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In Manhattan of 1948, a famous former striptease artist named Maggie Starr runs her late husband's newspaper syndicate, distributing the superhero comic Wonder Guy. But when the cartoon's publisher winds up dead, Maggie hunts for the killer among a cast of cartoonists, wives and mistresses, and minions of a different sort of syndicate — a crew of suspects with motives that are far from super-heroic.Hailed by Mickey Spillane as'a terrific writer,'and by Publishers Weekly as'the master of true-crime fiction,'author Max Allan Collins is the creator of the bestselling graphic novel Road to Perdition. Artist Terry Beatty is the co-creator with Max Allan Collins of the long-running private-eye series, Ms. Tree. Their other collaborations include Mike Mist, Mickey Spillane's Mike Danger, and Johnny Dynamite.

“This swashbuckling tale of greed and great literature will remind you why Pearl is the reigning king of popular literary historical thrillers. His latest is guaranteed to delight lovers of history and mystery.”—Library Journal (starred review) book'a-neer'(bŏŏk'kå-nēr'), n. a literary pirate; an individual capable of doing all that must be done in the universe of books that publishers, authors, and readers must not have a part inLondon, 1890—Pen Davenport is the most infamous bookaneer in Europe. A master of disguise, he makes his living stalking harbors, coffeehouses, and print shops for the latest manuscript to steal. But this golden age of publishing is on the verge of collapse. For a hundred years, loose copyright laws and a hungry reading public created a unique opportunity: books could easily be published without an author's permission. Authors gained fame but suffered financially—Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, to name a few—but publishers reaped enormous profits while readers bought books inexpensively. Yet on the eve of the twentieth century, a new international treaty is signed to grind this literary underground to a sharp halt. The bookaneers are on the verge of extinction.From the author of The Dante Club, Matthew Pearl, The Last Bookaneer is the astonishing story of these literary thieves'epic final heist. On the island of Samoa, a dying Robert Louis Stevenson labors over a new novel. The thought of one last book from the great author fires the imaginations of the bookaneers, and soon Davenport sets out for the South Pacific island. As always, Davenport is reluctantly accompanied by his assistant Fergins, who is whisked across the world for one final caper. Fergins soon discovers the supreme thrill of aiding Davenport in his quest to steal Stevenson's manuscript and make a fortune before the new treaty ends the bookaneers'trade forever. But Davenport is hardly the only bookaneer with a mind to pirate Stevenson's last novel. His longtime adversary, the monstrous Belial, appears on the island, and soon Davenport, Fergins, and Belial find themselves embroiled in a conflict larger, perhaps, than literature itself.In The Last Bookaneer, Pearl crafts a finely wrought tale about a showdown between brilliant men in the last great act of their professions. It is nothing short of a page-turning journey to the heart of a lost era.

A Year in the Life of a Complete and Total Genius is a humorously heartbreaking tale of a boy coming to grips with the death of his mother, and a father who just can't cope.Arthur Bean is a genius—it's just that no one else realizes this quite yet. He's going to be a world-famous author, and the first step is to win this year's story-writing contest. What he writes is pretty funny, but it gets him into trouble too.Like with his English teacher.And the school newspaper advisor.And cool girl Kennedy.And Arthur's number one nemesis, Robbie Zack.But all great authors spark controversy, so Arthur's not too concerned. Through letters, email exchanges,'SEE ME'notes and doodles, enter the funny, touching, and often mixed-up mind of Arthur Bean, creative genius.

An erotic, comedic, and compulsively readable historical novel depicting the beguiling Giacomo Casanova as he looks back on a life of love and ribald adventure In Count Waldstein's far-flung Bohemian castle, an aging Casanova spends his days as a librarian cataloging the count's extensive collection of books. Or at least that's what he's supposed to be doing. Ever the storyteller, Casanova instead dedicates himself to his own writing, for which the young servant Laura Brock serves as an endlessly fascinated audience. He recounts to her his greatest escapades—from romances in a Venetian convent to the seduction of an entire harem to the triumphant amassing (and subsequent loss) of a fortune in Paris. Enlivened by the French Revolution and the liberating ideas of the Enlightenment, Casanova's latest exploits prove he still possesses an intellectual vigor and insatiable curiosity. Even old age can't keep this legendary libertine—who corresponded with Voltaire, discussed flight with Benjamin Franklin, and whose life and writings inspired artists as diverse as Mozart, Flaubert, Stendhal, and Hesse—from causing trouble. Rich with eighteenth-century European social, political, and religious history, Casanova in Bohemia is an energetic and erotic portrait of Western literature's most beloved lothario, whose hedonism was matched by his creativity and wit.

Aristotle'Aris'Thibodeau is 12.5 years old and destined for greatness. Ever since her father's death, however, she's been stuck in the small town of Kanuga, Georgia, where she has to manage her mother Diane's floundering love life and dubious commitment to her job as an English professor. Not to mention co-parenting a little brother who hogs all the therapy money. Luckily, Aris has a plan. Following the advice laid out in Write a Novel in Thirty Days! she sets out to pen a bestseller using her charmingly dysfunctional family as material. If the Mom-character, Diane, would ditch online dating and accept that the perfect man is clearly the handyman/nanny-character, Penn MacGuffin, Aris would have the essential romance for her plot (and a father in her real life). But when a random accident uncovers a dark part of Thibodeau family history, Aris is forced to confront the fact that sometimes in life—as in great literature—things might not work out exactly as planned.

