A Book of poems

A Book of poems

Julianne Law

Cultural / Tasmania / Nonfiction

A Book of Poems is a free book of Relationship, Loses, and spiritual sayings.A Book of Poems is a book of poetic writings done over a ten year period.These are my poems about dealing with relationships, have the strength of overcoming a death of a love one, and building a strong relationship with God.
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Tea for Two, Justice for All

Tea for Two, Justice for All

Robin Dalton

Nonfiction / Cultural / Australia

What is life? By what traits and attributes is one thing defined as living, and another not? CCD-08, who prefers to think of herself as "Bo", muses on the subject as the civil war for robot independence rages on outside her bakery doors. She wages her own personal fight inside, trying to bring robots and humans together on either side of a table.What is life? By what traits and attributes is one thing defined as living, and another not? CCD-08, who prefers to think of herself as "Bo", muses on the subject as the civil war for robot independence rages on outside her bakery doors. Defeat could mean lobotomy at best, mass decomissioning at worst. Victory will likely only open the way for further battles. Bo, in turn, wages her own personal fight inside, trying to bring robots and humans together on either side of a table. Maybe she can't change the world on her own. But at least she can stop the fighting long enough, courtesy of a hot cup of motor oil on one side and some perfectly prepared cupcakes on the other, for robots and humans together to see that maybe they don't have much to fight about in the first place. Whatever happens next, both sides have to see that they can't coexist without the other anymore if they both want to escape the flames of war.
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  • 758
No One Will Ever Find Out

No One Will Ever Find Out

EA Young

History / Cultural / African American

“I leaned my head against the backseat window and looked up. It was dark and gloomy out there; the sun’s glow was fading behind the distant trees and houses. The cool night winds wailed all around, making the tip of my ears sting. Everything the nuns had said was true: there was a hell, and I was heading directly towards it.”Anxious for school to end and summer to begin, Justine Collins dreams the warm days of freedom away from the classroom, away from the teachers, away from the exams; splashing at the beach, enjoying barbecues on picnics, screaming on roller coasters, and relishing special moments with her family. But doubt lingers as the fear of secrets buried away turn her world upside down when that one night comes to crush her dreams before her summer even begins, and sends her spiraling down a path she could not avoid, no matter how hard she had tried to ignore it. Only when she owns up to her fears does she discover that she is not alone.
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The Towers

The Towers

Charles Miller

History / Nonfiction / Cultural

The most traumatic disaster in modern history. The short, explosive story of a boy and his life changing quest to save his father.Long, long ago in a land at the edge of a desert that howls against the walls of the village, a poor young boy named Samir is sent to work for a strange old man who stays up all night listening to the stars. In his curiosity to find out why, Samir stumbles upon a secret and is swept up in an epic journey across the ancient world. It is up to him and his brother Hamdan - with a lot of help from Munira, the camel - to deliver a very special treasure to a king and perhaps rescue their land from disaster. Can they overcome thieves and a sandstorm to reach their destination in time?This imaginative reconstruction of the tale of the Magi will appeal to children aged five and over, and draws on real astronomical research into the real Christmas Star. The story is set in the ancient Middle East, in which region the author lived for many years - although at a much later date, of course!
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In the Light of Day

