2η επαυξημ?νη και διορθωμ?νη ?κδοση! Το βιβλ?ο αυτ? καταγρ?φει και αναλ?ει τι? πολιτισμικ?? και επιστημονικ?? δραστηρι?τητε? τη? ελληνικ?? κοιν?τητα? του Λονδ?νου, μια? κοιν?τητα? που αποτελε?ται απ? χιλι?δε? ?λληνε? φοιτητ?? και επιστ?μονε?, καθ?? και απ? σημαντικο?? επιχειρηματ?ε? και επαγγελματ?ε?. Με γλαφυρ? και απλ? τρ?πο ο συγγραφ?α? μ?? δ?νει μια γενικ? εικ?να των πολυ?ριθμων οργαν?σεων, που παρ? του? πενιχρο?? π?ρου?, κατ?ρθωσαν την περ?οδο 1974-2004 να ενεργοποι?σουν του? ?λληνε? του Λονδ?νου και να του? εντ?ξουν στον δημ?σιο χ?ρο μ?σω ποικ?λων δραστηριοτ?των - απ? διαλ?ξει? και συν?δρια μ?χρι εκθ?σει? τ?χνη? και συνεχε?? προσπ?θειε? διασ?νδεση? τη? ελληνικ?? διασπορ?? του Λονδ?νου με το εθνικ? κ?ντρο. Ιδ?ω? κατ? τι? δεκαετ?ε? του 1970 και του 1980, δηλαδ? ?ταν το μεταπολιτευτικ? κλ?μα του ενθουσιασμο? και τη? ελπ?δα? για ριζικ?? μεταρρυθμ?σει? στη χ?ρα μα? ?ταν κυρ?αρχο, βλ?πουμε ?να παρ?μοιο κλ?μα να διαμορφ?νεται και στην Αγγλ?α και κυρ?ω? στο Λονδ?νο. Ο Ν?κανδρο? Μπο?ρα? επικεντρ?νει τι? μαρτυρ?ε? του σε δρ?σει? στι? οπο?ε? ε?χε ενεργ? συμμετοχ?. Παρ’ ?λα αυτ?, ω? ενεργ? μ?λο? τη? κοιν?τητα? εξετ?ζει τι? πολ?πλοκε? διασυνδ?σει? με ?λλε? δραστηρι?τητε?, καθ?? και με τρ?χοντα γεγον?τα στον ελληνικ? χ?ρο. Κατορθ?νει ?τσι να δ?σει μια σφαιρικ? εικ?να το? τι συν?βαινε στην ελληνικ? κοιν?τητα του Λονδ?νου, μια κοιν?τητα ανοιχτ? τ?σο στην πολυπολιτισμικ?τητα τη? βρετανικ?? κοινων?α?, ?σο και στι? εξελ?ξει? στην μεταπολιτευτικ? Ελλ?δα. Το βιβλ?ο, ε?ναι γραμμ?νο με συστηματικ? και καλ? αρθρωμ?νο τρ?πο και προφαν?? δεν αφορ? μ?νο ?σου? ?λληνε? ?ζησαν στο Λονδ?νο αυτ? την περ?οδο. Αποτελε? αξι?λογη προσθ?κη σε ?σα ?χουν γραφτε? κατ? καιρο?? για την ελληνικ? διασπορ?, η οπο?α ω? γνωστ?ν, ?χει συμβ?λει με δι?φορου? τρ?που? και σε δι?φορε? εποχ??, στη διαμ?ρφωση τη? νεοελληνικ?? κοινων?α?.

