Cassy lives an uneventful life as a home-care robot in service of the Valentina household. Getting groceries, cleaning the halls, what more could a loyal Custodi-Bot want? A chance encounter in the city opens Cassy's eyes (and audio-sensors) to a dream she'd never imagined; To be a singer. Soon, her dream leads her to the Spark-Easy, a veritable haven for both man and machine looking to be more than what they were made to be. But how far is Cassy willing to go for a dream? When the cost of success rises, will Cassy be the one footing the bill? Or will she even be around to enjoy it...
The Boudreaux Series--Sexy. Intriguing. Easy. No one said change was easy...Savannah Boudreaux knows what it is to hurt. To bleed. To be afraid that the man she's promised to be true to until "death do us part" might in fact separate them far sooner than anyone had ever anticipated. But Van also knows what it is to survive. To move on. To live life to the fullest. With five brothers and sisters and a loving mother as her constant source of strength during the pain and the healing, Van realizes there is little else she needs. But some things never change... Benjamin Preston sat on the sidelines of the Boudreaux family for years, in love with a woman he couldn't have. As the best friend of the Boudreaux brothers since childhood, Ben has seen both tragedies and joys in the family. And as a former MMA fighter and Krav Maga expert, Ben's used to fighting for what he wants--and winning. His hands were tied when Savannah married her college sweetheart not long after graduation, but now two years have passed since Ben found Savannah broken in her own home.Sometimes what you need most has been right in front of you the whole time...Van's convinced that happiness isn't in the cards for her, no matter how right it feels to be in Ben's strong arms--and his bed. Ben is determined to win her heart and fight for her trust. He's promised to protect her, to be her friend. But more than anything, he wants to finally make her his, and this is one fight he's not willing to lose.
"None of us is likely to forget the 'virustime,' but feisty, funny, resourceful, creative Arden (along with her quirky family and motley crew of rescue dogs) is a comforting and inspiring reminder that the worst of times can bring out the best in us. Ark will help young readers see how they, too, kindled their own light to find their way through a dark time." —Lauren Wolk, author of Echo Mountain "Infectiously hopeful."—Kirkus Reviews Arden thinks the world has ended when her parents decide to trade their large house (where she has her own purple bedroom with a window seat!) for a small backyard guesthouse, built like a wooden boat. The worst part: it’s not big enough for their dog to come along. Things get even worse when her best friend moves away and a pandemic shuts school, leaving Arden’s family quarantined in very little space. Arden just wishes life would go back to normal. As neighbors leave town, shut themselves away, and get sick, their pets are left behind, and Arden becomes the safe-keeper of all the abandoned animals. When the pandemic touches home, Arden must use all her creativity and courage to help those she loves—family, friends, and dogs! Ark was inspired by author Elisabeth Sharp McKetta’s experience of living in a 275-square-foot tiny house with her husband and two children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like Arden, Elisabeth’s family learned to live large in a small space.
“Funny, incisive, frightening and eminently skillful."—New York Times The year is 1978, the tumultuous period leading up to the Iranian Revolution. While visiting Iran with her husband, Chloe Fowler is left to travel alone after he is summoned home. Much to her surprise, she finds herself drawn to the country, intoxicated by each unfamiliar sight that reminds her how far from home she really is, both comforted and unsettled by the group of foreign and Iranian physicians and their wives who take her in. However, her exhilaration crashes when odd, often frightening events begin to occur, exposing the darker side of this "colonial life." Chloe is about to be liberated from everything she has ever known—in a place where her ordinary notions of reason and reality will run headlong into a wall of intrigue, and where every idea she has about herself will be put to the test. Persian Nights follows Chloe on a voyage through the seductively inexplicable, and has all the qualities one expects from the gifted author of Le Divorce—the quirky, vivid atmosphere; the intelligent, humane voice; the compelling narrative. Once again, Diane Johnson delivers an entertaining novel of an appealing woman caught up in a mysterious world of change and intrigue.
Cooking for your family is an act of love, but life gets busy, and sometimes it's tough to put dinner on the table. But there's no need to sacrifice taste or variety to get your kids the nourishment they need while making meal planning and cooking stress-free for you! Assigning a theme to each night of the week simplifies decision-making and cuts your shopping and cooking time in half.
