The beloved New York Times bestselling author of the modern classic Frindle celebrates books and the joy of reading with a new school story to love! Sixth grader Alec can't put a good book down. So when Principal Vance lays down the law--pay attention in class, or else--Alec takes action. He can't lose all his reading time, so he starts a club. A club he intends to be the only member of. After all, reading isn't a team sport, and no one would want to join something called the Losers Club, right? But as more and more kids find their way to Alec's club--including his ex-friend turned bully and the girl Alec is maybe starting to like--Alec notices something. Real life might be messier than his favorite books, but it's just as interesting. With The Losers Club, Andrew Clements brings us a new school story that's a love letter to books and to reading and that reminds us that sometimes the best stories are the ones that happen off the page--our own!

In his worldwide bestsellers, fantasy master David Eddings has dramatized the conflict between good and evil. In this daring new contemporary novel, he brings the battle to today's Pacific Northwest. All Eddings fans will want this most ambitious of his creations, a modern novel as powerful as it is personal.

Two short tales from master storyteller Marsha Ward. A lone woman faces down a "bear" in her remote county home in "Thumps in the Night," and a ten-year-old boy finds a wallet full of cash in "Losers Weepers."What should a ten-year-old boy buy when he finds a wallet full of cash? A bicycle? A horse? Or something more meaningful?Will business traveler Mel Harris's phone call go unanswered because his wife Murial encountered a bear in their kitchen during the night?Enjoy a couple of non-Western short stories from the imagination of master storyteller Marsha Ward, "Thumps in the Night" and "Losers Weepers."

Life had always been predictable for Ann . . . until she met her college roommates, Niki and Hildy. Niki is always in motion, brash, often vulgar, with a philosophy of "win at any cost." And Hildy's aura of serene wisdom cloaks a most unusual way of looking at things. They became inseparable -- until something happened that changed their lives forever.

This is a laugh-out-loud exploration of sexuality, family, female friendship, grief, and community. With the heart and hilarity of Netflix's critically-acclaimed Sex Education, Wibke Brueggemann's sex positive debut Love Is for Losers is required reading for Generation Z teens. Did you know you can marry yourself? How strange / brilliant is that? Fifteen-year-old Phoebe thinks falling in love is vile and degrading, and vows never to do it. Then, due to circumstances not entirely in her control, she finds herself volunteering at a local thrift shop. There she meets Emma . . . who might unwittingly upend her whole theory on life.

It's almost Christmas and, in a ballroom just beyond the cobbled streets of Edinburgh's Old Town, the most important event of the year is taking place - the Foxtrot Oscars. Mrs Hubbard's whole senior citizenship has been building towards the moment she and her Douglas take the Over Sixties Swingers Cup. What could possibly go wrong, dearies?When the Losers Club friends arrive to cheer the couple on, they expect a weekend of shopping, dancing and binge-watching all the TV programmes they can't get back home. Instead, they find Mrs Hubbard missing and blood on the dancefloor. With the city gridlocked and the police unable to reach them, it is up to Losers Club to investigate. Why would someone snatch the village shopkeeper? And what does it have to do with the contents of Mrs Hubbard's third biggest handbag?Helped by friends old and new, the Losers follow the trail through Edinburgh's darkest places to solve a Jacobite mystery locked in time.