In the Light of Day

BobA. Troutt

Cultural / Ireland / Romance

In the Light of Day is a collection of short stories with unexpected twists that will fill your mind with mystery and suspense. The stories will take you to the edge. How close will they take you? Read and see.Slightly BentHubert Emmitt was a tall young boy for his age. He stood a lanky six feet and four inches tall. His nickname was Slightly Bent. He loved baseball; it was his life, world and dream. He was the best and the scouts had their eyes on him. He was headed to the top until something happened and changed everything. Sometimes in life dreams don’t always come true.Sugar CreekIt was spring break. Beverly and Connie were headed to a concert in Hickory Flatts for the weekend. But, their well-planned trip changes when they have to take a detour. When they pick up a hitchhiker, they end up having a bizarre, twisted weekend at Sugar Creek.Hit and RunIt was a summer day in 1956 in Hollow Rock, Mississippi. Jerome Noles, a twelve-year-old boy was walking home from fishing. He was hit and killed by a driver who never stopped to help him. Would the driver get away with it because of who he was? Would a homeless man who witnessed the hit and run bring down the driver, a kingpin in the county?The UndertakerDecember 9, 1962 in Walnut Creek, Arkansas, a woman’s body is found at the Traveler’s Rest Motel. She is the fourth victim of a rage of murders in Walnut Creek. A serial killer is on the loose. Can Detective Hudson and Detective Durham find and stop the killer before he claims another victim?The CounselorAndy and Elaine Wilkerson had been in Sandy Oaks, South Carolina for the past two years. Elaine was from Ten Mile, Georgia. They moved to Sandy Oaks to take care of her mother who was battling breast cancer. But, little did she know by moving back her life would change dramatically.The Black BookThe year was 1951 in the small town of Long Creek, Kentucky. A serial killer was on the rampage. There had been two murders already and another body had been found. As the story unravels, the detectives begin to close in on the killer. Will a black book that was found hold the key to the bizarre murders and lead to a twisted ending?In the Bite of WinterWhen Police Chief Johnny Sloan arrives home, he finds his wife has been murdered. As the investigation goes on, Chief Sloan believes her boyfriend, Tommy Lee Lambert, killed her. With rumors spreading quickly around town and the political involvement, the case isn’t as it seems.Sunset MotelIt was 1973 in Willow Brook, Mississippi at the Sunset Motel when Diane Riddle went in to rent a room. The clerk, Jimmy, noticed nervous she was because she kept looking out the window like someone was following her. When morning came, he called her room because she had requested a wakeup call. She didn’t answer so he went to her room to make sure she was okay. But, she was gone. The room had been ransacked.Jones StreetBetty Jean lived in Spring Creek with her husband, Donald; they lived on Jones Street. Little did she know, after the death of her husband, her life would change forever. Jones Street holds a secret that will haunt her and drive her almost over the edge.
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Cairo

Cairo

Arun Krishnan

Cultural / India / Asian Literature / Indian Literature

Kabir -- a private eye -- is grappling with a conundrum. His wife has left him only three days after the wedding. A client asks him to track down a missing cat called Luna. When Kabir sets out in the cat's pursuit, he hits upon a startling revelation about life and love.There are some questions that even a private detective cannot answer. Why doesn't my wife talk to me? Why does she spend all her time following the Arab Spring on the Internet? And did she leave me only three days after the wedding? Kabir -- Lucknow's most successful sleuth -- is grappling with all of these questions, when a client asks him to track down a missing cat called Luna. When Kabir sets out in the cat's pursuit, he hits upon a startling revelation about life and love.
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Lonely Pride

Lonely Pride

Tricia McGill

Cultural / Australia / Historical / Historical Fiction

Sam fell in love with Mac at first sight when she was still a child and he a teenage boy, almost but not quite a man. A special bond formed between them, fueled by their mutual love of animals—especially horses. As each matured, that bond threatened to move beyond the limits of friendship. By the time Sam reached her 17th birthday she was desperately in love with him, her shining hero.Sam fell in love with Mac at first sight when she was still a child and he a teenage boy, almost but not quite a man. A special bond formed between them, fueled by their mutual love of animals—especially horses. As each matured, that bond threatened to move beyond the limits of friendship. By the time Sam reached her 17th birthday she was desperately in love with him, her shining hero. But one awful night Mac betrayed that love and Sam was unable to find it in her heart to forgive him. By the time the truth was revealed they had both moved on with their lives, and Sam’s pride prevented her from forgiving Mac; threatened to ensure her a lonely future. Book 1 in Tricia McGill's Beneath Southern Skies series now Free.Reviews“I was supposed to take the book on vacation with me, but I made the mistake of starting it and couldn’t stop until I finished–but then Tricia McGill is one of my favorite authors. She grabbed me from the beginning…emotional sparks were so real I felt the tension. I encountered an amazing range of emotions reading this book as I recalled my own childhood crushes, my broken hearts, the agony of losing someone I loved, and the joy of knowing real love. I enjoyed the ‘sex’ scenes that left enough to the imagination that I could personalize them for myself.Tricia McGill has an astounding way with words. Once you read her books, you’ll become an avid fan.” Brett Scott, TRS“Ms. McGill has written very real characters. You can relate to them and the problems they are dealing with. She has created a world that is believable. I love the scene of Mac telling Sam how he feels and she finally realizes what she felt all those years ago was that she hadn't wanted to grow up. She had wanted everything to stay the same. Ms. McGill tells a story that touches your heart.” Donna Fallen, Angels Reviews“Tricia McGill’s description of Mac’s struggles with his feelings makes the reader want to believe that chivalry is not dead after all. This book should be required reading by some of the young men of today.” Donna L. Zeller, KIC reviews
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12:22 to Chicago