Joe Haldeman's “adept plotting, strong pacing, and sense of grim stoicism have won him wide acclaim” (The Washington Post) and numerous honors for such works as The Forever War, The Accidental Time Machine, and the Marsbound trilogy. Now, the multiple Hugo and Nebula award–winning author pits a lone war veteran against a mysterious enemy who is watching his every move—and threatens him with more than death unless he kills for them.Wounded in combat and honorably discharged nine years ago, Jack Daley still suffers nightmares from when he served his country as a sniper, racking up sixteen confirmed kills. Now a struggling author, Jack accepts an offer to write a near-future novel about a serial killer, based on a Hollywood script outline. It's an opportunity to build his writing career, and a future with his girlfriend, Kit Majors.But Jack's other talent is also in demand. A package arrives on his doorstep containing a sniper rifle, complete with silencer and ammunition—and the first installment of a $100,000 payment to kill a “bad man.” The twisted offer is genuine. The people behind it are dangerous. They prove that they have Jack under surveillance. He can't run. He can't hide. And if he doesn't take the job, Kit will be in the crosshairs instead.

The End of the Book is the story of an aspiring contemporary novelist who may or may not be writing a sequel to Sherwood Anderson's classic Winesburg, Ohio. Adam Clary works in Chicago for a famous internet company on a massive project to digitize the world's books, but secretly he hates his job and wishes to be a writer at a time when the book as physical object and book culture itself have never been more threatened.Counterpointing Adam's story is that of George Willard, the young protagonist of Anderson's book, who arrives in Chicago around 1900 when it was the fastest-growing city in American history. Through alternating chapters, we follow George's travails, including his marriage to the wealthy daughter of his boss, his affair with his hometown sweetheart, his artistic crisis, breakdown and flight, and along the way we see the echoes and intersections between his life and Adam's as they struggle in two similar Americas through two similar times in the life of the book.

At a gathering of the nation's foremost mystery authors, death takes the stage. Dozens die each year for the sake of the annual Mystery Writers of America banquet. Heiresses are poisoned, captains of industry are stabbed, and private detectives are gunned down in the street. To mystery authors, these fictional murders are nothing but good fun. But at the annual presentation of the MWA's prestigious Edgar and Raven awards, real-life death is about to intrude. Ross Craigthorn's nightly news program has made him one of the most well-respected men in the country, but deep in his past lies a terrible secret -- one he shares with only a few others. They have done their best to forget their long-ago crime, but when Craigthorn decides to come clean, his old accomplice knows that the time has come for murder. When a room full of mystery authors witnesses a killing, which of them will have the nerve to play detective?

¿Cómo funciona la mente de un escritor? La parte inventada es el primer volumen de la trilogía que Rodrigo Fresán dedica a sumergirse en la mente de un escritor para desentrañar todo lo que pasa ahí dentro. La parte inventada busca respuesta a esa pregunta (cómo funciona la mente de un escritor) adentrándose en la mente de un escritor que trata de escribir su propia historia. O de reescribirla a su manera. La historia de alguien que conoció cierto éxito hace unos años, en el siglo y milenio pasado, pero que ahora siente que ya no hay lugar para él, ni en el mundillo literario ni en el gran mundo. Y que -entre las partículas aceleradas de letras de Francis Scott Fitzgerald, música de Pink Floyd, un antiguo juguete a cuerda y el paisaje de las playas de la infancia- cree que ha llegado el momento de contar su versión del asunto... «Con el tiempo, le preguntarán, una y otra vez, aquello de'¿Cómo se le ocurren esas ideas que escribe?'. Interrogante casi obligado al que se responde -al que él responderá, siempre- con vaguedades eternas o con certezas que se olvidan al día siguiente. Y se preguntará a sí mismo cómo es que nunca le preguntan algo mucho más importante o, al menos, más interesante. Por qué nunca le preguntan'¿Cómo se le ocurrió la idea de ser escritor?'.» Reseñas: «La parte inventada ha despertado toda mi atención y admiración. Hay tiniebla en él, pero acoge luces en su interior, porque es brillante su prosa dirigida a lectores de antes; prosa que arde al modo de un cohete que como una araña explotara entre las estrellas y que incendia en su afán por extremar el estilo, la voz propia, y así de paso, como quien no quiere la cosa, maniobrar como si nada se hubiera colapsado en el mundo editorial y Nabokov siguiera, imperturbable, moviendo alfiles en los atardeceres de Montreux, es decir, se pudiera seguir escribiendo como en los buenos tiempos.» Enrique Vila-Matas, El País «Rodrigo Fresán quería escribir'una gran novela'y lo ha conseguido. La parte inventada es una obra cargada de ambición que desmiente que la literatura esté en crisis.» Patricio Pron, ABC Cultural «¿Cuántas cosas es La parte inventada? Imaginary essays, relatos y bocetos de relatos, y una novela-novela arquitectónicamente impepinable.» Nadal Suau, El Cultural

A triptych about an old man discovering the internet and sex, Rousseau and Proust.

An advertising man searches for meaning in this “fascinating dissection of the media world we live in... A thought-provoking road-trip tale” (Chicago Tribune). Longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize In his mid-thirties, Joe works as an advertising copywriter for a slick New York agency. But he feels disillusioned with his life, and finds himself experiencing dreams about a mysterious man, seeing him on the street, hearing his voice. Joe decides to listen. So he waits on his stoop, day and night, for instructions. A local reporter takes notice, and soon Joe has become a media sensation, the center of a storm. When the Man tells Joe to “go west,” he does. What follows is a compelling and visceral story about the struggle to find something more in life, told in two interwoven threads—Joe at the beginning of his journey in Manhattan, and at the end of it as he finds new purpose on a ranch in Montana under the endless sky. “A strangely engrossing, meticulously written allegory of the present moment.” —Douglas Coupland, author of Worst. Person. Ever.

