A darkly funny sports memoir about a mid-life crisis, exercise addiction, tennis, and how to grow up when you really, really don't want toAt forty-one, Scarlett Thomas was a successful novelist and a senior academic. She’d quit smoking, gotten healthier, settled down in a lovely house with a wonderful partner. She’d had all the therapy. Then her beloved dog died. Her parents started to get sick right around the time she realized she was never going to be a mother herself. For the first time in her life, maintaining her ideal weight had become nearly impossible. She was supposed to grow up, but she didn’t know how. So instead she decided to regress, to go back to the thing she’d loved best as a child but had inexplicably abandoned: tennis. Thomas knows she’s not the only person to have wondered whether throwing enough money and time and passion at something can make your dream come true. 41–Love is heartbreaking but...

A monster from Cassandra's past has come back to haunt her. The monster, Thing, has done unspeakable things to Cassandra, things that have affected her well into adulthood. Plagued by violent and horrific dreams Cassandra seeks the help of therapist Zakiyyah. Can Zakiyyah save Cassandra from Thing and herself, or is it already too late?Growing up Cassandra wasn’t afraid of the monster in her closet or the thing under her bed. Growing up Cassandra was afraid of Thing, her very own flesh and blood monster. Thing did unspeakable things to Cassandra, things that affect her well into adulthood. Cassandra’s life starts to spiral out of control when she begins to have dreams about killing Thing. Afraid of what she may become Cassandra seeks the help of therapist Zakiyyah. Can Zakiyyah save Cassandra from Thing and herself, or is it already too late?

A must-have for the fans of the #1 bestselling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris, a collection of his favorite short fiction from Flannery O'Connor to Tobias Wolff. A bestseller in its own right and a must-have for fans of the #1 bestselling author David Sedaris, a collection of his favorite short fiction. David Sedaris is an exceptional reader. Alone in his apartment, he reads stories aloud to the point he has them memorized. Sometimes he fantasizes that he wrote them. Sometimes, when they’re his very favorite stories, he’ll fantasize about reading them in front of an audience and taking credit for them. The audience in these fantasies always loves him and gives him the respect he deserves. David Sedaris didn’t write the stories in Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules . But he did read them. And he liked them enough to hand pick them for this collection of short fiction. Featuring such notable writers as Lorrie Moore, Alice Munro, Joyce Carol Oates, Jean Thompson, and Tobias Wolff, Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules includes some of the most influential and talented short story writers, contemporary and classic. Perfect for fans who suffer from Sedaris fever, Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules will tide them over and provide relief. 2 hrs 56 mins

'And it happened when Martine or Philippa spoke to Babette that they would get no answers, and would wonder if she had even heard what they said … Orshe would sit immovable on the three-legged kitchen chair, her strong hands in her lap and her dark eyes wide open, as enigmatical and fatal as a Pythia upon her tripod. At such moments, they realised that Babette was deep, and that in the soundings of her being there were passions, there were memories and longings of which they knew nothing at all.' Babette's Feast is a sublime celebration of eating, drinking and sensual pleasure. In Isak Dinesen's life-affirming short story, two elderly sisters living in a remote, god-fearing Norwegian community take in a mysterious refugee from Paris one night - and are rewarded for their kindness with the most decadent, luxurious feast of a lifetime.

Raped and reduced to working in a brothel to keep her baby, unwed, teenage mother, Lizzie, forges a new life for herself and her child in the Kimberley region of Australia. But can she evade her persecutors and ultimately bring to them to justice?Updated version of the second book in the 'Old Balmain House' SeriesRaped and reduced to working in a brothel to keep her baby, unwed, teenage mother, Lizzie, forges a new life for herself and her child in the Kimberley region of Australia. But can she evade her persecutors and ultimately bring to them to justice?This is a story of a girl from inner Sydney. Her family is poor, her father dies when she is nine, life is hard. But her courage rises above adversity. It is story of her struggle to survive and make a life of her own, first as a prostitute, then with her child in a remote outback town.This is the second book in the series, "Old Balmain House" and begins in the same house as the first book and continues part of the story of Sophie, the girl who vanished half a century ago. Lizzie, aged eight, meets Sophie, the girl who lived in the same bedroom as a child. Sophie becomes her friend.When Lizzie turns fifteen Sophie tries to warn her not to go in a car with three older boys.Lizzie ignores her warning and is brutally raped by these three men. Lizzie becomes pregnant and is determined to keep her child. She leaves Sydney and goes to Melbourne, to have and keep her baby. Here, penniless and desperate, she become a prostitute the only way she can support herself. She is discovered and the authorities try to take her child.She flees to Broome, a small town in the furthest corner of of Australia. Here she assumes the role of widow with a small child and settles into this friendly town. Her life is good until a man from her former life finds her and threatens to expose her or harm her child.She runs again. On a remote desert road her car breaks down. Without water, with her six year old daughter beside her, they face death from thirst. Help comes in an unexpected way. She takes refuge in a local aboriginal community. Her school friend from Balmain, now a journalist, seeks retribution from the the men who raped Lizzie many years ago and have continued their ways with others. Now, as successful business men, they seek to use the law to deny justice.

EDITORIAL REVIEW: A sweeping tale of abduction, battle, and courtship played out in a universe of deities and demons, *The Ramayana* is familiar to virtually every Indian. Although the Sanskrit original was composed by Valmiki around the fourth century BC, poets have produced countless versions in different languages. Here, drawing on the work of an eleventh-century poet called Kamban, Narayan employs the skills of a master novelist to re-create the excitement he found in the original. A luminous saga made accessible to new generations of readers, *The Ramayana* can be enjoyed for its spiritual wisdom, or as a thrilling tale of ancient conflict.