12:22 to Chicago

Craig Davis

History / Nonfiction / Cultural

Dan Robeson takes to the road with a secret he can neither escape nor relinquish. Like this story? There's more like it in the collection "Red Hair Rising," also available on Smashwords!Now a featured story in the new collection of Christian Gothic tales, "Red Hair Rising"! Dan Robeson takes to the road with a secret he can neither escape nor relinquish. First prize winner of The Talent Among Us Volume XII: Visions and Dreams competition. More stories like this in "Red Hair Rising."
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Finding Home

Finding Home

Werner Kho

Poetry / Cultural / Asia

We all yearn to find a place to call our own, the place which we can call “home”. Everybody has their own definition of what they hold onto. Finding home is a collection of poetry and prose that compiles our attempts to find and define the one place we settle into.Being a son of a cat demon and a human isn't all it's cracked up to be. As a half-demon, Niko has a unique ability: he can control his demon transformations. However, while he is participating in a Martial Arts tournament, where the best of the best are competing. During his last fight with the last opponent he would expect, his demonic powers become uncontrollable.Meanwhile, Chisai Konami is falling asleep in class... again, when a sudden illness causes her to collapse, and change into something new: a synthetic cat demon.With the help of the mysterious Lord Tora, who helps Chisai control her newfound powers, and allows Niko to uncover a powerful attack, these two begin on a new quest to pay him back. However, when danger arises, will these two half cat-demons be able to bring their "A" game?
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Nan Violence

Nan Violence

Arun Krishnan

Cultural / India / Asian Literature / Indian Literature

It's hard to attain Nirvana - especially when you are accused of being a cross-dressing Muslim terrorist. Mr. Jain is a strict vegetarian who develops an unexpected fondness for meat. He tries to keep his new tastes secret from his fellow Jains by resorting to wearing a burkha -- but in the process falls afoul of the FBI.It's hard to attain Nirvana - especially when you are accused of being a cross-dressing Muslim terrorist. Mr. Jain strictly adheres to the principles of non-violence and vegetarianism. However, due to an an unfortunate turn of circumstances, he develops a taste for meat. He wants to buy meat at a neighborhood restaurant, but fears public condemnation. To avoid detection by fellow Jains, he conceals himself in a burka. In the process, he gets mistaken for a cross-dressing Muslim terrorist who is out to corrupt the moral fabric of American society. Will Mr, Jain escape the clutches of the law and find salvation? It is a far more difficult prospect than he can ever imagine.
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The Black Joke

The Black Joke

David Bramhall

Fiction / Cultural / France

A cross between Treasure Island, The Railway Children and Deliverance, The Black Joke is by turns exciting, amusing, charming, alarming, winsome, violent and strange - a rollicking read for adults with a childish love of adventure, and for children who aren't afraid of a few long words."Far off at the western edge of the world, where the green land meets the grey ocean and the wind never falters, Bodrach Nuwl, the Old Man of the Mist, rises a thousand feet above the sea. At his head the wind perpetually thunders, whipping the thin grasses and stunting the trees that lean and cling grimly with their ancient roots. He is so gigantic that each ledge and crinkle in his face is a little world in itself. On green, wind-blasted lawns the size of football pitches, whole populations of rabbits and foxes lead their lives perched in the air with no inkling of the outside world. Small crevices become great chasms, lined with trees growing from the rock itself, fed by ferny waterfalls and inhabited by finches and great dragonflies. Habitats here have no connection with the world at large. There are species of insect that exist nowhere else, and unknown pale orchids that thrive in cracks and crannies. Great caves loom open that from the sea must seem like the holes of sand-martins but in reality could swallow a small village and are inhabited by bats and blind snakes.Behind the cliffs huddles a dismal little town. In the town is a church, and in the church are some pews. And under one of the pews is a boy, hiding from the Vicar."Thus begins The Black Joke, which has been described as a cross between Treasure Island, The Railway Children and Deliverance. It is by turns exciting, amusing, charming, alarming, winsome, violent and strange - a rollicking read for adults with a childish love of adventure, and for children who aren't afraid of a few long words.There's a skeleton in the tunnel, a pair of loathsome bullies in the classroom, a mysterious ship in the harbour and vague rumours about missing treasure. But ... pirates? Oh, come on, surely not. That would be ridiculous. You don't get pirates any more ... do you?You will meet ...... the fearsome Urethra Grubb, the worst woman in the world ...... the emphatic Rosella Prettyfoot, who wears big boots and knows how to use them ...... the sinister Trinity Teague, who disappeared and has now come back ...... the odorous Billy Moon, and his mother Primrose who's no better than she should be ...... and the slightly bewildered Pertinacious Potts and his annoying sister Fenestra, who have to make sense of it all and know that no good will come of it. Probably.
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A Story Of Life

