"Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy." So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk...and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave. This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein has created a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return.

The beloved American classic about a young girl's coming-of-age at the turn of the century, Betty Smith's *A Tree Grows in Brooklyn* is a poignant and moving tale filled with compassion and cruelty, laughter and heartache, crowded with life and people and incident. The story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and her bittersweet formative years in the slums of Williamsburg has enchanted and inspired millions of readers for more than sixty years. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the daily experiences of the unforgettable Nolans are raw with honesty and tenderly threaded with family connectedness -- in a work of literary art that brilliantly captures a unique time and place as well as incredibly rich moments of universal experience.

Socialite Eden Carlbough didn\'t expect running a girls\' camp to be easy, but she never thought she\'d literally be run up an apple tree by the little monsters...nor did she think she\'d come crashing down into the capable arms of orchard owner Chase Elliot. Chase knew he\'d caught a windfall when he looked at the woman in his arms. He didn\'t like being cast as the serpent, but how could he resist when she\'d just offered him such forbidden fruit?

From the internationally bestselling author of The Bone Season, an enthralling epic fantasy about a world on the brink of war with dragons—and the women who must lead the fight to save it."Spellbinding . . . This extraordinary saga includes heroism, romance, friendship, pirates, plague, diplomacy, and, of course, dragons . . . with broad appeal for fans of the epic and readers of Zen Cho, Naomi Novik, and V. E. Schwab. Highly recommended." —Booklist, starred review A world divided.A queendom without an heir.An ancient enemy awakens.The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of...

"Under the Greenwood Tree" is the story of the romantic entanglement between church musician, Dick Dewey, and the attractive new school mistress, Fancy Day. A pleasant romantic tale set in the Victorian era, "Under the Greenwood Tree" is one of Thomas Hardy's most gentle and pastoral novels.

This is an alternate-cover edition for ASIN B008XM0AZM. Gifted with a brilliant mind that has made a deep impression on the elders of his Palestinian village, Ahmed Hamid is nevertheless tormented by his inability to save his friends and family. Living under occupation, the inhabitants of the village harbour a constant fear of losing their homes, jobs, belongings – and each other. On Ahmed’s twelfth birthday, that fear becomes a reality. With his father now imprisoned, his family’s home and possessions confiscated and his siblings quickly succumbing to hatred in the face of conflict, Ahmed embarks on a journey to liberate his loved ones from their hardship, using his prodigious intellect. In so doing, he begins to reclaim a love for others that had been lost over the course of a childhood rife with violence, and discovers new hope for the future.

When a neighbor asks Nancy to accompany her to an old uninhabited mansion, she finds a witch tree symbol that leads her to Pennsylvania Dutch country in pursuit of a cunning and ruthless thief. The friendly welcome the girl sleuth and her friends receive from the Amish people soon changes to hostility when it is rumored that Nancy is a witch! Superstition helps her enemy in his attempt to get her off his trail, but Nancy persistently uncovers one clue after another to outwit her dangerous adversary. This book is the revised text. The plot of the original story (©1955) is similar with minor revisions.

In this classic volume, Matthiessen exquisitely combines both nature and travel writing to bring East Africa to vivid life. He skillfully portrays the daily lives of herdsmen and hunter-gatherers; the drama of the predator kills; the hundreds of exotic animals; the breathtaking landscapes; and the area's turbulent natural, political, and social histories.

Kit stared at his fellow questors. "Is this it . . . the End of Everything?" It started with small, seemingly insignificant wrinkles in time: A busy bridge suddenly disappears, spilling cars into the sea. A beast from another realm roams modern streets. Napoleon's army appears in 1930s Damascus ready for battle. But that's only the beginning as entire realities collide and collapse. The questors are spread throughout the universe. Mina is stuck on a plain of solid ice, her only companion an angry cave lion. Tony and Gianni are monitoring the cataclysmic reversal of the cosmic expansion--but coming up short on answers. And Burleigh is languishing in a dreary underground dungeon--his only hope of survival the very man he tried to murder. Kit and Cass are back in the Stone Age trying to reach the Spirit Well. But an enormous yew tree has grown over the portal, effectively cutting off any chance of return. Unless someone can find a solution--and fast--all Creation will be destroyed in the universal apocalypse known as The End of Everything. In this final volume of the fantastic Bright Empires series, Stephen R. Lawhead brings this multi-stranded tale to a stunning and immensely satisfying conclusion.

From a high perch Benny discovers a clue to a hidden room with contents that surprise everyone.

The way we create and organize knowledge is the theme of From the Tree to the Labyrinth, a major achievement by one of the world's foremost thinkers on language and interpretation. Umberto Eco begins by arguing that our familiar system of classification by genus and species derives from the Neo-Platonist idea of a "tree of knowledge." He then moves to the idea of the dictionary, which—like a tree whose trunk anchors a great hierarchy of branching categories—orders knowledge into a matrix of definitions. In Eco's view, though, the dictionary is too rigid: it turns knowledge into a closed system. A more flexible organizational scheme is the encyclopedia, which—instead of resembling a tree with finite branches—offers a labyrinth of never-ending pathways. Presenting knowledge as a network of interlinked relationships, the encyclopedia sacrifices humankind's dream of possessing absolute knowledge, but in compensation we gain the freedom to pursue an infinity of new connections and meanings. Moving effortlessly from analyses of Aristotle and James Joyce to the philosophical difficulties of telling dogs from cats, Eco demonstrates time and again his inimitable ability to bridge ancient, medieval, and modern modes of thought. From the Tree to the Labyrinth is a brilliant illustration of Eco's longstanding argument that problems of interpretation can be solved only in historical context.

THE ONCE FERTILE EARTH OF DORA HENRY'S CHILDHOOD HAS BEEN UNDERVALUED AND OVERDEVELOPED. NOW NATURE, APPARENTLY, HAS DECIDED TO FIGHT BACK. Police officer Dora Henry is investigating the bizarre murders of three geneticists. Meanwhile, strange things are happening everywhere she turns. Weeds are becoming trees; trees are becoming forests. Overnight, a city is being transformed into a wild and verdant place. And, strangest of all, Dora can somehow communicate with the rampaging flora. A potential civilization-ending catastrophe is in the making. The nearer Dora gets to a murderer--and to the truth--the more seemingly disparate events begin to entwine. And the answers she seeks today to the salvation of humankind may lie in afar distant future. . .one which is suddenly much closer than anyone imagines. An exhilarating and enchanting novel that deftly combines fantastic invention with insight and a social conscience, from one of the most lyrical and important voices in contemporary speculative fiction.

“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.” Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.

Michael Stone was once a famous author. That was before he went to prison. Now, just released, he needs to get his bearings. It was a gray day in early April when Michael stumbled wearily into the tiny English village. Even though his heart was torn by remorse and shame, he was home at last. In the village of Belmaray he finds much to muse on...a former sweetheart who has married the kindly vicar, a young schoolmistress, shopkeepers and children, animals and nature. With Michaels' arrival at Belmaray, changes began to occur in lives that had not changed for so long: the proud, self-centered beauty he had once loved was surprised into forgiveness; the quixotic bumbling vicar discovered unsuspected strength lurking behind his shyness; a sick and lonely spinster was turned away from despair, and a lovely, high-spirited young woman found her heart's desire.