G-Zero — JEE-ZEER-oh —nA world order in which no single country or durable alliance of countries can meet the challenges of global leadership. What happens when the G20 doesn’t work and the G7 is history.If the worst threatened—a rogue nuclear state with a horrible surprise, a global health crisis, the collapse of financial institutions from New York to Shang­hai and Mumbai—where would the world look for leadership? The United States, with its paralyzed politics and battered balance sheet? A European Union reeling from self-inflicted wounds? China’s “people’s democracy”? Perhaps Brazil, Turkey, or India, the geopolitical Rookies of the Year? Or some grand coalition of survivors, the last nations stand­ing after half a decade of recession-induced turmoil?How about none of the above?For the first time in seven decades, there is no single power or alliance of powers ready to take on the challenges of global leadership. A generation ago, the United States, Europe, and Japan were the world’s powerhouses, the free-market democracies that propelled the global economy forward. Today, they struggle just to find their footing.Acclaimed geopolitical analyst Ian Bremmer argues that the world is facing a leadership vacuum. The diverse political and economic values of the G20 have produced global gridlock. Now that so many challenges transcend borders—from the stability of the global economy and climate change to cyber-attacks, terrorism, and the security of food and water—the need for international cooperation has never been greater. A lack of global leadership will provoke uncertainty, volatility, competition, and, in some cases, open conflict. Bremmer explains the risk that the world will become a series of gated commu­nities as power is regionalized instead of globalized. In the generation to come, negotiations on economic and trade issues are likely to be just as fraught as recent debates over nuclear nonproliferation and climate change.Disaster, thankfully, is never assured, and Brem­mer details where the levers of power can still be found and how to exercise them for the common good. That’s important, because the one certainty of weakened nations and enfeebled institutions is that someone will try to take advantage of them. Every Nation for Itself offers essential insights for anyone attempting to navigate the new global play­ing field.Amazon.com Review Fareed Zakaria and Ian Bremmer: Author One-to-One In this Amazon exclusive, we brought together authors Fareed Zakaria and Ian Bremmer and asked them to interview each other.Fareed Zakaria is the editor of Newsweek International and writes a weekly column on international affairs. He also hosts "Fareed Zakaria GPS" for CNN. He is the author of the New York Times best-sellers The Future of Freedom and The Post-American World: Release 2.0. Zakaria lives in New York City. Read on to see Fareed Zakaria's questions for Ian Bremmer, or turn the tables to see what Bremmer asked Zakaria. Fareed Zakaria: What is a G-Zero world, and how did we get here? Ian Bremmer: The G-Zero is a world without effective, consistent leadership. It’s not the G7 world where Western industrialized powers set the agenda. It’s not a G20 world where developed and developing states find some way to work together on tough transnational problems. It’s a world where no can be counted either to pay the piper or call the tune. I love the story in your book The Post American World, about Colin Powell making peace between Spain and Morocco over a disputed island in time to go swimming with his grandkids. I included a story in Every Nation for Itself about how Lyndon Johnson diverted about 20 percent of America’s wheat crop in 1965 to help India feed its people during a drought. The leadership capacity that these two stories illustrate isn’t what it used to be, and Europe has too many serious problems of its own to try to take up the slack. At the same time, we can’t expect emerging powers like China, India, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, or the wealthy Gulf monarchies to fill this vacuum because their governments have neither the bandwidth nor the desire to accept the risks and burdens that come with much greater international leadership. But Every Nation for Itself is not about the shifting balance of international power. In fact, we can’t know what the longer-term future holds for America, Europe, China or any of these other countries. There are good reasons to bet on U.S. resilience, but that will depend on the quality of American leadership in years to come. The rest will continue to rise, but some of them will have more staying power than others. We can forecast with great confidence, however, that the world has entered a period of transition, one in which global leadership will be in short supply. Every Nation for Itself is about that historic shift and the tremendous challenges and opportunities it will create--for the global economy, for relations between the world’s most powerful governments, and for the world’s ability to cope with a variety of what we might call “problems without borders.” Zakaria: What do you mean by problems without borders? Bremmer: First, there’s the traditional threat to regional peace and stability. U.S. and European elected officials know that voters tend to support costly, extended military commitments only when they believe that vital national interests are at stake. That’s why, from Yugoslavia to Rwanda and from Sudan to Russia’s 2008 war with Georgia, they’ve remained on the sidelines as much as possible. Given the need for austerity on both sides of the Atlantic, we’re likely to see both a larger number of local conflicts around the world and an even deeper Western reluctance to engage. But conventional conflict is not the only potential source of trouble. Given the market volatility of the past four years, governments of both established and leading emerging powers are more worried than ever about creating jobs and boosting growth, and the most important instruments of power and influence in coming years will be economic tools like market access, investment rules, and currency policies. This will also be a world in which great power competition takes place in cyberspace as state-backed industrial espionage becomes an ever more widely used weapon in the battle for natural resources and market share. It’s a world in which some authoritarian emerging players will find new ways to reestablish state control over the flow of ideas, information, people, money, goods and services. Add climate change, the risk of food price shocks, threats to public health and other problems that flow easily across borders and the world will be without international leadership just at the moment when it needs it most. Zakaria: Who are the biggest winners in this G-Zero world? Bremmer: The first key to success in this period of transition is a recognition that changes to the global system will enable an unprecedented number of governments to play by their own rules. Those who still operate as if borders are opening, barriers are falling, and the world is becoming a single market will find themselves reacting to events they don’t understand. In a G-Zero world, the winners will be those players that can develop and maintain choices. The most important option a government can have is a choice among potential commercial and security partners.Among the most fortunate are the “pivot states,” those that are able to build profitable relationships with multiple partners without becoming overly reliant on any one of them. Then there are “rogues with powerful friends,” states that openly flout international rules with cover from other governments. In a world where newly cost-conscious established powers will have to resort more often to political and economic (rather than military) pressure to get their way, these ties will be more important than ever. Companies will have new opportunities too. Among multinationals, watch out for what I call the “adapters,” those that understand the changing competitive landscape and are agile enough to exploit the advantages it