It’s the hap-happiest season of all! With melt-in-the-mouth macaroons and perfect profiteroles in The Parisian Christmas Bake Off, and a wonderfully unexpected romance in Winter’s Fairytale, this lovely Christmas collection is sure to leave hearts glowing. The Parisian Christmas Bake Off Rachel Smithson is determined to be Paris’s next patisserie apprentice. Judge Henri Salernes may be a tough cookie but Rachel has come too far from her cosy English village to let her confidence crumble! And along with the flour, cinnamon and sugar, there’s definitely a touch of Christmas magic in the air… Winter’s Fairytale When a sudden blanketing of snow leaves Izzy stranded just before Christmas, she's in desperate need of a rescue. But that doesn't mean a cosy weekend with Rob in his swanky flat, watching London become a winter wonderland! Because Izzy and Rob have history and Izzy isn’t ready to go there, yet…

Country music has exploded across the U.S. and undergone a sweeping revolution, transforming the once ridiculed world of Nashville into an unlikely focal point of American pop culture. Bruce Feiler was granted unprecedented access to the private moments of the revolution. Here is the acclaimed report: a chronicle of the genre's biggest stars as they change the face of American music.From the historic stage of the Grand Ole Opry to the dim light of a recording studio, here is a ruggedly authentic behind the scenes tour that takes you places outsiders have never been allowed to go. Part social history, part backstage pass, this penetrating and graceful book presents the most comprehensive portraits yet painted of Garth Brooks and Wynonna Judd-two of the most celebrated artists of our times-as well as a touching picture of Wade Hayes, a young man who hopes to follow them to the exalted heights of one of America's richest traditions: the world of country music.

Una hechizante historia de tesoros perdidos y peligros ineludibles—el segundo libro en una Serie Red Lion sobresalienteTodo lo que necesita Lola Sánchez—bibliófila brillante y due?a de la librería Red Lion—para lanzarse a la aventura de una ya aventurada vida, es una mirada a los documentos centenarios que recibe de un misterioso desconocido. Los antiguos escritos hablan del robo de una fortuna en oro de Montezuma—y de la transformación del ladrón de conquistador en alquimista . . . en hombre lobo.Al valiente trotamundos que pueda resolver los complicados acertijos ocultos en las páginas desmenuzadas del artefacto, posiblemente le aguardan tesoros más allá de la imaginación. Pero también se esconde una maldición mortal entre las páginas. En una peligrosa búsqueda a través de las oscuras sombras de la historia, Lola y su apuesto acompa?ante, Eric, deberán desenmara?ar los hilos retorcidos del pasado familiar fantástico de Lola—y mantenerse un paso delante de los malvados cazadores de fortuna que no dudarán en matar por los secretos que posee Lola y por el oro azteca que ella busca.

Claire's older brother, Daniel, has disappeared. He leaves work one Friday afternoon, shortly before Christmas, and vanishes into thin air. Married, successful, rich, there seems no reason why he would abandon his life. Has he been killedHas he been kidnappedOr has he just had enough?Set between London and Miami, this is the story of a family with ghosts to bury. It opens on the day of the Challenger shuttle explosion at Cape Canaveral: a tragic moment that rips this family apart and sets Daniel's disappearance in motion some 18 years later. In the midst of it all sits Claire—divorced, irresponsible, fluent in six foreign languages yet hopeless at interpreting life. It is Claire who knows Daniel best. It is Claire who becomes convinced that she knows where her older brother is and sets off on a journey to find him.

The dramatic conclusion to Ilario: The Lion's Eye!Fleeing a surprise treacherous murder attempt, the former King's Freak and would-be painter Ilario has run to Carthage, the city-state under perpetual darkness, in search of freedom. But strange plots are afoot, and a tenuous, complicated alliance with a bookseller-turned-spy will lead Ilario from the shrouded land into tense negotiations and intrigues in seductive, mercurial Venice, from a fraught return to Iberia to a final confrontation with family . . . and destiny.

Thirteen-year-old Jordan Garrison is at a crossroads. He's just about to enter high school, and his biggest worries are his new bottom-of-the-totem-pole status as an incoming freshman and his father's constant lectures about becoming a man. Growing further apart from his younger siblings—precocious eight-year-old twins—Jordan thinks his only ally is his grandmother, a hip sixty-two-year-old with a youthful glow that comforts Jordan, especially in the absence of his mother. But when his widowed father suddenly dies, Jordan finds the journey through puberty to adulthood all the more daunting. He feels alone despite the best efforts of his family and friends. He is resentful and confused about new responsibilities forced on him, and torn between acting with his heart or fulfilling the expectations of those around him. A mysterious neighborhood shopkeeper, Snackman, notices Jordan's dilemma and steps in as surely as Jordan's own father would have. He offers Jordan a dirty strip of kente cloth, which he says contains the answers to Jordan's problems. And through this strip of cloth, Snackman guides Jordan to the answer of what it is to be a Black man. But not before Jordan meets with an almost disastrous fire and realizes his true importance to his family.Dazzling and magical, Between Father and Son is a heartening story with a powerful message that adults and children alike will turn to time and time again.