This hilarious Southern retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice tells the story of two hard-headed Civil war historians who find that first impressions can be deceiving.Shelby Roswell, a Civil War historian and professor, is on the fast track to tenure—that is, until her new book is roasted by the famous historian Ransom Fielding in a national review. With her career stalled by a man she's never met, Shelby struggles to maintain her composure when she discovers that Fielding has taken a visiting professorship at her small Southern college. Ransom Fielding is still struggling with his role in his wife's accidental death six years ago and is hoping that a year at Shelby's small college near his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi, will be a respite from the pressures of Ivy League academia. He never bargained for falling in love with the one woman whose career—and pride—he injured, and who would do anything to make him leave. When these two hot-headed southerners find themselves fighting over the centuries-old history of local battles and antebellum mansions, their small college is about to become a battlefield of Civil War proportions. With familiar and relatable characters and wit to spare, Pride, Prejudice and Cheese Grits shows you that love can conquer all…especially when pride, prejudice, love, and cheese grits are involved!

Anna O'Mally is a born writer—gifted, perceptive, headed for the stars. Or she was, until the tragic death of her uncle Joe. He was barely older than Anna herself, and she worshipped the ground he walked on. Best of all, Anna got to live in the glow of knowing that she was the most important person in his world, too. Anna has promised everyone—her shrink, her parents, her best friend—that Joe's one-year “deadaversary” will be the end of her period of mourning. But when a strange note suggests that her saintly uncle had deep secrets, Anna stumbles into a chain of events that changes everything she thought she knew about the past, the possibilities of love... and origami.

A “hilarious and addictive” novel about a grandmother who just wants to be left alone, from the author of Starting Out in the Evening (San Francisco Chronicle). Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, and The Millions, and a Best Fiction Book of the Year by the Christian Science Monitor · Finalist for the Kirkus Prize · Meet Florence Gordon: blunt, brilliant, cantankerous, passionate, feminist icon to young women, invisible to almost everyone else. At seventy-five, Florence has earned her right to set down the burdens of family and work and shape her legacy at long last. But just as she begins to write her long-deferred memoir, her son Daniel returns to New York from Seattle with his wife and daughter, and they embroil Florence in their dramas, clouding the clarity of her days and threatening her well-defended solitude. And then there's her left foot, which is starting to drag… With humor and a tender respect for humanity in all its flaws, Brian Morton introduces a constellation of unforgettable characters—chief among them Florence, who can humble the fools surrounding her with one barbed line, but eventually finds there are realities even she cannot outwit. “Morton's intelligent, layered portrait of a feisty, independent older woman is an absolute joy to read, not only for its delightful wit but also for its dignified appraisal of aging and living life on one's own terms.”—Booklist(starred review) “Exquisitely crafted…Witty, nuanced and ultimately moving.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air “Smart, funny, and compassionate…a treat.”— People “It's such a cliché to say a book makes you laugh and cry, but this one does, in the deftest way.” —Emily Gould, Paste “Deliciously sharp and deeply sympathetic…a truly gifted novelist.”—Adam Kirsch, Tablet “Morton's intelligent, layered portrait of a feisty, independent older woman is an absolute joy to read, not only for its delightful wit but also for its dignified appraisal of aging and living life on one's own terms.”—Booklist (starred review) “Exquisitely crafted…Witty, nuanced and ultimately moving.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air “Smart, funny, and compassionate…a treat.”— People “It's such a cliché to say a book makes you laugh and cry, but this one does, in the deftest way.” —Emily Gould, Paste “Deliciously sharp and deeply sympathetic…a truly gifted novelist.”—Adam Kirsch, Tablet

After the death of his father, a literature professor is drawn into the murder investigation of a bookstore owner... Though Don and his father both love books, their tastes couldn't be more different. Don is a scholar, and his father reads nothing but schlock. His house is full of dime paperbacks, battered thrillers, and case after case of western novels, none of which his son could ever bear to read. At his father's funeral, Don is approached by a strange man, a rare book dealer named Lou Caledonia. Don assumes the man wants to buy his dad's old westerns, but Lou explains that something far more important is on the line. Don finds the cramped confines of Lou's used bookstore immensely comforting, but a surprise waits for him downstairs. Caledonia has been shot dead, and Don is in danger, too. The boy who was too smart to read pulp fiction is about to find himself trapped in a thriller of his own.

The rascals from the world's friendliest family circus are back in the second installment of this “smafunderful”• fully illustrated series.Everyone knows Sir Sidney's Circus is the best in the world. But who's the star of the show? The Circus Times is having a contest to find out. Just thinking about it gives Sir Sidney a worrywart, and it's quickly clear why. Soon after he goes off to rest, the performers start thinking too much about winning the trophy and not enough about putting on a good show. Meanwhile, it looks as if ringmaster-in-training Barnabas Brambles might need some help managing the crew, so Bert and Gert, the sly brother-and-sister mice who travel with the show, set out to write a book to teach him how it's done.Does Bert and Gert's plan work? And who is the star of the circus? All will be revealed in The Greatest Star on Earth.•Kirkus Reviews