A Story Of Life

Peter Schneider

Fiction / Cultural / Germany

A Story of Life is a richly layered poetic fable in a fantasy island setting about a young girl’s coming of age as she experiences the transformation of society’s innocence. A poetic journey, written in short chapters, perfect for reading on mobile devices."She read the strange signs, and the first cloud in a long time appeared on the blue sky."If you like the book we'd appreciate a review.A Story of Life is a richly layered poetic fable in a fantasy island setting about a young girl’s coming of age as she experiences the transformation of society’s innocence. A poetic journey, written in short chapters, perfect for reading on mobile devices.If you like the book we'd appreciate a review.Karmen enjoys a peaceful childhood on a small island, whose sky, like her demeanor, is a pristine blue with never a cloud in sight. One day her reality takes a sudden turn. Though she must leave home, she embraces the responsibility to use her power for the greater good. New growth and beauty are left in the wake of her constant travels. One day, Karmen risks her life for love and nearly dies. The consequences of her choice force her from the sanctuary she helped to create. After an awakening, she exists in a harsh civilization where innocence is but a distant memory. Will she be able to adapt to her new surroundings? Or will she perish along with the splendor she once knew?"She read the strange signs, and the first cloud in a long time appeared on the blue sky. Slowly the boats turned and set sail home, or the place which once had been her home."
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The Ghost of George Washington

The Ghost of George Washington

Arthur Bliss

Cultural / Poland

In this short story by acclaimed Washington writer Arthur Bliss, six college freshman face an unexpected crisis in the forest ahead of the 2016 American presidential election. Will what they discover change how they view themselves and their country?Beneath the towering sand dunes that hug the coastline of Lake Michigan is a world that gives a young brother and sister the experience of a lifetime. The Sands of Singapore is a story based on a lost city under the shifting sands. Singapore, Michigan was a bustling lumber town in the early 1900's and was essential in helping to supply the lumber that was used to re-build Chicago after it's historic fire.After the lumber industry died, so did Singapore and it was only a matter of time before the sands were to bury the town and remove it from sight. the only images are those of found in local historical societies which show ghostly images of Singapore before time, wind and sand buried removed it from existence.Jeff and Amber are a brother and sister that discover a hidden world beneath the sand dunes which is home to many animals that help them to return to the surface, but not before they are taken to the lost city of Singapore which is abandoned, but is home to the squirrels, birds, butterflies, raccoons, skunks, chipmunks, ants, owls and others that show them a colorful feast for the senses with the candied tulips, licorice tasting grass, cotton candy flavored clouds, sweet smelling air and the one human that creates the environmental delicacies they encounter before returning to the surface.
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Molten Eternities