Η σειρ? ?Κρ?σταλλοι? - ?πω? ?σω? γνωρ?ζετε - ευελπιστο?με ?τι θα ολοκληρωθε? σε μια δεκαλογ?α η οπο?α θα ξεκιν?ει απ? την δημιουργ?α του σ?μπαντο?, θα διαπερν? ολ?κληρο τον πανανθρ?πινο πολιτισμ?, θα φθ?νει στο παρ?ν και θα συνεχ?ζει στο μ?λλον, παρακολουθ?ντα? περιληπτικ? την εξ?λιξη του ανθρ?πινου πολιτισμο?. Στο 1ο βιβλ?ο ε?δαμε την ε?ρεση εν?? αντικε?μενου με περ?εργε? ιδι?τητε?, την μελ?τη και τελικ? το ?κοσμικ?? ταξ?δι στο οπο?ο παρακολουθ?σαμε την Μεγ?λη ?κρηξη, την δημιουργ?α γαλαξι?ν και των αστρικ?ν συστημ?των. Το 2ο βιβλ?ο αναφ?ρεται η δημιουργ?α του ηλιακο? μα? συστ?ματο?, η δημιουργ?α και η δομ? τη? γη?, η εμφ?νιση τη? ζω?? π?νω στην γη και η εξελικτικ? τη? πορε?α. Ολ?κληρη αυτ? η περ?οδο?, που κατ’ ουσ?α ξεκιν?ει περ?που πριν π?ντε δισεκατομμ?ρια χρ?νια, επενδ?εται απ? μυθολογικο?? αγ?νε? και μονομαχ?ε?, προσαρμ?ζοντα? την πραγματικ?τητα με μυθολογικ?? μορφ?? ω? φυσικ?? δυν?μει?, για αυτ? και ονομ?ζονται ?Υπερφυσικ???. ?τσι παρακολουθο?με το δρ?μα τη? αρχ?γονη? ζω?? π?νω στον πλαν?τη γη υπ? την μορφ? Υπερφυσικ?ν Δυν?μεων. Στο 2ο βιβλ?ο κυριαρχο?ν οι Τιτ?νε? με αρχηγ? τον Κρ?νο. Παρουσι?ζονται οι ανακατατ?ξει? στον πλαν?τη γη υπ? μορφ? επικ?ν μονομαχι?ν και αγ?νων, οι καταστροφ?? και οι εξαφαν?σει? τη? ζω?? αλλ? και η εμφ?νιση ν?ων μορφ?ν ζω?? στην γη. Η 2η Τιτανομαχ?α φθ?νει ?ω? πριν 50 εκατομμ?ρια χρ?νια με την τελικ? επικρ?τηση των Υπερφυσικ?ν Δυν?μεων ?ναντι των Υπερκ?σμιων Δυν?μεων και κατ?πιν την διολ?σθησ? του? στην αλαζονε?α τη? εξουσ?α? η οπο?α θα προκαλ?σει την 3η Τιτανομαχ?α. Συνεχ?ζοντα? αυτ? το μαγικ? ταξ?δι και ?χοντα? ω? ?φορ?α? μετακ?νηση? στα ταξ?δια μα? τον Λευκ? Κρ?σταλλο, μ?σα απ? μ?θο, αλληγορ?ε?, αληθιν? γεγον?τα και πραγματικ?? επιστημονικ?? γν?σει?, στα επ?μενα βιβλ?α ο αναγν?στη? θα παρακολουθ?σει τον πανανθρ?πινο πολιτισμ?, απ? την δημιουργ?α του σ?μπαντο? ?ω? και σ?μερα. Τηλεγραφικ? τα 10 βιβλ?α που θα ακολουθ?σουν με ενδεικτικ?? ονομασ?ε?: 1η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Κενο?-Υπερκ?σμιου (Δημιουργ?α) 2η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Υπερκ?σμιου-Υπερφυσικο? (Ουρανομαχ?α) 3η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Φυσικο?-Υπερφυσικο? (Ζευ?-Κρ?νο?) 4η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Φυσικο?-Παραφυσικο? (Γιγαντομαχ?α) 5η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Φυσικο?-Μεταφυσικο? (Προμηθει??) 6η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Καλο?-Κακο? (Λευκ??-Μα?ρο? Κρ?σταλλο?) 7η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Κοινωνικοπολιτικο?-Αντικοινωνικοπολιτικο? (Πρ?τοι Πολιτισμο?) 8η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Ανθρωπισμο?-Τεχνοκρατισμο? (Νε?τεροι Χρ?νοι) 9η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Πολιτισμο?-Βαρβαρ?τητα? (Σ?μερα) 10η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Γ?ινων-Εξωγ?ινων (Διαγαλαξιακ? Ταξ?δια)