"A fast-moving, eerie...tale set on Halloween night. Eight costumed boys running to meet their friend Pipkin at the haunted house outside town encounter instead the huge and cadaverous Mr. Moundshroud. As Pipkin scrambles to join them, he is swept away by a dark Something, and Moundshroud leads the boys on the tail of a kite through time and space to search the past for their friend and the meaning of Halloween. After witnessing a funeral procession in ancient Egypt, cavemen discovering fire, Druid rites, the persecution of witches in the Dark Ages, and the gargoyles of Notre Dame, they catch up with the elusive Pipkin in the catacombs of Mexico, where each boy gives one year from the end of his life to save Pipkin's. Enhanced by appropriately haunting black-and-white drawings."--Booklist

Mark Fallon is an overworked detective investigating a spate of attacks at a string of high profile city centre nightclubs. Scott is a dejected 24 year old struggling to make ends meet working for his brother and supplementing his income with a small-scale drug dealing operation. Angela is an attractive 23 year old, raised by her father, a career criminal and small time drug dealer who supplies Scott with cannabis. This is a chilling tale spanning a few months in the lives of Scott and Angela, where realizations about the present combine with shocking revelations from the past leading to an apocalyptic climax where they no longer know whom they can trust.

A strange boy leads a birthday-girl and her companions on a hunt for the wishing tree which brings them many surprising and magical adventures.

Hubert Selby Jr., acclaimed author of the classic novel Last Exit to Brooklyn, tells the powerful story of an extraordinary bond between an African-American teen seeking vengeance in the wake of tragedy and an old man who guides him toward redemption Growing up in New York City’s soul-killing South Bronx ghetto, Bobby, a young black teenager, has only known violence, poverty, and despair. But there is one true light in his life: his girlfriend, Maria. On their way to school one morning, they are set upon by a vicious street gang. Bobby, beaten bloody and senseless, survives, rescued by an old German man who is himself a survivor of the Nazi death camps. The man calls himself Moishe, though he claims not to be Jewish, and he takes the damaged boy under his wing, determined to help heal his physical and psychological wounds. An unlikely friendship is born, strengthened by a shared sense of loss and life’s tragic injustices. But Moishe’s message of learning to forgive the unforgivable falls on deaf ears, because there is a hole in Bobby’s heart that only revenge can fill. Hubert Selby Jr.’s extraordinary novel is a devastating work of raw power and stylistic brilliance that captures the pain and hardship of twentieth-century urban life. Unflinching and unrelenting, in the vein of his acclaimed masterwork, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Selby’s The Willow Tree is a dark tale tempered by hope: a story of love, death, rage, violence, and salvation. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Hubert Selby Jr. including rare photos from the author’s estate.

In the 1930s, one family spent the summer watching over the grove of Cherry trees that gave the farm its name. Little do they know the price isolation carries and that some souls will not rest in peace.A lonely young man finds his world turned upside down after rescuing a biod in the form of a beautiful alien girl with an AI implant. Aidan soon discovers that living out an anime scenario in the real world is not what he had dreamed. When more of her sisters arrive he learns the entire world is under threat from one of their kind who was held in a lab on earth for over a century. Together they decide to take it upon themselves to save the space city as well as the Earth.Fantasy science fiction Suitable for mature teens or adults

Set on the outskirts of a small Southern town, The Grass Harp tells the story of three endearing misfits—an orphaned boy and two whimsical old ladies—who one day take up residence in a tree house. As they pass sweet yet hazardous hours in a china tree, The Grass Harp manages to convey all the pleasures and responsibilities of freedom. But most of all it teaches us about the sacredness of love, “that love is a chain of love, as nature is a chain of life.” This volume also includes Capote’s A Tree of Night and Other Stories, which the Washington Post called “unobtrusively beautiful . . . a superlative book.”

One Tree was not tall like all the other trees in the forest... One day, after a very stormy night, during which several trees had been damaged and at least two had fallen, a tall, battered pine whispered to One Tree; “we don’t know why you stay here..."Unwanted, One Tree sets off, in the company of an owl, to find a land where there are no trees, no forests...These stories go between the novels Heart of the Raven and Children of Shadows and may, or may not, make sense if you have not read the accompanying novelsKatelina finally gets her beach vacation, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. How can it when her companions are vampires? Get ready for book 6 in the Amaranthine series, Children of Shadows, with this collection. Day 2: Torina is ready for a vacation in the sand - ready to let go of some of the constant worries that nag her. But can she find peace on the tropical island, or give into the ghosts of her past under the swaying palms?

Sweet tea, corn bread, and soup beans—everyday fare for eight-year-old Alix French, the precocious darling of a respected southern family. But nothing was ordinary about the day she met ten-year-old Nick Anderson, a boy from the wrong side of town. Armed with only a tin of bee balm and steely determination, Alix treats the raw evidence of a recent beating that mars his back, an act that changes both of their lives forever. Through childhood disasters and teenage woes they cling together as friendship turns to love. The future looks rosy until the fateful night when Frank Anderson, Nick's abusive father, is shot to death in his filthy trailer. Suddenly, Nick is gone—leaving Alix alone, confused and pregnant. For the next fifteen years she wrestles with the pain of Nick's abandonment, a bad marriage, her family and friends. But finally, she's starting to get her life back together. Her divorce is almost final, her business is booming, and she's content if not happy—until the day she looks up and sees Nick standing across the counter. He's back…and he's not alone. Once again Alix is plunged into turmoil and pain as Nick tries to win her love, something she resists with all her strength. Only one thing might break the protective wall she's built around her emotions—the truth about Frank Anderson's death. But when that truth comes out and those walls crumble, neither Alix nor Nick is prepared for the emotional explosion that could destroy as well as heal.

The second book in "A Tale of the Albino." When his beloved wife Oona is abducted by a band of albino Native Americans, Ulrik von Bek trails the group by using the Skrayling Oak. Soon he finds himself in the multiverse, where he is reconnected with his alternate self, Elric of Melnibone.

Jo, Bessie and Fanny take their cousin Rick on an adventure he'll never forget to the magic Faraway Tree, where he meets Moon-Face, Silky the fairy and Saucepan Man, and visits all the different lands at the top of the Faraway Tree. Like the Land of Spells, the crazy Land of Topsy-Turvy, and the land of Do-As-You-Please, where the children ride a runaway train!

A short play in one act, in which a couple considers their present and past."There was nothing unusual about the night everything changed. No flashing lights in the sky, no searing fire in my belly; no sign whatsoever to suggest the shift which was to come…Nora Brice did strange things to me. Strange and awful things…" Paul Colt has a problem, and it is not one most teenage boys face. Yes, he likes a girl; one he’s pretty certain he’ll do foolish things for, given the chance. But he can’t go after her, or any other girl for that matter. That’s what he gets for being an Averter; forced to toe the line for the propagation of the collective. He knows some rules are okay to trifle with, and there are some which should never be broken. The gravest of them all? Don’t fall in love. Ever. This is the story of how Paul breaks that rule.This prequel novella to the Mentalist Series can be read before or after Aversion, Book One of The Mentalist Series.

Grant Thornton, a wealthy New Yorker, has finally gone into remission from cancer. He is going through a rough time when he meets Lila.Nicolas, a once successful author, now struggles to make a comeback. His agent pays him and unexpected visit, and triggers a series of things that start to go terribly wrong. A past as grave as Nicolas' is best left undisturbed.

Karen and her friends decide to surprise a neighbor with a Christmas tree, but then they have a huge fight that threatens the surprise.

A TRICK OF COLORING... HER WALK... THE WAY SHE SMILED... An English June in the Roman Wall countryside; the ruin of a beautiful old house standing cheek-by-jowl with the solid, sunlit prosperity of the manor farm - a lovely place, and a rich inheritance for one of the two remaining Winslow heirs. There had been a third, but Annabel Winslow had died four years ago - so when a young woman calling herself Annabel Winslow comes 'home' to Whitescar, Con Winslow and his half-sister Lisa must find out whether she really is who she says she is. Mary Grey has nothing to look forward to except a future as colorless as her name. So if she looks, walks, and smiles so much like the glamorous missing heiress Annabel Winslow, why not be her for a little while? To the lonely young woman--living in a dreary furnished room, faced with an uncertain future--the impersonation offered intriguing possibilities. If Mary looked so much like the missing heiress, why should she not be an heiress? And so plain Mary became the glamorous Annabel. But she did not live happily ever after. In fact, she almost did not live at all. Because someone wanted Annabel Winslow missing ... permanently.