provides. Some companies can respond to a world with fewer enforceable rules by exploiting arbitrage opportunities to minimize tax and regulatory burdens. Others can transform a state-backed rival into a commercial partner by offering something that a government-controlled enterprise can’t get anywhere else, like access to battle-tested advanced technology or services that demand unique expertise. Finally, because the G-Zero is a period of transition, significant changes in the international balance of power stoke both competition among would-be regional powers and anxiety among those who fear they aren’t yet ready to compete. That’s why a group of companies we might call “protectors” will also figure among the likeliest winners. Firms involved in defense against conventional military strikes, cyber-attack, terrorism or commercial piracy will prosper in a G-Zero world, particularly if they’re able to align themselves with deep-pocketed emerging market governments. Zakaria: Say more about this idea of pivot states? Bremmer: Over the past 30 years, the big winners were states that adapted to and profited from the processes of Western-led globalization. But in a world that is more likely to have several regional centers of gravity, one in which no single country can afford to play the global leader, governments will have to create more of their own opportunities. The ability to pivot will be a critical advantage. For example, Brazil has built strong political ties and promising commercial relations with the United States, China and a growing number of other emerging market countries. As a result, its economy continues to enjoy access to American consumers, but its ties with China, now Brazil’s largest trade partner, ensure that it isn’t overly dependent on U.S. purchasing power for growth. A serious downturn in the U.S. will still take a heavy toll on Mexico. That’s much less true for Brazil. The book profiles several pivot states, from Turkey and Vietnam to Canada and Kazakhstan. Zakaria: What does the G-Zero mean for the United States? Bremmer: It means that America will have to learn to do something it doesn’t do very well these days: Invest in the future. In a country where political leaders focus so much of their energies on winning the next news cycle, and business leaders try to maximize quarterly profits at the expense of long-term reinvestment, Americans need to look beyond the horizon described in this book. Anyone who believes that American decline is inevitable has chosen to ignore the entire history of the United States and its people. For the moment, America can’t lead in quite the same way it did during the second half of the 20th century, because the world and its balance of power have changed profoundly. But the G-Zero will provoke a tremendous amount of trouble for a wide variety of people. It can’t last, because tomorrow’s most important powers, whoever those powers happen to be, can’t afford for it to continue. That’s why, if Americans can rebuild for the future, the country’s underlying strengths--its hard power capacities and its democratic, entrepreneurial values will ensure that U.S. leadership can again prove indispensable for international security and prosperity. I argue in the book’s final chapter that leadership of a post-G-Zero world should be the goal that guides American foreign and domestic policies in years to come. Zakaria: Why do you believe, as you say in the book, that “China is the major power least likely to develop along a predictable path?” Bremmer: China’s leaders have acknowledged that the country’s growth model is “unstable, unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable,” and they know that their ability to guide China through the next stage of its development is far from certain. India, Brazil, and Turkey can continue to grow for the next ten years with the same basic formula that triggered growth over the past ten. The United States, Europe, and Japan will reinvest in economic systems that have a long history of success. But China has to undertake enormously complex and ambitious reforms to continue its drive to become a modern, middle-class power. At the same time, the international environment is becoming less friendly to China’s expansion. Higher prices for the oil, gas, metals and minerals that China needs to power its economy will weigh on growth. The rise of many other emerging powers will add to the upward pressure on food and other commodity prices, undermining public confidence in government, the most important source of China’s social stability. As state-backed Chinese companies draw their government into the political and economic lives of so many other countries, particularly in the developing world, they risk the same backlash from local companies and workers that plagues so many other foreign firms doing business far from home. And because the Chinese government has such a direct stake in the success of these companies, Beijing will be drawn into conflicts it has never coped with before. Zakaria: I’m interested to see that your book is quite bullish on Africa’s political and economic future? Why is the G-Zero world good for Africa? Bremmer: Africa has become the world’s most underrated growth story, in part because it has become a kind of “pivot continent.” For many years, cash-strapped African states had to turn almost exclusively to the IMF, World Bank and Western governments for the aid and investment they needed to bankroll development, and the money often came with strings attached--like demands for democratic reforms and greater openness to Western investment. Over the past decade, however, just as we’ve seen in Brazil and other parts of the emerging market world, China has sharply increased its investment in the region. But this is not a story about U.S.-Chinese competition. The winner here is Africa, which can now expect multinational and state-owned companies from the established and emerging market worlds--from America, Europe, Japan, China, India and elsewhere--to compete for access to African consumers and favorable investment terms. The world’s largest emerging markets get this. That’s one big reason why the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) invited South Africa to join their club in December 2010. Photo of Ian Bremmer © Marc Bryan Brown Review“Ian Bremmer combines shrewd analysis with colorful storytelling to reveal the risks and opportunities in a world without leadership. This is a fascinating and important book.”(-FAREED ZAKARIA, author of The Post-American World )“An insightful look at the relative decline of postwar international institutions, the must-evolve nature of American leadership, and the growing need for long-term, multifaceted cooperation between the United States and China. Required reading for anyone interested in the current state and near-term future of global affairs.”(-MUHTAR KENT, CEO, The Coca-Cola Company )“We have entered a new era where challenges are increasingly stretching across geographical borders. Every Nation for Itself is a must-read for any global executive who aspires to accurately assess the risks and exploit the opportunities created by this new environment.”(-DUNCAN NIEDERAUER, CEO, NYSE Euronext )“Every Nation for Itself is a provocative and important book about what comes next. Ian Bremmer has again turned conventional wisdom on its head.”(-NOURIEL ROUBINI, chairman, Roubini Global Economics )“Bremmer’s astute assessment of how the shifting geopolitical landscape will impact political and economic alliances provides essential insights for anyone conducting business at the global level.”(-DOMINIC BARTON, global managing director, McKinsey & Company )“Bremmer has written an essential navigational guide for all national and corporate leaders in the new leaderless world.”(-SIR MARTIN SORRELL, CEO, WPP )“Global political economy has no sharper or more prescient analyst than Ian Bremmer. Everyone who cares about our collective future will need to carefully consider this book’s impressive arguments.”(-LAWRENCE SUMMERS, former U.S. Treasury Secretary )

