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Richard Quinn welcomes his readers with a warm portrait of southwest New York State's majestic landscape, which is home to Ben Bowden, his wife Angela, and their two children. The Bowden family is likable, imperfect, and relatable. Their story is a personal and poignant tale told through the eyes and narrative of young daughter Sydney whose storytelling allows readers confidante-level access to seemingly ordinary lives nestled deep within the woodlands of the Catskill Mountains watershed.While peering through their window of reality, readers will experience a roller coaster of emotions; enduring pangs of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty, while sharing with the ups and downs, the joys and disappointments of siblings Sydney and Zach as they struggle to sustain the innocent bliss of childhood.When a single mother and her troubled son move in and upend their quiet community, the Bowden clan's outwardly idyllic existence slowly finds itself facing hurdles. Surfacing family dysfunction, mental instability, bullying, harassment, sexual assault, and a traumatic death all threaten the preservation of life and family security as they know it. Their efforts to regain a sense of normalcy sheds light on both their resourcefulness and limited life experience in this coming of age tour de force.

Irrevocably tied to the Carolinas, these stories tell tales of the woebegone, their obsessions with decay, and the haunting ache of the region itself—the land of the dwindling pines, the isolation inherent in the mountains and foothills, and the loneliness of boomtowns. Predominantly working-class women challenge the status quo by rejecting any lingering expectations or romantic notions of Southern femininity. Small businesses are failing. Factories are closing. Money is tight. The threat of violence lingers for women and girls. Through their collective grief, heartache, and unsettling circumstances, many of these characters become feral and hell-bent on survival. Gilstrap's prose teems with wildness and lyricism, showing the Southern gothic tradition of storytelling is alive and feverishly unwell in the twenty-first century.

A stunning literary novel from the author of the Stella Prize shortlisted Hope Farm.There was a house on a hill in the city and it was full of us, our family, but then it began to empty. We fell out. We made a mess. We draped ourselves in blame and disappointment and lurched around, bumping into each other. Some of us wailed and shouted; some of us barely made a sound. None of us was listening, or paying attention. And in the middle of it all you, very quietly, were gone. Helen and John are too preoccupied with making a mess of their marriage to notice the quiet ways in which their daughters are suffering. Junie grows up brittle and defensive, Anna difficult and rebellious. When fifteen-year-old Anna fails to come home one night, her mother's not too worried; Anna's taken off before but always returned. Helen waits three days to report her disappearance. But this time Anna doesn't come back... A spellbinding novel in the tradition of Helen Garner, Charlotte Wood and Georgia Blain, Islands is a riveting and brilliant portrait of a family in crisis by the breathtakingly talented author of House of Sticks and Hope Farm.'Peggy Frew is an amazing writer...Elegant, tender and very wise.'Chris Womersley, author of Bereft on Hope Farm'Peggy Frew's novel, Hope Farm, tells an original tale, drawing into the body of Australian literary fiction, a world between the cracks. Peggy's voice is contemporary, her observations sharp and sensitive. Hope Farm describes the cycle of loss and damage when there are no boundaries to protect us.'Sofie Laguna, author of The Eye of the Sheep, 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award winner'Brilliant. Peggy Frew is a superb writer, and this is a remarkably confident debut.'Clare Bowditch on House of Sticks

Two princes, one nation. A country at odds with its monarchy. As the dust settles on a broken land, the two brothers that would be king face off for one last civil conflict.Again, the land of Albion suffers at the hands of the privileged few; Mad King Blaine is the rightful heir, but not all consider him to be suitable to rule, so they back the younger prince's, Jobe's, claim to the throne.Influenced by unseen and powerful forces, who will rule the land of Albion and who will Jason de Silva support in the final struggle for absolute power over the Kingdom of Albion?The third book of Devastation, set in the land of Albion on Planet Keltica. Will Jason de Silva find the cure for mankind's folly?