Hunted by my own husband, I seek warriors to save my life, to save the world. I need your oaths, Dragon Defenders, to stand with me against the mad king. He wants me dead. How do I know? He told me when he wrapped his hands around my throat on our wedding night. But I survived, and we have a chance to take him down. Do you stand with me, great defenders of the nation? You who are ruled by no one and stand fearlessly sentinel for us, guarding our country against mighty leviathans? We are the world's only hope, and I can't do it alone. No need to decide in this why choose romance, a medium burn fantasy with F/F and F/M/M/M.

The time for clowning around is over as Professor Compton's Phantom Circus arrives in Black Hollow. April McCray merely wants to enjoy spring break, avoiding the crowds of rambunctious children attending the circus. However, the Powers That Be yank her banshee from her peaceful evening, shoving her into the nightmare of a dark-haired stranger as she tries to warn him of a loved one's soon demise. Once she's safely back in her own home, April can't stop thinking about the man with the pale-red eyes. Wyatt Compton refuses to be anyone's fool, especially whoever is murdering his family. He has to uncover the killer before he strikes again, this time killing Wyatt's grandfather, but how can he do that among a group of shapeshifters? The circus comes to Black Hollow, bringing a killer along with it, thrusting April and Wyatt together in a race to save his grandfather. Can they stop whoever desires to kill the ringmaster, or has the circus finally met its end? One-Click now and join the crowds of Professor Compton's Phantom Circus!

The first of Phoenix's 'Love Endures' series explores Beth’s courage as she faces a new season in her life. Despite the obstacles that lie ahead, she's determined to embrace life supported by Scott’s love. Her journey is marked by healing, intrigue & forgiveness. However, her best friend Angie hides a terrible truth & Glenn, Scott’s longtime friend, holds challenging secrets of his own.Find out what happens to Beth after the flames… This first novelette of Phoenix's 'Love Endures' series explores Beth’s courage as she faces a new season in her life. Despite the obstacles that lie ahead, she is determined to embrace life supported by Scott’s love - a love that endures. Her journey is marked by healing, intrigue and forgiveness. However, her best friend Angie hides a terrible truth and Glenn, Scott’s longtime friend, holds challenging secrets of his own.Extended Description:In this continuation of the Phoenix series, Beth finds herself in new territory. Angie’s secret and Glenn’s past will test the bonds of both friendships. In the midst of rebuilding a new life with her son, Beth finds she must confront her greatest fear - facing the man who shattered her spirit. She is fated to meet this challenge with courage. For you see, a Phoenix is destined to rise from the ashes…Other Books by Michelle Stevens:Phoenix SeriesPhoenix Rising #1Phoenix Takes Flight #2Phoenix Soars #3Phoenix Burns Bright #4

Long out of print in English, this dizzying hybrid of novel, essay, and polemic has less to do with religion than with what Roth sees as the disintegrating moral fabric of the modern world Written while Roth was in exile from Germany and his native Austria following the rise of Nazism, this work was composed in cafés across free Europe after all his works in German went up in flames. Such events no doubt influence the apocalytic tones of The Antichrist's protaganist, J.R., a journalist hired by an inscrutable media mogul hellbent on exposing evidence of the "Antichrist" throughout the world. This mission leads J.R. to authoritarian political regimes such as Red Earth (the Soviet Union) but also other poisonous terrains like The Land of Shadows (Hollywood)—it becomes all too clear that it is Roth's mission to chart the whole of civilization's slide into moral and political chaos. But herein lies the extraordinary strength and appeal of this work, as Roth is powerfully and even hilariously prescient. Mixing the diatribe with his trademark sardonic wit, he miraculously predicts the advent of the Holocaust, globalization, multimedia—even the paparazzi. Combining beautiful but savage writing with visual imagery out of a Coen Brothers movie, this is an invaluable addition to the Roth canon in English.

"Propulsive and full of heart." —Sara Holland, New York Times bestselling author of Everless and HavenfallThis incendiary YA fantasy debut follows a girl who will stop at nothing to save her village after it's discovered by a dangerous warlord and his army of undead monsters. Naira Khoum has only known life in Lagusa, a quiet village at the desert's end. But to the rest of the world, Lagusa is a myth, its location shrouded in secrecy. While war rages to the north led by power-hungry Sothpike and his army of undead monsters called Dambi, Naira's people live in peace. Until the impossible happens—Lagusa is attacked by a Mistress sent to do Sothpike's bidding with a hoard of Dambi under her control. The Mistress is looking for something, and she's willing to let her Dambi destroy Lagusa to get it. Desperate to protect her home, Naira convinces her twin brother Nez and handsome refugee Kal to join the newly formed...

The Torch in My Ear is the account of Canetti's young manhood, of his arrival in Vienna in the early 1920s, of his schooling, and of the beginning of his life as a writer.

Emily wants to be sure that Santa gets her Christmas wish, and according to schoolyard rumor, that's a job for snow angels. Trouble is, there's not much opportunity to make snow angels in Florida. So Emily has to come up with Plan B..... A short, short story.In a world devastated by corruption, Father Darcy has lost his faith. After letting down the very people he had pledged to protect, he decides to take a pilgrimage across the dangerous English countryside in an attempt to find his mission again.There he meets men hungry for his blood. A vicious, relentless landscape. And two boys more dangerous than anything he has ever seen before. But can he save these children, or will they his cause change forever?This is a Reacher short story set before the events of The Running Game.

Written in the final days of Roth's life, it is a novella of sparkling lucidity and humanity. "Fallmerayer the Stationmaster" and "The Bust of the Emperor" are Roth's most acclaimed works of shorter fiction.