The Crystals series will comprise a decalogy which will start from the creation of the universe, will transcend all human civilization, will come to the present and continue into the future, summarily showing the development of human civilization. The first book, ‘1st Battle of the Titans: Clash between Vacuum and the Hypercosmic (Creation)’ marks the beginning of a ‘cosmic’ journey from the Big Bang, following the evolutionary course of the universe, to reach the creation of planetary systems. The story in the first book starts from a town in the Greek provinces, where an enamoured couple comes upon an object with strange properties and potential. It is put under study by the local scientific community, and old folklore surrounding it is remembered that was hitherto dismissed as myth. The object is taken to Athens and is scrutinized by the Greek scientific community who call all the top brass of the international scientific community to their aid. On the basis of the object’s properties that have been assessed, an experiment is carried out on the Acropolis with wondrous, serendipitous findings. After that point, a wonderful journey starts that spans a series of ten books. Through myth and allegory, but also hard scientific facts, and apart from the reader’s entertainment, an effort is made for the reader to acquire true knowledge. Thus, through storytelling, the reader learns about the evolution of the universe, the galaxies, the solar systems, the earth and life on it, the evolution of humankind, philosophy, science, religion and in general, about the struggle for the humanization process of humankind to reach today’s conflicts. The following 10 books with follow with the following proposed titles: 1st Battle of the Titans: Clash between Vacuum and the Hypercosmic (Creation) 2nd Battle of the Titans: Clash between the Hypercosmic and the Supernatural (Battles of the Heavens) 3rd Battle of the Titans: Clash between the Natural and the Supernatural (Zeus-Cronos) 4th Battle of the Titans: Clash between the Natural and the Paranormal (Battle of Giants) 5th Battle of the Titans: Clash between the Natural and the Metaphysical (Prometheus) 6th Battle of the Titans: Clash between the Good and the Evil (White-Dark Crystal) 7th Battle of the Titans: Clash between the Sociopolitical and the Counter-sociopolitical (Early Civilizations) 8th Battle of the Titans: Clash between Humanism and Technocracy (Later Periods) 9th Battle of the Titans: Clash between Civilization and Barbarism (Current Times) 10th Battle of the Titans: Clash between Earthlings and Extraterrestrials (Intergalactic Travel)

ταν ο κσμο εναι παντο φωτειν, λαμπρ, γεμτο αγπη και ευτυχα, παρδεισο και αλθεια, κποιοι διαλγουν να κρυφτον στο σκοτδι, να κυλιστον στο βορκο, να γνουν τρατα που θα τρομζουν το φω και θα καταβροχθζουν αδναμε συνειδσει. Κποιοι επιλγουν να βρουν το μνο σκοτειν μρο τη ψυχ του και να κατοικσουν εκε για πντα, μαζ με τη ματωμνη του συγγνμη, που ποτ και σε κανναν δε χρισαν. Επιλγουν το Ξσκοτο. ΑΠΑΓΟΡΕΥΕΤΑΙ ΑΥΣΤΗΡΑ η ανγνωση αυτο του βιβλου απ τομα με καρδιαγγειακ ψυχιατρικ παθσει, σθμα, λκο εγκου γυνακε, και γενικ, απ τομα με ευαισθησα. Αν αισθανθετε αδιαθεσα, τρμουλο, ταχυκαρδα, πνο στο στθο, ναυτα, ντονο πνο στο κεφλι και στα μτια, τσει προ λιποθυμα διαπιστστε αιμορραγα, σημανει πω εστε σε καλ δρμο!