In the small Colombian mountain village of Mariquita, a band of guerrillas storms in to protest the country's ruling government. They arrive with propaganda and guns, and when they depart they have forcibly recruited all the town's men, leaving behind only a few—the priest and a young, fair-skinned boy disguised as a little girl.In their wake, Mariquita becomes a sinking wasteland filled with women who quickly resign themselves to food shortages, littered streets, and mourning. Without men, life is hopeless, and getting along, nearly impossible. But, Rosalba viuda de Pati?o, wife of the former police sergeant, sees a different fate for the town of widows. She declares herself magistrate and promises to instill law and order while restoring the failing economy and infrastructure. Reluctantly, the women agree to join forces. A utopia emerges, one that ironically resembles the ideal society the guerrilla group claims to promote. Deft, rich, and darkly humorous, Tales from the Town of Widows is a captivating exploration of gender and sexuality that uses the ongoing conflict in Colombia as a backdrop. It presents a fascinating portrait of ill-fated wives and the war that helped them build a peaceful, equality-based society.Exquisitely wrought, remarkably original, James Ca?ón's stunning debut marks the arrival of an unforgettable new literary talent.

These traditional reads are brimming with spirited characters and positive values--but with a little extra excitement and bite, so hold on to your hats! Written expressly for the middle grade struggling reader, the series does not contain strong language, edgy themes, or dysfunctional families. In fact, family is the main theme of these titles. And one particular Latino family is the focus with their uncanny knack for finding humor, hope, and colorful personalities--even in unusual circumstances. Written at the lowest reading levels, the 50-page story structure is straightforward and moves the reader through the text quickly and efficiently. "Mom? Mom! Can you hear me?" Lilia cried. But there was no answer. The only sound Lilia could hear were pebbles rolling down the mountain.

These traditional reads are brimming with spirited characters and positive values--but with a little extra excitement and bite, so hold on to your hats! Written expressly for the middle grade struggling reader, the series does not contain strong language, edgy themes, or dysfunctional families. In fact, family is the main theme of these titles. And one particular Latino family is the focus with their uncanny knack for finding humor, hope, and colorful personalities--even in unusual circumstances. Written at the lowest reading levels, the 50-page story structure is straightforward and moves the reader through the text quickly and efficiently. The bus should have arrived at the Heights at five o'clock. Two hours later, there was no sign of it. Everyone was scared and confused. A bus full of students had vanished.

These traditional reads are brimming with spirited characters and positive values--but with a little extra excitement and bite, so hold on to your hats! Written expressly for the middle grade struggling reader, the series does not contain strong language, edgy themes, or dysfunctional families. In fact, family is the main theme of these titles. And one particular Latino family is the focus with their uncanny knack for finding humor, hope, and colorful personalities--even in unusual circumstances. Written at the lowest reading levels, the 50-page story structure is straightforward and moves the reader through the text quickly and efficiently. Neither one noticed the large creature in the woods. It quietly ran alongside them. Its red eyes stared at them. Lilia thought she heard a scream. She stopped and listened. Then she heard it again.

These traditional reads are brimming with spirited characters and positive values--but with a little extra excitement and bite, so hold on to your hats! Written expressly for the middle grade struggling reader, the series does not contain strong language, edgy themes, or dysfunctional families. In fact, family is the main theme of these titles. And one particular Latino family is the focus with their uncanny knack for finding humor, hope, and colorful personalities--even in unusual circumstances. Written at the lowest reading levels, the 50-page story structure is straightforward and moves the reader through the text quickly and efficiently. Franco was an hour into his morning dive. He swam to the edge of the reef. Something caught his eye. When he swam closer, he gasped. There was a huge ship's mast!

