Title: The Calligrapher's Daughter_ A Novel Author: Eugenia Kim File Type: Mobi Subject:Fiction:Historical Description:From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. This debut novel, inspired by the life of the author's Korean mother, is a beautiful, deliberate and satisfying story spanning 30 years of Korean history. The tradition-bound aristocratic calligrapher Han refuses to name his daughter because she is born just as the Japanese occupy Korea early in the 20th century. When Han finds a husband for Najin (nicknamed after her mother's birthplace) at 14, her mother objects and instead sends her to the court of the doomed royal Yi family to learn refinement. Najin goes to college and becomes a teacher, proving herself not only as a scholar but as a patriot and humanitarian. She returns home to marry, but her new husband goes without her to study in America when she is denied a visa. As the Japanese systematically obliterate ancient Korean culture and the political climate worsens, so do Najin's fortunes. Her family is reduced to poverty, their home is seized and Najin is imprisoned as a spy while WWII escalates. The author writes at a languorous pace, choosing not to sully her elegant pages with raw brutality, but the key to the story is Korea's monumental suffering at the hands of the Japanese. (Aug.) br Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. From School Library JournalAdultHigh School—In 1910 Gaesong, Korea, a female child is born to a learned scholar and calligrapher and his wife. The child, unnamed by her father, who is despondent over the recent annexing of Korea by Japan, names herself Najin. She proceeds to forge her own destiny, struggling to be an obedient daughter in the Confucian tradition of her father and the Christian faith embraced by her mother. To escape an arranged marriage, Najin goes to the emperor's palace to be a companion to the princess. With the collapse of the Joseon dynasty, she loses her position. She finds ways to further her studies in education and medicine and helps support her parents and younger, shiftless brother with work as a teacher and physician. When her father arranges another marriage, to a student minister, Najin agrees. Immediately she is left with his family to act as a servant while he studies in the U.S. Accused of spying after she returns to her own now-impoverished family, Najin spends months in prison. The novel, based on the life of the author's mother, comes to a satisfying conclusion with the surrender of Japan and the reunion of the couple. Descriptive imagery communicates Najin's philosophical musings, dreams, and appreciation of nature. Readers are left with greater understanding of the horrors of Japanese occupation and of the cultural, political, and religious upheaval that Korean families faced as they negotiated the modern world. Delicate black-and-white illustrations complement the prose. A compelling narrative about an intellectually curious and brave heroine.—_Jackie Gropman, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library System, Fairfax, VA_ br Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
Title: The Battle of the Labyrinth
Author: Rick Riordan
File Type: Mobi
Subject:Fiction:Young Adult
Description:Honestly, blowing up another school was the last thing I wanted to do. As the son of a Greek god, Ive had my share of near-death disaster. This summer, I didnt choose to battle the cheerleading squad, but when two hissing she-devils with fangs are heading straight for you, whats a half-blood meant to do?That was just the beginning. This is the one where my arch-enemy, Luke, is looking for a way to invade our camp via an ancient labyrinth. If he succeeds, thousands of bloodthirsty monsters will attack. So its goodbye sunshine, hello darkness as four of us descend into the terrifying underground and beyond . . .Gripping, funny and hugely original – readers aged 9+ will be desperate for more in this award-winning series.
Title: The Fountain
Author: Mary Nichols
File Type: Mobi
Subject:Romance
Description:
It was Norfolk, 1920. Barbara Bosgrove has lived in the charming market town of Melsham all her life, and is looking forward to the annual Harvest Supper dinner and ball - the first since the dark days of the First World War. Her widowed father will be her escort, but it is not long before George Kennett seeks her out for a dance. He has had his eye on her since spotting her punting on the Cam with her great friend Penny, and Pennys charming brother Simon. George vows to win Barbaras hand in marriage - a woman of her prestige would help raise his prospects considerably, and George is nothing if not a man of ambition - and begins a slow and steady courtship. Little by little, Barbara is won over, and eventually agrees to marry George; although he can be rather serious at times - lacking the fun and spontaneity of Simon - she believes he is a man she can rely on. Little does she realize how wrong she can be. Worn down by several years of marriage, during which George has been continually unfaithful to her and callously ruthless in his business plans to the point of illegality, Barbara feels she has lost all the vitality of her youth. But her old friend Simon is not prepared to let Barbara lose sight of the woman she really is - the woman he has always loved. He reawakens Barbaras passion and fighting spirit, but at what cost?