The Crystals series – as you may already know – will hopefully be completed in a decalogy which will start from the creation of the universe, will transcend all human civilization, will come to the present and continue into the future, summarily showing the development of human civilization. In the first book, we saw the discovery of an object with strange properties, the study and finally the ‘cosmic’ journey in which we observed the Big Bang, the creation of galaxies and star systems.The 2nd book refers to the creation of the solar system, the creation and structure of the earth, the appearance of life on earth and its developmental course. This whole period, which in fact was initiated about five billion years ago, is elaborated with mythological fights and dwells, fitting in reality to mythological forms as natural forces, and that is why they are named ‘Supernatural’. Thus, we observe the drama of archetypal life on planet earth in the form of Supernatural Powers.The Titans with their leader, Cronos dominate the scene in the 2nd book. The structural upheavals on planet earth are presented in the form of epic battles and struggles, as well as the calamities and extinction of life but also the emergence of new life forms on earth. The 2nd Clash of the Titans brings us to about 50 million years ago with the final triumph of the Supernatural Powers in their fight against the Hypercosmic Powers followed by their slippage into the arrogance of power which will cause the 3rd Clash of the Titans.Continuing on this magic journey and keeping the White Crystal as the ‘vehicle’ of our transport, the reader of this and the other books in the series will observe the development of the human civilization from the creation of the universe to this day, through the use of myth, allegory and real events and scientific knowledge.

Η σειρ? ?Κρ?σταλλοι? ξεκιν?ει απ? τι? απαρχ?? τη? δημιουργ?α? του σ?μπαντο? και διαπερν? ολ?κληρο τον πανανθρ?πινο πολιτισμ?, φθ?νει στο παρ?ν και θα συνεχ?σει στο μ?λλον, παρακολουθ?ντα? περιληπτικ? την εξ?λιξη του ανθρ?πινου πολιτισμο?.Στο πρ?το βιβλ?ο ?1η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Κενο?-Υπερκ?σμιου? (13,85 με 5 δισεκατομμ?ρια χρ?νια πριν) παρακολουθ?σαμε την αρχ? τη? μυθιστορηματικ?? σειρ?? ?Κρ?σταλλοι?, η οπο?α ξεκ?νησε απ? μια ελληνικ? επαρχιακ? π?λη στην οπο?α ανακαλ?φθηκε ?να αντικε?μενο με υπερβατικ?? ικαν?τητε?, η μελ?τη του οπο?ου απ?δειξε εκπληκτικ? αποτελ?σματα και με το οπο?ο ξεκ?νησε ?να κοσμικ? ταξ?δι. Στο κοσμικ? αυτ? ταξ?δι ταξιδ?ψαμε π?σω στο χρ?νο και παρακολουθ?σαμε τη δημιουργ?α του σ?μπαντο?.Στο δε?τερο βιβλ?ο ?2η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Υπερκ?σμιου-Υπερφυσικο?? (5 δισεκατομμ?ρια με 50 εκατομμ?ρια χρ?νια πριν) παρακολουθ?σαμε μ?σα απ? το κοσμικ? ταξ?δι τι? τιτ?νιε? δυν?μει? να συμβ?λουν στη δημιουργ?α του γαλαξ?α μα?, του ηλιακο? μα? συστ?ματο?, στη δημιουργ?α και στην κατασκευαστικ? δομ? τη? Γη?, στην εμφ?νιση τη? ζω?? π?νω στη Γη και στην εξελικτικ? τη? πορε?α, εν? ταυτ?χρονα παρακολουθο?σαμε και τη σ?γκρουση των τιτ?νιων δυν?μεων με αρχηγ? τον Κρ?νο με τι? υπερκ?σμιε? δυν?μει? με αρχηγ? τον Ουραν?.Στο τρ?το και τ?ταρτο βιβλ?ο, ?3η Τιτανομαχ?α: Σ?γκρουση Υπερφυσικο?-Φυσικο?? (50 εκατομμ?ρια χρ?νια με 100 χιλι?δε? χρ?νια πριν) κυριαρχο?ν οι Ολ?μπιοι θεο? με αρχηγ? το Δ?α. Υπ? μορφ? επικ?ν μονομαχι?ν και αγ?νων παρουσι?ζεται η εξ?λιξη τη? ζω?? στον πλαν?τη Γη, η κυριαρχ?α των θηλαστικ?ν και ο φυλογενετικ?? κλ?δο? του ανθρ?που. Η εξελικτικ? πορε?α του ανθρ?που φθ?νει ?ω? τον Homo sapiens. Ιδια?τερη ?μφαση δ?δεται στον “?νθρωπο” και στα εξελικτικ? στ?δια εξανθρ?πισ?? του, απ? τα πρωτε?οντα θηλαστικ? στου? ανθρωπ?δε? (Hominoidea), στη συν?χεια στου? αυστραλοπ?θηκου? (Australopithecines) και απ? αυτο?? στο γ?νο? “Homo”.Συνεχ?ζοντα? το μαγικ? αυτ? ταξ?δι, μ?σα απ? μ?θο, αλληγορ?ε?, αληθιν? γεγον?τα και πραγματικ?? επιστημονικ?? γν?σει?, στα επ?μενα βιβλ?α ο αναγν?στη? θα παρακολουθ?σει ?λον τον πανανθρ?πινο πολιτισμ?, απ? τη δημιουργ?α του σ?μπαντο? ?ω? και σ?μερα.