In the Roaring Twenties, New York City nightclubs and speakeasies became hot spots where traditions were flouted and modernity was forged. With powerful patrons in Tammany Hall and a growing customer base, nightclubs flourished in spite of the efforts of civic-minded reformers and federal Prohibition enforcement. This encounter between clubs and government-generated scandals, reform crusades, and regulations helped to redefine the image and reality of urban life in the United States. Ultimately, it took the Great Depression to cool Manhattan's Jazz Age nightclubs, forcing them to adapt and relocate, but not before they left their mark on the future of American leisure. Nightclub City explores the cultural significance of New York City's nightlife between the wars, from Texas Guinan's notorious 300 Club to Billy Rose's nostalgic Diamond Horseshoe. Whether in Harlem, Midtown, or Greenwich Village, raucous nightclub activity tested early twentieth-century social boundaries. Anglo-Saxon novelty seekers, Eastern European impresarios, and African American performers crossed ethnic lines while provocative comediennes and scantily clad chorus dancers challenged and reshaped notions of femininity. These havens of liberated sexuality, as well as prostitution and illicit liquor consumption, allowed their denizens to explore their fantasies and fears of change. The reactions of cultural critics, federal investigators, and reformers such as Fiorello La Guardia exemplify the tension between leisure and order. Peretti's research delves into the symbiotic relationships among urban politicians, social reformers, and the business of vice. Illustrated with archival photographs of the clubs and the characters who frequented them, Nightclub City is a dark and dazzling study of New York's bygone nightlife.
The little ones will have so much fun listening and reading this funny rhyme story that takes place right before sleep. Milo and Cat have a very effective sleep routine, but this night, it just doesn't work! They even know a few tricks that helped them quickly fall asleep before. When these tricks won't work - at least not for Milo - it takes a lot of creativity, Cat's magic whiskers, the Know It All book, and a drop of exaggeration to lead Milo to dreamland. ★ Who's going to fall asleep first? Milo, Cat or you? ★ Short extract from the story It was right before sleep, it was already night, But for Milo and Cat, something wasn't quite right! ... "We tried counting sheep and we counted the stars, We even tried counting the distance to Mars." ... "We'll be sleeping in no time; without any doubt. Trust my whiskers," said Cat. "We will figure it out!" ... "This should have some clues, so let's go have a look There's always advice in the KNOW IT ALL book." ...
Mad Long Emotion wants to talk flora to fauna like you. It talks by dancing, as bumblebees do. In its dances, loosestrife shoos humans away, green carnations flirt with handsome men beyond the shade, and “dogbanes though dead bloom.” Meanwhile, in better-discerned motion, numerous species both spiny and spineless prove invasive, from Great Lake lampreys to hydraulic triceratopses. But they’re just looking for better homes. The book concludes with a long poem about distance, desire and the difficulty of combining the two. Lend this book your eyes and nose; mouth its contents to your house plants. The poetry of Mad Long Emotion wants to live forever, and you can make that happen with your face.
In Sleepless Nights a woman looks back on her life—the parade of people, the shifting background of place—and assembles a scrapbook of memories, reflections, portraits, letters, wishes, and dreams. An inspired fusion of fact and invention, this beautifully realized, hard-bitten, lyrical book is not only Elizabeth Hardwick’s finest fiction but one of the outstanding contributions to American literature of the last fifty years.
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Proby comes a new story in her Boudreaux series… Adam Spencer loves women. All women. Every shape and size, regardless of hair or eye color, religion or race, he simply enjoys them all. Meeting more than his fair share as the manager and head bartender of The Odyssey, a hot spot in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter, Adam’s comfortable with his lifestyle, and sees no reason to change it. A wife and kids, plus the white picket fence are not in the cards for this confirmed bachelor. Until a beautiful woman, and her sweet princess, literally knock him on his ass. Sarah Cox has just moved to New Orleans, having accepted a position as a social worker specializing in at-risk women and children. It’s a demanding, sometimes dangerous job, but Sarah is no shy wallflower. She can handle just about anything that comes at her, even the attentions of one sexy Adam Spencer. Just because he’s charmed her daughter, making her think of magical kingdoms with happily ever after, doesn’t mean that Sarah believes in fairy tales. But the more time she spends with the enchanting man, the more he begins to sway her into believing in forever. Even so, when Sarah’s job becomes more dangerous than any of them bargained for, will she be ripped from Adam’s life forever? **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