Molten Eternities

Sanam

Nonfiction / Cultural / Pakistan

Molten Eternities is a collection of short poems that etch out the dogmas of this universe and attempt to have a look on the other side. The poems poke the vast eeriness of the cosmos, and how it is an eternity and a brief moment, all at once. Caught up in this paradox of ‘time’ are all of us - molten fragments of an eternity, and shackled down by years, and lifetimesMolten Eternities is a collection of short poems that etch out the dogmas of this universe and attempt to have a look on the other side. The poems poke the vast eeriness of the cosmos, and how it is an eternity and a brief moment, all at once. Caught up in this paradox of ‘time’ are all of us - molten fragments of an eternity, and shackled down by years, and lifetimes. Lifetimes that thrive on promises and vows. Each one of us yearning for a love that is flawless and yet, evades us. The poems reflect the turmoil that each one of us faces as we grapple with emotions that race through our veins. Short and crisp, these short poems paint a lush landscape of thoughts in a handful of words. They try and ponder what we all seek in our lifetimes, and what awaits us at the end of it all, when, we pass on into the stagnant Universe.Only to become an eternity, once again..
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Last Man in Tower

Last Man in Tower

Aravind Adiga

Fiction / Cultural / India

A tale of one man refusing to leave his home in the face of property development. Tower A is a relic from a co-operative housing society established in the 1950s. When a property developer offers to buy out the residents for eye-watering sums, the principled yet arrogant teacher is the only one to refuse the offer, determined not to surrender his sentimental attachment to his home and his right to live in it, in the name of greed. His neighbours gradually relinquish any similar qualms they might have and, in a typically blunt satirical premise take matters into their own hands, determined to seize their slice of the new Mumbai as it transforms from stinky slum to silvery skyscrapers at dizzying, almost gravity-defying speed.
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Between the Assassinations

Between the Assassinations

Aravind Adiga

Fiction / Cultural / India

In his compelling new work of fiction, Aravind Adiga has imagined the small Indian city of Kittur, an everytown nestling on the coast south of Goa and north of Calicut. Through the myriad and distinctive voices of its inhabitants, an entire Indian world comes vividly and unforgettably to life. From a middle-aged Communist to an Islamic terrorist; from the young children of a Tamil building-site worker to a privileged and alienated schoolboy; from an idealistic journalist to a Brahmin housemaid, Adiga has produced a microcosm of Indian life in the 80s, the years between the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv. Muslim, Christian and Hindu, high-caste and low-caste, rich and poor: all of Indian life - the 'sorrowful parade of humanity' - is here. Journeying through Kittur's streets and schoolyards, bedrooms and businesses, its inner workings and outer limits, Adiga conjures a remarkable fictional landscape. Sizzling with acid observations, and textured with wicked humour and gentle humanity, Between the Assassinations is a triumph of voice and imagination.
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The White Tiger

The White Tiger

Aravind Adiga

Fiction / Cultural / India

A stunning literary debut critics have likened to Richard Wright's Native Son, The White Tiger follows a darkly comic Bangalore driver through the poverty and corruption of modern India's caste society. The white tiger of this novel is Balram Halwai, a poor Indian villager whose great ambition leads him to the zenith of Indian business culture, the world of the Bangalore entrepreneur. On the occasion of the president of China's impending trip to Bangalore, Balram writes a letter to him describing his transformation and his experience as driver and servant to a wealthy Indian family, which he thinks exemplifies the contradictions and complications of Indian society.
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Selection Day

Selection Day

Aravind Adiga

Fiction / Cultural / India

Manju is fourteen. He knows he is good at cricket -- if not as good as his elder brother Radha. He knows that he fears and resents his domineering and cricket-obsessed father, admires his brilliantly talented brother and is fascinated by CSI and curious and interesting scientific facts. But there are many things, about himself and about the world, that he doesn't know . . . Everyone around him, it seems, has a clear idea of who Manju should be, except Manju himself. But when Manju begins to get to know Radha's great rival, a boy as privileged and confident as Manju is not, everything in Manju's world begins to change and he is faced by decisions that will challenge both his sense of self and of the world around him. As sensitively observed as The White Tiger -- Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2008 -- was brilliantly furious, Selection Day reveals another facet of Aravind Adiga's remarkable talent.
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Q & A

