6710 books

Oomphel in the Sky by H. Beam Piper (2006)

The natives of Kwannon practiced ritual magic under the watchful eyes of their Terran rulers. Hunting, farming, raising children -- it all required the special spells only a powerful shoonoo could cast. But when prophesies of the end of the world send the natives of Kwannon swarming, it may also be the end for the Terrans. The natives, it seems, actually want the end of the world -- for the promised afterlife will be far, far better. And who can argue with the shoonoon and their prophetic dreams? It's up to Miles Gilbert, reporter for the Kwannon Planetwide News Service, to save the day. For only he can turn the natives from the course with the special magic of Earth, the machine-giving Oomphel!

Too close to home by Linwood Barclay (2008)

"The night they killed our neighbors, we never heard a thing." In a quiet suburban neighborhood, in a house only one door away, a family is brutally murdered for no apparent reason. And you think to yourself: It could have been us. And you start to wonder: What if we're next?Linwood Barclay, critically acclaimed author of No Time for Goodbye, brings terror closer than ever before in a thriller where murder strikes in the place we feel safest of all. Promise Falls isn't the kind of community where a family is shot to death in their own home. But that is exactly what happened to the Langleys one sweltering summer night, and no one in this small upstate New York town is more shocked than their next-door neighbors, Jim and Ellen Cutter. They visited for the occasional barbecue and their son, Derek, was friends with the Langleys' boy, Adam; but how well did they really know their neighbors? That's the question Jim Cutter is asking, and the answers he's getting aren't reassuring. Albert Langley was a successful, well-respected criminal lawyer, but was he so good at getting criminals off that he was the victim of revenge--a debt his innocent family also paid in blood? From the town's criminally corrupt mayor to the tragic suicide of a talented student a decade before, Promise Falls has more than its share of secrets. And Jim Cutter, failed artist turned landscaper, need look no further than his own home and his wife Ellen's past to know that things aren't always what they seem. But not even Jim and Ellen are ready to know that their son was in the Langley house the night the family was murdered.Suddenly the Cutters must face the unthinkable: that a murderer isn't just stalking too close to home but is inside it already. For the Langleys weren't the first to die and they won't be the last.From the Hardcover edition.

Broken by Megan Hart (2007)

My name is different every month-Brandy, Honey, Amy...sometimes Joe doesn't even bother to ask-but he never fails to arouse me with his body, his mouth, his touch, no matter what I'm called or where he picks me up. The sex is always amazing, always leaves me itching for more in those long weeks until I see him again.My real name is Sadie, and once a month over lunch Joe tells me about his latest conquest. But what Joe doesn't know is that, in my mind, I'm the star of every X-rated one-night stand he has revealed to me, or that I'm practically obsessed with our imaginary sex life. I know it's wrong. I know my husband wouldn't understand. But I can't stop. Not yet.

Origin in Death by Nora Roberts (2005)

Eve Dallas Investigation In Death In 2059 in New York City, as scientists work to expand the limits of technology, Detective Eve Dallas tracks the cunning, cold-blooded killer. New York police lieutenant Eve Dallas and her partner Delia Peabody enter the hallowed halls of the Wilfred B. Icove Center for Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery on an open and shut case of self-defence. But before they can leave they are called to another crime scene. Dr. Wilfred B. Icove himself, a pioneer of modern reconstructive and cosmetic surgery, has been found dead in his office - murdered in a chillingly efficient manner: one swift stab to the heart. Struck by the immaculate condition of the crime scene, Dallas suspects a professional killing. Security discs show a stunningly beautiful woman calmly entering and leaving the building - the good doctor's final appointment. Known as "Dr. Perfect," the saintly Icove devoted his life to his family and his work. His record is clean. - Too clean for Dallas. She knows he was hiding something and suspects that his son - and successor - knows what it is. Then, like father like son, the young Dr. Icove is killed... with the same deadly precision. But who is the mystery woman - and what was her relationship with the good doctors? With her husband, Roarke, working behind the scenes, Dallas follows her darkest instincts into the Icoves' pasts. And what she discovers are men driven to create perfection - playing fast and loose with the laws of nature, the limits of science, and the morals of humanity....

Vaffelhjarte by Maria Parr (2005)

Trille og Lena Lid er to born på 9 år som bur i ei lita vik. Trille veit at Lena Lid er hans bestevenn, men han er ikkje sikker på om han er det same for Lena Lid. Uansett er dei to oppfinnsame niåringar, som lagar mykje liv og vaffelrøre rundt seg. Det kan ofte gå litt over styr, og innimellom alt leven og latter fortel Trille om sine tankar. Her er det både alvor og sorg, og redsle for å miste dei han er glad i. Dette er debutboka til Maria Parr.