A descendant of Ceres, goddess of the harvest, was dumped a year ago by her fiance. Bad idea, be careful around a goddess! Now he wants to reconcile but nothing is simple where goddesses are concerned. Or is it?This short story was the inspiration for the novel Earth Legend. In it, a descendant of Ceres, goddess of the harvest, was dumped by her fiance. Not a good idea if your fiancee is a goddess! Now, a year later, he wants to reconcile but nothing is simple where goddesses are concerned. Or is it?

Alysha was just an ordinary girl, until she moveed to Tree Tops. When there she uncovered secrets, ones that she has been waiting all of her life to find answers for.Then there was Nick, tall, dark and handsome. Oh, yeah, and did I mention that he was a werewolf?But someone wanted Alysha dead, and they wouldn't stop until they saw her that way.When Kaman Wantanabe asks Betty and Sam to recover his brother's body from a distant, desert planet, little did our heros suspect the danger, peril and adventure waiting for them! Can Betty and Sam, along with Charlie, the gender-shifting ship's computer, succeed where an old man failed? Can Sam save Betty from the deadly world hidden beneath the dunes? Can Marty, the only carnivorous mammal from planet Xanadu, get all that sticky sap out of his fur?Join our crew on this wild adventure and find out!

Ronnie ruin her beautiful Sunday school clothes under the mulberry tree. the revelation with humor starts when she and her brother devise a plan to get her clothes cleaned.Ronnie and her brother Shazier find themselves on another adventure under the Mulberry tree, in their only Church clothes they possess, which they received once a year for Easter, where their mama told them not to be in their Sunday Clothes, before coming home from church first. The revelation with humor starts when Ronnie clothes are completely ruin by the biggest Mulberries they had ever seen of the season, and they devise a plan to clean the clothes themselves.

Have you ever gone out to buy a Christmas tree because you knew it would cheer you up? Well, young Luke, an introvert, did so and got more than he could have imagined. This story is a bit magical, a bit humorous and a bit romantic.Have you ever gone out to buy a Christmas tree because you knew it would cheer you up? Well, young Luke, an introvert, did so and got more than he could have imagined.The divorce papers had been signed seven weeks earlier and a lonely, shy person like Luke needed some help. He did receive help from a special Christmas tree. He left the security of his home to seek an adventure and awakened his heart along the way with the aid of a most peculiar companion. There is a rural family that takes him in and shares their past experiences with a similar companion. This story is a bit magical, a bit humorous and a bit romantic. The artwork for the cover is a cartoon and conveys the cheer of a Christmas tree story but, the story characters are real humans.

John Amherst, the reform-minded assistant manager at the Hanaford textile mills, meets trained nurse Justine Brent at the hospital bedside of Dillon, an injured mill worker. The two agree Dillon would be better off dead if he is deprived of his occupation, a conversation that unites them in their approval of euthanasia sets the action of the novel in motion.

This volume contains a carefully chosen selection from the Grimms' Children's and Household Tales, the most famous and influential of all the great nineteenth-century folklore collections. The fairy tales collected by the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were first published in 1812-15. While no one knows where the tales first came from, features of many are found in myths from all over the world. Through the oral tradition, they were passed down for centuries by illiterate storytellers, until at last collectors began recording them in print for the world of today, where they still captivate and delight. The award-winning translator Anthea Bell has selected, edited and written a foreword for this new collection.

Thirty summers ago, something unspeakable happened to a little girl in the woods near Shade Tree Pond. The culprit to this heinous crime is never identified. Now, thirty years later, a curious 12-year-old boy embarks upon a journey that places him at the core of Meadowton's most haunting mystery.Thirty summers ago, something unspeakable happened to a little girl in the woods near Shade Tree Pond. The culprit to this heinous crime is never identified. Now, thirty years later, a curious 12-year-old boy embarks upon a journey that places him at the core of Meadowton's most haunting mystery.Somewhere in the confines of a desolate peach grove, the voice of a child chants her ethereal songs. Throughout the years many residents fear the curse that plagues Benjamin Murden's peach trees, but only one boy seeks to unearth the unfathomable truth. It is his quest for justice that propels him into a frightening realm of supernatural events, betrayal, and ultimate vengeance.

What if the school bully stole your lunch everyday? How would you feel and what would you do about it? How far would you go to get rid of him for good? Zach and Sam face this dilemma everyday. Zach reads his sisters diary and discovers her secret, the reason why her life seems so perfect. A magical tree stump that grants wishes can fix all their problems. But be careful what you wish for.“These days, we do not lack information about other societies and countries” writes Eva Hoffman, in her introduction to this illuminating collection of essays. But why, we must ask, does this unprececedented level of knowledge not translate into greater understanding?Spurning the sound byte, glossy guide or shallow schematic, an international group of thinkers and writers set out on a much more vital journey leading us through the Innner Lives of Cultures. In these 10 revealing essays about Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Romania, Russia and Uzbekistan, we enter, through empathy and imagination ‘into the subjective life of another culture – its symbolic codes, its overt beliefs and implicit assumptions’. Often, they suggest, it is the experience of emmigration or displacment which is the key: it reveals most sharply to us not only how culture shapes our human enviroment but also the inner landscapes of the self which perceives it. In an opening essay, ‘Barbarism, Civilisation, Cultures’, Tzvetan Todorov, argues forcefully that without this much-prized knowledge of what ‘culture’ is, we may increasingly fail to become what he calls “a civilised person: one who is able, at all times and in all places, to recognise the humanity of others fully”. This is an urgent and indispensible book for our world now.

In a story of wide and fascinating detail A. J. Cronin tells of Dr. David Morey who tries to atone for his desertion of the woman he loved. Beguiled by the prospect of riches he goes on to marry Dottie, a spoiled but beautiful neurotic who brings him almost constant misery, until a chance remark makes him seek retribution in memories of the past and a return to his native Scotland. In the magnificent narrative tradition of "The Citadel," "The Stars Look Down" and Cronin's other classic novels, "The Judas Tree" is a great book by a much-loved author.

Unlike other typical princesses you have read from other fairy tales, our Princess Niya was different, she was lazy, spoiled, selfish and didn’t like to smile; no on liked her. On her 12 years old birthday, her parents, King and Queen decided to give her a gift that was going to change her life forever.This book could be subtitled a “A Male Midlife Crisis Transformational Journey Romantic Action Adventure.” It features a college professor who isn’t keen on getting older. The young, energetic people that populate the university remind him daily of how quickly life is passing, and how rapidly he seems to be approaching old age. He even considers getting a facelift. As he puts it, “Why not look as young as you feel!” Fortunately, he realizes that cosmetic surgery is not the answer, and looks to other alternatives. His search leads him to believe that what is missing in his life is adventure, novelty, and excitement--something he intends to remedy by taking a trip to Europe. As soon as he steps foot on the plane, the action picks up and continues to increase until he finds that adventure often comes with price. It can cost you your life. Join Professor CB Oldenberger as he learns one of life’s most important lessons: it isn’t how you look, it is how you live

Trees can be symbolic of our true selves at deeper levels of awareness. Enter a world of poetry, branches and leaves that walk among the treasures and wastes of our collective consciousness.Poetry written in the loose style of Rimbaud about current world events, travelling inner and outer worlds to create an idiosyncratic lexicon.Short free verse poems exploring a theme of consciousness unravelling from the Matrix of Control.The Mist Tree is one of many deep dimensional perceptions of what a spiritual logos can be like. It is an ever-changing form of a Free Being.The act of reading poetry takes you deeper into a world of codes, symbols, dreams, and promptings about your own unfolding consciousness. An amusing mystery that does not pretend to solve who we are.