Q & A

Vikas Swarup

Fiction / Cultural / India

Vikas Swarup's spectacular debut novel opens in a jail cell in Mumbai, India, where Ram Mohammad Thomas is being held after correctly answering all twelve questions on India's biggest quiz show, Who Will Win a Billion? It is hard to believe that a poor orphan who has never read a newspaper or gone to school could win such a contest. But through a series of exhilarating tales Ram explains to his lawyer how episodes in his life gave him the answer to each question. Ram takes us on an amazing review of his own history - from the day he was found as a baby in the clothes donation box of a Delhi church to his employment by a faded Bollywood star to his adventure with a security-crazed Australian army colonel to his career as an overly creative tour guide at the Taj Mahal. Vikas Swarup's Q & A is a beguiling blend of high comedy, drama, and romance that reveals how we know what we know - not just about trivia, but about life itself. Cutting across humanity in all its squalor and glory, Vikas Swarup presents a kaleidoscopic vision of the struggle between good and evil - and what happens when one boy has no other choice in life but to survive.
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The Accidental Apprentice: A Novel

The Accidental Apprentice: A Novel

Vikas Swarup

Fiction / Cultural / India

From the author of the book behind the blockbuster movie Slumdog Millionaire, a brilliant novel about life changing in an instant. Life pivots on a few key moments. This is one of them. Sapna Sinha works in an electronics store in downtown Delhi. She hates her job, but she is ambitious and determined to succeed, and she knows without the money she brings in, her family won't be able to survive. Little does she know it but her life is about to change forever. As she leaves the shop on her lunch break one day, she is approached by a man who claims to be CEO of one of India's biggest companies. He tells her he is looking for an heir for his business empire. And that he has decided it should be her. There are just seven tests she must pass. And then the biggest lottery ticket of all time will be hers.
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Six Suspects

Six Suspects

Vikas Swarup

Fiction / Cultural / India

Vicky Rai, the son of a high-profile Minister, has been shot dead by one of the guests at his own party. They are a glitzy bunch, but among them the police find six strange, displaced characters with a gun in their possession. each of them steaming with a secret motive. India's wiliest investigative journalist, Arun Advani, makes it his mission to nail the murderer. In doing so, the amazing, tender and touching, techni-colour lives of six eccentric personalities unravel before our eyes. But can we trust Advani? Or does he have another agenda in mind...?
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Night Train to Lisbon

Night Train to Lisbon

Pascal Mercier

Fiction / Philosophy / Cultural

Night Train to Lisbon follows Raimund Gregorius, a 57-year-old Classics scholar, on a journey that takes him across Europe. Abandoning his job and his life and travelling with a dusty old book as his talisman, he heads for Lisbon in search of clues to the life of the book's Portuguese author, Amadeu de Prado. As he gets swept up in his quest, he finds that the journey is also one of self-discovery, as he reencounters all the decisions he has made - and not made - in his life, and faces the roads not travelled.
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Lea

Lea

Pascal Mercier

Fiction / Philosophy / Cultural

Die achtjährige Lea hat sich nach dem Tod der Mutter in eine eigene Welt zurückgezogen, zu der auch der Vater keinen Zutritt hat. Erst der Klang einer Geige holt sie ins Leben zurück. Lea erweist sich als außerordentliche musikalische Begabung, und schon bald liegen ihr Publikum und Musikwelt zu Füßen. Doch während Lea von Erfolg zu Erfolg eilt, treibt es ihren anfangs überglücklichen Vater Martijn van Vliet immer tiefer in die Einsamkeit. Bei dem verzweifelten Versuch, die Liebe und Nähe seiner Tochter zurückzugewinnen, verstrickt er sich in ein Verbrechen, das alles verändert …
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The Golden Days

The Golden Days

Cao Xueqin

Classics / Fiction / Cultural

"The Story of the Stone" (c. 1760) is one of the greatest novels of Chinese literature. The first part of the story, The Golden Days, begins the tale of Bao-yu, a gentle young boy who prefers girls to Confucian studies, and his two cousins: Bao-chai, his parents' choice of a wife for him, and the ethereal beauty Dai-yu. Through the changing fortunes of the Jia family, this rich, magical work sets worldly events - love affairs, sibling rivalries, political intrigues, even murder - within the context of the Buddhist understanding that earthly existence is an illusion and karma determines the shape of our lives.
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The Warning Voice