La deliciosa y emotiva historia de una nerd destinada a la grandeza... Cath y Wren son gemelas idénticas, y hasta hace poco lo hacían absolutamente todo juntas. Ahora están a la universidad. Wren le ha dejado claro que no piensa compartir habitación con ella. Para Wren es una oportunidad única de empezar de cero y conocer gente. Para Cath no es tan fácil. Es terriblemente tímida. Su único mundo es ser fan de Simon Snow, donde ella se siente a gusto, donde siempre sabe exactamente qué decir y donde puede escribir un romance mucho más intenso que cualquier cosa que haya experimentado en la vida real. Sin Wren, Cath se siente completamente sola, fuera de su zona de confort. Tiene una compañera de cuarto antipática, siempre acompañada de su atractivo novio, un profesor de escritura que piensa que el fan fiction es el fin del mundo civilizado, un guapo compañero de clase, que sólo quiere hablar de palabras... Y además no puede dejar de preocuparse por su padre, que es amoroso y frágil y nunca ha estado realmente solo. Ahora Cath tiene que decidir si está dispuesta a abrir su corazón a los nuevos amigos y a las nuevas experiencias, y se está dando cuenta de que hay mucho más que aprender sobre el amor de lo que nunca creyó posible. Reseñas: «Conmovedora. Absolutamente real». Publisher's Weekly «Absolutamente cautivadora». Kirkus Reviews «Los diálogos realmente auténticos, una notable empatía con los adolescentes, un retrato honesto de los jóvenes y el primer amor ofrecen una lectura fascinante». Lancashire Evening Post «Una novela divertida, triste, inteligente y entretenida». Armadillo Magazine «Una delicia para los adolescentes en la búsqueda del primer amor... lo suficientemente inteligente como para mantenerles leyendo». The Daily Telegraph «Hoy vamos a hablar de Rainbow Rowell, que es Dios. Sí, Dios es una mujer, es escritora y escritora de literatura juvenil. Es la autora de Eleanor & Park y no hay nadie que escriba historias en el mundillo como ella. Nadie». Sebas G. Mouret, El coleccionista de mundos

'I love Emily.'—Madeleine L'EngleWill Emily's Dreams Ever Come True?High school is over and Emily Starr is ready to find her destiny...but she's not quite ready to leave the safety of New Moon farm. She knows that she doesn't need New York City or some other exotic locale to help her become a famous writer. But as all of Emily's friends begin moving away to pursue their own aspirations in exciting places, she wonders if she's made the right choice. After suffering through a devastating illness, receiving rejection notices from multiple publishers, and nearly losing Teddy, her childhood sweetheart, Emily realizes that her quest for love, acceptance, and happiness is far from over.This new edition lovingly restores the original, unabridged text and includes an all-new, exclusive introduction with special memories from L.M. Montgomery's granddaughter.What Readers Are Saying:'Emily's Quest is my favorite of the Emily books (probably of all her books), and a wonderful real for any romantic like me.''Wonderful. As with all the Montgomery books, the beauty of the world captures you. Emily's Quest is a brilliant end to a most charming series of books.''Emily's Quest is truly a wonderful ending to one of the best stories ever written.'

The first installment in the Ava and Pip series, perfect for aspiring writers and anyone that loves palindromes and word play. Ava and Pip is a funny and heartfelt story of Ava, an outgoing girl who wants to help her sister come out of her shell, and become a writer when she grows up.'A love letter to language.'—The New York TimesMeet outgoing Ava Wren, a fun fifth grader who tries not to lose patience with her shy big sister. She can't understand why Pip is so reserved and never seems to make friends with others, and decides to use her writing talents to help her sister overcome her shyness. She writes a short story based on the girl that ruined her sister's birthday party … but it doesn't quite go over like she wanted it to.Can Ava and her new friend help Pip come out of her shell? And can Ava get out of the mess she has made, and really be a real writer like she always dreamed?Great for parents, educators and librarians looking for:A heartwarming read that has messages of sisterhood, identity, and friendshipFunny books for girls ages 9 to 12A story that incorporates word play (especially palindromes!)A story with a character wants to be a writer, perfect for aspiring young authors

As the age of the silent film dawns, a mysterious filmmaker approaches the Penny Dreadful with a proposal to turn Montgomery Flinch's sinister stories into motion pictures. With Monty starring in the production, filming begins but is plagued by a series of strange and frightening events. As Monty pleads with Penny to help him, she is drawn into the mystery, but soon finds herself trapped in a nightmare penned by her own hand. Can Penny uncover the filmmaker's dark secret in time?

Penelope Tredwell is the feisty thirteen-year-old orphan heiress of Victorian Britain's bestselling magazine, the Penny Dreadful. Her spine-chilling tales—concealed under the pen name Montgomery Finch—are gripping the public. One day she receives a letter from the governor of the Bedlam madhouse requesting Finch's help to investigate the asylum's strange goings-on. Every night at precisely twelve minutes to midnight, the inmates all begin feverishly writing-incoherent ramblings that Penelope quickly realizes are frightening visions of the century to come. But what is causing this phenomenon? In the first book of this smart new series, Penelope is drawn into a thrilling mystery more terrifying than anything she could ever imagine!

“Not since To Kill a Mockingbird has a story impacted me like this.“ – COLLEEN COBLE, USA Today bestselling author of Seagrass Pier “Wingate is, quite simply, a master storyteller. Her story-within-a-story, penned with a fine, expressive style, will captivate writers and nonwriters alike.” – BooklistSuccessful New York editor, Jen Gibbs, is at the top of her game with her new position at Vida House Publishing – until a mysterious manuscript from an old slush pile appears on her desk. Turning the pages, Jen finds herself drawn into the life of Sarra, a mixed-race Melungeon girl trapped by dangerous men in the turn of the century Appalachia. A risky hunch may lead to The Story Keeper's hidden origins and its unknown author, but when the trail turns toward the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a place Jen thought she'd left behind forever, the price of a blockbuster next book deal may be higher than she's willing to pay.A beautifully written contemporary novel with hints of romanceThemes of forgiveness, family, returning home, and navigating brokennessIncludes discussion questions for book clubs

This is the story of a boy from working class Queens who discovers poetry, an unlikely obsession that leads him from a Jesuit college's all male, sex-starved campus to the St. Mark's Poetry Project, and then to the Iowa Writers Workshop. He makes up for his previous lack of romance while at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and goes on to teach at two colleges, with a stay at Yaddo in between. John crosses paths with Raymond Carver, Robert Creeley and John Cheever, and receives guidance from mentors like Stanley Kunitz and strangers like Allen Ginsberg. A Moveable Famine is, ultimately, the portrait of an individual and an age. Above all, it is a book about identity.

