven of witches she belongs to and the incredible power she holds within her, Cassie is leading a far from ordinary life. When tragedy strikes the Circle, Cassie realizes being extraordinary can be a curse. The Circle is being hunted by an unknown enemy and anyone could be the next victim. As they struggle to protect themselves, alliances are formed and relationships are tested. No one knows who to trust or who to fear. Will Cassie be able to save the Circle . . . and herselfOr will her choices break it apart forever?
The Great Unexpected
The Great Unexpected
Creech, Sharon
¥44.73
From Newbery Medal winner and bestselling author Sharon Creech comes a grand, sweeping yarn that is a celebration of the great and unexpected gifts of love, friendship, and forgiveness. With a starred review from Kirkus Reviews calling it an "enchanting tale to treasure," The Great Unexpected captures the heart and the imagination. Humorous and heartfelt, this is a story of pairs of young Naomi and Lizzie, both orphans in present-day Blackbird Tree, USA, and of Sybil and Nula, grown-up sisters from faraway Rook's Orchard, Ireland, who have become estranged. Young Naomi Deane is brimming with curiosity and her best friend, Lizzie Scatterding, could talk the ears off a cornfield. Naomi has a knack for being around when trouble happens. She knows all the peculiar people in town like Crazy Cora and Witch Wiggins. But then, one day, a boy drops out of a tree. Just like that. A strangely charming Finn boy. And then the Dingle Dangle man appears, asking all kinds of questions. Curious surprises are revealed three locked trunks, a pair of rooks, a crooked bridge, and that boy and soon Naomi and Lizzie find their lives changed forever. As two worlds are woven together, Creech reveals that hearts can be mended and that there is indeed a gossamer thread that connects us all.
67. As Eagles Fly
67. As Eagles Fly
Barbara Cartland
¥24.44
The handsome and aristocratic, thirty-five year old diplomat Lord Athelstan knows that he is heading for trouble on his mission to the Caucasus to investigate how long the legendary Shamyl, the Imam of Daghestan, can hold out against the invading Russians. But little does he expect to be faced with another kind of conflict – with a beautiful young hostage imprisoned in the Imam’s stronghold. The lovely Natasha is only nineteen and she was seized along with a Royal party by the Imam’s followers and held to ransom against the release of the Imam’s only son by the Russians. Orphaned, she has no hope of raising a ransom and instead has reluctantly agreed to be given to the Sultan of Turkey as a ‘wife’ for his vast harem in return for the release of her nine-year-old brother. The Imam implores Lord Athelstan to escort Natasha safely to Constantinople – a favour he cannot grant lest it anger the Russians and compromise Great Britain. But then he meets her – undoubtedly the most glorious woman he has ever seen, with fire in her eyes, when he informs her that he cannot agree to Shamyl’s request. Ultimately Natasha gives him no choice and, when she appears among his party in disguise, Lord Athelstan is furious. Soon their mutual hatred turns to all-consuming love – a love surely doomed by Natasha’s pledge to sacrifice herself to the Sultan’s harem for the sake of her brother –
69 Love Leaves at Midnight
69 Love Leaves at Midnight
Barbara Cartland
¥24.44
With her flaming red hair and emerald green eyes, Xenia’s unusual beauty makes her stand out in any crowd – that is until she unexpectedly meets her long lost cousin, Johanna, amidst the wreckage of a railway accident. Incredulous at finding her mirror image and desperate for a friend, Xenia’s initial joy is soon replaced by misgivings when Johanna suggests an outrageous plan to swap lives for two weeks. However, these are soon swept aside by her forceful cousin and Xenia finds herself agreeing to help Johanna enjoy ten final days of freedom with the Englishman she loves before her arranged Royal marriage. As her cousin steals away from the site of the train crash, Xenia suddenly realises all that impersonating Johanna, even for a short while, will entail. Especially as her cousin was travelling to meet and marry her fiancé, King István of Luthenia, and the journey must continue so suspicions are not aroused. Surrounded by servants and diplomats, Xenia struggles to assume the Royal role that Johanna inhabits so easily and prays that her true identity will not be discovered. Arriving in Luthenia, Xenia is instantly plunged into a world of political intrigue and drama a million miles away from the quiet life she previously enjoyed in the English countryside. With a Constitutional crisis threatening and rumours of revolution, Luthenia desperately needs this arranged wedding to go ahead to cement allegiances and maintain the balance of power in Europe. As the Luthenian Court prepares for a grand State wedding and the nuptial date grows ever nearer, it seems that the beautiful cousins have only one desire in common – they both want to marry for love. But who shall be their bridegrooms?