Η πρωτοφαν?? οικονομικ? κρ?ση απ? την οπο?α δοκιμ?ζεται σκληρ? η ελληνικ? κοινων?α τα τελευτα?α ?τη, αναμ?νεται να ?χει αλλ?ξει εν πολλο?? τι? συν?θειε? και τον τρ?πο ζω??, ?πω? και τι? αντιλ?ψει? του μ?σου πολ?τη, τη φιλοσοφ?α του για το τρ?πτυχο "οικονομ?α-κοινων?α-περιβ?λλον", τι? προτεραι?τητ?? του και του? στ?χου? του. Ενδιαφ?ρον ε?ναι να διερευνηθε? αν η ανταπ?κρισ? του ε?ναι η αδιαφορ?α για το περιβ?λλον με πρ?κριση τη? επιβ?ωση? και του προσωπικο? του συμφ?ροντο?, ? αν καθιστ?ντα? την κρ?ση "ευκαιρ?α" στοχε?ει, με μακροπρ?θεσμη προοπτικ?, σε αμοιβα?ο ?φελο? του ιδ?ου και τη? κοινων?α?. Βασισμ?νη σε ?ρευνα ερωτηματολογ?ου με 1900 συμμετ?χοντε? εντ?? τη? ελληνικ?? επικρ?τεια? (Αττικ?, υπ?λοιπη Στερε? Ελλ?δα, Κεντρικ? Μακεδον?α, Κρ?τη, Ηπειρο?, Β?ρειο Αιγα?ο) και εκτ?? αυτ??, η μελ?τη επιχειρε? την αποτ?πωση και τη διερε?νηση τη? σ?νδεση? περιβ?λλοντο? και κοινωνικοοικονομικων αιτ?ων και επιπτ?σεων, ? αλλι?? τη? σ?νδεση? περιβαλλοντικ?ν και κοινωνικοοικονομικ?ν παραμ?τρων. Επιχειρε? τη διαμ?ρφωση "ειδικο? περιβαλλοντικο? βαρ?μετρου", δεδομ?νη? τη? υφιστ?μενη? οικονομικ?? κρ?ση?, για τι? αντ?στοιχε? τ?σει? και διαφαιν?μενε? προοπτικ?? στην Ελλ?δα και διεθν??. Ομ?δα - στ?χο του ερωτηματολογ?ου αποτ?λεσαν οι μ?σοι πολ?τε?, δηλαδ? εκε?νοι με μορφωτικ? επ?πεδο ικαν? (τουλ?χιστον δευτεροβ?θμια? εκπα?δευση?) και ηλικ?α που να αντανακλ? την ελ?χιστη απαιτο?μενη εμπειρ?α ζω??, ?στε να ε?ναι σε θ?ση να θεμελι?σουν αξι?πιστη ?ποψη β?σει τη? παρατιθ?μενη? θεματολογ?α?. Η μελ?τη αναπτ?σσεται σε δ?ο μ?ρη, θεωρητικ? και εμπειρικ?, με γενικ? συμπερ?σματα αντ? επιλ?γου, με σκοπ? την ορθ? κατ? περιεχ?μενο δι?ρθρωσ? τη? και την καλ?τερη καταν?ηση στη σταδιακ? παρακολο?θησ? τη?. Το πρ?το μ?ρο? πραγματοποι?θηκε β?σει βιβλιογραφικ?? ανασκ?πηση? εν? το εμπειρικ? ερευνητικ? υλοποι?θηκε με την χρ?ση του ερωτηματολογ?ου. Το Α?μ?ρο? (κεφ. 1-3) περιλαμβ?νει το εννοιολογικ? περιεχ?μενο και τι? θεωρητικ?? προσεγγ?σει?, καθ?? επ?ση? και την ιστορικ? ανασκ?πηση στο θ?μα τη? σχ?ση? "οικονομ?α-κοινων?α-περιβ?λλον" με αναφορ? στη διεθν? εμπειρ?α και εστιασμ? στην περ?πτωση τη? Ελλ?δα?. Το Β? μ?ρο? (κεφ. 4-9) περιλαμβ?νει την εμπειρικ? και ερευνητικ? διαδικασ?α, με την παρ?θεση του ερωτηματολογ?ου, την αν?λυση των ερωτ?σεων με αναφορ? στι? επιδι?ξει? και του? στ?χου? που εξυπηρετο?ν, τη συλλογ? ενδεικτικ?ν πρωτογεν?ν απαντ?σεων, τη στατιστικ? αν?λυση και τα συμπερ?σματα που εξ?γονται, την επισκ?πηση απαντ?σεων και βασικ?? διαπιστ?σει? και ερμηνε?α απ?ψεων,?πω? και την αν?δειξη τη? διαμ?ρφωση? ν?ων τ?σεων. Η μελ?τη συνοδε?εται απ? εκτεν?? εποπτικ? υλικ? (διαγρ?μματα, π?νακε?, σχ?ματα, κ.?.) και μεγ?λο αριθμ? υποσημει?σεων, που καθιστο?ν πιο ευχερ?, κατανοητ? και ενδιαφ?ρουσα την παρακολο?θηση τη? μελ?τη?, αλλ? και αξι?πιστο και τεκμηριωμ?νο το περιεχ?μενο, απ? την αν?λυση των παρατιθ?μενων ερωτ?σεων ?ω? τα συμπερ?σματα. Απευθ?νεται και επιδι?κεται να ε?ναι αξιοποι?σιμη σε διεπιστημονικ? επ?πεδο, απ? επιστημονικο?? και ερευνητικο?? φορε??, απ? τον πολιτικ?, απ? τον δημ?σιο λειτουργ?, αλλ? πρωτ?στω? απ? τον μ?σο πολ?τη, ενθαρρ?νοντα? περαιτ?ρω την αναζ?τηση και τη δραστηριοπο?ηση σε θετικ?? και αποτελεσματικ?? εν?ργειε? στο αντ?στοιχο ευρ? πεδ?ο. Η συνολικ? διερε?νηση, η στατιστικ? επεξεργασ?α, η αν?λυση και η αποκωδικοπο?ηση των απαντ?σεων καθ?? και η παροχ? ζητο?μενων ? προαιρετικ?ν εξηγ?σεων, διευκριν?σεων και παραδειγμ?των, οδηγε? στην αν?δειξη ν?ων διαστ?σεων και εμπλουτισμο? τη? συνολικ?? προβληματικ??. Παρ?λληλα παρ?χει ενδιαφ?ροντα ?σο και απροσδ?κητα δεδομ?να για τι? πεποιθ?σει? και τη στ?ση του μ?σου πολ?τη, για την ωρ?μανση και τη συνειδητοπο?ησ? του για το ρ?λο και τη συμβολ? του, τι? δυνατ?τητε? και την προοπτικ? για το περιβ?λλον ?σο και το μ?λλον του!