Πεταλο?δα… αρχ?τυπο σ?μβολο... η ομορφι? τη? και η εξ?λιξη τη? δεν ?φησε καν?ναν λα? ασυγκ?νητο... σ?μβολο τη? ψυχ??, των αδι?κοπων αλλαγ?ν, τη? εξ?λιξη?... ?να σ?μβολο που μα? υπενθυμ?ζει το δ?δαγμα των αλλαγ?ν... ε?ναι μια παν?μορφη ?παρξη συνδεδεμ?νη με την ελευθερ?α και την ευτυχ?α, που ?μω? για να φτ?σει να ε?ναι τ?σο ?μορφη και ελε?θερη, κουρ?στηκε και εργ?στηκε σκληρ? για την εσωτερικ? και εξωτερικ? τη? μεταμ?ρφωση...Η Μυρτ?, μια γυνα?κα που ?ζησε τη ζω? τη? στα ?κρα, οι επιλογ?? τη? ?τανε επιλογ?? ?λλων... μια ?λευκ? πεταλο?δα? που δεν μπ?ρεσε ποτ? να πετ?ξει ελε?θερη και να αγγ?ξει την ευτυχ?α ?τσι ?πω? την ονειρε?τηκε...Ο ?λκη? στιγμ?τισε τη ζω? τη?, π?ρασε σα θ?ελλα γκρεμ?ζοντα? ?,τι ?μορφο και αληθιν? ε?χε στην ψυχ? τη?, π?τισε με π?νο και δ?κρυα τα χρ?νια τη? ζω?? τη? που κ?λησαν μ?σα στη μοναξι? και την απομ?νωση... ο θ?νατο? του ?ραγε σ?μανε και το τ?λο? τη? μο?ρα? του?;Ο Μ?νο? και η Τ?μμυ, αδερφ?? ψυχ?? τη? Μυρτ?? πλ?ρωσαν ?ραγε αρκετ? για την αγ?πη και την αφοσ?ωση του? προ? εκε?νη; Η πραγματικ? φιλ?α και η αληθιν? αγ?πη θα σπ?σουν τα δεσμ? και θα οδηγ?σουν στην απελευθ?ρωση τη Μυρτ?;Π?τε η μο?ρα λυτρ?νει τα π?θη; Π?τε ?να? κ?κλο? κλε?νει;Φιρασ?ντ Αλσσο?μπα, ο γιο? τη? Σ?ρα?... Μ?γκεν, το αστ?ρι του Δαυιδ… Αλ?ξανδρο?, η ?μα?ρη πεταλο?δα?...?να πρ?σωπο, τρει? ταυτ?τητε?... γενν?θηκε μ?σα στη δ?νη του κυκλ?να, κρατ?θηκε στη ζω? μ?σα στη θ?ελλα τη? ερ?μου, αναζ?τησε την αλ?θεια στην ?κρη του κ?σμου ξετυλ?γοντα? το κουβ?ρι των αμαρτι?ν εν?? πολ?παθου παρελθ?ντο? που ο ?διο? δε γν?ρισε ποτ?... π?σο δυνατ?? ε?ναι για να παλ?ψει με τα τ?ρατα και να φ?ρει τα αγαπημ?να του πρ?σωπα στην εσωτερικ? του? μεταμ?ρφωση; Μια πεταλο?δα που θα ανο?ξει τα φτερ? τη? 20 χρ?νια μετ?...