If we didn’t know darkness, we couldn’t fully appreciate the light. Garth Black’s more familiar with this concept than most people are. He hadn’t just lived in the dark for the majority of his life—he thrived in it. With a mom who’d bailed on him and a dad whose understanding of coddling started and ended with a bottle of whiskey, Garth had never been expected to rise to any sort of occasion other than following down the same dead-end paths. That changed when he fell in love with Josie Gibson. After years of pulling each other closer before shoving the other way, they finally stopped shoving. Josie’s love is like nothing Garth’s ever experienced. He holds it close. He holds it sacred. He would do anything to preserve it and keep it from pollution, even if that means removing himself from the picture. Garth might have been allowed a temporary furlough to bask in the light, but that pass has been revoked, and he’s been swallowed again by the dark. Will he revert to his old ways of hurting those he cares for most? Will he go back to the same destructive patterns . . . or will it be worse this time? We can’t know light without first knowing dark . . . and Garth Black’s about to get acquainted with the dark in a whole new way.

Miss Lydia Fairbanks is the newest teacher at Inner City Junior High School, the deadliest school in the state. While the school principal believes she won't last a day, Miss Fairbanks quickly surprises everyone by not only surviving in the midst of her killer students, but actually thriving in the classroom. But even someone as weak and small as Miss Fairbanks can harbor secrets from the past ...Frail, timid Miss Lydia Fairbanks is the newest teacher at Inner City Junior High School, the deadliest school in the state. While the school principal believes she won't last a day, Miss Fairbanks quickly surprises everyone by not only surviving in the midst of her killer students, but actually thriving in the classroom. But even someone as weak and small as Miss Fairbanks can harbor troubling secrets from the past, which threaten to destroy her …

