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万本电子书0元读

The Girl in Blue (Shivers, Book 8)
The Girl in Blue (Shivers, Book 8)
Barbara J. Hancock
¥11.77
Strange accidents and unexplained deaths are commonplace. And everyone fears the dark in Barbara J. Hancock's Scarlet Falls. A secluded hamlet ablaze in autumn splendor, Scarlet Falls is a seemingly idyllic New England town…. But Trinity Chadwick knows better. The place is haunted to its very core. For Trinity there has been no escape from the specter of the girl in the blue dress. The child's laughter still rides on the tainted mist of the town's frigid lake. And tragedy always follows in its wake. Constant vigilance against malevolent forces has worn Trinity down, driving her back to the last place on earth she ever expected to step foot: Hillhaven–her childhood home. Only to encounter Samuel Creed. The last man she ever expected to confront. A long-ago kiss of life kindled an obsession in both that is at once sensual and macabre. Creed is tortured by that memory. He is as tempting as ever, a man Trinity can neither forget nor entirely trust.
House of Glass
House of Glass
Jen Christie
¥11.77
Theirs will be a shattering affair. The glass chalet has enchanted Reyna since childhood. Built upon the cliff face at Devlin Manor, the luminous curiosity dangles over the Caribbean like a diamond pendant. Wondrous to behold from the water, the house is even more astonishing up close, as Reyna quickly learns when she comes into service at the estate. Left untouched as a shrine to the beautiful and tempestuous Celeste St. Claire, the glass house beckons to Reyna. It exerts the same sensual pull upon Lucas St. Claire, the mercurial master of the manor. Both are powerless to resist. When the two meet within, their need is as transparent as the walls surrounding them. But that passion may be indulged at dear cost. Seduced by the shimmering cottage–and the tortured man who built it–Reyna risks joining its former mistress in oblivion.
Lady Mary Crawley and Matthew Crawley Esq
Lady Mary Crawley and Matthew Crawley Esq
Jessica Fellowes,Matthew Sturgis
¥11.77
This richly illustrated short, extracted from the official book The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, focuses on the characters individually, examining their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind them. Forwarded by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. ‘There’s an independence about Mary,” says Michelle Dockery, the actress who plays her. “She’s not influenced by anyone and she’s very much her own person, she makes her own decisions. I understand her because I’m one of three girls too and I’ve always been defiant that I didn’t want to do what they did.’ Having her heart both broken and put back together by her true love, Matthew, has rounded the edges off Mary. Now, we find she has her backbone of steel but she is kinder, nicer and altogether more forgiving of human fallibilities – even her own. Matthew is a lucky man to have survived the war. What’s more, he has the possibility of gaining a large fortune, and is due to marry the woman he loves. Yet, he is not a man at ease. His conscience is easily pricked by the requirements that lie ahead of him in the role of Earl of Grantham. Purchase this ebook short and the others in the series to get closer still to the characters at Downton Abbey and to understand more about their social context – from the changing role of the aristocracy to fashion and beauty, American Anglophiles, the Suffragette movement and life below stairs in a big country house like Downton. Search for The Chronicles of Downton Abbey to purchase all shorts combined.
Lady Edith Crawley (Downton Abbey Shorts, Book 5)
Lady Edith Crawley (Downton Abbey Shorts, Book 5)
Jessica Fellowes,Matthew Sturgis
¥11.77
This richly illustrated short, extracted from the official book The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, focuses on the characters individually, examining their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind them. Forwarded by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. Edith Crawley, the middle daughter of the Granthams, sandwiched between her elder, beautiful and fiery sister Mary, and Sybil, the younger, worthy one, struggles to find her position in life. She is caught between acting tough and being on the defensive. ‘She’s vulnerable,’ says Laura Carmichael, who plays her. ‘She’s the disappointing daughter. And she feels that very keenly – she so wants to be loved and accepted, rather than rejected. And she throws herself into things to try and achieve that.’ Purchase this ebook short and the others in the series to get closer still to the characters at Downton Abbey and to understand more about their social context – from the changing role of the aristocracy to fashion and beauty, American Anglophiles, the Suffragette movement and life below stairs in a big country house like Downton. Search for The Chronicles of Downton Abbey to purchase all shorts combined.