Two emotionally fraught and complex themes collide in this powerful, moving novel: Alzheimer's disease and the psychological aftermath for survivors of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The story chronicles the intellectual decline of Renzo, a once-brilliant Roman writer and filmmaker. Aware that he is slipping ever deeper into the haze of Alzheimer's, Renzo keeps a journal in which he grapples with his complicated marriage to Hannah, an Auschwitz survivor who later chronicled that experience. As he writes about his own failing grip on reality, he reflects as well on how painful it will be for Hannah to lose another loved one. Author Brenda Webster brings her considerable knowledge of Jewish and Italian history to bear in creating a fully-realized story, by turns poignant and humorous, about an enduring love that makes pain bearable. Her brilliant use of an unreliable narrator features highly lyrical passages that elucidate for the reader both Renzo's sophisticated anguish and his childlike wonder as his rich memories of the artistic and intellectual currents of the 20th century and his own creative life begin to fade.

A male novelist finds himself in a web of lies and aliases in his quest to get published.PhD candidate Mitch Samuel's life isn't going exactly according to plan: his girlfriend just dumped him (to be fair, he did forget to pick her up at the airport), his estranged father has landed in the hospital, and his literary masterpiece-one part Shakespeare, one part Steinbeck, and all parts lyrical epic-has been rejected for the umpteenth time. However, after a chance encounter at Starbucks with the queen of women's fiction- Katharine Longwell-who seems to take a liking to him, he senses an opportunity for literary riches, if not reputation. After telling her that his (imaginary) female cousin is an aspiring chick-lit author, he secures a promise from her that she'll help his'cousin'get published. The only problem is, Mitch needs a manuscript, and fast. Unfortunately, try as he might to get inside a woman's head by reading Vogue and Cosmo, watching Oxygen and Oprah, nothing seems to work. That's when his roommate Bradley suggests that he try a dance class at the studio where Bradley's sister Marie takes lessons. Self-conscious about his own skills, and unwilling to reveal his true intentions, Mitch attends the first class under an alias: Jason Gallagher, pharmaceutical rep. What could go wrong? Nothing, except that Mitch/Jason quickly finds himself hooked on dancing, and on the charming Marie. Who has no idea who he really is. Or that he knows her brother. Or why he's there. Suddenly, his novel-writing project is becoming a lot more than he bargained for...

After the death of his father, a literature professor is drawn into the murder investigation of a bookstore proprietor. Though Don and his father both love books, their tastes couldn't be more different. Don is a scholar, and his father reads nothing but schlock. His house is full of dime paperbacks, battered thrillers, and case after case of western novels, none of which his son could ever bear to read. At his father's funeral, Don is approached by a strange man, a rare book dealer named Lou Caledonia. Don assumes the man wants to buy his dad's old westerns, but Lou explains that something far more important is on the line. Don finds the cramped confines of Lou's used bookstore immensely comforting, but a surprise waits for him downstairs. Caledonia has been shot dead, and Don is in danger, too. The boy who was too smart to read pulp fiction is about to find himself trapped in a thriller of his own.The Bibliomysteries are a series of short tales about deadly books, by top mystery authors.

Harry Gill, a moderately successful writer of historical fiction, has been awarded the annual Watercress–Armstrong Fellowship—a ‘living memorial'to the poet, Margaret Rose Hurndell. He arrives in the small French village of Menton, where Hurndell once lived and worked, to write. But the Memorial Room is not suitable—it has no electricity or water. Hurndell never wrote here, though it is expected of Harry.Janet Frame's previously unpublished novel draws on her own experiences in Menton, France as a Katherine Mansfield Fellow. It is a wonderful social satire, a send–up of the cult of the dead author, and—in the best tradition of Frame—a fascinating exploration of the complexity and the beauty of language.

Avon the snail and Edward the ant are back for another funny--and philosophical--adventure. This time, Avon has decided he wants to be a writer, only to discover that writing is way more difficult than he ever imagined. He finally gets the word Something written down, but there's a problem: What to write next? Luckily, his friend Edward is there to advise. Brimming with wit, wisdom, and humor, this warm and winning tale of two friends on a quest will be enjoyed by readers (and writers) of all ages.

A classic of Canadian literature, here is the A List edition of Daphne Marlatt's utterly original novel about rescuing a forgotten woman from obscurityAna Historic is the story of Mrs. Richards, a woman of no history, who appears briefly in 1873 in the civic archives of Vancouver. It is also the story of Annie, a contemporary, who becomes obsessed with the possibilities of Mrs. Richards's life.

“A first novel of sorts that promises to be an engaging study of memory, storytelling, and coming of age.” —Library Journal Daniel is pursued by stories. His father, in thrall to a myth, has disappeared; his mother and sister, too; and Lydia, his lover, leaves him and the novel he cannot finish for quantum mechanics, the place where theory tells tales about the real. And then there is Pearl, the girl beneath the floorboards, whose adventures hum alongside Daniel's own. In this contemporary, contemplative fairy tale, the autobiographical novel takes on the cast of legend, and the uncertainty of memory leaves reality on shaky ground. Can parallel universes exist? Can a preoccupation with Moby Dick overwhelm the story unfolding before you? Where do you stand in relation to the metaphysics of your own life? “A rich, profound, fascinating book, the kind that widens the margins of everything we read.” —Los Angeles Times “Dive in, & beneath Beachy-Quick's carefully sculpted language, you'll find a love story... [Dan Beachy-Quick] writes with heightened lyricism, an ear for rhythm and rich sensory detail.” —Chicago Tribune “A marvelous novel, by turns lyrical, realistic, dreamlike, and philosophical but always intelligent and gorgeously written.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Dizzying and beautiful.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

From Stephanie Hemphill, author of the Printz Honor winner Your Own, Sylvia and the acclaimed novel Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials, comes the fascinating story of gothic novelist Mary Shelley, most famous for the classic Frankenstein.An all-consuming love affair with famed poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, a family torn apart by scandal, a young author on the brink of greatness: Hideous Love is the story of the mastermind behind one of the most iconic figures in all of literature, a monster constructed out of dead bodies and brought to life by the tragic Dr. Frankenstein.This luminous verse novel reveals how Mary Shelley became one of the most celebrated authors in history.