“Calling all fans of Sharp Objects and the third season of True Detective: You need to read Laura McHugh.”—Refinery29 “A perfect thriller... a thoughtful commentary on America's opioid crisis and an utterly satisfying mystery.”—Janelle Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Watch Me DisappearNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY LIBRARY JOURNAL Sadie Keller is determined to find out how her brother died, even if no one else thinks it's worth investigating. Untimely deaths are all too common in rural Blackwater, Kansas, where crime and overdoses are on the rise, and the small-town police force is consumed with the recent discovery of a child's skull in the woods. Sadie is on her own, delving into the dark corners of a life her brother kept hidden and unearthing more questions than answers.Eighteen-year-old Henley Pettit knows more than she'd like to about the seedy side of Blackwater, and she's desperate to escape before she's irreparably entangled in her family's crimes. She dreams of disappearing and leaving her old life behind, but shedding the past is never easy, and getting out of town will be far more dangerous than she ever imagined. As more bones are found in the woods, time is running out for Sadie to uncover the truth and for Henley to make her escape. Both women are torn between family loyalties and the weight of the secrets they carry, knowing full well that while some secrets are hard to live with, others will get you killed. Like Laura McHugh's previous award-winning thrillers, The Weight of Blood and Arrowood, The Wolf Wants In is an atmospheric, beautifully told novel that barrels toward a twisting, chilling end and keeps us turning the page to find out how these small-town secrets will unravel—and who will survive.Praise for The Wolf Wants In “The Wolf Wants In perfectly balances gripping suspense with stunning, lyrical prose—a rare combination, but one that seems to be McHugh's signature gift. Atmospheric and chilling, this novel takes place in the twisted, destructive wake of the opioid crisis as one woman struggles for justice and another for redemption. A truly thrilling read.”—Jill Orr, author of the Riley Ellison mysteries

Lynch, West Virginia, is a husk of a town: houses collapsing, deserted coal mines, the money gone. The residents who have not abandoned their homes find themselves living in poverty with little-to-no job opportunities, fighting for scraps and survival under the rule of Ferris Gilbert—the patriarch of a local family who governs the town with manipulative cruelty. When Jason Felts, a dwarf and aspiring social worker who lives above the town funeral home, is assigned to counsel one of the Gilbert brothers incarcerated inside a youth correctional facility for possession charges, Ferris Gilbert sees a rare opportunity. He seeks out Jason and insists under threat of violence that he smuggle an ominous package into the jail. Torn between his desire to save the young Gilbert brother from a life of crime and concern for his own safety, Jason must make a life-altering decision. At the same time, Gilbert has his hooks in Terry Blankenship, a strung-out young man desperate to carve out a secret life for himself and his boyfriend. If Terry cannot pay his debts to the Gilberts, he has one choice: kill the local sheriff or face the consequences. Sheriff Thompson is found dead soon after. Now both implicated in serious crimes, Jason and Terry must outrun the law and escape the threat of Ferris Gilbert but there may be nowhere to run...The Pallbearer is an unflinching debut for fans of Frank Bill and Sarah Waters that lays bare the lives of the outsiders of society's outskirts.

'Harmer takes cues from Margaret Atwood and Cormac McCarthy in this sharp debut, a cautionary tale of tech gone astray.'—Toronto LifeIn a time and place only slightly removed from now, PINA, the world's largest tech company, has introduced society to a new product called “Port.” This irresistible space-time travel device is mysteriously powered by nostalgia and longing: Step inside a Port and find yourself transported any place your heart desires, real or imagined. Earth's population plummets when many who pass through its portal don't come back—either unwilling or unable to return. In The Amateurs, Liz Harmer has crafted a subtle, many-faceted debut novel about rapture and romance—and the strange, dark, powerful alchemy that happens when technology meets desire.

Harry Harrison was recognized as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America. He was best known for his'Deathworld'and'Stainless Steel Rat'series. He was nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Sideways Awards. He was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2004. This omnibus edition of his work includes four complete novels and six short stories. Both of his best known series,'Deathworld'and'The Stainless Steel Rat'are represented herein. Hours of science fiction delight await you in this five hundred page omnibus edition of some of his finest work.

Head in Flames is a collage novel composed of chips of sensation, observation, memory, & quotation shaped into a series of narraticules told by three alternating voices, each inhabiting a different font & aesthetic/political/existential space.The first belongs to Vincent van Gogh on the day he shot himself in Auvers-sur-Oise in July 1890. The second to Theo van Gogh (Vincent's brother's great grandson) on the day he was assassinated in Amsterdam in November 2004. The third to Mohammed Bouyeri, Theo's murderer, outraged by the filmmaker's collaboration with controversial politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali on a 10-minute experimental short critiquing Muslim subjugation & abuse of women.The aggregate: an exploration of art's purpose, religion's increasingly dominant role as engine of politics & passion, the complexities of foreignness & assimilation, & the limits of tolerance.

Ranging from the wicked noir Shanghai of 1946, to the echo chambers of Hollywood, to remote, snow-covered mountains, Stuart Archer Cohen's This Is How it Really Sounds follows three men, each in search of a different life. Small-town Alaskan'Harry'Harrington is a legend in a small circle, once the world's greatest extreme skier, racing avalanches and knocking back flips off of cliffs. Peter Harrington is a world-famous financier, hated across the globe for making hundreds of millions of dollars on his hedge fund, and fleeing New York to begin a new venture in Shanghai. Finally, there is Pete Harrington, a middle-aged rock star, now touring third-tier venues and fleeing bankruptcy, but hoping that one great new song can rescue him. All are seeking something that has slipped away--youth, power, purpose, magic; all are wonderful creations, whose strangely familiar lives and dreams become unforgettable. Mingling wickedly-funny satire with heart-stopping adventure, This is How it Really Sounds explores the seductive power of the unlived life, and what happens when you finally grasp it.