Mr and Mrs John Bates (Downton Abbey Shorts, Book 9)
Mr and Mrs John Bates (Downton Abbey Shorts, Book 9)
Jessica Fellowes,Matthew Sturgis
¥11.77
This richly illustrated short, extracted from the official book The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, focuses on the characters individually, examining their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind them. Forwarded by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. Living under the threat of death for some weeks until his reprieve was obtained would have been enormously traumatic for Bates. At least, we must imagine that it was. Bates is a man who has been so opaque and guarded in his emotions that even those closest to him have had to patiently and slowly tease out details about his past. Anna Bates is a rare creature; utterly sure of herself, dependable, sympathetic and steadfastly loyal. Although having a convicted murderer for a husband is not quite every newlywed’s dream, Anna is unwavering in her belief that he is innocent. Anna puts her loyalty to her husband first and foremost, and her love for him could be as dangerous as it is steadfast. Purchase this ebook short and the others in the series to get closer still to the characters at Downton Abbey and to understand more about their social context – from the changing role of the aristocracy to fashion and beauty, life in prison, American Anglophiles, the Suffragette movement and life below stairs in a big country house like Downton. Search for The Chronicles of Downton Abbey to purchase all shorts combined.
Mrs Patmore, Daisy and Mr Alfred Nugent
Mrs Patmore, Daisy and Mr Alfred Nugent
Jessica Fellowes,Matthew Sturgis
¥11.77
This richly illustrated short, extracted from the official book The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, focuses on the characters individually, examining their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind them. Forwarded by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. The outside world and its changes only rarely affect Mrs Patmore. ‘She is a product of her time,’ says Lesley Nicol, the actress who plays her, ‘loyal to the family, and to the household. She is very proud of her job and good at it, too, I think.’ As the meek protégée of the cook, Daisy, fuelled by a desire to improve her situation, has started to find her voice and is defiantly answering back to make sure she gets what she believes is her due. She’s also a romantic, prone to crushes: Thomas (futile, for obvious reasons) and now the new footman, Alfred Nugent. We can see that it’s hard for her to conjure up the courage to do anything about it. Fortunately, Alfred is not cunning like his aunt but rather guileless and sweet. As Matt Milne, the actor playing him, says: ‘He is determined to make it work. It’s a big opportunity, and he is just going to keep his head down and work hard.’ Even Lady Mary thinks he’s nice, albeit that he looks ‘like a puppy who’s been rescued from a puddle’. Purchase this ebook short and the others in the series to get closer still to the characters at Downton Abbey and to understand more about their social context – from the changing role of the aristocracy to fashion and beauty, American Anglophiles, the Suffragette movement and life below stairs in a big country house like Downton. Search for The Chronicles of Downton Abbey to purchase all shorts combined.
Madge’s story (Individual stories from THE SWEETHEARTS, Book 1)
Madge’s story (Individual stories from THE SWEETHEARTS, Book 1)
Lynn Russell,Neil Hanson
¥11.77
This is Madge’s story, one of five stories extracted from THE SWEETHEARTS. Whether in wartime or peace, tales of love, laughter and hardship from the girls in the Rowntrees factory in Yorkshire. “On the morning of her Rowntrees job interview, on a warm Monday morning in July 1932, Fourteen-year-old Madge Fisher stood fidgeting in the hallway of her terraced house while her mother, Margaret, pinned up her hair and then inspected her from top to toe. ‘Hands,’ her mother said, and Madge presented them meekly for inspection, glad that she’d remembered to wash them at the kitchen sink…” From the 1930s through to the 1980s, as Britain endured war, depression, hardship and strikes, the women at the Rowntree’s factory in York kept the chocolates coming. This is the true story of The Sweethearts, the women who roasted the cocoa beans, piped the icing and packed the boxes that became gifts for lovers, snacks for workers and treats for children across the country. More often than not, their working days provided welcome relief from bad husbands and bad housing, a community where they could find new confidence, friendship and when the supervisor wasn’t looking, the occasional chocolate.