'Well, what do all mysteries have?'said Aunt Isobel.'Money, mistresses, and murder.'1783 -Lichfield society is enthralled by the arrival of dashing ex-officer Orville; he charms his way into the salons, grand houses and even a great inheritance from extrovert Sir Morton. 1927 -Detective writer Julia Warren returns to her home in Lichfield to work on her next novel. Initially she hopes to find plot material from the past and set it in the present. Aunt Isobel, while making preparations for the annual midsummer ball, has managed to root out an old journal from 1783 which might prove a source of inspiration. Once Julia starts reading her ancestor's journal she becomes absorbed in solving the mystery surrounding officer Orville. Detective fever takes over, and she moves from reality to legend as events from the past seem set to re-enact themselves in the present, and she finds herself unravelling more than just the one mystery. Who was Orville? Who was the agent, Oddman, set to spy on him? And who is helpful Mr Grenall? A complex, multi-layered story unlike any other, full of whimsy, horror, and mystery, shifting between the centuries and from source to source, until all the threads are finally drawn together by the imperturbable Miss Warren.

A cryptic, self-negating series of notes for an unfinished work of fiction, this astonishing book is made up of ideas for characters and plot points, anecdotes and tales, literary references both real and invented, and populated by an array of fictional authors and their respective literary cliques, all of whom sport multiple pseudonyms, publish their own literary journals, and produce their own ideas for books, characters, poems... A dizzying look at the ugly backrooms of literature, where aesthetic ambitions are forever under siege by petty squabbles, long-nurtured grudges, envied or undeserved prizes, bankrupt publishers, and self-important critics, The No Variations is a serious game,or perhaps a frivolous tragedy, with the author and his menagerie of invented peers fighting to keep their feelings of futility at bay. A literary cousin to David Markson and César Aira, The No Variations is one of the great'novels'of contemporary Latin American literature.

The celebrated author and illustrator brings to life the joys of reading, writing, and sharing in this tale of a boy's discovery of the library mouse.Sam the library mouse loves to write, and the children love his little books, which he leaves on the library shelves for them to find. But no one at the library has ever met him. When Tom can't find a partner for a book-making assignment and finds Sam's secret hole behind the children's reference section, will the pair be able to work together, or will Sam's secret identity be spoiled forever? A heartwarming tale about collaboration and creative ambitions, this book will enchant any young aspiring author or illustrator.

In the thirty-four stories filling The Orange Suitcase, Joseph Riippi packs an intimate and powerful portrait of a young man's life. From a childhood spent snipering neighbors with BB guns, to adulthood grasping at love and art in New York City, The Orange Suitcase shows us not only the way life is lived but perhaps more importantly how it is remembered.

At a gathering of the nation's foremost mystery authors, death takes the stageDozens die each year for the sake of the annual Mystery Writers of America banquet. Heiresses are poisoned, captains of industry are stabbed, and private detectives are gunned down in the street. To mystery authors, these fictional murders are nothing but good fun. But at the annual presentation of the MWA's prestigious Edgar and Raven awards, real-life death is about to intrude.Ross Craigthorn's nightly news program has made him one of the most well-respected men in the country, but deep in his past lies a terrible secret—one he shares with only a few others. They have done their best to forget their long-ago crime, but when Craigthorn decides to come clean, his old accomplice knows that the time has come for murder. When a room full of mystery authors witnesses a killing, which of them will have the nerve to play detective?

Ostensibly Tristram's narration of his life story, one of the central jokes of the novel is that the main character cannot explain anything simply without making explanatory diversions to add context and colour to his tale, to the extent that we do not even reach Tristram's own birth until Volume III. Most of the action is concerned with domestic upsets or comic misunderstandings, which find humour in the opposing temperaments. In between such events, Tristram as narrator finds himself discoursing at length on sexual practices, insults, the influence of one's name, noses, as well as explorations of obstetrics, siege warfare and philosophy, as he struggles to marshall his material and finish the story of his life.

„Egy eddigi könyvében sem árulta el Kosztolányi, hogy a játék mennyire fontos eleme művészetének. De nem mindegy, hogy az ember mivel játszik. Az Esti Kornél esetében a játék az egész élet és a világ gyökérkérdéseivel folyik. A játszó ember grimasz mosolya, néha idegen kacagása mögött egy új bánat vonaglását érezni. A játszó ember azzal teszi kibírhatóvá ezt a világot, hogy játékká komplikálja és egyszerűsíti. A forma bravúrján, a stílus ragyogásán túl ez az új bánat, igazi Kosztolányi-bánat teszi az Esti Kornél könyvét feledhetetlenné.” (Schöpflin Aladár)

A powerful and elegant debut novel about love, memory, exile, and war. One snowy December morning in an old European city, an American man leaves his shabby hotel to meet a local woman who has agreed to help him search for an apartment to rent. The Apartment follows the couple across a blurry, illogical, and frozen city into a past the man is hoping to forget, and leaves them at the doorstep of an uncertain future-their cityscape punctuated by the man's lingering memories of time spent in Iraq and the life he abandoned in the United States. Contained within the details of this day is a complex meditation on America's relationship with the rest of the world, an unflinching glimpse at the permanence of guilt and despair, and an exploration into our desire to cure violence with violence. A novel about how our relationships to others-and most importantly to ourselves-alters how we see the world, The Apartment perfectly captures the peculiarity and excitement of being a stranger in a strange city. Written in an affecting and intimate tone that gradually expands in scope, intensity, poetry, and drama, Greg Baxter's clear-eyed first novel tells the intriguing story of these two people on this single day. Both beguiling and raw in its observations and language, The Apartment is a crisp novel with enormous range that offers profound and unexpected wisdom.

