Gee Whiz

Gee Whiz

Jane Smiley

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories / Nonfiction

Gee Whiz is a striking horse, and only part of that is because of his size. He is tall, but also graceful, yet his strides big but precise. At the same time, he keeps his eye on things, not as if he's suspicious, but as if he's curious.When Abby is confronted with an onslaught of reminders of just how little of the world she has seen, she finds herself connecting with Gee Whiz's calm and curious nature, and his desire to know more. Her brother receives a draft notice to Vietnam, her friends return for the holidays with stories from their boarding school in Southern California, and the wise, lovable Brother Abner opens her eyes with tales of his many years spent traveling. At the same time, her beloved Jack and True Blue are both faced with opportunites to broaden their horizons away from the ranch. Will she let them go, with hopes that she might one day do the same?
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Sudden Death

Sudden Death

Álvaro Enrigue

Fiction / Contemporary / Nonfiction

A daring, kaleidoscopic novel about the clash of empires and ideas in the sixteenth century that continue to reverberate throughout modernity—a story unlike anything you've ever read before. Sudden Death begins with a brutal tennis match that could decide the fate of the world. The bawdy Italian painter Caravaggio and the loutish Spanish poet Quevedo battle it out before a crowd that includes Galileo, Mary Magdalene, and a generation of popes who would throw Europe into the flames. In England, Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII behead Anne Boleyn, and her crafty executioner transforms her legendary locks into the most sought-after tennis balls of the time. Across the ocean in Mexico, the last Aztec emperors play their own games, as conquistador Hernán Cortés and his Mayan translator and lover, La Malinche, scheme and conquer, fight and f**k, not knowing that their domestic comedy will change the world. And in a remote Mexican colony a...
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Barn Blind

Barn Blind

Jane Smiley

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories / Nonfiction

Written with the grace and quiet beauty of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Barn Blind is a spellbinding story on the classic American themes of work, love, and duty, and the lengths we will go to achieve success.The verdant pastures of a farm in Illinois have the placid charms of a landscape painting, but the horses that graze there have become the obsession of a woman who sees them as the fulfilment of every wish: to win, to be honoured, to be the best. Her ambition is the galvanizing force in Jane Smiley's first novel, a force that will drive a wedge between her and her family, and bring them all to tragedy . . .
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The Eyes of Aurora

The Eyes of Aurora

Albert A. Bell, Jr.

Historical Fiction / Mystery & Thrillers / Nonfiction

Pliny's servant Aurora, who is also the forbidden love of his life, has played Good Samaritan to a woman who claims to be searching for her missing husband. Thinking he can help the woman, Pliny steps in, assisted, as usual, by his friend Tacitus. But the situation turns into a web of deception and intrigue when they discover evidence of a horrific murder while searching in the countryside for clues to the whereabouts of the missing man. After Aurora is injured, Pliny's involvement becomes personal. He's even desperate enough to ask Regulus, his longtime sworn enemy, for help when the case brings him to the malevolent attention of the emperor Domitian.
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Best. State. Ever.

Best. State. Ever.

Dave Barry

Nonfiction / Humor / Children's Books

A brilliantly funny exploration of the Sunshine State from the man who knows it best: Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times–bestselling author Dave Barry. We never know what will happen next in Florida. We know only that, any minute now, something will. Every few months, Dave Barry gets a call from some media person wanting to know, "What the hell is wrong with Florida?" Somehow, the state's acquired an image as a subtropical festival of stupid, and as a loyal Floridian, Dave begs to differ. Sure, there was the 2000 election. And people seem to take their pants off for no good reason. And it has flying insects the size of LeBron James. But it is a great state, and Dave is going to tell you why. Join him as he celebrates Florida from Key West at the bottom to whatever it is that's at the top, from the Sunshine State's earliest history to the fun-fair of weirdness and gunfire ("Our motto: 'Come back! We weren't firing at you!'") that it is...
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Shell Game

Shell Game

Philip K. Dick

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Literature & Fiction / Nonfiction

When a group of men crash to the surface of an alien planet, they are hemmed in on all sides by a deadly, un-crossable bog. Attacked by an unknown enemy, the group grows increasingly uncertain as the violence escalates while the enemy combatant remains unseen and no bodies are ever recovered.Philip K. Dick was an American science-fiction novelist, short-story writer and essayist. His first short story, "Beyond Lies the Wub," was published shortly after his high school graduation. Some of his most famous short stories were adapted for film, including "The Minority Report," "Paycheck," "Second Variety" (adapted into the film Screamers) and "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" (adapted into the film Total Recall).HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperCollins short-stories collection to build your digital...
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A Whistling Woman

A Whistling Woman

A. S. Byatt

Literature & Fiction / Nonfiction

A Whistling Woman portrays the antic, thrilling, and dangerous period of the late '60s as seen through the eyes of a woman whose life is forever changed by her times.Frederica Potter, a smart, spirited 33-year-old single mother, lucks into a job hosting a groundbreaking television talk show based in London. Meanwhile, in her native Yorkshire where her lover is involved in academic research, the university is planning a prestigious conference on body and mind, and a group of students and agitators is establishing an "anti-university." And nearby a therapeutic community is beginning to take the shape of a religious cult under the influence of its charismatic religious leader.A Whistling Woman is a brilliant and thought-provoking meditation on psychology, science, religion, ethics, and radicalism, and their effects on ordinary lives.From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Wild Rescue

Wild Rescue

Jerry B. Jenkins

Literature & Fiction / Nonfiction

Watch out! The Timberline twins are on the loose. Bryce and Ashley are ATV-riding tweens from Colorado who unearth action-packed mystery and adventure wherever they go. From clearing the name of a local miscreant to thwarting a gold-stealing heist, the twins' growing faith and the strong example of their parents guide them through even the most life-threatening situations. With the trademark page-turner style used by Jerry Jenkins and Chris Fabry in the Left Behind: The Kids series, these fast-paced books will keep even reluctant readers on the edge of their seats. Readers will definitely get hooked by the unbelievable cliff-hanger at the end of book one, Haunted Waters. Perfect for ages 8-12.
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