Florence’s story (Individual stories from THE SWEETHEARTS, Book 2)
Florence’s story (Individual stories from THE SWEETHEARTS, Book 2)
Lynn Russell,Neil Hanson
¥11.77
This is Florence’s story, one of five stories extracted from THE SWEETHEARTS. Whether in wartime or peace, tales of love, laughter and hardship from the girls in the Rowntrees factory in Yorkshire. “Florence was born in 1923 and remembers sleeping three or four to a bed with the other children. ‘If it was really cold, my mum would give us the shelf out of the fireside oven, wrapped in a piece of cloth, as a hot water bottle. She’d put it right in the middle of the bed where all four of us could get our feet on it’. Florence finished school on a Friday in July 1937 and started work at Rowntree’s the following Monday. ‘There were so many people pouring in through the gates,’ Florence recalls, ‘and the whole place was so huge – even the rooms were enormous – that I couldn’t imagine how I was ever going to find my way around the place…” From the 1930s through to the 1980s, as Britain endured war, depression, hardship and strikes, the women at the Rowntree’s factory in York kept the chocolates coming. This is the true story of The Sweethearts, the women who roasted the cocoa beans, piped the icing and packed the boxes that became gifts for lovers, snacks for workers and treats for children across the country. More often than not, their working days provided welcome relief from bad husbands and bad housing, a community where they could find new confidence, friendship and when the supervisor wasn’t looking, the occasional chocolate.
The Rest Is Noise Series: Zero Hour
The Rest Is Noise Series: Zero Hour
Alex Ross
¥11.77
This is a chapter from Alex Ross’s groundbreaking history of twentieth-century classical music, ‘The Rest is Noise’. Further extracts are available as digital shorts, accompanying the London Southbank festival programme. Following the Allied victory, all over Europe, young people were emerging from the rubble into adulthood – amongst them, leading figures of the post-war musical scene. They would be indelibly marked by their teenage experiences, their memories colouring their compositions. Now a major festival running throughout 2013 at London’s Southbank, The Rest is Noise is an intricate commentary not just on the sounds that defined the century, but on art’s troublesome dance with politics, social and cultural change. Alex Ross is the New Yorker’s music critic, and the winner of the Guardian First Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award for The Rest is Noise, which was also shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson and Pulitzer prizes for non-fiction.
The Rest Is Noise Series: Brave New World
The Rest Is Noise Series: Brave New World
Alex Ross
¥11.77
This is a chapter from Alex Ross’s groundbreaking history of twentieth-century classical music, ‘The Rest is Noise’. Further extracts are available as digital shorts, accompanying the London Southbank festival programme. The Cold War breaks out and music explodes into a pandemonium of revolutions, counterrevolutions, theories, polemics, alliances,and party splits. The language of modern music is reinvented. This short ebook looks at some of the extraordinary compositions of this period. Now a major festival running throughout 2013 at London’s Southbank, The Rest is Noise is an intricate commentary not just on the sounds that defined the century, but on art’s troublesome dance with politics, social and cultural change. Alex Ross is the New Yorker’s music critic, and the winner of the Guardian First Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award for The Rest is Noise, which was also shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson and Pulitzer prizes for non-fiction.
The Star Dogs: Beyond the Stars
The Star Dogs: Beyond the Stars
Roddy Doyle
¥11.77
An imaginative short story inspired by real events, taken from the collection, BEYOND THE STARS, and written and illustrated by two award-winning talents Told from the perspective of the Russian dog Tsygan, this is the story of the first living creatures to be sent into space – the ‘star dogs’ of the title. Roddy Doyle’s typically accessible voice is complemented by the illuminating illustrations of Steve Simpson, together immersing a new generation of young readers in the incredible true story of the Soviet space dogs, one of the twentieth century’s true feats of science.
The Brockets Get a Dog: Beyond the Stars
The Brockets Get a Dog: Beyond the Stars
John Boyne
¥11.77
A humorous short story from the collection, BEYOND THE STARS, written by an internationally bestselling author Abigail Crumb is forever making mistakes at the veterinary surgery where she works after school, and now she’s on her final warning. So when she loses – and then finds again – one of the puppies in her care, she doesn’t tell her boss; she’s saving up for a houdah for her elephant, after all, and knows she has to hide the puppy if she wants to keep her job. But how will she keep her secret? After several chance encounters with Henry Brocket – a forlorn little boy who’s always dressed as a pilot and is obsessed with Biggles – and discovering why he’s so sad, Abigail suddenly realises what she must do.