Fancy Jones, bestselling crime writer, discovers that someone is trying to kill her. When she is invited to lecture at a writers'conference in the Derbyshire Dales, she leaps at the chance to leave London and hopefully escape the threat of her assasin. Events turn sour when a body is found floating in a lake at the conference venue, and bizzare things start happening to Fancy. Suspicion falls on the other delegates but has her stalker followed her? During a horrifying kidnap, Fancy faces dying alone in a disused mine, unless the truth cna be discovered in time.

This imaginative companion to the New York Times bestselling Secret Series teases, prompts, and leads readers through the steps of writing a story. Bosch's signature rip-roaring voice delivers an engaging narrative (for the reader to help complete!) and interactive puzzles and games. Readers get the chance to create their own story while enjoying a satisfying mystery as well.Here's a note from our fearless'author':I feared this might happen. I knew reading was a dangerous business, but now it's not safe for writers either! You see, the author of this book is missing. Well, maybe not'missing.'A certain author whom I won't name (okay, me) has abandoned his book and has left his readers hanging out to dry. This is a crime, I admit, but there it is. Most of this book, well, I just haven't written it. And I'm not going to, either.Why? Oh, I have my reasons. Big. Grown up. Author. Reasons. Unfortunately, I can't reveal them yet. Let's just say a life is at stake (mine) and leave it at that. So will you do it? Pretty please? You'll do it? Thank you! But please hurry! Time is of the essence and you can't wait any longer. You must WRITE THIS BOOK!

A star-studded anthology with a devilish hook, whose proceeds benefit 826nyc: the fabulous literacy non-profit founded by Dave Eggers. Can you imagine the most cantankerous book editor alive? Part Voldemort, part Cruella de Vil (if she were a dude), and worse in appearance and odor than a gluttonous farm pig? A man who makes no secret of his love of cheese or his disdain of unworthy authors? That man is Herman Mildew. The anthology opens with an invitation to a party, care of this insufferable monster, where more than 80 of the most talented, bestselling and recognizable names in YA and children's fiction learn that they are suspects in his murder. All must provide alibis in brief first-person entries. The problem is that all of them are liars, all of them are fabulists, and all have something to hide...

When six-year-old Davey Charleston is kidnapped during a family holiday in Florida, his distraught parents finally accept that he cannot be found. They return to England to mourn the loss of their son. However, Davey's grandfather, Bray, is not so willing to accept Davey's disappearance; he knows it is down to him to rescue his young grandson. Suspecting that whoever took Davey will try to wash out any memory the boy has of his past, Bray begins to compile a series of children's books, with the goal of making them popular in America. He hopes his grandson's buried memories will be triggered and that Davey will be the only person capable of correctly answering his almost impossible trivia questions. With the aid of an unlikely trio of helpers, Bray sets out on his quest of finding Davey before his young grandson's memory finally fades away.

“A truly funny sendup of the corrupt politics of academe, the publishing industry and politics, as well as a subtle but biting critique of racial ideology.” —Publishers WeeklyThis “hilarious high-concept satire” (Publishers Weekly), by the PEN/Faulkner finalist and acclaimed author of Telephone and Erasure, is a fictitious and satirical chronicle of South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond's desire to pen a history of African-Americans—his and his aides'belief being that he has done as much, or more, than any American to shape that history. An epistolary novel, The History follows the letters of loose cannon Congressional office workers, insane interns at a large New York publishing house and disturbed publishing executives, along with homicidal rival editors, kindly family friends, and an aspiring author named Septic. Strom Thurmond appears charming and open, mad and sure of his place in American history.“Outrageously funny... it could become a cult classic.” —Library Journal“I think Percival Everett is a genius. I've been a fan since his first novel... He's a brilliant writer and so damn smart I envy him.” —Terry McMillan, New York Times-bestselling author of It's Not All Downhill from Here“God bless Percival Everett, whose dozens of idiosyncratic books demonstrate a majestic indifference to literary trends, the market or his critics.”?The Wall Street Journal

The Islam Quintet concludes with a powerful portrait of life and loveTariq Ali's epic quintet, which began on the streets of medieval Granada, culminates in present day with Night of the Golden Butterfly. The story darts between the past and present of Dara, a Lahore-born writer who now lives in London. Dara is called back to his homeland by an old friend, the hot-tempered and mysterious Plato, who, at seventy-five, has finally fallen in love. Dara is to help Plato's newfound inamorata to write a book about his friend's life. Dara retraces not only Plato's steps but also his own, meeting old friends across the world as they retread the paths of their lives. Night of the Golden Butterfly is a gorgeous and lyrical capstone that finds heart and humor in the passage of time, the practice of reconciliation, and the irresistible draw of home.