From the author of the bestselling THE BINDING CHAIR comes an extraordinary tale of desire set in the snowfields of 1917 Alaska. Bigelow is a scientist, meticulous and obsessive, a man of tightly coiled passion. Stationed in the tiny frontier town of Anchorage, Alaska in 1915, he builds a weather observatory, a kite big enough to penetrate the heavens, carrying instruments to track the great storms that scour the land. He is distracted from his labours when he meets a native Aleut woman, a stitcher of furs, whose muteness calls up in him an almost unbearable longing. Her ferocious self-containment begins to seem to him more and more animal – and yet the more her silence pushes him away he burns to possess her. And when she disappears, he begins to believe he'll die if he never sees her again… An incendiary tale set against the sear and haunting landscape of the Great North, THE SEAL WIFE merges the enchantment of myth with a taut and chilling story of erotic compulsion.

For the first time all of Carol Shields’ remarkable short stories – some previously unpublished – are gathered together in one volume. ‘Carol Shields’ stories have given me happiness, not just pleasure’ Alice Munro In the Collected Stories we bring together Carol Shields’ original short-story volumes, Various Miracles, The Orange Fish and Dressing Up for the Carnival, as well as many stories not previously published in the UK, including ‘Segue’, her last work. In these stories the author combines the dazzling virtuosity and wise maturity that won so many readers to her prize-winning novels such as The Stone Diaries and Unless.

The novel from the bestselling author of The Future Homemakers of America and The Unfortunates. The Boff brothers live at home with their Mam. They have a lav down the yard and a jerry under the bed and they play bookings at the Birmingham Welsh and the Rover Sports and Social. Cled tinkles on the piano and Sel is the crooner. 'Sel's the one who can lift people out of themselves and send them home feeling grand and you can't argue against that' says Cled. When Sel decides he must try his chances with the brights lights of New York City, he packs up his sequinned suits and enlists his brother as travel companion and accompanist. Things begin to roll and what follows is a tale of high jinx; of mirrored ceilings and heart-shaped tubs; of screaming girls, romancing and No Business Like Show Business. As jealousy starts encroaching on the brothers' relationship, Cled finds that there are more secrets in his family than he had bargained for. With her characteristic wit and wisdom, Laurie Graham brings us a touching celebration of the sparkle and the dust in family life.

