Joyce Sparks has lived the whole of her 86 years in the small community of Balsden, Ontario. As a girl, Joyce allowed herself to imagine a future of adventure in the arms of her friend Freddy Pender, whose chin bore a Kirk Douglas cleft and who danced the cha-cha divinely. Though troubled by the whispered assertions of her sister and friends that he wasn't 'normal,' Joyce adored Freddy for all that was un-Balsden in his flamboyant ways. When Freddy led the homecoming parade down the main street, his expertly twirled baton and outrageous white suit gleaming in the sun, Joyce fell head over heels in unrequited love. Years later, Joyce married Charlie, who was nothing like Freddy, and bore a son who very much reminded her of Freddy. Tragic news of her childhood love arrived and Joyce was forced to face how far she should to go to protect the fate and life of her son and the implications her decision had. Today, as her life ebbs away in the bed at Chestnut Park Nursing Home, Joyce ponders the terrible choices she made as a mother and wife and doubts that she can be forgiven, or that she deserves to be. When a young nursing home volunteer named Timothy appears, so much like her long lost son, Joyce wonders if there be some grace in her life after all. Voiced by an unforgettable and heartbreakingly flawed narrator, Natural Order is a masterpiece of empathy, a wry and tender depiction of the end-of-life remembrances and reconciliations that one might undertake when there is nothing more to lose, and no time to waste.
The election of Donald Trump was a shattering moment to the political sensibilities of America; immediately sending the country into a frenzy of commentary, critique, and a never-ending media coverage that has bordered on the absurd. But the question still remains: what does it all mean? The Meaning of Trump is an ideological critique that sees the election of Donald Trump as a completely natural progression to the general trajectory of digitized technologies, neoliberalism, and a new breed of financialized capitalism; destructive global forces that know no party affiliation or national boundary. Although Donald Trump is undoubtedly the symptom that has exploded to the surface after nearly four decades of failed policies and broken promises by both Republicans and Democrats alike, his election can also be seen as an existential fork in the road for both the United States and even humanity itself. What path is taken still remains to be seen.
From the author of the literary pulp phenomenon Spaceman Blues comes a future history cautionary tale, a heist movie in the style of a hippie novel. Liberation is a speculation on life in near-future America after the country suffers an economic cataclysm that leads to the resurgence of ghosts of its past such as the human slave trade. Our heroes are the Slick Six, a group of international criminals who set out to alleviate the worst of these conditions and put America on the road to recovery. Liberation is a story about living down the past, personally and nationally; about being able to laugh at the punch line to the long, dark joke of American history. Slattery's prose moves seamlessly between present and past, action and memory. With Liberation, he celebrates the resilience and ingenuity of the American spirit. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Thirteen-year-old Peter Paddington is overweight, the subject of his classmates' ridicule, and the victim of too many bad movie-of-the-week storylines. When his nipples begin speaking to him one day and inform him of their diabolical plan to expose his secret desires, Peter finds himself cornered in a world that seems to have no tolerance for difference. Peter's only solace is "The Bedtime Movies" - perfect-world fantasies that lull him to sleep every night. But when the lines between Peter's fantasies and his reality begin to blur, his hilarious adventures in overeating, family dysfunction, and the terrifying world of sexual awakening really begin.
Finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People’s Literature–Text Dads can be such a drag Life has been a struggle for Toby Goodman. Her mother died by suicide five years ago, and her father left their small town before Toby was born. Now a teenager living on her grandparents’ dairy farm, Toby has trouble letting people in. She keeps even her closest friend, the brash but endearing Trisha, at arm’s length, and recently ended her first relationship, with Trisha’s burnout brother, Mike. Convinced that she is destined to follow her mother’s path, Toby creates a plan to escape her pain. But after learning the news that her father is coming home and finally wants to meet her, Toby must face the truth of her family’s story. Not only is her father gay, but he’s also a world-famous female impersonator—and a self-absorbed, temperamental man-child who is ill-prepared to be a real parent. When Toby’s careful plans go awry, she is forced to rebuild the life she thought she knew from the ground up. While she may not follow an expected path, through the support of a quirky but lovable circle of friends and family, Toby may finally be able to put together the many different pieces that make up her past, her present and her future.
From the author of the critically acclaimed literary sci-fi novels "Spaceman Blues" and "Liberation" comes an incandescent and thrilling future history dystopia in the vein of "1984" or "The Hunger Games.