The Warning Voice

Cao Xueqin

Classics / Fiction / Cultural

"The Story of the Stone (c. 1760)", also known by the title of "The Dream of the Red Chamber", is the great novel of manners in Chinese literature. Divided into five volumes, of which "The Warning Voice" is the third, it charts the glory and decline of the illustrious Jia family (a story which closely accords with the fortunes of the author's own family). The two main characters, Bao-yu and Dai-yu, are set against a rich tapestry of humour, realistic detail and delicate poetry, which accurately reflects the ritualized hurly-burly of Chinese family life. But over and above the novel hangs the constant reminder that there is another plane of existence - a theme which affirms the Buddhist belief in a supernatural scheme of things.
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The Dream of the Red Chamber (Selection)

The Dream of the Red Chamber (Selection)

Cao Xueqin

Classics / Fiction / Cultural

The Dream of the Red Chamber is one of the ôFour Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature." It is renowned for its huge scope, large cast of characters, and telling observations on the life and social structures of 18th century China and is considered by many to be the pinnacle of classical Chinese novels. The ôRed Chamberö is an expression used for the sheltered area where the daughters of wealthy Chinese families lived. Believed to be based on the authorÆs own life and intended as a memorial to the women that he knew in his youth, The Dream of the Red Chamber is a multilayered story that offers up key insights into Chinese culture.
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The Debt of Tears

The Debt of Tears

Cao Xueqin

Classics / Fiction / Cultural

"The Story of the Stone" (c. 1760), also known by the title of "The Dream of the Red Chamber", is the great novel of manners in Chinese literature. Divided into five volumes, of which "The Debt of Tears" is the fourth, it charts the glory and decline of the illustrious Jia family (a story which closely accords with the fortunes of the author's own family). The two main characters, Bao-yu and Dai-yu, are set against a rich tapestry of humour, realistic detail and delicate poetry, which accurately reflects the ritualized hurly-burly of Chinese family life. But over and above the novel hangs the constant reminder that there is another plane of existence a theme, which affirms the Buddhist belief in a supernatural scheme of things.
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The Dreamer Wakes

The Dreamer Wakes

Cao Xueqin

Classics / Fiction / Cultural

The Story of the Stone (c. 1760), also known as The Dream of the Red Chamber, is one of the greatest novels of Chinese literature. The fifth part of Cao Xueqin's magnificent saga, The Dreamer Awakes, was carefully edited and completed by Gao E some decades later. It continues the story of the changing fortunes of the Jia dynasty, focussing on Bao-yu, now married to Bao-chai, after the tragic death of his beloved Dai-yu. Against such worldly elements as death, financial ruin, marriage, decadence and corruption, his karmic journey unfolds. Like a sleepwalker through life, Bao-yu is finally awakened by a vision, which reveals to him that life itself is merely a dream, 'as moonlight mirrored in the water'.
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The Crab-Flower Club

The Crab-Flower Club

Cao Xueqin

Classics / Fiction / Cultural

"The Story of the Stone" (c. 1760), also known as "The Dream of the Red Chamber", is one of the greatest novels of Chinese literature. The fifth part of Cao Xueqin's magnificent saga, "The Dreamer Awakes", was carefully edited and completed by Gao E some decades later. It continues the story of the changing fortunes of the Jia dynasty, focussing on Bao-yu, now married to Bao-chai, after the tragic death of his beloved Dai-yu. Against such worldly elements as death, financial ruin, marriage, decadence and corruption, his karmic journey unfolds. Like a sleepwalker through life, Bao-yu is finally awakened by a vision, which reveals to him that life itself is merely a dream, 'as moonlight mirrored in the water'.
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The Famished Road

The Famished Road

Ben Okri

Fiction / Cultural / Africa

So long as we are alive, so long as we feel, so long as we love, everything in us is an energy we can use. He is born into a world of poverty, ignorance and injustice, but Azaro awakens with a smile on his face. Despite belonging to a spirit world made of enchantment, where there is no suffering, Azaro chooses to stay in the land of the Living: to feel it, endure it, know it and love it. This is his story.
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Starbook

Starbook

Ben Okri

Fiction / Cultural / Africa

Starbook tells the tale of a prince and a maiden in a mythical land where a golden age is ending. Their fragile story considers the important questions we all face, exploring creativity, wisdom, suffering and transcendence in a time when imagination still ruled the world. A magnificent achievement and a modern-day parable, Starbook offers a vision of life far greater than ourselves.
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Tales of Freedom