There's a murderer on the loose on a storm swept island cut off from the Scottish mainland. It's down to Losers Club, a quirky weight loss group led by the intrepid Penny Moon, to catch the culprit. 'Written in such a brilliant way you can hear the accents of the characters as they get up to their shenanigans! We all use the phrase laugh out loud so much nowadays & I often suspect it's not quite true. In this case however I genuinely laughed out loud on several occasions. I really enjoyed reading this book & recommend it to anyone wanting a light escape from life.'Set against the backdrop of a storm-swept island off the Scottish mainland, this tale of intrigue and wit follows the unlikely heroes of Losers Club as they embark on a journey to catch a cunning murderer. Led by the fearless Penny Moon, Losers Club is a group like no other - a quirky weight loss community with heart, humour, and a knack for unravelling mysteries. With a recommendation from Mumsnet as a must-read Summer book of 2022 and well over 1000 five-star Amazon reviews, this is a story that has captured the hearts and minds of readers across the world. Imagine the charm of Local Hero mingling with the delightful camaraderie of the Thursday Murder Club. Losers Club seamlessly weaves together the elements of a classic murder mystery with light-hearted humour, creating an unforgettable reading experience that will keep you guessing at every turn. The adventure unfolds when Old Archie the postman meets an unexpected end and is deposited in Mrs. Hubbard's ice cream freezer. As shock ripples through the island, it's up to Penny Moon, a woman determined to start anew after a divorce, to lead Losers Club in solving this perplexing puzzle. But with stormy weather cutting off the island from the mainland and the police nowhere in sight, the Losers must rely on their wits and each other to crack the case. In their pursuit of the truth they stumble upon a dark secret that has been buried for generations. A secret that has now resurfaced, threatening the very fabric of the islanders' lives. With suspense mounting and danger lurking around every corner, Penny and her fellow Losers must race against time to expose the truth before it's too late.'A murder mystery that can also make you giggle is one to savour.''Well written, with relatable characters and lashings of humour.''The story is engaging and keeps you guessing until the end. The description of Scottish weather and life on an island is captured perfectly and takes you right to the wind-blown edges of civilisation!''Just the right balance of humour and mystery, I was kept in suspense all the way through. Loved all the different characters. An easy and enjoyable read!''A good read. Different, full of colourful language and even more colourful characters. Twists and turns and surprises as the book goes along.'Are you ready to embark on an unforgettable journey filled with laughter, suspense, and unexpected revelations? Dive into Losers Club today and experience the magic for yourself.

Vik Island weight-loss group, Losers Club, is on the mainland for the Police Scotland Bravery Awards and, even better, they’re staying in a posh hotel. With housekeeping trollies full of free stuff just lying about the place, waiting for the unwary pilferer, Mrs Hubbard’s only regret is that she didn’t bring a bigger handbag. Diet sheets have been abandoned and Gordon’s dungarees are straining at the seams, so what could be nicer than a gentle stroll up Bennachie to offset all those breakfast sausages? Anything. Anything could be nicer because this is no gentle stroll. When the Losers stumble upon the body of a young woman on the hillside, they quickly become entangled in a web of deceit surrounding local road protestors. The very police officers awarding them for bravery seem determined to write off the death as a drug overdose, and it is up to Losers Club to convince them otherwise. Soon, the hunt is on for an elusive whistleblower, and the Losers find themselves pitted against the establishment. As the conspiracy deepens and the bodies start piling up, they realise that they can trust no one.

Slàinte! A Christmas Eve party at snow-covered Vik castle, where the Christmas Star diamond is on display. Good food, dancing and a visit from Santa. What could possibly go wrong?When Santa appears down the chimney, looking far more crispy than expected, it is clear that something has gone very wrong. With the castle cut off from help, a murderer in their midst and the Christmas Star stolen, it's up to Losers Club to investigate. As they follow the network of secret passages to learn more about their fellow guests, they realise that everyone has a motive. Including one of their own.

Gang of Losers is a heartfelt and offbeat novel about 16 year-old Theo Hanlon's efforts to make it as a musician and form a band. Set in the summer of 1983, the novel captures the excitement of growing up and experiencing the intoxicating lure of music, sex, alcohol and independence for the first time.Gang of Losers is a coming-of-age drama set in the summer of 1983.Sixteen-year-old Theo Hanlon's main interests are drinking, girls, clothes, and most importantly playing the drums. He dreams of stardom, and can’t believe his luck when he is asked to drum for a local band on the verge of signing a record deal. But when he gets sacked in unceremonious circumstances, Theo starts a chain of events that sees him step from behind the drum kit and into the spotlight. Gang of Losers is a heartfelt and offbeat novel that captures the excitement of growing up and experiencing the intoxicating lure of music, sex, alcohol and independence for the first time.

All Rath wants is a quiet, peaceful life. Unfortunately, his father brings him too much trouble—and too many debts to pay—for that to ever be possible. When the local crime lord drags Rath out of bed and tells him he has three days to pay his father's latest debt, Rath doesn't know what to do. There's no way to come up with so much money in so little time.Then a friend poses an idea just ridiculous enough to work: enter the Tournament of Losers, where every seventy-five years, peasants compete for the chance to marry into the noble and royal houses. All competitors are given a stipend to live on for the duration of the tournament—funds enough to cover his father's debt.All he has to do is win the first few rounds, collect his stipend, and then it's back to trying to live a quiet life...