Five nuanced and powerful historical novels depicting the clashes among Muslims, Christians, and Jews from the Crusades to twenty-first-century London. Celebrated British-Pakistani journalist and author Tariq Ali takes a mind-expanding journey through the ages with these five acclaimed works of fiction, available now in one collection. Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree: “Ali captures the humanity and splendor of Muslim Spain” in “an enthralling story, unraveled with thrift and verve” (The Independent). For the doomed Moors, the fall of Granada and the approaching forces of Christendom bring not peace but the sword. The Book of Saladin: After Saladin reclaims the holy city of Jerusalem from the Crusaders, he turns to a Jewish scribe to record his story, which Edward Said calls “a narrative for our time, haunted by distant events and characters who are closer to us than we had dreamed.” The Stone Woman: “Ali paints a vivid picture of a fading world,” proclaims the New York Times Book Review, as a distant descendant of an exiled Ottoman courtier suffers a stroke in Istanbul, and his family rushes to his side to hear his last stories. A Sultan in Palermo: In “a marvelously paced and boisterously told novel of intrigue, love, insurrection and manipulation,” cartographer Muhammad al-Idrisi is caught between his friendship with King Roger of Sicily and the resentments of his fellow Muslims (The Guardian). Night of the Golden Butterfly: A Lahore-born writer living in London is called back to his homeland by an old friend who, at seventy-five, has finally fallen in love. “If Pakistan is a land of untold stories,” writes the New Statesman, Ali is “the country's finest historian and critic.”

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The epic, beloved novel of two boy geniuses dreaming up superheroes in New York's Golden Age of comics, now with special bonus material by the author “It's absolutely gosh-wow, super-colossal—smart, funny, and a continual pleasure to read.”—The Washington Post Book World One of The New York Times's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century • One of Entertainment Weekly's 10 Best Books of the Decade • Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, and Los Angeles Times Book PrizeA “towering, swash-buckling thrill of a book” (Newsweek), hailed as Chabon's “magnum opus” (The New York Review of Books), The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is a triumph of originality, imagination, and storytelling, an exuberant, irresistible novel that begins in New York City in 1939. A young escape artist and budding magician named Joe Kavalier arrives on the doorstep of his cousin, Sammy Clay. While the long shadow of Hitler falls across Europe, America is happily in thrall to the Golden Age of comic books, and in a distant corner of Brooklyn, Sammy is looking for a way to cash in on the craze. He finds the ideal partner in the aloof, artistically gifted Joe, and together they embark on an adventure that takes them deep into the heart of Manhattan, and the heart of old-fashioned American ambition. From the shared fears, dreams, and desires of two teenage boys, they spin comic book tales of the heroic, fascist-fighting Escapist and the beautiful, mysterious Luna Moth, otherworldly mistress of the night. Climbing from the streets of Brooklyn to the top of the Empire State Building, Joe and Sammy carve out lives, and careers, as vivid as cyan and magenta ink. Spanning continents and eras, this superb book by one of America's finest writers remains one of the defining novels of our modern American age. Winner of the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award and the New York Society Library Book Award

In the early hours of New Year's Day 1919, in a raging storm, the Iolaire, bringing troops back from WWI, sank on its entry to Stornoway Harbour, Isle of Lewis. Most on board perished. The island community was devastated and, in addition to its high loss of men in WWI, lost a further 200 men on that night. The wreck is still in Stornoway Harbour. This ambitious first novel centres on a group of island friends whose lives are changed irrevocably by the First World War. Iain Murray is charismatic, but selfish, and his war poetry makes him a cult figure; Calum is the talented musician whose crippled leg keeps him out of the army; John-Angus is the innocent who becomes a war hero and Mhairi, the pivotal character and daughter of the island's draper who loves Calum, shocks the community when she becomes pregnant by Iain. But also pregnant by Iain is the girl Iain really loves - Dulcie. When a Channel 4 film producer finds a copy of Iain's poems and learns he was the hero of a war film, The Dark Ship, she travels to Scotland to interview the only survivor, John-Angus, and learns the tangled story of their lives. The sinking of the Iolaire is the powerful climax of this modern love saga. The Dark Ship is about a poet who went to war, his lovers, his friends who stayed behind and his friends who fought beside him. The novel spans three generations and two world wars, to the present day, and celebrates love, music and poetry in this carefully interwoven story that reflects the complex past and community of a Scottish island.

Dom Casmurro é um romance escrito por Machado de Assis, publicado em 1899 pela Livraria Garnier. Escrito para publicação em livro, o que ocorreu em 1900 - embora com data do ano anterior, ao contrário de Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas (1881) e Quincas Borba (1891), escritos antes em folhetins -, é considerado o terceiro romance da'trilogia realista'de Machado de Assis, ao lado desses outros dois. Seu personagem principal é Bento Santiago, o narrador da história que, contada em primeira pessoa, pretende'atar as duas pontas da vida', ou seja, unir relatos desde sua mocidade até os dias em que está escrevendo o livro. Entre esses dois momentos Bento escreve sobre suas reminiscências da juventude, sua vida no seminário, seu caso com Capitu e o ciúme que advém desse relacionamento, que se torna o enredo central da trama. Ambientado no Rio de Janeiro do Segundo Império, se inicia com um episódio que seria recente em que o narrador recebe a alcunha de'Dom Casmurro', daí o título do romance. Machado de Assis o escreveu utilizando ferramentas literárias como a ironia e uma intertextualidade que alcança Schopenhauer e sobretudo a peça Otelo de Shakespeare. Presente pra Cecília mostra que as maiores alegrias podem vir de onde menos se espera. A sonoridade das rimas desperta a atenção das crianças, e o uso de termos diferentes para se referir à personagem auxilia na percepção de que as palavras não se encerram em si mesmas, mas podem referir-se a outras já apresentadas no texto. Crianças de 4 a 6 anos já estão familiarizadas com a língua materna, e esses dois recursos as auxiliam no processo de explorar outras formas de utilizá-la.