Twenty years ago Katherine Neville's groundbreaking thriller THE EIGHT was a global bestseller – a thriller in the style of THE DA VINCI CODE way before Dan Brown ever got there… In this long-awaited sequel, Alexandra Solarin, a chess-wizard and the only daughter of Cat Velis, the heroine of THE EIGHT, arrives at her mother's Colorado lodge, only to discover that her mother has disappeared. Finding string of clues, Alexandra is soon joined by a group of people called there by her mother, including her aunt Lily, who explains the truth of Cat's past. In 1822, as the fortress of Sultan Ali Pasha falls to the Turks, the Sultan's daughter Haidee attempts a desperate journey taking her through Albania, Morocco and Rome, while carrying an invaluable object and seeking the one man who can help her: the poet George Gordon, Lord Byron. Ultimately both Alexandra and Haidee learn that their missions are even more desperate than they first seem, for both are players in a dangerous game, a game that began more than a millennium before either of them were born and that has the power to affect the fate of human civilization itself.

A short story from the collection Ugly Man by Dennis Cooper.

An original collection of incandescent cultural criticism, both experimental and personal, full of pragmatic advice for how to live a considered, joyful existence in our era of screen living and hipster irony, by a Gen-X Princeton professor and contributor to the New York TimesThe essays in The Other Serious examine the signature pheno?mena of our moment: the way our lives contradict themselves, how exaggeration and excess seep into our collective subconscious, why gender is becoming more rather than less complicated, and how we interact with the material things that surround us. It is a book about the delicacy and bluntness of American life, about how pop culture sticks its finger deeply into the ethical dilemmas of our time, and how to negotiate between the old and the new, the high and the low, the global and the local, the sacred and the profane. At the heart of these reflections lies a central question: What should you do when you don't know what to do?Taken together, these essays comprise a guide for the overhaul of "the administrativersity" of contemporary American life, a bureaucratic prison where the brain needn't work anymore. These pieces investigate the writer's own way of thinking putting forth new ideas, questioning them, and urging the reader to adopt the same spirit of critical reexamination.

In this captivating memoir, Suzie Gilbert tells the rollicking story of how she turned her family life upside down to pursue her unusual passion for rehabilitating wild birds. Through adolescence and into adulthood, Suzie Gilbert struggled to find her calling. But when she took a job working at the animal hospital near her home in New York's Hudson Valley, her passion was born. She began bringing abused and unwanted parrots home and volunteering at a local raptor rehabilitation center, activities she continued for the next eleven years, even as she started a family. Then came the ultimate commitment to her cause: turning her home into Flyaway, Inc., a nonprofit wild bird rehabilitation center.Gilbert chronicles the years of her chaotic household-cum-bird-hospital with delightful wit, recounting the confusion that ensued as her husband and two young children struggled to live in a house where parrots shrieked Motown songs, nestling robins required food every twenty minutes, and recuperating herons took over the spare bathroom. Gradually, however, the birds came to represent the value of compassion and the importance of pursuing even the most unlikely of dreams.Often funny, sometimes painful, Gilbert's encounters with these beautiful creatures reveal profound truths not only about animals but also about our own lives lessons of birth and death, suffering and empathy, holding on and letting go. Original, lyrical, and highly entertaining, Flyaway will forever change the way you see this amazing member of the animal kingdom.

This is the first part of a radical retelling, in two volumes, of the ancient Indian epic, The Mahabharata. At the heart of this version is the mystery of Karna. He was found as a baby by a lowly, childless couple who adopted him. The story follows this strange but remarkable boy as he moves from these humble beginnings to become a great warrior, embroiled in a simmering conflict between two sets of royal princes. This retelling aims to be as intriguing to readers familiar with the ancient storyline as to those who have no knowledge of the legend: while staying close to the original plot skeleton, it is profoundly different, with new tissues fleshing out the ancient bones. It also attempts to capture, but in a modern light, the spirit of philosophical drama contained in the original. The Scales traces Karna’s early years, his introduction to the princes, and his enduring rivalry with one of these, Arjuna. The volume concludes with an account of the great dice tournament involving the princes and their allies. In spite of its very personal and western perspective, this book hopes to celebrate ancient India’s immense and varied contributions to humanity.

In a new suite of powerful and incisive stories, Justin Taylor captures the lives of men and women unmoored from their pasts and uncertain of their futures.A man writes his girlfriend a Dear John letter, gets in his car, and just drives. A widowed insomniac is roused from malaise when an alligator appears in her backyard. A group of college friends tries to stay close after graduation, but are drawn away from—and back toward—each other by the choices they make. A boy's friendship with a pair of identical twins undergoes a strange and tragic evolution over the course of adolescence. A promising academic and her fiancé attempt to finish their dissertations, but struggle with writer's block, a nasty secret, and their own knowledge of Freud. From an East Village rooftop to a cabin in Tennessee, from the Florida suburbs to Hong Kong, Taylor covers a vast emotional and geographic landscape while ushering us into an abiding intimacy with his restless, unforgettable characters. Flings is a commanding work of fiction that captures the contemporary search for identity, connection, and a place to call home.