Painted in browns and grays and sparked by sudden fires, Spaceman Blues is a literary retro-pulp science-fiction-mystery-superhero novel, the debut of a true voice of the future, and a cult classic in the making. When Manuel Rodrigo de Guzmán González disappears, Wendell Apogee decides to find out where he has gone and why. But in order to figure out what happened to Manuel, Wendell must contend with parties, cockfights, and chases; an underground city whose people live in houses suspended from cavern ceilings; urban weirdos and alien assassins; immigrants, the black market, flight, riots, and religious cults. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
This is the 12th episode in the third season of Bookburners, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Brian Francis Slattery. Magic is real . . . and hungry. As the City Eater ravages London, Team Three finds itself in a quandary: How can they fight back? And, more important: How can they neutralize this problem before Team One swoops in and does so with no regard for the lives of innocent bystanders? The answer may lie deep within the city itself . . . if the new Team Four can get its work done in time. Things have changed for the Vatican's magic-fighting Team Three: their forces are depleted, and internal rifts are coming close to tearing this close-knit group apart. But some things never change. Magic still threatens to overwhelm our world, and when a startling appearance from Menchú's past reveals new dimensions to this danger, the team will have to reassess their loyalties-to their jobs, their beliefs, and even to each other.
*** Named a Kirkus Reviews Starred Title in Their 10/01/14 Issue *** In 1968 two boys are born into a large family, both named for their grandfather, Peter Henry Hightower. One boy—Peter—grows up in Africa and ends up a journalist in Granada. The other—Petey—becomes a minor criminal, first in Cleveland and then in Kiev. In 1995, Petey runs afoul of his associates and disappears. But the criminals, bent on revenge, track down the wrong cousin, and the Peter in Granada finds himself on the run. He bounces from one family member to the next, piecing together his cousin's involvement in international crime while learning the truth about his family's complicated history. Along the way the original Peter Henry Hightower's story is revealed, until it catches up with that of his children, revealing how Peter and Petey have been living in their grandfather's shadow all along. The novel takes a look at capitalism and organized crime in the 20th century, the legend of the self-made man, and what money can do to people. Like Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex, The Family Hightower stretches across both generations and continents, bearing the weight of family secrets and the inevitable personal toll they take on loved ones despite our best intentions.
AUS 2 GB An epic journey: During a time when this sort of thing was possible. 1 Beetle, 1 tent, 2 naive people, 5 Months and 14500 miles This is a graphic account of the journey undertaken in 1965 by the author Brian Francis and his wife.From Sydney Australia To London England Through India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Holland and Belgium. This is the story of the pleasures the problems and the people they encountered along the way
The crisis of heroin addiction has become a full blown epidemic in contemporary American society and it is perhaps best articulated as the emblematic pathology of neoliberal globalization. But today, heroin addiction can no longer be reduced to the singular addict. It must also be seen as a collective sickness that references the ongoing collapse of community, the infiltration of technology into our public and biological spaces, as well as the psychological devastation experienced by countless Americans in the 21st century. What follows is a new cognitive map of this crisis, tracing its roots to both the ideological and material power of global capitalism.
Sal and Team Three travel to Madrid, through a breathing door, and into a lonely man’s weirdest dreams. Sal Brooks, newest member of Team Three of the Societas Librium Occultorum, is settling into her job and apartment in Rome. In this episode we meet the rest of the team and get a tour of the Black Archives (pro tip: don’t touch anything), before being whisked off on Sal’s first mission: investigate a magical disturbance in the heart of Madrid, Spain. There they find a breathing apartment door, little girls being held hostage, and some furniture that is far too alive for good taste. First days on the job are never easy... This episode is brought to you by team-writer Brian Francis Slattery and trips down a rabbit hole (or rather, through an apartment door) into some thoroughly New Weird territory. Fans of Vandermeer’s Southern Reach trilogy will find much to enjoy.
Grace gets a day off and time threatens to swallow Rome. It’s Grace’s one day off a year and nothing will stop her from enjoying every last second of it: not Sal’s troubling sleepwalking, not the mysterious tour guide Aaron and his aggressive concern for the Team, not even the magical artifact spreading a time-slowing bubble across Rome. The team’s troubles may never stop—but sometimes, you have to make time for a spin class. This episode is brought to you by team-writer Mur Lafferty and shows us the importance of taking time for oneself—even when time is of the essence.