A fearless captain, Andrew sails off -with his crew- from a safe harbor towards his homeplace. Fighting the wild sea and the unpredictable elements of nature, he will be found in an unknown zone, where a big surprise is waiting for him.

From Dan Fante, the son of novelist John Fante, comes a gritty detective novel featuring JD Fiorella, an ex-private investigator who's bent on avenging his friend's murder.Failed private investigator JD Fiorella was a pro at finding trouble. Mixing it up with the wrong people in New York, he escaped to L.A.—only to hit rock-bottom after too many nightmares and too much booze.Now forty-six and sober, JD?is working hard to get it together. Living in Malibu at his mother's house in Point Dume, he's got a new job selling used cars with his friend Woody and a new girlfriend. But just as things are looking up, JD discovers a gruesome murder. Now the ex-private detective has to make a choice.Determined to exact vengeance, he follows a twisting trail of clues that leads him to unexpected truths about himself and his new life—and to a psychopathic killer with an eerie connection to his past. And, as JD soon learns, this time there's no easy way out.

International bestselling author Liad Shoham makes his American debut in this compelling, superbly plotted crime thriller.After a brutal rape disturbs a quiet Tel Aviv neighborhood, baffled detectives find no clues, no eyewitnesses, and no suspects. The father of the shattered victim refuses to rest until justice is done, so he begins his own investigation. Keeping watch over his daughter's apartment from the street, he notices Ziv Nevo lurking in the shadows.All circumstances—and the victim—point to Nevo's guilt, and it appears the case is closed. But appearances can be deceiving. Detective Eli Nachum is eager to wrap up this high-profile case, which threatens to thwart his career. He sees an easy conviction when the father, determined to succeed where the police have failed, hands over Nevo. But why does the suspect keep silent during the interrogationWhat secret is he hidingWhat should Nachum and the idealistic young district attorney understand from the suspect's silence?What unfolds is a brilliant, fast-paced story that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Lineup is a twisted tale of mistaken identity, organized crime, a disgraced detective looking for redemption, a tireless young reporter, and an innocent man with a not-so-innocent past. Which lines will they cross and what will they be willing to risk, as their worlds begin to collapseThis seamless, gripping novel introduces a powerful new voice in crime fiction.

A Wildly Funny and Shockingly True Compendium of the Bad Boys (and Girls) of Western Literature Rock stars, rappers, and actors haven't always had a monopoly on misbehaving. There was a time when authors fought with both words and fists, a time when poets were the ones living fast and dying young. This witty, insightful, and wildly entertaining narrative profiles the literary greats who wrote generation-defining classics such as The Great Gatsby and On the Road while living and loving like hedonistic rock icons, who were as likely to go on epic benders as they were to hit the bestseller lists. Literary Rogues turns back the clock to consider these historical (and, in some cases, living) legends, including Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker, Hunter S. Thompson, and Bret Easton Ellis. Brimming with fasci- nating research, Literary Rogues is part nostalgia, part literary analysis, and a wholly raucous celebration of brilliant writers and their occasionally troubled legacies.