Incantation by Alice Hoffman (2006)

Estrella is a Marrano: During the time of the Spanish Inquisition, she is one of a community of Spanish Jews living double lives as Catholics. And she is living in a house of secrets, raised by a family who practices underground the ancient and mysterious way of wisdom known as kabbalah. When Estrella discovers her family's true identity--and her family's secrets are made public--she confronts a world she's never imagined, where new love burns and where friendship ends in flame and ash, where trust is all but vanquished and betrayal has tragic and bitter consequences.Infused with the rich context of history and faith, in her most profoundly moving work to date, Alice Hoffman's first historical novel is a transcendent journey of discovery and loss, rebirth and remembrance.

The Girl with All the Gifts by Mike Carey (2014)

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her "our little genius." Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh. Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children's cells. She tells her favorite teacher all the things she'll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn't know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad. THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS is a sensational thriller, perfect for fans of Stephen King, Justin Cronin and Neil Gaiman.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (2017)

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie's Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Soul catcher by Michael C. White (2007)

Struggling to forget a war-marked past and a future compromised by poor choices and debt, slave tracker Augustus Cain is hired by a plantation owner to retrieve a runaway slave named Rosetta.

Towards another summer by Janet Frame (2007)

"Writer Grace Cleave has writer's block, and her anxiety is only augmented by her chronic aversion to leaving her home, to be "among people, even for five or ten minutes." And so it is with trepidation that she accepts an invitation to spend a weekend away from London in the north of England. Once there, she feels more and more like a migratory bird, as the pull of her native New Zealand makes life away from it seem transitory. Grace longs to find her place in the world, but first she must be comfortable in her own skin, feathers and all."--Jacket.

Die Therapie by Sebastian Fitzek (2006)

Viktor Larenz è un ricco e brillante psichiatra di Berlino, reso celebre dalle sue frequenti apparizioni televisive. La sua vita però va improvvisamente in frantumi quando la figlia dodicenne Josy, affetta da una malattia sconosciuta, scompare senza lasciare traccia durante una visita nello studio del dottore che l'ha in cura. Viktor la cerca ovunque senza mai rassegnarsi, sacrificando la carriera e il matrimonio. Quattro anni dopo, mentre si trova bloccato su un'isola a causa di una tempesta, l'uomo riceve la visita di un'enigmatica e inquietante scrittrice di libri per l'infanzia, Anna Spiegel. La donna vuole assolutamente entrare in terapia con lui perché in qualche modo è perseguitata dai suoi personaggi, che hanno la capacità di diventare reali. Uno di essi, in particolare, somiglia in modo impressionante a Josy: si tratta di Charlotte, la protagonista del suo ultimo romanzo, che ha gli stessi sintomi della piccola e deve sfuggire a un'identica minaccia. Ma chi è davvero Anna Spiegel? Le sue allucinazioni sono il semplice frutto di una mente schizofrenica o nascondono indizi che potranno aiutare Viktor a risolvere il mistero della scomparsa della sua bambina? "La terapia", opera che ha rivelato Fitzek, è lo psychothriller che ha dato origine a un nuovo genere letterario, conquistando milioni di lettori.

Edge by Jeffery Deaver (2010)

When Washington D.C. police detective Ryan Kessler is targeted by "lifter" Henry Loving, he and his family are immediately put under government protection. Assigned to the Kesslers is protection officer Corte: uncompromising, relentlessly devoted to protecting those in his care and a brilliant game strategist. As the "lifter" closes in on his prey, Corte must decide whether to protect his charges, or expose them to a killer in the name of personal revenge.

La Cena Secreta by Javier Sierra (2005)

Fray Agustín Leyre, inquisidor dominico, es enviado a Milán para supervisar los trazos finales que Leonardo da Vinci da a ''La Última Cena''. La causa son unas cartas anónimas recibidas por el papa Alejandro VI que denuncian que Da Vinci no solo ha pintado a los Doce sin su halo de santidad, sino que se ha retratado a sí mismo en la escena y dando la espalda a Jesucristo

The Wicked King by Holly Black (2019)