Seated in a Paris cafe, a man glimpses another man, a shadowy figure hurrying to the train. Who is he? he wonders, and how does he live? Instantly the shadow comes to life, precipitating a series of hilarious encounters involving a range of disreputable and heartwarming characters that prove as incredible as real life. The Bark Tree is an enchantment itself. A supreme example of the novel poem. Claude Simonnet

"So, have you moved on? Or do you still love her?" Did he? Absolutely. That Sophie shaped hole in his heart that was never filled. The question was, would she let him back in? When Sophie's Europe plans are cancelled, she pivots to a job as activity director at Christmas Tree Lodge. The same lodge where she was proposed to three years earlier. To a guy who dumped her in a text! Enter Sam who is there with his four-year-old daughter Can they get past their hurts and start anew?

In the shadow of a poignant Japanese proverb advocating self-reliance—Rely on your own walking stick rather than people—Mi's life takes an unforeseen and harrowing turn. Overcoming the paralysis of the morning left her with a deformed leg, rendering the proverb a cruel reality. As if guided by an inexorable hand of fate, those she holds closest to her heart, one by one, betray her trust, leaving Mi to navigate a world of isolation and despair. Caught in the suffocating grip of a loveless marriage to a foreign doctor who aided her in regaining her mobility, Mi's existence mirrors that of a caged animal—trapped and yearning for freedom. The echoes of her past love and the dreams of a future once cherished are silenced by the heavy chains of her present reality. In this riveting tale of betrayal, resilience, and intrigue, Mi's journey is a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit. Join her as she navigates a treacherous landscape, where...

A thrilling fantasy adventure for younger readers. With the young King of Estelliana mysteriously ill, the kingdom is placed under the harsh rule of a starkin regent, Lord Zavion. One day a hearthkin boy, Durrik, has a vision telling him that the regent is planning to kill the new king and take over Estelliana, and that he must go on a quest to find a cure for the King and save the kingdom. He and his best friend Pedrin set out on their journey and are soon joined by a noble girl, Lisandre, and a servant girl called Briony. On their travels they meet with soldiers, wildkin, pirates and monsters before they reach their final destination - the magic Starthorn Tree - which may hold the miraculous cure...

After a fire ravaged a large tenement building and killed many of its residents, Merrifort is only a shadow of the vibrant town it once was. But when a mysterious woman by the name of Stella Goldstein visits the town, she brings with her the seed for a far-from-ordinary tree that has the potential to change the lives of Merrifort people. Can she reignite the spark and bring back the life to this ailing town?

In the old west punishment comes swiftly. Especially when the crime is murder. Mort Clancy - a pathetic drunk - had one to many drinks at the local watering hole and he did something stupid: he shot the sheriff. Now there's a new law in town, and Mort's on his way to the hanging tree. But the hanging tree has a terrible reputation, and what dies on the tree doesn't always stay dead.Love jokes? Here's of the best! All your favorites!The best collection of funny Jokes,Funny Jokes, Best Professional Jokes book They vary in length - from very short to fairly long.One stop for all Children jokes. Each joke is given a title and is numbered. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxationThis includes jokes for all occasions and all kinds of clean jokes. Jokes between colleagues.

She had a perfect life. Then she got a real life.... For nearly twenty years, quiet, unassuming Lillian Manville has devoted herself to her self-made billionaire husband -- and enjoyed a luxurious life of splendid homes, trips, jewels, and clothes. But when James Manville dies in a plane crash, Lillian's grief is compounded by a shocking mystery: all that Jimmie has left to her is an old farmhouse in tiny Calburn, Virginia. Now, Lillian's unexpected circumstances are leading her to a made-over life in Calburn, an exciting businessŠand a sweet new love with a handsome local man. But will she have the courage to unveil the truth surrounding a past scandal and the loss of her husband? The answers may be as close as the mulberry tree in her yard -- and Lillian must dig deep within herself to Wght the secrets and lies that threaten to uproot the past she cherished and the future she treasures....This lush bestseller shines with the passion, intrigue, and warmth that is Jude Deveraux at her best.

As Emerson Malone attempts to save her mother's crape myrtle from wildfires, Drake Miller, a volunteer firefighter helping people evacuate, spots her. Emerson is insistent her family tree will survive no matter what. Drake is insistent Emerson will evacuate if he has to carry her out. Their persistence and lives collide. Will Emerson get her way and save her tree before returning to her previous life? Will Drake get his way and make Emerson evacuate before the wind changes direction putting her in danger from the wildfires and from her feelings for Drake?

"An intriguing, haunting novel pulsing with raw, beautiful emotion. Kiran Millwood-Hargrave effortlessly intertwines the stories of women tenderly and sympathetically, creating a novel in which female courage and resilience shines brightly against a brilliantly evoked backdrop of claustrophobic horror."—Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne "Some historical novels don'' just describe the past, they transport you there . . . An exceptionally beautiful portrait of women from the past, told in the most spellbinding prose."—Elodie Harper, author of the #1 London Times bestseller The Wolf DenIn this gripping historical novel, the internationally bestselling author of The Mercies weaves a spellbinding tale of fear, transformation, courage, and love in sixteenth-century France.Strasbourg, 1518. In the midst of a blisteringly hot summer, a lone woman begins to dance in the city square. She dances for days...

Gothic romance, ghost story, parable, psychological thriller, inner-space fiction—Henry Dumas's stories form a vivid, expansive portrait of Black life in America. Championed by Toni Morrison and Walter Mosley, Dumas's fabulist fiction is a masterful synthesis of myth and religion, culture and nature, mask and identity. From the Deep South to the simmering streets of Harlem, his characters embark on real, magical, and mythic quests. Humming with life, Dumas's stories create a collage of midcentury Black experiences, interweaving religious metaphor, African cosmologies, diasporic folklore, and America's history of slavery and systemic racism. Henry Dumas was born in Sweet Home, Arkansas, in 1934 and moved to Harlem at the age of ten. He joined the air force in 1953 and spent a year on the Arabian Peninsula. Upon his return, Dumas became active in the civil rights movement, married, had two sons, attended Rutgers University, worked for IBM, and taught at Hiram...

He never stayed put......until she gave him a reason toRebel cowboy Hadley Smith had never been one to stick around. Then he suddenly became a single father—to twins. Hadley doesn't need Jenna Moran looking over his shoulder, but he grudgingly starts to fall for her compassion and strength. When faced with an impossible choice, can Hadley prove to Jenna he's willing to put down roots?

Read This Entire Collection For a Fraction of The Full Price, or Read FREE with KU! This special edition box set contains all five stories of the Story Tree Mysteries. They're clean, fun and with a touch of romance to indulge in! Contents: 1. Books, Brownies and Murder Everyone in Valley Springs knows that the brownies at Story Tree are to die for, so why are they so surprised when it turns out to be true? Clary St. James is content with her life in Valley Springs and her flourishing bookstore. She’s content, not bored. And if she keeps repeating that to herself, one day it might just be true. Everything changes one snowy afternoon when a handsome stranger takes up residence next door. Tall, dark, handsome, and arrogant, he rolls into town like he owns the place. Before she can complain too much, Valley Springs is rocked by an unexpected murder of a local man. All eyes turn to Clary’s bookstore cafe when it’s revealed that lethal brownies were the murder weapon. The once revered brownies become an object of suspicion, and Clary is forced to defend her talented chef and friend, Marie. It’s a race against the clock as the evidence keeps mounting, and secrets come to light. Death by Chocolate was supposed to be a marketing scheme, not a promise. Will Clary find the truth? Is her faith in her chef misplaced? And what’s happening next door? Books, Scones and Murder Story Tree bookstore and café is unlike any bookstore in the Country. It’s a haven for fan societies of every sort. This weekend, Clary is hosting the Agatha Christie Appreciation Society. This means two things: Marie is baking orange and fig scones and stocking up on Devonshire cream. And, there’s a whole lot of amateur detectives running around. The chaos is aggravated by the arrival of a flamboyant up-and-coming writer who manages to insult everyone she meets in one breath. No-one likes Valerie Lawless, but it’s still a shock when she turns up dead. The mystery becomes even more tantalizing when Clary realizes that the murder echoes what Valerie wrote about. Not only are there eerie similarities, but someone seems intent on recreating every detail of the author’s work. Reality and fiction are dangerously blurred as Clary races against the clock to find out who wanted the author dead. Will she find the murderer before all the fans migrate home? And will she be able to find the truth before tensions snap in their small town? 3. Books, Canapés and Murder The small town of Valley Springs invites more mayhem than you’d think, and nothing is what it seems. The community elite are invited to a masquerade ball and the secretive host promises that a mystery will be solved by the end of the night. With everyone high on anticipation, it shouldn’t be a surprise when Clary stumbles upon a dead body. To avoid panic, she and the police chief race against the clock before the masked murderer can disappear into the night; it’s said that a person becomes who he really is when he wears a mask. It’s too bad that Clary has to deal with a roomful of people revealing their true selves! Will they find the masked murderer? Will they win the race against the clock? Or will the night end with the mystery unsolved? Find out as Clary chases criminals, canapés, and crafty liars. PLUS: 4. Books, Picnics and Murder and 5. Books Barbecue and Murder Enjoy! DOWNLOAD NOW! **