Every action has consequences.I made one foolish mistake and ended up with a debt I had only one way to pay...by bowing my head and submitting to the men I swore I hated. But in their dominance I found catharsis. In the darkness we share, parts of myself were brought to the light.I've been wearing a mask for far too long.Now I'm torn between the future I thought I wanted, and a life I once believed was only fantasy.These feelings between us were never just a game.What am I willing to sacrifice? My pride and carefully laid plans, my determination that I can do it all alone? Or my new-found freedom to live without boundaries with the men who turned my world on its head? How much am I willing to give up?Who am I willing to lose? It is recommended to read the novella, The Dare, prior to reading Losers.This book is part 2 of a duet. It is First Person, Multi POV.Losers is an 18+ polyamorous bisexual romance between one woman and four men, including MF, MM, and group scenes. Reader discretion is strongly advised, this is a dark read. This book contains graphic sexual scenes, intense scenes of BDSM, graphic violence, and strong language. A full content note can be found in the front matter of the book.

There's a murderer on the loose on a storm swept island cut off from the Scottish mainland. It's down to Losers Club, a quirky weight loss group led by the intrepid Penny Moon, to catch the culprit. 'Written in such a brilliant way you can hear the accents of the characters as they get up to their shenanigans! We all use the phrase laugh out loud so much nowadays & I often suspect it's not quite true. In this case however I genuinely laughed out loud on several occasions. I really enjoyed reading this book & recommend it to anyone wanting a light escape from life.'Set against the backdrop of a storm-swept island off the Scottish mainland, this tale of intrigue and wit follows the unlikely heroes of Losers Club as they embark on a journey to catch a cunning murderer. Led by the fearless Penny Moon, Losers Club is a group like no other - a quirky weight loss community with heart, humour, and a knack for unravelling mysteries. With a recommendation from Mumsnet as a must-read Summer book of 2022 and well over 1000 five-star Amazon reviews, this is a story that has captured the hearts and minds of readers across the world. Imagine the charm of Local Hero mingling with the delightful camaraderie of the Thursday Murder Club. Losers Club seamlessly weaves together the elements of a classic murder mystery with light-hearted humour, creating an unforgettable reading experience that will keep you guessing at every turn. The adventure unfolds when Old Archie the postman meets an unexpected end and is deposited in Mrs. Hubbard's ice cream freezer. As shock ripples through the island, it's up to Penny Moon, a woman determined to start anew after a divorce, to lead Losers Club in solving this perplexing puzzle. But with stormy weather cutting off the island from the mainland and the police nowhere in sight, the Losers must rely on their wits and each other to crack the case. In their pursuit of the truth they stumble upon a dark secret that has been buried for generations. A secret that has now resurfaced, threatening the very fabric of the islanders' lives. With suspense mounting and danger lurking around every corner, Penny and her fellow Losers must race against time to expose the truth before it's too late.

Sequel to the Mumsnet recommended best Summer read, Losers Club. Tensions are rising in the run up to the island event of the year - the Vik Show. Not only has the secret recipe for Mrs Hay's peppermint slices been stolen, but someone has had the bad manners to leave a dead body in the distillery. And what does any of this have to do with the disappearance of Elsie the librarian? A perfect storm of past secrets and political conspiracy is brewing, and it's up to the local weight-loss group, Losers Club, to save the day.

Fit a sotter! The Major Investigations Team is on the island and Sergeant Wilson is a woman on a mission. She must solve the murder of the lighthouse keeper before the MIT eat all the good police biscuits. The DCI might have ordered her to do door-to-door enquiries, but she was la-la-la-not-listening at the time. Convinced that the answer lies in Beacon Brodie's mysterious past, she has instead conscripted the best of the Losers Club minions to discover the truth. In the meantime, Gordon and Jim (the Z team) are relegated to discovering the identity of the Vik Vigilante, a shadowy figure exacting revenge on the citizens of Vik. Why did a celebrity appear naked behind an ornamental magnolia in the garden centre? Who forced a journalist to eat his own words? And...gasp...could the vigilante be the killer?As the Losers Club friends uncover a midden of lies and deceit, they realise that something far more sinister is at play, and sometimes the truth is best left buried.

One of the best-known experimental novels of the 1960s, Beautiful Losers is Leonard Cohen' s most defiant and uninhibited work. As imagined by Cohen, hell is an apartment in Montreal, where a bereaved and lust-tormented narrator reconstructs his relations with the dead. In that hell two men and a woman twine impossibly and betray one another again and again. Memory blurs into blasphemous sexual fantasy—and redemption takes the form of an Iroquois saint and virgin who has been dead for 300 years but still has the power to save even the most degraded of her suitors. First published in 1966, Beautiful Losers demonstrates that its author is not only a superb songwriter but also a novelist of visionary power. Funny, harrowing, and fiercely moving, it is a classic erotic tragedy, incandescent in its prose and exhilarating for its risky union of sexuality and faith.