**YOU MUST BE STRONG ENOUGH TO STRIKE AND STRIKE AND STRIKE AGAIN WITHOUT TIRING.** **THE FIRST LESSON IS TO MAKE YOURSELF THAT STRONG.** JUDE HAS BOUND THE WICKED KING, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were biddable. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her, even as his fascination with her remains undiminished. When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world. From author Holly Black comes an enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the *New York Times* bestselling novel *The Cruel Prince*. This description comes from the publisher. *The Wicked King* is the second book in the Folk of the Air series, the first of which is *The Cruel Prince*.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (2009)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a fantasy-adventure children's novel inspired by Chinese folklore. It was written and illustrated by Grace Lin and published in 2009. The novel received a 2010 Newbery Honor and the 2010 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain (2012)

A satire set in Texas during America's war in Iraq that explores the gaping national disconnect between the war at home and the war abroad. Follows the surviving members of the heroic Bravo Squad through one exhausting stop in their media-intensive "Victory Tour" at Texas Stadium, football mecca of the Dallas Cowboys, their fans, promoters, and cheerleaders. Asked to be part of the Dallas Cowboys' halftime show on Thanksgiving, Specialist Billy Lynn, one of the eight surviving men of the Bravo Squad, finds his life forever changed by this event that causes him to better understand difficult truths about himself.

The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels (2009)

Award-winning poet and novelist Anne Michaels gives us a love story of extraordinary depth and complexity, a mesmerizing tale that juxtaposes historical events with the most intimate moments of individual lives.In 1964, a newly married Canadian couple settles into a Nile River houseboat moored below the towering figures of Abu Simbel. Avery is one of the engineers responsible for the dismantling and reconstruction of the temple as it's rescued from the rising waters of the Aswan Dam. He is a "machine-worshipper," yet exquisitely sensitive to the dichotomy of creation and destruction of which machines are capable. Jean is a botanist by avocation and passion, interested in everything that grows. They had met on the banks of the St. Lawrence River and watched together as the construction of the seaway changed the course of the river and swallowed towns, homes, lives. Now, at the edge of another world about to be lost forever, Avery and Jean create their own world, exchanging the "moments that are the mortar of our days, innocent memories we don't know we hold until given the gift of the eagerness of another."But that gift will not be enough to bind them when tragedy strikes, and they will go back to separate lives in Toronto. Avery returns to school to study architecture, and Jean enters the life of Lucjan, a Polish emigre artist. Lucjan's haunting stories of occupied Warsaw draw Jean further and further away from Avery. But, in time, he will also offer her the chance for forgiveness, consolation, and, finally, her own, most essential life.Stunning in its explorations of both the physical and emotional worlds of its characters, intensely moving and lyrical, The Winter Vault is a radiant work of fiction.From the Hardcover edition.

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (2007)

I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current.So writes Mamah Borthwick Cheney in her diary as she struggles to justify her clandestine love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. Four years earlier, in 1903, Mamah and her husband, Edwin, had commissioned the renowned architect to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank, and in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives. In this ambitious debut novel, fact and fiction blend together brilliantly. While scholars have largely relegated Mamah to a footnote in the life of America's greatest architect, author Nancy Horan gives full weight to their dramatic love story and illuminates Cheney's profound influence on Wright. Drawing on years of research, Horan weaves little-known facts into a compelling narrative, vividly portraying the conflicts and struggles of a woman forced to choose between the roles of mother, wife, lover, and intellectual. Horan's Mamah is a woman seeking to find her own place, her own creative calling in the world. Mamah's is an unforgettable journey marked by choices that reshape her notions of love and responsibility, leading inexorably ultimately lead to this novel's stunning conclusion. Elegantly written and remarkably rich in detail, Loving Frank is a fitting tribute to a courageous woman, a national icon, and their timeless love story.Advance praise for Loving Frank:"Loving Frank is one of those novels that takes over your life. It's mesmerizing and fascinating--filled with complex characters, deep passions, tactile descriptions of astonishing architecture, and the colorful immediacy of daily life a hundred years ago--all gathered into a story that unfolds with riveting urgency."--Lauren Belfer, author of City of Light"This graceful, assured first novel tells the remarkable story of the long-lived affair between Frank Lloyd Wright, a passionate and impossible figure, and Mamah Cheney, a married woman whom Wright beguiled and led beyond the restraint of convention. It is engrossing, provocative reading."--Scott Turow"It takes great courage to write a novel about historical people, and in particular to give voice to someone as mythic as Frank Lloyd Wright. This beautifully written novel about Mamah Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright's love affair is vivid and intelligent, unsentimental and compassionate."--Jane Hamilton"I admire this novel, adore this novel, for so many reasons: The intelligence and lyricism of the prose. The attention to period detail. The epic proportions of this most fascinating love story. Mamah Cheney has been in my head and heart and soul since reading this book; I doubt she'll ever leave."--Elizabeth BergFrom the Hardcover edition.