A prequel to a new book coming out in March 2013 called Dreamweaver. The tree introduces you to the town of Stale and a character called David.Recently single and depressingly lonely, Sylvain Jones finds himself spying on his best friend, whose wife suspects him of cheating. But a seemingly simple task has shocking results, and leads Sylvain to question whether the person he has known for thirty years is hiding a horrific secret behind his façade as a boring, middle class lawyer. As he tries to find the truth, he starts to realise that he is in the middle of a conspiracy so huge it threatens everything he has ever understood and believed in. Can he find the courage and the will to fight it, or will he allow it to destroy his loved ones, his sanity, and ultimately, take to a truth that is far more sinister than he could have imagined?

They call Gabriela Tree Girl. Gabi climbs trees to be within reach of the eagles and watch the sun rise into an empty sky. She is at home among the outstretched branches of the Guatemalan forests. Then one day from the safety of a tree, Gabi witnesses the sights and sounds of an unspeakable massacre. She vows to be Tree Girl no more and joins the hordes of refugees struggling to reach the Mexican border. She has lost her whole family; her entire village has been wiped out. Yet she clings to the hope that she will be reunited with her youngest sister, Alicia. Over dangerous miles and months of hunger and thirst, Gabriela's search for Alicia and for a safe haven becomes a search for self. Having turned her back on her own identity, can she hope to claim a new life? Ages 12+

Dina's gone. She left a note, she left her plants, and she left what her husband, Roal, thought was her entire world. Nothing remained but some frozen dinners and the mysterious last line of her final message: I do love you ever Dina. Professor Roal Bowman, best known in the sleepy college town of Braddock as a fake Zen master who used to pretend to be Native American and never lived up to his potential, by no means saw it coming. How could he have guessed that his wife would run away to help the famous Winter Patent, a man who had literally lived with wolves, on a grand project to embrace the consciousness of trees? He thought Dina had been happy. But the more Roal digs, the more he realizes that he never truly knew or understood his wife, that he never really listened, and that now that Dina has disappeared, he must become something more—something real—if he hopes to get her back. And he'll have to do it quickly: he's not the only one who wants to find...

Cursing up the Wrong Tree (A Hex on Me Mystery, Book Two)

When a tree is ready to topple, the weight of one bough breaking will bring it crashing down. For a family with something to hide, memories can be as destructive as a gale.In April 1972, Maureen buries her husband on her allotment and pretends he's run away, leaving her to care for their ten-year-old twins, Lucy and Carol. But living a lie gets harder as time goes by.For years, Maureen has kept her secrets close, but now, she's ready to talk. The question is, who is listening, and will they unearth the truth?

'One of Singapore's finest living authors' South China Morning Post 'Simply glorious. Every nook and cranny of 1930s Singapore is brought richly to life' CATRIONA MCPHERSON 'Charming' RHYS BOWEN 'One of the most likeable heroines in modern literature' SCOTSMAN ____Has Su Lin summoned a tree demon who is now killing on her behalf? The overpoweringly fragrant flowers, snakelike vines and deadly fruit of the cannonball tree are enough to keep most people away. But when a piece of expensive photographic equipment is found nearby, on closer inspection Su Lin discovers the body of Mimi, her horrible relative who has been trying to blackmail her. Su Lin is not the only one to realise how much easier this death makes things for her in the new normal of life in Syonan (Japanese Occupied Singapore). And then more fortuitious deaths follow. But is someone really killing people on her account? As Su Lin contends with the fear and rancour of those around her, the resentment of former friends and a whistling demon, can she hope not only to survive but untangle the cannonball tree's secrets to prevent further deaths... and possibly turn the tide of the war? Praise for Ovidia Yu: 'Chen Su Lin is a true gem.* Her slyly witty voice and her admirable, sometimes heartbreaking, practicality make her the most beguiling narrator heroine I've met in a long while * **' Catriona McPherson ' Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. Ovidia Yu's teenage Chinese sleuth gives us an insight into a very different culture and time. This book is exactly why I love historical novels ' Rhys Bowen 'A wonderful detective novel . . . a book that introduces one of the most likeable heroines in modern literature and should be on everyone's Must Read list' Scotsman 'Unassuming, brilliantly observant' SCMP 'Ovidia Yu's writing helped me peel back the layers to understand Singapore. The story and Chen Su Lin's initiative and tenacity, set against a backdrop of wartime Singapore, intrigued both the historian and the mystery lover in me' Kara Owens CMG CVO, British High Commissioner to Singapore

In this sequel to Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller returns to Africa and the story of her unforgettable family. In Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, Alexandra Fuller braids a multilayered narrative around the perfectly lit, Happy Valley-era Africa of her mother's childhood; the boiled cabbage grimness of her father's English childhood; and the darker, civil war-torn Africa of her own childhood. At its heart, this is the story of Fuller's mother, Nicola. Born on the Scottish Isle of Skye and raised in Kenya, Nicola holds dear the kinds of values most likely to get you hurt or killed in Africa: loyalty to blood, passion for land, and a holy belief in the restorative power of all animals. Fuller interviewed her mother at length and has captured her inimitable voice with remarkable precision. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is as funny, terrifying, exotic, and unselfconscious as Nicola herself. We see Nicola and Tim Fuller in their lavender-colored honeymoon period, when East Africa lies before them with all the promise of its liquid equatorial light, even as the British Empire in which they both believe wanes. But in short order, an accumulation of mishaps and tragedies bump up against history until the couple finds themselves in a world they hardly recognize. We follow the Fullers as they hopscotch the continent, running from war and unspeakable heartbreak, from Kenya to Rhodesia to Zambia, even returning to England briefly. But just when it seems that Nicola has been broken entirely by Africa, it is the African earth itself that revives her. A story of survival and madness, love and war, loyalty and forgiveness, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is an intimate exploration of the author's family. In the end, we find Nicola and Tim at a coffee table under their Tree of Forgetfulness on the banana and fish farm where they plan to spend their final days. In local custom, the Tree of Forgetfulness is where villagers meet to resolve disputes and it is here that the Fullers at last find an African kind of peace. Following the ghosts and dreams of memory, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is Alexandra Fuller at her very best.