Hitchhiking her way through Alaska, a young woman named Anna is picked up by Kyle, a fisherman. Anna and Kyle quickly fall for each other, as they are both adventurous, fiercely independent, and in love with the raw beauty and solitude of Alaska. To cement their relationship, they agree to become caretakers of a remote lighthouse perched on a small rock in the middle of a deep channel—a place that has been uninhabited since the last caretaker mysteriously disappeared two decades ago. What seems the perfect adventure for these two quickly unravels, as closely-held secrets pull them apart, and the surrounding waters threaten uncertain danger. A psychological thriller set against the rugged landscape of coastal Alaska, Point of Direction is an exquisite literary debut.

A woman rediscovers herself as her domestic life crumbles in this novel of mid-century marriage by the author of Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket. It's 1957, and Paulette has just gotten into trouble in the backseat of a car. Her beau, Howard, is a handsome musician with an ability to inspire lust that she has never encountered before. So, although some women in her position might choose a different path, Paulette persuades Howard to get married. After a small ceremony, the happy couple takes up residence on the nineteenth floor of a high rise in Forest Hills. For a time they are shockingly happy, but then things start to go wrong. And when Howard's eye begins to wander, Paulette must ask herself: If a person lives for love alone, what happens when the love disappears? This ebook features an illustrated biography of Hilma Wolitzer, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's personal collection.

This bountiful collection of more than fifty tales by one of Ireland's liveliest and most popular writers offers holiday charm and Gaelic humor by the Christmas stockingful. Drawing on the rich folk culture of County Kerry, John B. Keane brings new life to old customs in his portrayals of not-so-ordinary country people during the Christmas season.Keane revisits the Christmases celebrated by characters like Dotie Tupper and Johnny Naile, the doughty Canon Doyle and deaf Canon Cornelius Coodle, the amiable spendthrift Aenias Mackson, and Hiccups O'Reilly, who disappears one Christmas Eve for seven years. Keane bears delightful witness to the trials and triumphs of the inhabitants of County Kerry, Ireland.

'Unadulterated fun... witty, frequently hilarious... Pratchett parodies everything in sight.'—San Francisco ChronicleFrom bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett, the world's foremost practitioner of satire and send-up, this delightful installment in the Discworld series finds Granny Weatherwax and her tiny coven of witches faced with their biggest challenge yet as an invasion of elves threatens to disrupt Lancres'dreamy Midsummer Night — and throw their world into chaos.It's a dreamy Midsummer Night in the Kingdom of Lancre, and music and romance fill the air. But on this night, dreams are especially powerful — strong enough to pull down the wall between realities. Magic and mischief are afoot, threatening to spoil the royal wedding of King Verence and his favorite witch, Magrat Garlick.The witches return home to discover that elves have invaded Lancre, particularly nasty creatures. Soon it won't be only champagne that's flowing through the streets...The Discworld novels can be read in any order, but Lords and Ladies is the fourth book in the Witches series. The Witches collection includes:Equal RitesWyrd SistersWitches AbroadLords and LadiesMaskeradeCarpe Jugulum

Finding her birth family was Kathy Dunstad's dream. When they found her it became more or a nightmare. Not only have they left her a wealthy woman, but also she must contend with skeletons in the closet as well as ghosts in the living room. Once she comes to grips with the dead, she must then deal with the living. There's more to consider than just her birth mother's family that offers financial stability. There is also her birth father that wants to give her emotional stability as well.

In the mid-1950s, the town of Lacey in the Mississippi hill country is a place where the lives of blacks and whites, though seemingly separate, are in fact historically and inevitably intertwined. When Lacey's fair-haired boy, Duncan Harper, is appointed interim sheriff, he makes public his private convictions about the equality of blacks before the law, and the combined threat and promise he represents to the understood order of things in Lacey affects almost every member of the community. In the end, Harper succeeds in pointing the way for individuals, both black and white, to find a more harmonious coexistence, but at a sacrifice all must come to regret.In The Voice at the Back Door, Mississippi native Elizabeth Spencer gives form to the many voices that shaped her view of race relations while growing up, and at the same time discovers her own voice -- one of hope. Employing her extraordinary literary powers -- finely honed narrative techniques, insight into a rich, diverse cast of characters, and an unerring ear for dialect -- Spencer makes palpable the psychological milieu of a small southern town hobbled by tradition but lurching toward the dawn of the civil rights movement. First published in 1956, The Voice at the Back Door is Spencer's most highly praised novel yet, and her last to treat small-town life in Mississippi.