Like the sweet heat of a palate-pleasing curry or the brilliant radiance of bougainvillea, the short stories in Mary Anne Mohanraj's Bodies in Motion will delight the senses and sensibilities. Her tales follow two generations of two families living on the cusp of disparate worlds, America and Sri Lanka -- their lives and ties shaped, strengthened, devastated, and altered by the emigrant-immigrant ebb and flow. Through stunning, effervescent prose, intimate moments are beautifully distilled, revealing the tug-of-war between generations and gender in stories sensual and honest, chronicling love, ambition, and the spiritual and sexual quests of mothers and daughters, fathers and sons.

A fire destroys a New York City rare bookstore and reveals clues to a treasure worth killing for. . . . A disgraced scholar is found tortured to death. . . . And those pursuing the most valuable literary find in history are about to cross from the harmless mundane into inescapable nightmare.From the acclaimed, bestselling author of Tropic of Night comes a breathtaking thriller that twists, shocks, and surprises at every turn as it crisscrosses centuries, from the glaring violence of today into the dark shadows of truth and lies surrounding the greatest writer the world has ever known.

In the autumn of 1598, Abraham, a melancholy young Jewish gem merchant, seeks his fortune far from the imprisoning ghetto walls of Venice. Traveling halfway across the world, he lands in the lush and exotic Burmese kingdom of Pegu—an alien place, yet one where the jewel trader is not shunned for his faith. There is a price for his newfound freedom, however. Local custom demands that Abraham perform a duty he finds troubling and barbaric . . . and thus Mya, barely more than a girl, arrives to share his bed. Gently banishing his despair, awakening something profound within him, Mya ultimately accepts Abraham's protection and, unexpectedly, his love. But great social and political upheaval threatens to violently transform the Peguan empire—with devastating consequences for Abraham and Mya and their dreams for the future.

Jane Fortune's fortunes have taken a downturn. Thanks to the profligate habits of her father and older sister, the family's money has evaporated and Jane has to move out of the only home she's ever known: a stately brick town house on Boston's prestigious Beacon Hill. Thirty-eight and terminally single, Jane has never pursued idle pleasures like her sibling and father. Instead, she has devoted her time to running the Fortune Family Foundation, a revered philanthropic institution that has helped spark the careers of many a budding writer, including Max Wellman, Jane's first—and only—love. Now Jane has lost her luster. Max, meanwhile, has become a bestselling novelist and a renowned literary lothario. But change is afoot. And in the process of saving her family and reigniting the flames of true love, Jane might just find herself becoming the woman she was always meant to be.

Long-buried secrets go hand in hand with modern-day murder in this second thriller featuring attorney Thóra Gudmundsdóttir from Iceland's queen of crime fictionWhen the body of a young woman—badly beaten and with pins inserted into her feet—is found at a New Age health resort in a renovated farmhouse, lawyer and single mother of two Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is called upon to represent the chief suspect, the resort's owner. But upon her arrival she encounters more than a fresh corpse—local legend has it that the resort, located in the mystical region of Sn?fellsnes on Iceland's west coast, is haunted. At first Thóra dismisses the claims as nothing more than myth and superstition, but even she can't explain the bizarre occurrences she witnesses in her search for answers. As Thóra digs deeper into the farm's past, she discovers long-buried information on the property's disturbing history, and her once-solid view of reality begins to waver. Are the hauntings real, or just a case of folklore gone wildAnd, more important, does the farm's eerie past have something to do with the murderWhen another body is discovered—looking very much like the first—Thóra is forced to put aside her doubts and confront the horrors of the present before a twisted killer strikes again.With its confident plotting, chilling atmosphere, and smart, compelling heroine, My Soul to Take confirms Yrsa Sigurdardóttir as a new maven of mysteries.

In her very first novel, award-winning author Nevada Barr reveals another side to her remarkable storytelling prowess with this heart-wrenching yet tender tale of two women whose boundless devotion to each other is continually challenged in nineteenth century America.