Tension rises in Bookburners, the urban fantasy episodic series that mixes bad-ass horror with in-your-face attitude. Someone has betrayed Sal, turned her over to the not-so-tender ministrations of Team Two's Balloon and Stretch. Death seems certain . . . but the Hand has more tricks up its sleeve. As Father Menchu leads the rest of Team Three to her rescue, will they find a corpse . . . or something even worse? This episode is brought to you by team-writer Brian Francis Slattery, who would like to assure readers that no actual demons were harmed in the writing of this exorcism.
Detective Sally Brooks investigates an unusual robbery, and discovers that magic is real—and hungry! NYPD Detective Sal Brooks is no rookie—but even the most hardened cop would think twice when they see their brother open a book and become . . . well . . . something entirely not their brother. When her attempts to solve the case cross paths with a mysterious team led by a priest, she starts to realize that the world is far more than what is seems, and, just maybe, magic is real—and hungry. This episode is the first in a 16-part Serial, Bookburners, presented by Serial Box. From a team of writers, this collaborative effort unfolds an epic urban fantasy narrative across an entire season in weekly installments.
Asanti and Liam sneak invites to a magical conference in Russia, and find the bad coffee and cheap cups the least of their problems. While Asanti struggles with her feelings towards the Society and its mission, everybody else struggles to stay alive. This episode brought to you by Brian Francis Slattery who asks that you turn your attention towards the screen and save your comments for the end. Magic is real, and hungry—trapped in ancient texts and artifacts, only a few who discover it survive to fight back. Detective Sal Brooks is a survivor. Freshly awake to just what dangers are lurking, she joins a Vatican-backed black-ops anti-magic squad: Team Three of the Societas Librorum Occultorum. Together they stand between humanity and magical apocalypse. Some call them the Bookburners. They don’t like the label. "Mistakes Were Made" is the third episode of Bookburners Season 2, presented by Serial Box Publishing. This serial will unfold in 13 episodes.
This is the 2nd episode in the third season of Bookburners, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Margaret Dunlap. Magic is real . . . and hungry. Father Menchú and Liam investigate a disturbance in a small town in Spain, confronting a centuries-old werewolf curse. Meanwhile, Sal is loaned out to Team One to look into an issue near New Zealand, putting her in close quarters with Grace for the first time since Grace left Team Three. The Orb warned of these two magical flare-ups simultaneously-and they're on exact opposite ends of the globe. Coincidence? . . . Unlikely. Things have changed for the Vatican's magic-fighting Team Three: their forces are depleted, and internal rifts are coming close to tearing this close-knit group apart. But some things never change. Magic still threatens to overwhelm our world, and when a startling appearance from Menchú's past reveals new dimensions to this danger, the team will have to reassess their loyalties-to their jobs, their beliefs, and even to each other.
Weather Alert: Tornado eating titans on the loose in Oklahoma. There might not be much upon the open, wind-swept planes of Oklahoma—but magic, like life, finds a way to thrive nevertheless. In this week’s episode the Team is literally blown away when they touch down in a tiny country town, utterly destroyed by horrifying monsters the locals call Tornado Eaters. The town is past saving but the threat remains—it will take all the Society can throw at them and even that might not be enough. Readers, and Sal, will finally get their first look at just what heat Team One is packing . . . but quickly learn that words wreak more havoc than even the most imaginative weapons. This episode is brought to you by team-writer Brian Francis Slattery who once again brings the Weird, this time to the West—but it’s not all fun and monsters in Oklahoma and the Society’s toll of life and limb is rising.
Asanti’s murky past gets a bit clearer when an old friend visits her to reminisce...and collect on a debt. No one likes the idea of helping the mysterious magical madam, but after all, one does not simply say no to the Maitresse. This episode is brought to you by Mur Lafferty who warns you not to touch anything when exploring new gardens. Magic is real, and hungry—trapped in ancient texts and artifacts, only a few who discover it survive to fight back. Detective Sal Brooks is a survivor. Freshly awake to just what dangers are lurking, she joins a Vatican-backed black-ops anti-magic squad: Team Three of the Societas Librorum Occultorum. Together they stand between humanity and magical apocalypse. Some call them the Bookburners. They don’t like the label. Bookburners Season 2, presented by Serial Box Publishing. This serial will unfold in 13 episodes.