It’s been years since anyone has seen Noble Vincent, the player that brought down World-Tree Online’s tyrannical moderator. Even with a lifetime of perceived experiences in the game, he still has centuries to go before the update finally ends and the people trapped in the game are freed. After taking a long vacation and traveling to many worlds, he realizes its time to get his team back together so they can try to reach the top of the World-Tree. However, Vincent’s goal will eventually lead him to Styxis, a world consumed by a never-ending war. His path will bring him at odds with Noah, a former member of the Great Vanguard. Noah’s team climbed higher than any other before the angels crushed them, but like Vincent, he’s a man that obsessively chases his goals no matter the challenge. Noah’s choices will lead him and many others down a path that will push the strongest players of the game to their limits. When Vincent gets caught in Styxis’s never-ending war, he too will have to decide how far he’s willing to go just to win. **

When a stray kitten struts boldly into Giselle’s life, the restless young teacher finds herself compelled to “go north.” She’s drawn from the city to rural Arundel where, with the help of a man who prowls the forest as a grey wolf, a librarian who slips through the night as a cougar, and a gardener who rides the wind as a red tailed hawk, she sets out to save the world.Quartet OverviewThe Earth Woman Tree Woman Quartet is a near future fantasy with a progressive political bent, a diverse set of characters, and links to recordings of many original songs.Ninas Twei is the mystical place where all of Earth’s species dance and sing together to ensure the continuance of life on Earth – all, that is, except Homo sapiens. Greed and the lust for power has barred them from the dance.Giselle, an activist school teacher, finds herself called to a small rural community to join a group of people who, becoming their Tla Twein (mythical animals or gods), are able to travel to Ninas Twei.Gathering an increasingly diverse group of people from the city, the country, and the world, the Tla Twein engage in a life and death struggle to heal the rift in the natural order and defeat the forces of greed.Giselle, the Earth Woman Tree Woman, joins with the Wolfwind, and together they become all things – earth, air, and water; flora and fauna – a compassionate force for the well-being of the earth.Book One: Journey to Ninas TweiA stray cat struts into Giselle’s apartment bringing an elusive melody? A majestic homeless woman sings her a prophesy and a red-tailed hawk silently urges her to travel north from the city to a rural farming community on the north coast, where she finds an ocean-side house next to a hilly forest, and a new job.Three people in Arundel have been waiting for Giselle, believing that she, and two children, Enid and Jésus, are missing pieces in their attempt to bring humans back to the dance of life. Yameno, 30, the last member of the Tuwillian nation living in Arundel, is guardian of the sacred spring. His nation has a tradition of transforming into their Tla Twein and traveling to Ninas Twei to watch and guard the dance. Yameno’s Tla Twei is a large grey wolf. Dan, 50, a black gardener and scholar, is the hawk. Hazel, 47, a librarian, becomes the cougar. With subtle, often musical encounters, Giselle and the children are drawn into the group. Yameno, carves a sculpture of Giselle’s Tla Twei, the Earth Woman Tree Woman and transform to their Tla Twein and join, becoming all things – wolf and tree, earth, water, and air.But Enid’s grandfather, Gunther, who learned the secrets of the Tla Twein when married to Hazel’s sister, blames Hazel and the others for his wife’s death. When he stumbles on an encounter between Enid and the cougar he knows is Hazel, he arouses the town and a cougar hunt is planned.Ninas Twei is in imminent danger. Hunt or no hunt, the Tla Twein must travel there. On the day of the cougar hunt they meet in a forest clearing where, singing their songs, they transform to their Tla Twein, journeying to Ninas Twei through a vortex splashed with color – and sometimes pierced by tremors and sharp pain. In Arundel Jésus and Enid are reported missing and the townspeople’s hunt for the cougar turns to one for the children.In Ninas Twei they watch the incredible dance of life and find the Weaving Tree where Giselle can trace people’s stories and see the relationship between the problems on earth and the absence of humans from the dance. The source of the tremors and pain is somewhere beneath this tree and it is dying.Suddenly the ground shakes and a gapping crevice opens up swallowing the screaming children. The others are tossed back to earth in their human form just as the hunters come down the path into the clearing. Obsessed with anger, Gunther raises his gun accusing Hazel of being “the devil”. Hazel and Dan have only a moment to transform to their Tla Twein as he shoots. Hazel and Dan disappear, leaving behind the bodies of a cougar and a hawk.The children are missing. Giselle and Yameno are accused of kidnapping them. They walk back down the hill back of Giselle’s house in the custody of the sheriff.Hazel and Dan call to each other, their voices growing fainter and fainter as they float away from each other in a gray empty place.

"Brock's prose is a perfect blend of Mark Twain-style color undercut by modern humor. Ruby and Quinn are a Tom and Huck for the 21st century. True brilliance . . . in the finest American tradition." -Kirkus ReviewsSometimes you have to voyage to the ends of the earth to find your way home...The trouble begins for young Ruby and his best friend, Quinn, after an accident in the forest outside their rural Adirondack hometown. Their attempt to cover-up their mistake ignites a local skirmish with one of the most influential families in America and leads to Ruby's death-or so everyone thinks. Plenty alive and sensing an adventure, Ruby disappears and soon weaves his way across the country in a series of narrow escapes from danger. Journeying from the Adirondacks, through New York City, and into the heart of the American West, Ruby and Quinn discover the importance of true friendship, the meaning of family, and the immensity of the world...

The surprisingly hopeful story of one woman's search for resiliency in a warming worldSeveral years ago, ecologist Lauren E. Oakes set out from California for Alaska's old-growth forests to hunt for a dying tree: the yellow-cedar. With climate change as the culprit, the death of this species meant loss for many Alaskans. Oakes and her research team wanted to chronicle how plants and people could cope with their rapidly changing world. Amidst the standing dead, she discovered the resiliency of forgotten forests, flourishing again in the wake of destruction, and a diverse community of people who persevered to create new relationships with the emerging environment. Eloquent, insightful, and deeply heartening, In Search of the Canary Tree is a case for hope in a warming world.

Love is worth celebrating at any time of the year . . . The little English town of Lullbury Bay goes all out for Christmas each year, and Honor Martin loves it. After a bad breakup years ago, she’s settled into the simple pleasures of working at the local primary school and dining at the Sea Spray Café. The holiday is the high point of her year. Artist Jago Pengethley, however, doesn’t share her merry mood. A new arrival in town, he’s here with his mother and sister to start anew after the devastating loss of his father. He’d be happy to never see another wreath or hear another carol. But to help his little sister replace bad memories with good ones, he accompanies her to the various festivities. And as he gets to know her teacher, Honor, might she be the one to restore his Christmas spirit?

A startling, erotic novel about the need to balance care for others with care for one's selfWhen the unnamed narrator of Marie Mutsuki Mockett's stirring second novel returns to Carmel, California, to care for her mother, she finds herself stranded at the outset of the disease. With her husband and children back in Hong Kong, and her Japanese mother steadily declining in a care facility two hours away, she becomes preoccupied with her mother's garden—convinced it contains a kind of visual puzzle—and the dormant cherry tree within it.Caught between tending to an unwell parent and the weight of obligation to her distant daughters and husband, she becomes isolated and unmoored. She soon starts a torrid affair with an arborist who is equally fascinated by her mother's garden, and together they embark on reviving it. Increasingly engrossed by the garden, and by the awakening of her own body, she comes to see her mother's illness as part of a natural...

Tis the season to solve a murder—and innkeeper Holly White knows she’ll have to make her list and check it twice if she wants to catch the killer in the 4th Christmas Tree Farm mystery from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.For inn keeper Holly White, Christmas time in Mistletoe, Maine, is the ultimate holiday gift. Business at the Reindeer Games Inn is booming, her wedding to Sheriff Evan Gray is nearly here, and the annual parade is about to begin. The town is lucky to have another gift this year with the state’s ballet company staying for several performances of The Nutcracker. But disaster strikes when Tiffany, the lead ballerina, shows up dead on a float during the parade, the Rat King’s mask nearby. Holly will have to spruce up her sleuthing skills if she wants to catch the killer before Christmas—and her wedding day.Immediately, Holly discovers that Tiffany had more than a few secrets. She finds out that the star of the...