Title: Ghosts
Author: Hans Holzer
File Type: Mobi
Subject:Non-fiction
Description:Amazon.com ReviewHans Holzer is a world-renowned parapsychologist and author of several paranormal books including Ghosts: True Encounters with the World Beyond is a gigantic volume, documenting almost 200 cases of haunted houses, ships, castles, and just about any place imaginable! The cases are far more complex than just your average white-sheeted ghoul in the attic. Holzer examines the differences between real ghosts, who reveal themselves to living people, and psychic impressions, which occur to many witnesses, always at the same time and place. There is also solid advice for interpreting paranormal signals--and even photographs of ghostly apparitions. This is an informative read, but one that is open to personal interpretation. --Naomi GesingerIn this definitive inquiry into ghostly manifestations and the nature of the other side, the world's leading authority on the subject presents hundreds of case histories, tips on interpreting sounds and other signals from beyond and more. Photographs of haunted places and authenticated shots of actual ghosts and spirits are featured throughout the book.
Title: One Wild Wedding Night_ No Way Out
Author: Leslie Kelly
File Type: Mobi
Subject:Romance
Description:This is one super-sexy wedding night these five women will never forget! Meet the lucky bridesmaids: A totally hot FBI agent offers his full-body protection to very willing witness Bridget Donahue... Stripper Leah Muldoon bares it all for a sexy stranger in a limo, much to their mutual satisfaction! Wild big-city attorney Mia Natale is in for the best sex of her life. But who is that other guy? When dancer Vanessa McKee unexpectedly sees a man from her past, they rediscover their insatiable lust! A breathless night in the arms of a seductive European lover should definitely spice up Gloria Santori's marriage....
Title: The Stranger House
Author: Reginald Hill
File Type: Mobi
Subject:Fiction:Suspense
Description:From Publishers WeeklyFans of the witty DalzielPascoe police procedurals (_Good Morning, Midnight_, etc.) by Diamond Dagger–winner Hill may be nonplussed by this stand-alone, a mix of historical mystery, gothic romance, ghost story and tutorial on religion and Norse mythology. Samantha Sam Flood, an Australian mathematics whiz, visits the isolated British village of Illthwaite before attending graduate school at Cambridge, hoping to discover the origins of her grandmother who emigrated from the place as a child. Miguel Mig Madero, a former novice priest now a history scholar, seeks the link between an ancestor who disappeared during the Spanish Armada defeat and a Catholic Illthwaite family. The villagers, quirky and devious, seem to know more than theyll reveal. Sam and Mig, initially antagonistic, join forces when their quests intersect. Spanning four centuries and related by several narrators, who slowly clarify the mystery, the book is too long and repetitive and seasoned with wild coincidences. Still, the engrossing historical background, especially Elizabeth Is campaign to eliminate English Catholicism, more than compensates. br Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. FromStarred Review Twentysomething Aussie math whiz Samantha Flood has fiery red hair and a fierce determination to learn the truth about her paternal grandmother, an orphan shipped from her native England to Australia under suspicious circumstances. Sober Spaniard Miguel Madero, who experiences ghostly visions and painful sensations in his feet and hands, has abandoned pursuit of the priesthood to engage in research about English Catholics during the Reformation. The paths of Samantha and Miguel (known to all as Mig) cross in the tiny English village of Illthwaite, home to the Stranger House, an inn that has hosted weary travelers for more than 500 years. Samantha and Mig, an unlikely duo, are drawn to one another as each discovers secrets simmering beneath the surface of Illthwaites deceptively serene facade. Creator of the critically acclaimed suspense series starring Yorkshire policemen Andy Dalziel and Peter Pascoe, Hill has rendered a stellar stand-alone packed with compelling characters, provocative plot twists, and a potent sense of place. Theres two histories of Illthwaite, says Noddy Melton, a quirky retired copper who regales Samantha with revealing yarns. The official one, the kind that gets printed in books . . and the true history that only gets written in peoples minds. Allison Blockbr American Library Association. lt;