This is the 4th episode in the third season of Bookburners, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Brian Francis Slattery. Magic is real . . . and hungry. The new, secret Team Four-Asanti, Perry, and Frances-plans a small experiment with magic in order to test their control. But the magical servants they summon keep going . . . and going . . . and interpret Asanti's orders in a much more extreme way than intended. The Orb summons Team Three, and while Menchú and the others are able to contain the damage, they're left wondering just who started this outbreak-and who the servants were working for. Things have changed for the Vatican's magic-fighting Team Three: their forces are depleted, and internal rifts are coming close to tearing this close-knit group apart. But some things never change. Magic still threatens to overwhelm our world, and when a startling appearance from Menchú's past reveals new dimensions to this danger, the team will have to reassess their loyalties-to their jobs, their beliefs, and even to each other.
This is the 1st episode in the third season of Bookburners, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Max Gladstone. Magic is real . . . and hungry. Sal and Liam run into trouble at the Lascaux caves . . . and find themselves sucked in to the art a bit too literally for their taste. Unexpected help comes when Sal's brother-now half angel, half human-shows up after a year's absence, but can they trust him? And does it really matter what he's done in the past if he can help them get out of the caves now? Things have changed for the Vatican's magic-fighting Team Three: their forces are depleted, and internal rifts are coming close to tearing this close-knit group apart. But some things never change. Magic still threatens to overwhelm our world, and when a startling appearance from Menchú's past reveals new dimensions to this danger, the team will have to reassess their loyalties-to their jobs, their beliefs, and even to each other.
Little is at it seems on the high seas when a magical book wreaks havoc on a luxury yacht. The Team saves on flight costs as the newest mystery happens around the corner. A tip from a local antiquarian doesn’t make it to the Team in time and they are left with a once-bookstore-now-rubble-pile, a missing magical tome, and very few clues beyond a helpful tour guide (one might even say too helpful . . .). Tracking the missing book to a luxury yacht, the Team gets less of the high-end boating experience and more of the demon-on-the-loose nightmare. All aboard the Fair Weather; but no smooth sailing ahead. This episode is brought to you by team-writer Margaret Dunlap and introduces readers (and our heroine) to not only the true dangers of Bookburning, but to mysterious secrets even cloudier than the Societas Librium Occultorum.
What is this book about? Written by a high-profile team of ASP.NET experts, this fully updated Professional guide enables you to take full advantage of the power and possibilities of ASP.NET 1.1. You travel beyond the basics of ASP.NET Web pages, server controls, and data management to a complete understanding of Web services, debugging, performance, migration, and real-world applications. All code has been rechecked and verified to work correctly with ASP.NET 1.1, and enhancements like improved security and better performance are thoroughly examined and reviewed. This comprehensive, in-depth, practical guidebook enables you to master new levels of Web application development with the .NET Framework. What does this book cover? Here's what you will learn from this book: How to get started with ASP.NET and the .NET Framework Ways to create ASP.NET pages, work with server controls, and manage data Methods for developing, securing, and configuring Web applications Basics of base class libraries, components, and extensibility Security and performance improvements inherent in version 1.1 How Web services and ASP.NET function in the mobile arena Debugging, performance, migration, and interoperability Processes for applying this knowledge in real-world development contexts Who is this book for? This book is for programmers who have a solid understanding of ASP and want to develop sophisticated ASP.NET 1.1 applications using the .NET Framework. You should be familiar with VB or C-based syntax (C++, JavaTM, or C#).
Like a pebble that starts the avalanche, the Network plays its hand in a move more terrifying in its scope than the Bookburners ever thought possible – at a time when Team Three is more fractured than ever before. Can the world weather the storm? Can the Bookburners? This episode is brought to you by author Brian Francis Slattery, whose imagination knows no limit. Magic is real, and hungry—trapped in ancient texts and artifacts, only a few who discover it survive to fight back. Detective Sal Brooks is a survivor. Freshly awake to just what dangers are lurking, she joins a Vatican-backed black-ops anti-magic squad: Team Three of the Societas Librorum Occultorum. Together they stand between humanity and magical apocalypse. Some call them the Bookburners. They don’t like the label. "One With the World" is the tenth episode of Bookburners Season 2, presented by Serial Box Publishing. This serial will unfold in 13 episodes.
Good intentions in Glasgow lead to disastrous results. Sal and Asanti leave the rest of the Team in the lurch when they jet off to Scotland to attend the funeral of the archivists’ mentor. Something is amiss in the Dear Green Place, however, as the pair land to discover the entire city has become obsessed with a restaurant (which just happens to be owned by the deceased mentor’s only living relative). They beat the crowds to get a table, only to find the fight has just begun and they left their muscle at home. This episode is brought to you by team-writer Mur Lafferty and explores how magic, like food, is rarely cut and dry.