Sizzling hot and soulful secret "confessions" from four of the most exciting voices in erotic black fiction!Bianca's job as the new personal assistant to an arrogant NBA superstar is unending hell. But when the lights go down—and the uniform comes off—she's seduced by this hard-bodied athlete's off-the-court moves . . . Love B-Ball Style by Joy KingKennedy Logan is too ashamed to reveal the truth about her steamyrelationship with hot, insatiable Drake—his sweet lies and hellacious lovemaking—to anyone except her private diary . . . These Are My Confessions by Electa Rome ParksFresh from a break-up, uptight, unfulfilled middle school teacher Alexis heads to Texas, where they say everything is bigger—and where she finds a tasty Dallas police officer who's strapped with way more than a gun . . . Strapped by Cheryl RobinsonLucky went from waitress to recording star, with a string of hits and a Miami mansion. Now she's back home in the Windy City to tease and torture the handsome, cheating stud who broke her heart. But the man's hot loving may be too hard for her to resist . . . Divas Need Love Too by Méta Smith

From childhood, Molly Bell Redwine was taught by her charismatic, domineering mother that "family is everything." But no one warned Molly that family can change unexpectedly. In rapid succession, her husband of more than twenty years abandons her for a younger woman, her mother dies, and her Atlanta clan scatters to the four winds. Molly is set adrift in a heartbeat. With her old world crumbling, Molly takes refuge with a friend on Martha's Vineyard, hoping to come to terms with who she truly is. When the summer season ends, Molly decides to stay on, renting a small cottage on a remote up-island pond—becoming part of an odd, new, very real family that taxes her old outworn notions. And as the long Vineyard winter approaches, Molly braces herself for the arduous task she must undertake: a search for renewal and identity, and the strength to carry her through to the warm and healing spring.

Josie, Perri, and Kat have been best friends since third grade—the athlete, the drama queen, and the popular beauty. Growing up in an affluent suburb of Baltimore, they enjoy privileges many teenagers are denied. But on the final day of school one of them brings a gun with her. And when the police break down the door of the high school girls' bathroom, locked from the inside, they find two of the friends wounded, one of them critically . . . and the third girl is dead.From multiple-award winner Laura Lippman, one of the most acclaimed authors of crime fiction writing today, comes a tale of secrets, friendship, and betrayal that illuminates a dark and chilling event with clarity and empathy.

Tragicomedy of the highest order, this stellar collection is Croatian writer Novakovich's best ever. Hailed as one of the best short story writers of the 1990s, Josip Novakovich was praised by the New York Times for writing fiction that has "the crackle of authenticity, like the bite of breaking glass." In his new collection, he explores a war–torn Balkan world in which a schoolchild's innocence evaporates in a puff of cannon smoke, lust replaces love, and the joy of survival overrides all other pleasures. As Serb, Croat, and Bosnian Muslim armies clash in the cities and countryside of the former Yugoslavia, it's hard to tell the front lines from the home front. The characters in Infidelities––soldiers and civilians alike––are caught in the ridiculous, often cruelly whimsical contradictions of war and the paranoia and folly of those who conduct it. In "Ribs," a Croatian woman whose husband has already been taken by the war will go to any length to keep her son out of the army, including sleeping with the draft officer, a tryst that leads to an unexpected, and disturbing, spiritual vision. A Buddhist soldier in the Bosnian Muslim military isly accused of being an informer to the enemy Serbs after his detachment ambushes itself in "Hail." A draft dodger is in the hospital for a transplant, in "A Purple Heart," when a high–ranking Croatian general steals the heart for himself (and dies) while the dodger suddenly discovers a new thirst for life. In "Spleen," a Bosnian émigré in America learns that even in the throes of passion she cannot find release from the haunting memories of her homeland. These stories cover a broad sweep of time, reaching back to the first shots of World War I in Sarajevo and forward to the plight of Balkan immigrants in contemporary America. Throughout, acts of compassion, gallows humour, even desire arise from a landscape devastated by tragedy.