Title: Acacia_ Book One_ The War With the Mein
Author: David Anthony Durham
File Type: Mobi
Subject:Fantasy
Description:From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. In this sprawling and vividly imagined fantasy, historical novelist Durham (_Pride of Carthage_) chronicles the downfall and reinvention of the Akaran Dynasty, whose empire, called Acacia, was built on conquest, slaving and drug trade. The Acacian empire, encompassing The Known World, is hated by its subjugated peoples, especially the Mein, who 22 generations earlier were exiled to the icy northland. Having sent an assassin to kill the Acacian king, Leodan, the rebel chieftain, Hanish Mein, declares war on the empire. As Acacia falls, Leodan's treasonous but conflicted chancellor, Thaddeus Clegg, spirits the king's four children to safety. When the Mein's rule proves even more tyrannical than the old, the former chancellor seeks to reunite the now adult Akaran heirs—the oldest son Aliver (once heir to the throne), the beautiful elder daughter Corinn, their younger sister, Mena, and youngest brother, Dariel—to lead a war to regain the empire. Durham has created a richly detailed alternate reality leavened with a dollop of magic and populated by complicated personalities grappling with issues of freedom and oppression. (June) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. FromDavid Anthony Durham, the author of three historical novels, envisions a fascinating, fully developed world in Acacia. He delves into great detail-explaining religious beliefs, political philosophies, even courting rituals-to draw the reader into his creation. Critics acknowledge the necessity of these info dumps (_Science Fiction and Fantasy News_) as setups for future volumes of the saga, while maintaining that the frequent descriptions did not detract from the absorbing, fast-paced plot. Readers won't find any wizards or dragons in Acacia; it is narrated in the alternating voices of genuine, convincing characters that blur the lines between good and evil. Packed with suspense, intrigue, and adventure, most readers will devour this first Acacia installment and impatiently await the next. 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.
Title: The Crown of the Blood
Author: Gav Thorpe
File Type: Mobi
Subject:Fantasy
Description:ULLSAARD HAS CONQUERED THE KNOWN WORLD.
All have fallen before his armies.
Now it's time to take the long journey home, back to the revered heart of the great Empire he had helped create for his distant masters. But when he returns to the capital, life there is so very different from what he had believed. Could it be that everything he has fought for, has conquered and killed for, has been a lie?
Title: Bloodthirsty
Author: Flynn Meaney
File Type: Mobi
Subject:Fantasy:Vampires
Description:
Some vampires are good. Some are evil. Some are faking it to get girls. Awkward and allergic to the sun, sixteen-year-old Finbar Frame never gets the girl. But when he notices that all the female students at his school are obsessed with a vampire romance novel_ called Bloodthirsty_, Finbar decides to boldly go where no sane guy has gone before-he becomes a vampire, minus the whole blood sucking part. With his brooding nature and weirdly pale skin, it's surprisingly easy for Finbar to pretend to be paranormal. But, when he meets the one girl who just might like him for who he really is, he discovers that his life as a pseudo-vampire is more complicated than he expected. This hilarious debut novel is for anyone who believes that sometimes even nice guys-without sharp teeth or sparkly skin-- can get the girl.
About the Author
Flynn Meaney lives in Mamaroneck, New York. She is an alumna of the University of Notre Dame and is currently a poetry student in the Hunter College MFA Creative Writing program. Bloodthirsty emerged out of Flynn's broad love of pop culture vampires and her friend Lucila's comment: Now that vampires are so hot, we can stop tanning. Lucila's observation made Flynn think about how the paranormal craze would benefit the pale and thin teens who would have suffered during the Baywatch years.
Flynn is currently working on her second novel, coming Fall 2011.