How to Help Your Grandda: Beyond the Stars
How to Help Your Grandda: Beyond the Stars
Judi Curtin
¥11.77
A funny short story from the collection, BEYOND THE STARS, written and illustrated by two great Irish talents in children’s fiction today When Lorcan Browne’s class are told to write to someone they admire, all his friends choose soccer stars and boy band singers, but Lorcan chooses the richest person in town instead, because he could never write to the person he REALLY admires – his Grandda. Will Lorcan’s plan to help save his Grandda from his freezing house change his family’s fortunes? Or will he have put his Grandda’s life in jeopardy? Sometimes letter-writing can have the most surprising of consequences…
The Lookout: Beyond the Stars
The Lookout: Beyond the Stars
Eoin Colfer
¥11.77
A short story from the Fighting Words collection, BEYOND THE STARS, written and illustrated by two of the most outstanding talents in children’s fiction today Ireland, 1955: Charley’s used to being lookout for Mammy – or ‘Sal Capone’, as she’s known in the local papers. He doesn’t want to be part of a criminal gang, but he’d rather that than have his mammy dragged off to prison; she’s only trying to keep him safe from Dad. But on the day of Charley’s fourteenth birthday, when Mammy takes him along on her latest job – a hold-up at gunpoint of the village post office – Charley’s role changes and he has to protect her from the Guard. The stakes have been raised and Charley realises that the outcome of this crime could change their lives for ever. Will it be like in a Hollywood movie? Or will it be ‘like life in Ireland: cold and hard and with no happy ending’?
The Snow Globe: Beyond the Stars
The Snow Globe: Beyond the Stars
Marita Conlon McKenna
¥11.77
A magical short story from the collection, BEYOND THE STARS, written and illustrated by two great Irish talents in children’s fiction today Cass and her family have moved to Galway because of her dad’s job and Cass is devastated – she misses her old friends and school, and hates living in a strange house in a strange town. But when she stumbles upon a mysterious antique snow globe at the local Christmas market, little does she know that her fortunes are about to change… A heartfelt story, beautifully complemented by gorgeous artwork. Look out for the other eleven stories - also available as e-shorts!
The King of the Birds: Beyond the Stars
The King of the Birds: Beyond the Stars
Michael Scott
¥11.77
A captivating short story taken from the collection, BEYOND THE STARS, written and illustrated by two great Irish talents in children’s fiction today On the day of the Winter Solstice, all the birds of Ireland assemble before the wise old Barn Owl to choose their ruler by a trial of flight. When Iolar the Golden Eagle, the largest and most powerful bird there, is challenged to the title by the tiny and mysterious Dreolin the Wren, his feathers aren’t ruffled: he thinks he deserves to win. But perhaps his confidence is misplaced, for having courage, heart and the respect of your peers are just as important as strength and endurance… An uplifting tale of the triumph of ingenuity over strength, whose memorable characters are brought to life by evocative artwork. Look out for the other eleven stories - also available as e-shorts!
The 13th Gift: Part Two (HarperTrue Life – A Short Read)
The 13th Gift: Part Two (HarperTrue Life – A Short Read)
Joanne Huist Smith
¥11.77
A true Christmas story of a family suffering their darkest moments finding strength and love from a surprise Christmas miracle. December 1999: It was the Christmas season, but Joanne Smith was numb. She wished she could just go to sleep and wake up on December 26. No singing. No laughter. No shopping. She typically enjoyed the holidays, but this year she couldn’t celebrate. Her beloved husband of almost twenty years had died two months previously. What had once been a happy home was now devastated, leaving her and her three children drowning in grief. Until they were thrown a lifeline. Twelve days before Christmas, Jo was in the midst of rushing her kids to school, when she discovered a poinsettia sitting on her doorstep with a card, signed cryptically by her “true friends.” That seemingly small gift was the turning point for the Smith family, as over the course of the twelve days of Christmas, a new gift arrived daily. The mystery of the Christmas presents – specifically, the generosity and kindness behind them – worked its magic on the Smiths as the family knitted back together. They rose out of their grief and latched onto the hope they suddenly felt again: that with love, with community, and with family, even the most broken hearts can be mended.