Leonard Cohen's two classic novels now available together in this collector's edition.This beautifully designed collector's hardcover edition brings together Leonard Cohen's acclaimed novels in a single volume. Published originally in 1963 and 1966, these novels have had a recent resurgence of popularity and sales around the world. In his unforgettable debut novel, The Favourite Game, Cohen boldly etches the youth and early manhood of Lawrence Breavman, only son of an old Jewish family in Montreal. Beautiful Losers is Cohen's classic novel of the sixties. Funny, harrowing, and deeply moving, it is his most defiant and uninhibited work.From the Hardcover edition.

My custom book cover was partially created from an old 1950 unused pulp magazine cover.The book title text was created using the "True Crime" font and the author's name was created using "Adobe Garamond Pro" book font.I changed the cover of the original book because it was a horrible mash-up job.The original cover looked liked someone took about 5 minutes to put together and didn't have any sort of "crime pulp" theme to it at all.The original book cover can be seen on page 2 of the book.I hope you like my version...Flyboy707November,2011

This is the first book in the award-nominated Extraordinary Losers series. So the Extraordinary Losers are just a little bit different. There's Clandestino. Odd name, eeeww habits. There's Janice. Drama (and donut) queen. There's M-Mu-Mu-Mundi who is brainy and quiet... And then there's poetry-loving Darryl De. Okay, maybe not a little different. A LOT different, with a whole load of weird thrown in. But when they form an unexpected alliance, the incredible happens. It's time to use their powers. Together. It's time to be Extraordinary. This is their story right here, right now. And it all begins with a mysterious note...

The eagerly-awaited third novel in the Family Feud series - When Sarah Jenkins meets Connor Searles she is truly attracted to him. But Connor has just joined a rock n roll band, and Sarah cant help feeling jealous when she sees newspaper pictures of him with other girls. Connors band proves to be a major success and his fame increases until he is blamed for an assault on a woman. Can he prove his innocence and will Sarah believe him?

Ethan Winfield has never been an academic or athletic star like his older brother, Peter. But does that make him a failure? Of course not. Still, Ethan and his best friend, Julius Zimmerman, decide that they qualify to found an exclusive club: Losers, Inc.No sooner have they done this, however, than both boys fall in love with the new student teacher. Ethan knows right away that to impress Ms. Gunderson he has to excel. Instead of reading the shortest book for his report, he has to read the longest. Instead of working with Julius on the worst project for the science fair, he has to make the best one—alone.Unfortunately, it isn't Ms. Gunderson who falls for Ethan, but Lizzie Archer, class nerd. The teasing is unbearable! So without regard for Lizzie's feelings—and over Julius's objections—Ethan helps hatch a plot to prove that he's not Lizzie's boyfriend. The result is that even as he reports on a book that's longer than any Peter read in the sixth...

The perks of being an émigré wallflowerJupiter was born in Russia, but he's getting quite an education in America. He sees everything slightly askew - but in a way that's endearing to (most) of his fellow students. A popular girl takes him under her wing. He falls for her. A bully sets him as a target. But Jupiter disarms him in an unexpected way. His best friend ends up hanging with a posse of science geeks. Jupiter feels left out. With dead-on deadpan humor, Matthue Roth makes everything illuminated about American teen life - like Borat as directed by John Hughes.

It is the year 2129 . . . and fame is all that matters Susan and her friends are celebutantes. Their lives are powered by media awareness, fed by engineered meals, and underscored by cynicism. Everyone has a rating; the more viewers who ID you, the better. So Susan and her almost-boyfriend Derlock cook up a surefire plan: the nine of them will visit a Mars-bound spaceship and stow away. Their survival will be a media sensation, boosting their ratings across the globe. There's only one problem: Derlock is a sociopath. Breakneck narrative, pointed cultural commentary, warm heart, accurate science, a kickass heroine, and a ticking clock . . . who could ask for more?

Readable fiction for young sports players and fans.The Brunswick Valley School soccer team hasn’t won a game all season and is such a disaster that their coach resigns in disgust. When, by mistake, they qualify for the season playoffs, the only person they can find to act as coach is their former kindergarten teacher, Miss Little, who applies the ""rules of kindergarten"" to the game. To everyone's surprise, they start to win. In this hilarious follow-up novel to to Walker's Runners, another book about the Brunswick Valley School team, a struggling team learns the true meaning of success.ROBERT RAYNER is a former journalist and elementary school principal in St. George, New Brunswick.Winner - Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Selection - 2004Will interest readers aged 10 to 13. Highly readable.Canadian author, juvenile fiction, humourous, soccer.