'A wonderful book by a fabulous author, very highly recommended.' Louise DouglasA tale as old as time. A spirit that has never rested.Present dayAs a love affair comes to an end, and with it her dreams for her future, artist Selena needs a retreat. The picture-postcard Sloe Cottage in the Somerset village of Ashcombe promises to be the perfect place to forget her problems, and Selena settles into her new home as spring arrives. But it isn't long before Selena hears the past whispering to her. Sloe Cottage is keeping secrets which refuse to stay hidden. 1682Grace Cotter longs for nothing more than a husband and family of her own. Content enough with her work on the farm, looking after her father, and learning the secrets of her grandmother Bett's healing hands, nevertheless Grace still hopes for love. But these are dangerous times for dreamers, and rumours and gossip can be deadly. One mis-move and Grace's fate looks set......

Eddy knows he's not like other teenagers. He doesn't look like them. He doesn't think like them. He doesn't go to school or have friends like they do. Eddy's not even allowed to leave his bedroom – except on shower day of course. He doesn't know why; all Eddy knows is that he's different.Abandoned by his mother and kept locked away by his grandmother, Eddy must spend his life watching the world go by from his bedroom window. Until Reagan Crowe moves in next door and everything starts to change. She's kind, funny, beautiful, and most importantly, she's Eddy's first friend. Over time, Reagan introduces Eddy to the strange and wonderful world outside his bedroom: maths, jam, love.But growing up isn't that simple for either of them. And Eddy has a secret. The tree that's slowly creeping in through his window from the garden is no ordinary tree. But then again, Eddy's no ordinary boy. He's special...Set over the course of five years, T is for Tree...

Two young women, with intertwined fates centuries apart, must protect the secret of the powerful, all-healing mushroom known as amakuna • The gripping story includes mystical visions, shamanic rituals, past lives, an ancient lineage of medicine women, love, betrayal, conspiracies, and murder • Set concurrently in modern times and in 1492 during the Conquistadors' takeover of the Canary Islands 1492: For millennia, the medicine women of the Guanches, the indigenous people on the Canary Island of La Palma, have used a psychotropic mushroom to look into the past and the future. But the mushroom has other sacred powers: It can cure disease or injury and it links the fate of those who consume it across all eternity. These secret powers are closely guarded by the medicine women, for they can foresee the destructive forces that would be unleashed if the sacred mushroom fell into the wrong hands. Present day: Romy, a young doctor at a biomedical research company,...

A girl raised by squirrels in Central Park tries to make human friends in this laugh-out-loud, highly illustrated first book in a new chapter book series perfect for fans of Sophie Mouse and Critter Club!Cordelia is a girl who lives in a tree in Central Park. Found as a baby and raised by an adoring squirrel named Shakespeare, Cordelia acts just like any other young squirrel, leaping across treetops, chasing her squirrel friends, and sleeping in her treehouse. Still, she wonders what it would be like to have a human friend, and when she stumbles into a gymnastics class, it seems like she might have her chance. Living in a tree might have made Cordelia an exceptional gymnast, but people skills are a whole other matter. Even if Cordelia can't fully fit in with the other kids, can she at least make one friend? Cordelia starts her journey to be—not exactly a girl, but more than a squirrel—squirlish!

Mayenta has once again returned to the land with no recollection of where she had gone. All she knew was, every time she returned to the vale, she returned lying in the same spot underneath a dogwood tree growing high upon Honor Mountain--and, as usual, she returned naked. What did it mean that she left Paigorya without warning? Where did she go? WHY did she go? And, most importantly, who was she?Mayenta has returned once again to the land with no recollection of where she had gone. All she knew was, every time she returned to the vale, she returned lying in the same spot underneath a dogwood tree growing high upon Honor Mountain--and, as usual, she returned naked. What did it mean that she left Paigorya without warning? Where did she go? WHY did she go? And, most importantly, who was she?The Dogwood Tree eBook short story includes a free excerpt from Laurie Y. Elrod's novel, Blackridge-Book One of the So'ladiun.

Journey of the Running Tree is a fantasy for ages 7 and up! Follow the fun adventures of Emily and her magical Running Tree in this small Chapter Book series as they travel across a vast, mysterious world full of legends, myths and monsters.Forged by the famous alchemist Hermes Trismegistus, the sword Aeneas is sworn to work magic for the one who wields it. In the wrong hands, however, Aeneas could destroy all that is good in this world, creating a hell of nightmarish proportions. Spirian Connor seeks the sword because it once belonged to his Angel father Avel when he was a human; Connor believes the sword will allow him to forge a connection with his father. But the Shadows also seek the sword, and when Connor finds himself falling in love with one of their kind, he is faced with the most difficult choice of his life.

Could a fake boyfriend be her real hero this Christmas? When her ex-fiancé shows up at her shop — engaged to her sister! — dress designer Hannah Carpenter doesn't know what to do. Especially when her former fling Russell Danielson sees her plight and rides to the rescue, offering a fake relationship to foil her rude relations. The thing is, there's nothing fake about his kiss...but when things get real, will the sexy soldier once again stop short of commitment?Mills & Boon Heart — Stories of love, compassion and happiness.

When the mononoke become more stirred up than usual, Clue becomes suspicious. Checking out the disappearance of a little boy's cat uncovers a disturbance in the spirit realm. Something has the mononoke terrified, and they aren't the only spirits at unrest.The Kodama, tree spirits, are tormenting not only a friendly neighborhood spider demon, but also Hibagon, one of Cassini's native bigfoot.Unfortunately, the powerful Okami shifter pack refuses to come to the aid of demons, leaving Clue to solve the mystery all alone or to seek out Liam, a serpent demon, who craves her and enjoys feeding on her fear. Determined to do the right thing at any cost, Clue may be forced to pay a price she can't afford.

Four years ago, Gabriel Preston, Duke of Beckhampton prepared to ask for the hand of his love, Lady Eliza Clayton. Then she vanished. Rumors ran rampant through Polite Society, each one suggesting a different theory, yet all resulted in the same conclusion: Lady Eliza didn't love him. Vowing never to bare his soul to a woman again, Beck locked himself away on his estate. After protesting, cajoling, and crying daily for four years, Lady Eliza has finally convinced her mother to allow them to return to England from Boston, where they'd been "visiting" family. She knew the true reason for their voyage, despite Mama's denials. Her parents refused to allow her to marry the Duke of Beckhampton. Yet after all this time apart, Eliza still loved him. Beck is shocked when Eliza appears in Society once more, and even more surprised to discover he desires her after all the pain she caused him. He's feeling the Christmas spirit for the first time in years....

An extraordinary novel from a Man Booker International Prize-winning author that follows one young Omani woman as she builds a life for herself in Britain and reflects on the relationships that have made her from a “remarkable” writer who has “constructed her own novelistic form” (James Wood, The New Yorker).From Man Booker International Prize–winning author Jokha Alharthi, Bitter Orange Tree is a profound exploration of social status, wealth, desire, and female agency. It presents a mosaic portrait of one young woman’s attempt to understand the roots she has grown from, and to envisage an adulthood in which her own power and happiness might find the freedom necessary to bear fruit and flourish. Zuhour, an Omani student at a British university, is caught between the past and the present. As she attempts to form friendships and assimilate in Britain, she can’t help but ruminate on the...

After becoming attuned to the songs of the forest and setting up a successful social media nature channel, Alberta Bracken and Mikki Watanabe are determined to pull out all the stops to save their local grove of trees in this thoroughly enjoyable novel for young readers.Eleven-year-old Alberta Bracken is having a terrible summer. After a bike-riding accident, caused by the local bully, her arm's in a cast so she can't do her most favourite holiday activity: boogie boarding at the local beach. And her little sister Clementine is EXTREMELY ANNOYING.To make matters worse, her mum (bestselling author of Tammy Bracken's Guide to Modern Manners) has sent her dad packing - after discovering his behaviour has been far from...well-mannered.So when budding filmmaker Mikki Watanabe suggests they start a YouTube channel about the secret life of trees - Alberta is ALL IN. And when they discover their trees are earmarked for removal by the local council it's suddenly a...