With the enemy always two steps ahead, Sal and Team Three seek new answers from an old Oracle. After being sent on a wild goose chase in the latest game of cat and mouse with the mysterious Mr. Norse, the team decides they need to get ahead of their competition in the hunt for the Codex Umbra. With no other options, they turn to old friends and even older magic: specifically, the Oracle of Delphi. Sal grows suspicious of her own sleeping habits and Asanti enjoys some field time but everyone learns the deadly dangers of playing with prophecy. This episode is brought to you by team-writer Margaret Dunlap and takes the globe-trotting team from our time to another, and from Italy and Egypt, to Greece and back.
Grace’s secret history comes to light. While all the members of Team Three have their secrets, only Grace seems willing to guard hers with fists of fury. Finally fed up with being kept in the dark, Sal takes matters into her own hands and engages in a friendly stalking operation to learn just what Grace’s deal is. A lit candle and flashbacks to 1930s China help illuminate matters—but things are never simple when magic is in play. This episode is brought to you by team-writer Max Gladstone and reveals the backstory of one of most mysterious cast members while skipping through time, place, and emotion.
This is the 3rd episode in the third season of Bookburners, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Andrea Phillips. Magic is real . . . and hungry. The annual invitation to the Market Arcanum arrives, but with Asanti barred from fieldwork, Liam recovering from injuries, and Father Menchú feeling strained after meeting Hannah, it falls to Sal to attend. She's joined by Grace, pitching in from Team One as backup. Before they leave, though, Asanti tasks them with completing a trade she's set up . . . and warns that there will be dire consequences if it's not completed. Things have changed for the Vatican's magic-fighting Team Three: their forces are depleted, and internal rifts are coming close to tearing this close-knit group apart. But some things never change. Magic still threatens to overwhelm our world, and when a startling appearance from Menchú's past reveals new dimensions to this danger, the team will have to reassess their loyalties-to their jobs, their beliefs, and even to each other.
Episode 13 of Bookburners, the urban fantasy episodic series from Serial Box, will be unlucky for someone -- but whom? After Sal, possessed by the Hand, turns on her friends and teammates, Team Three has to decide whether she is a victim or a target. As Father Menchu tries to buy time, Teams One and Two gear up for the kind of action usually filed under "extreme prejudice". And the Hand, with the dark power of the Codex Umbra at his command, begins to assemble an army. This episode is brought to you by team writer Mur Lafferty, who recommends against listening to it on a dark and stormy night.
Sheer enormous fun!" -Naomi Novik, author of the New York Times-bestselling Temeraire series Magic is real, and hungry. It’s trapped in ancient texts and artifacts, and only a few who discover it survive to fight back. Detective Sal Brooks is a survivor. She joins a Vatican-backed black-ops anti-magic squad—Team Three of the Societas Librorum Occultorum—and together they stand between humanity and the magical apocalypse. Some call them the Bookburners. They don’t like the label. Supernatural meets The Da Vinci Code in a fast-paced, kickass character driven novel chock-full of magic, mystery, and mayhem, written collaboratively by a team of some of the best writers working in fantasy. Originally presented serially in 16 episodes, this omnibus collects all installments of Bookburners Season One into one edition.
A fixed Orb and a lead on Team Four sends Sal and the gang on a truly mind-bending manhunt. From the middle of the Mediterranean to the mountains of Poland – it’s about where and when. This episode is brought to you by author Brian Francis Slattery who advises you to stay away from the ribbon monsters. Magic is real, and hungry—trapped in ancient texts and artifacts, only a few who discover it survive to fight back. Detective Sal Brooks is a survivor. Freshly awake to just what dangers are lurking, she joins a Vatican-backed black-ops anti-magic squad: Team Three of the Societas Librorum Occultorum. Together they stand between humanity and magical apocalypse. Some call them the Bookburners. They don’t like the label. "Present Infinity" is the eighth episode of Bookburners Season 2, presented by Serial Box Publishing. This serial will unfold in 13 episodes.
Intrigue and betrayal await in the latest installment of Bookburners, the urban fantasy episodic series that's taken the Internet by storm. Open Season is declared on the Black Archives with every demon in the world wanting the Codex Umbra for their own. Security tightens and the team prepares for inevitable assault never suspecting the sleeper cell already in their midst. Amateur attempts cause little concern but when demons team up, anything is possible as the Society quickly learns, with devastating results. This episode is brought to you by team-writer Brian Francis Slattery and explodes the demonic across the page, throughout the Black Archives, and into our heroes.
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