In this table-turning novel about the thrill of defeat and the agony of victory, the new rule at Jack Logan's sports-crazy New Jersey high school is that all kids must play on a team. So Jack and a ragtag group of anti-athletic friends decide to get even. They are going to start a rebel JV soccer team whose mission is to avoid victory at any cost, setting out to secretly undermine the jock culture of the school. But as the team's losing formula becomes increasingly successful at attracting fans and attention, Jack and his teammates are winning in ways they never expected-and don't know how to handle.

The exlosers are back! Darryl, Clandestino, Mundi and Janice find themselves entangled in another mystery! Weird images appear on the walls of Brightstar Primary School. Then, an act of arson. Is someone trying to send the school a message? Time is running out and they have to uncover the truth before one of them gets framed! Meanwhile, there's that dreaded basketball match against the Pros! Can they be extraordinary? Will their powers help them or hinder them? or will it be too late...

The beloved New York Times bestselling author of the modern classic Frindle celebrates books and the joy of reading with a new school story to love! Sixth grader Alec can't put a good book down. So when Principal Vance lays down the law—pay attention in class, or else—Alec takes action. He can't lose all his reading time, so he starts a club. A club he intends to be the only member of. After all, reading isn't a team sport, and no one would want to join something called the Losers Club, right? But as more and more kids find their way to Alec's club—including his ex-friend turned bully and the girl Alec is maybe starting to like—Alec notices something. Real life might be messier than his favorite books, but it's just as interesting. With The Losers Club, Andrew Clements brings us a new school story that's a love letter to books and to reading and that reminds us that sometimes...

Keep calm and make it to prom night—without a legit panic attack.For seventeen-year-old Bree Hughes, it's easier said than done when gossip, grief, and the opportunity to fail at love are practically high-fiving her in the hallways of Belmont High.When Bree's crush, Sean Mills, gives her his phone number, she can't even leave a voicemail without sounding like a freak. Then she's asked to be on Prom Court because Maisey Morgan, the school outcast nominated as a joke, declined. She apologizes to Maisey, but it's too late. After years of torment and an ugly secret shared with their class's cruel Pageant Queen, Maisey commits suicide. Bree is left with a lot of regret...and a revealing letter with a final request.With Sean by her side, Bree navigates through her guilt, her parents' divorce, and all the Prom Court drama. But when a cheating-love-triangle secret hits the fan after a night of sex, drinks, and video games, she's left with new information about...

'Would you like to watch us?' Shira is deeply, achingly in love with her best friend, Jean. This is unfortunate, because he's gay. But with one flippant invitation, Shira, Jean, and his boyfriend, Sebastian, begin their obsessive journey into the dark heart of sexual excess. When even their own edgy subculture refuses to accept them, Sebastian builds a new world with new rules to shelter the threesome. But the baggage they've brought with them can't simply be left at the door and, when the real world breaches the carefully constructed walls, it does so with tragic consequences. Beautiful Losers is the first novel-length work by erotic fiction writer Remittance Girl.

Murder, mayhem, and more shady characters than she found in Hollywood are turning bit-part actress Cat Sinclair from a crappy secretary into a powerhouse in the P.I. business. If only someone would inform her boss.

It is Sports Day and Clandestino is up against the PROS in the ultimate Brightstar race! The anticipation is killing Darryl, Mundi and Janice - this may be their friend's chance to finally lose his 'loser' status. Then, one of them is taken captive and disappears. Someone out there is playing a game of a different sort. Who could be behind it? Can the Extraordinary Losers outplay the kidnapper at his deadly game? Find out in this thrilling adventure that will reveal a dark secret — that you should trust no one, not even the one who has kidnapped your heart...

Skey dreams of a dark tunnel, a place where she is safe and alone.

The death of legendary private eye George Rowell looked like an accident – but searching for the truth behind it will put down-and-out East Village detective Payton Sherwood on the trail of a runaway investment scam artist, a drug-addicted reality TV star – and the bewitching beauty whose appearance set it all in motion…

Megan Williams is eighteen and in love with the boy next door, Victor Evans. It is 1910 and, in the Rhondda Valley, poverty and hardship are taking their toll as troops are brought in to control the striking miners. The only work Megan can find is in a house where the police and soldiers lodge, but she is shunned by friends and neighbours, who believe she has betrayed her class by working for the enemy. Megan's father would rather see his daughter dead than married to a Catholic, particularly one whose father and brother are marked as strike ringleaders. Caught in the middle, Victor and Megan find themselves fighting for the right to love one another, remain together and build a future they can share.