A tribal old man, after the demise of his beloved wife considered an age old giant mango tree as his lone friend in the world. Unfortunately, to get a job for his unemployed son on whose income his family depended, he had to fell this vast tree. The story describes the pain and agony of the old tribal in course of murdering his only friend in the world.They were coming, and no one could stop them.The Yellowstone Caldera has exploded, and survivors who fled the devastation made their way east. Cities such as Atlanta, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. prepared for their arrival. It meant rationing – and rational thought. People on both sides would face tests of their nerve and resilience.Only those with strong nerves would survive.Refugees, a part of David Dalglish’s 2010 anthology A Land of Ash under the author’s former pseudonym, is now complete with its original opening as well as foreword from Dalglish.

Before you follow the path into your family’s history, beware of the secrets you may find… The new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Ruth has returned to Edinburgh after many years of exile, left rootless by the end of her marriage, career and now the death of her father, from whom she had long been estranged. She is faced with the daunting task of clearing his house, believing he had removed all traces of her mother. Yet hidden away in a barely used top-floor room, she finds he had secretly kept a cupboard full of her possessions. Sifting through the ancient papers, Ruth discovers the diary and letters written by her ancestor from the eighteenth century, Thomas Erskine. As the youngest son of a noble family now living in genteel poverty, Thomas always knew he would have to make his own way in the world. Unable to follow his brothers to university, instead he joins first the navy and then the army, rising through the ranks, travelling the world. When he is finally able to study law, his extraordinary experiences and abilities propel him to the very top and he becomes Lord Chancellor. Yet he has made a powerful enemy on his voyages, who will hound him and his family to the death – and beyond. Ruth becomes ever more aware of Thomas as she is gripped by his story, and slowly senses that not only is his presence with her, but so is his enemy’s. Ruth will have to draw upon new friends and old in what becomes a battle for her very survival – and discover an inner power beyond anything she has imagined.

The third in four books about a 12-year-old girl named Aru Shah and her journey to find her Pandava sisters in order to restore order to the world and save the mother she loves. War between the devas and the demons is imminent, and the Otherworld is on high alert. When intelligence from the human world reveals that the Sleeper is holding a powerful clairvoyant and her sister captive, 14-year-old Aru and her friends launch a search-and-rescue mission. The captives, a pair of twins, turn out to be the newest Pandava sisters, though, according to a prophecy, one sister is not true. During the celebration of Holi, the heavenly attendants stage a massage PR rebranding campaign to convince everyone that the Pandavas are to be trusted. As much as Aru relishes the attention, she fears that she is destined to bring destruction to her sisters, as the Sleeper has predicted. Aru believes that the only way to prove her reputation is to find the Kalpavriksha, the wish-granting tree that came...

This book contains fifty-six quatorzains (fourteen line poems) celebrating moments in a romance that played out in Eastern Colorado and Northern California.The three full color comics in Volume 7 are phonics based. They contain simple short vowel words, short vowel words with double final 'l' or 's,' or initial and final consonant blends. This gives the beginning reader an opportunity to read slightly more challenging words while still having the support of the comic illustrations.The characters act out their stories in a gentle and humorous way. Whether Jill is pouring her water bottle on her dog's head to cool him off, or Ted is falling in a fountain, the stories engage the reader. I hope your beginning reader will enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.

This short story is as ode to the theories of the late Zachariah Sitchin, author of the "Twelfth Planet" though his theories have been modified some to enhance this tale. Go back in time to when pretender gods interfere with natural evolution to create their slaves, us. Be there when the mighty Nimrod rises up to rebel against them and battles for the the destiny of mankind.This short story is an ode to the theories of the late Zechariah Sitchin, author of the "Twelfth Planet" though his theories have been modified some to enhance this tale. Go back in time to when pretender gods interfere with natural evolution to create their slaves, us. Be there when the mighty Nimrod rises up to rebel against them and battles for the destiny of mankind.

Maddi hasn't been the same since her dad died two years ago. She thinks her life is over until she finds her mate.Dan has always been there for her, but she never noticed. She wants him to be her mate but Nick, her brother has other plans.Caleb wants Maddi as his mate and will do anything it takes to have her.An orphan girl named Mol wakes in the middle of the night to music. Enchanted, she follows the sound into the forest of Arden, where she is taken captive by a man known only as the Erlking; a man who rules a kingdom of monsters. Leaving her life as an urchin far behind, Mol becomes part of the Erlking's Bower, where she is among hundreds of other children just like her who are forced to follow the commands of the Ilyn that rule over them. But there is a deadly secret lurking behind the Bower, and with growing certainty Mol finds that she was taken for a reason - a reason that might kill her.

Two of Australia's most acclaimed and high profile writers co-author a sensitive and ultimately hopeful story about our growing climate crisis.Nyx lives in the Tasmania of 2091 – deforested, over-mined and affected by bushfires and drought. With sea-levels rising, Tasmania is marooned and abandoned to its fate. Nyx's widowed father wants them to leave while they can, but for Nyx, West Hobart is all she has ever known, and where her mother is buried. She finds solace in the single living tree on the dusty reserve near her home, an 80-foot pine that has defied odds and survived the climate crisis.Bea lives in present, beautiful, Tasmania and is facing a move to the mainland. She will miss the giant tree that she climbs to seek solace from bullies. One day she leaves a despairing note, the words pouring out her troubles, stuffed in a hole in its trunk. Nyx finds the note, and writes back. The girls begin a correspondence across two different time periods and...

A master of literary transformation, Pulitzer Prize-winner Steven Millhauser turns his attention to the transformations of love in these three hypnotic novellas. While ostensibly showing her home to a prospective buyer, the narrator of "Revenge" unfolds an origami-like narrative of betrayal and psychic violence. In "An Adventure of Don Juan" the legendary seducer seeks out new diversion on an English country estate with devastating results. And the title novella retells the story of Tristan and Ysolt from the agonized perspective of King Mark, a husband who compulsively looks for evidence of his wife's adultery yet compulsively denies what he finds. Combining enchantment as ancient as Sheherezade's with up-to-the-minute acuity and unease, The King in the Tree is Millhauser at his best.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Forced to choose between the world she wants and the man she loves, Cassia opts for fame and fortune. But it's not enough—one taste and she's hooked again... Despite her success in the Sydney art world, Cassia yearns for the idyllic life she once lead with Jake in their shack over looking the Pacific Ocean. Seeking closure she falls, like an addict, straight back into his arms, and out again equally quickly. Not only has he taken up with his brother's wife, but it seems they have a child. Truth is, Jake's living a lie, sworn to secrecy, and hamstrung by the debt he owes his estranged family. But one glimpse of Cassia and he knows he cannot live without her. Her fey, artistic character and magical body possess his imagination and his heart. Can he convince her to trust him long enough to save the crumbling remains of their relationship? 

Bay just wants the abuse to stop. The Bleeding Tree can help him, but at what cost?Please note, this work is under 4000 words.A Tales Of Correndrum Short Story (12,000 words) - Rickard considers himself to be the most daring thief in Correndrum, and he lives up to his own opinion by executing his heists with confidence and panache. So far he's managed to survive even his wildest schemes through a mix of careful preparation and blind luck. But more than once he's found himself in situations where his best hope was to follow his personal motto, "The only way out is forward."When he executes the boldest robbery of his career at the mansion of the wealthiest merchant in the city, Rickard learns a secret that threatens some of the most powerful men in the kingdom. He'll need more than his own wits and luck to save his hide this time!.