Tales of Freedom

Ben Okri

Fiction / Cultural / Africa

As one of Britain's foremost poets, Ben Okri is rightly acclaimed for his use of language. And as a Booker Prize winning novelist, this skill was shown to particular effect in both Starbook (his most recent work) and in The Famished Road. In Tales of Freedom he brings both poetry and story together in a fascinating new form, using writing and image pared down to their essentials, where haiku and story meet. Thus we discover Pinprop, the slave to an old couple lost in a clearing, who holds the keys to the universe in his quirky hands. Then there is the beautifully dressed black Russian on the train, helping to film a new version of 'Eugene Onegin'. Later, in the chaos of the aftermath of war, orphaned children paint mysterious shapes of bulls, birds, hybrid creatures, and we wonder if grief has unhinged them into genius...And who is that woman, who hardly speaks, who presses a tiny flower into the palm of the young boy on the bus, and then leaves his life forever? Tales of Freedom offers a haunting necklace of images which flash and sparkle as the light shines on them. Quick and stimulating to read, but slowly burning in the memory, they offer a different, more transcendent way of looking at our extreme, gritty world - and show the wealth of freedom that's available beyond the confines of our usual perceptions.
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Songs of Enchantment

Songs of Enchantment

Ben Okri

Fiction / Cultural / Africa

One great thought can change the dreams of the world. One great action, lived out all the way to the sea, can change the history of the world. The adventures of Azaro, the spirit child, continue. From the bestselling author of The Famished Road comes this radiant sequel.
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Dangerous Love

Dangerous Love

Ben Okri

Fiction / Cultural / Africa

From the Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri: a classic love story set in a country trying to come to terms with its past. An epic of daily life, DANGEROUS LOVE is a story of doomed love, of star-crossed lovers, separated not by their families, but by the very circumstances of their lives. 'I hope among my novels this one achieves something I have long sought.' BEN OKRI.
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The Age of Magic

The Age of Magic

Ben Okri

Fiction / Cultural / Africa

This novel takes us on a journey, a magical, and a literal one. A tightly knit group of filmmakers travel from Paris together to make a documentary. Unknown to themselves they carry a lot of unwanted baggage - fear, anger, jealousy, love. When they arrive in an idyllic Swiss village ringed by mountains and reflected in a lake, they discover a haunted world that will compel them to confront the demons they have been trying to escape. A mind-blowingly beautiful book, full of unexpected, poetic and metaphysical revelations. See more at: http://headofzeus.com/books/The+Age+o...
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Astonishing the Gods

Astonishing the Gods

Ben Okri

Fiction / Cultural / Africa

From Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri: a deceptively simple modern fable with an ancient origin. A young man finds himself living among invisible beings who have built a utopia based on one principle: that we must repeat or suffer every experience until we experience it properly and fully for the first time. 'The hero of this novel finds what he did not seek, and goes where he did not intend to go. As I did in writing it.' BEN OKRI.
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Boss Lady

Boss Lady

Omar Tyree

Fiction / Cultural / African American

Tracy Ellison, the star of Omar Tyree's Flyy Girl and For the Love of Money, returns in this bestselling novel, Boss Lady. Everybody's favorite flyy girl is a little bit older, a whole lot wiser, and just as sassy as ever. After a series of triumphs in the world of letters and acting, Tracy takes on the dazzling world of Hollywood's A-list players to film a project close to her heart. Told from the point of view of Tracy's cousin and personal assistant, Vanessa, Boss Lady chronicles the trials and tribulations of adapting the story of Tracy Ellison's life. In this novel, Flyy Girl is becoming a major motion picture and Tracy is prepared to do anything and everything to tell her story and to make sure it's done right, from screenwriting to producing to designing. In the meantime, she's also juggling the highs and lows of her famously turbulent love life. Is it better to remain single and committed to her career? Or is she ready to...
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Capital City

Capital City

Omar Tyree

Fiction / Cultural / African American

Life is supposed to be easy and carefree when you are young, but if you live in Washington D.C., that's not always the case. Flashing back to the 1990s, readers enter the lives of four black men looking to gain money, power, and respect. These four brothas come from different walks of life, but they have one thing in common: they are trying to make fast money in the harsh inner city. However, when the money comes too easily there's usually a price attached...the ultimate price.
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