You Are Destined To Be Together Forever [an Odd Thomas short story]
You Are Destined To Be Together Forever [an Odd Thomas short story]
Dean Koontz
¥11.77
Odd Thomas’s singular journey is approaching its unforgettable conclusion in SAINT ODD. But before Odd’s destiny is revealed, this exclusive eBook short story looks back to where it all began for Odd Thomas and Stormy Llewellyn, two souls who are destined to be together forever. Odd Thomas, a 16 year old fry-cook with a gift for seeing the recently deceased, and his girlfriend Stormy Llewellyn (and in the backseat, the spirit of Elvis Presley) are on their way to the annual carnival when a man with a machete embedded in his neck hurls himself into their borrowed car, with all the nimble grace of the lingering dead. Someone, somewhere close by is in imminent danger. Odd and Stormy must postpone their visit to the fair and its fortune-telling machine in order to avert a brutal crime…
Willow Cottage – Part Three: A Spring Affair (Willow Cottage Series)
Willow Cottage – Part Three: A Spring Affair (Willow Cottage Series)
Bella Osborne
¥11.77
Part three in a new cosy and heartwarming four-part seasonal series, perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley. Beth is running away. With her young son Leo to protect, Willow Cottage is the lifeline she so desperately needs. Overlooking the village green in a beautiful Cotswolds idyll, Beth sees a warm, caring and safe place for little Leo. When she finally uncovers the cottage from underneath the boughs of a weeping willow tree, Beth realises this is far more of a project than she bargained for and the locals are more than a little eccentric! A chance encounter with gruff Jack, who appears to be the only male in the village under thirty, leaves the two of them at odds but it’s not long before Beth realises that Jack has hidden talents that could help her repair more than just Willow Cottage Over the course of four seasons, Beth realises that broken hearts can be mended, and sometimes love can be right under your nose… Willow Cottage is part of a serialized novel told in four parts, following the journey of Beth and her new life in the Cotswolds. The full book will be out next this August, but for now, enjoy Willow Cottage seasonally.
Just So Stories (Collins Classics)
Just So Stories (Collins Classics)
Rudyard Kipling
¥11.77
The Just So Stories typically have the theme of a particular animal being modified from an original form to its current form by the acts of man, or some magical being. For example, the Whale has a tiny throat because he swallowed a mariner, who tied a raft inside to block the whale from swallowing other men. The Camel has a hump given to him by a djinn as punishment for the camel's refusing to work (the hump allows the camel to work longer between times of eating). The Leopard's spots were painted by an Ethiopian (after the Ethiopian painted himself black). The Kangaroo gets its powerful hind legs, long tail, and hopping gait after being chased all day by a dingo, sent by a minor god responding to the Kangaroo's request to be made different from all other animals.How the Whale Got His Throat — why the larger whales eat only small prey.How the Camel Got His Hump — how the idle camel was punished and given a hump.How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin — why rhinos have folds in their skin and bad tempers.How the Leopard Got His Spots — why leopards have spots.The Elephant's Child/How the Elephant got his Trunk — how the elephant's trunk became long.The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo — how the kangaroo assumed long legs and tail.The Beginning of the Armadillos — how a hedgehog and tortoise transformed into the first armadillos.How the First Letter Was Written — introduces the only characters who appear in more than one story: a family of cave-people, called Tegumai Bopsulai (the father), Teshumai Tewindrow (the mother), and Taffimai Metallumai, (the daughter). Explains how Taffimai delivered a picture message to her mother.How the Alphabet Was Made — Taffimai and her father invent an alphabet.The Crab That Played with the Sea — explains the ebb and flow of the tides, as well as how the crab changed from a huge animal into a small one.The Cat That Walked by Himself — the longest story, explains how man domesticated all the wild animals except the cat, which insisted on greater independence.The Butterfly That Stamped — how Solomon saved the pride of a butterfly, and the Queen of Sheba used this to prevent his wives scolding him.The Tabu Tale
The Billionaire's Intern - Part 2 (Mills & Boon M&B) (The Forbidden Series, Book
The Billionaire's Intern - Part 2 (Mills & Boon M&B) (The Forbidden Series, Book
Maisey Yates
¥11.77
The Forbidden Series: billionaires who can look, but shouldn't touch! In Part Two of The Billionaire's Intern, Addison is about to get up close and very personal with her new boss when he asks for her help. But how can she help him when she can't even help herself? She should refuse, but no one's ever needed her before, especially someone as irresistible as Logan Black…