Description

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? A short story, based on characters from Solitaire - praised as 'The Catcher in the Rye for the digital age' The Times CHARLIE: "I have been going out with Nick Nelson for two years. He likes rugby, Formula 1, dogs, the Marvel universe, the sound felt-tips make on paper, rain and drawing on shoes. He also likes me." NICK: "Things me and Charlie Spring do together include: Watch films. Sit in the same room on different laptops. Text each other from different rooms. Make out. Make food. Make drinks. Get drunk. Talk. Argue. Laugh. Maybe we're kind of boring. But that's fine with us." Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie are the perfect couple - that they're inseparable. But now Nick is leaving for university, and Charlie will be left behind at Sixth Form. Everyone's asking if they're staying together, which is a stupid question - they're 'Nick and Charlie' for God's sake! But as the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Or are they delaying the inevitable? Because everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever...  

This is a humorous account of a gay man who uses his charm, great legs and twinkly blue eyes to enable his unique financial life plan, a plan whose initial phase consists of getting women to fall like ninepins at his feet before the fleecing begins. The only problems he has is with gay men who not only fail to fall but can't understand why women do. The devastation he leaves behind him leads to his running away when the devastated ones cause problems. That is why he is the Gingerbread Man whom no-one can catch.

An apartment full of questions on a street full of mysteries ...Why does Squishy have to share everything with her new step-sisters?Why is her next-door neighbor the crankiest man in the world?Why are green jelly snakes the yummiest?Who's that hiding in the basement?

"Light Bulb" by Nancy Pickard was selected for inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories 2013, edited by Otto Penzler and Lisa Scottoline"Kansas City, famous for its jazz, its barbecue, and its shady history, provides the venue for this solid addition to Akashic's acclaimed noir anthology series."--Publishers Weekly"Hard-used heroes and heroines seem to live a lifetime in the stories...Each one seems almost novelistic in scope. Half novels-in-waiting, half journalistic anecdotes that are equally likely to appeal to Kansas City boosters and strangers."--Kirkus Reviews“Travel has many unexpected benefits, so even if you’ve never had a reason to visit the city itself, you’ll find Kansas City Noir surprisingly well worth the price of the ticket.”--Bookgasm"Picture steam rising from a sewer grate on a rain-slicked street. The sound of footsteps comes closer and closer behind you as you walk down a dark, downtown Kansas City alley. If this scenario entices you, then you just might enjoy Kansas City Noir."--Kansas City Public Television"What we heard was REALLY GOOD. So good in fact that we picked up a copy. Now we're... getting ready to read it in one sitting."--Tony's Kansas CityBrand-new stories from: J. Malcolm Garcia, Grace Suh, Daniel Woodrell, Kevin Prufer, Matthew Eck, Philip Stephens, Catherine Browder, John Lutz, Nancy Pickard, Linda Rodriguez, Andrés Rodríguez, Mitch Brian, Nadia Pflaum, and Phong Nguyen.Steve Paul has been a writer and editor at the The Kansas City Star since 1975. Currently the arts editor, he writes about music, books, architecture, food, and, occasionally, murder. He's the author of Architecture A to Z: An Elemental, Alphabetical Guide to Kansas City's Built Environment. A former bookseller and a native of Boston, he has served as a board member and officer of the National Book Critics Circle.About the AuthorSteve Paul: Steve Paul has been a writer and editor at The Kansas City Star since 1975. Currently the arts editor, he writes about music, books, architecture, food and, occasionally, murder. He's the author of "Architecture A to Z: An Elemental, Alphabetical Guide to Kansas City's Built Environment" (2011) and co-editor of and contributor to "War & Ink," a collection of essays about Ernest Hemingway's early work, forthcoming from Kent State University Press. A former bookseller and a native of Boston, he has served as a board member and officer of the National Book Critics Circle.

Everyone's favorite rock ‘n' roll bad girl has gone too far this time. Raven—loved by her millions of fans—suffers many sleepless nights and haunted memories, and years of hard living are beginning to take their toll. When scandal finally breaks, Raven is forced to hire a public relations guru to refine her image.Christina Villanova is looking for a new challenge at work, and with Raven she's certainly found one. She decides to take on what many others have failed: cleaning up Raven's brand. Christina is undeniably drawn to Raven once she sees that Raven's bravado masks her underlying passion. For her part, Raven seems hell-bent on maintaining her rough-around-the-edges facade, severely testing Christina's cool professionalism.As Raven's behavior escalates dangerously, Christina realizes she's not just fighting for Raven's popularity, she's fighting for Raven's heart—and her future.

Winner of the 2012 Libris Literature Prize — the Dutch equivalent of the Booker Prize — and a bestseller in Holland and Germany, this is a mesmerising rendition of grief and love.On Pentecost 2010, Tonio — the only son of writer Adri van der Heijden — is hit by a car. He dies of his injuries that same day. Tonio is only 21. His parents are faced with the monstrous task of forging ahead with their lives in the knowledge that their only child will never again come home, never again stop by just to catch up, never again go out shopping with his mother and bitch about passers-by, never again ask his father: 'Did you work well today?' Never again.Adri van der Heijden is driven by two compelling questions: what happened to Tonio during the final days and hours before the accident, and how could this accident happen? This search takes in various eyewitnesses, friends, police officers, doctors, and the mysterious Jenny — who turns out to have played a crucial...

Once in a very blue moon, you are confronted with astonishing beauty ... Sid is a successful photographer in a boutique ad agency. He is single and has everything he wants – a great job, great colleagues and a hasslefree life. But if there is one thing that has eluded him – it is love. Until the gorgeous, free-spirited Cara walks into his life. Sexually obsessed, the two begin a charged affair that disrupts all his notions of love and transforms the way Sid thinks about erotic pleasure. But then something strange happens – Sid finds himself falling in love with another woman.