A flamenco dancer in disguise and a driven diner owner fighting his own desires. What could possible go wrong? Her dream was to become a celebrated entertainer. So, how did Josefina de Zapatero end up with the life of a sporting lady? Determined to escape a repulsive past and oppressive future, her salvation appears in the form of a mail order bride request for a domesticated cook. The fact that she can barely boil water shouldn't matter too much, though. She has learned to dance circles around her competition. Surely, she can cook up something to please the man. Right? Having suffered a life of lies and loss, Ignacio Villanueva has learned the importance of making wise choices. He's determined to find an upstanding woman who will be the helpmate he needs to make his restaurant successful. Honesty and the ability to cook well. That's all any man really needs. Isn't it? It's a match of stubborn wills and unexpected thrills when the two of them pair up. Will the new menu at Noelle's favorite Mexican restaurant include a marriage meal made for two... or a recipe for disaster?
Written in 1790, Hasan Shah's autobiographical romance, The Dancing Girl, is remarkable for both its lyrical prose and its fine recreation of a time, a place, and a culture - India in the 1780s, a tolerant, affable era before the full establishment of British colonial rule. The Dancing Girl tells of the doomed love of Hasan Shah (aide-de-camp to a British officer) and Khanum Jan (a courageous and gifted dancer of the courtesan caste) whose secret marriage could not prevent their separation. At Khanum Jan's death, her grief-stricken husband turned his raw emotion into a surprisingly modern, first-person narrative "without realizing", as leading Urdu novelist Qurratulain Hyder observes in the foreword to her translation (from the 1893 Urdu translation of the original Persian), "that he had become a pioneer of the modern Indian novel".
Fans of Louise Penny will love the Emily Kincaid mysteries by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli! “Every woman who’s ever struggled with saying no, fitting in, and balancing independence against loneliness will adore first-timer Emily.” —Kirkus Reviews Following an ugly divorce and the death of her father, Emily Kincaid decides what she needs most is peace and quiet and time to think, so the part-time journalist and full-time struggling mystery writer relocates to a remote house in the woods of northern Michigan. When a severed head shows up in her garbage can, Emily knows she’s been singled out, and suddenly her peaceful solitude feels a lot like isolation and vulnerability. Discovering that the victim was a member of the Women of the Moon, a group of older local ladies who sing and dance around a bonfire in the woods late at night, Emily’s at a loss to know why anyone would want to hurt one of them. The women claim it’s a harmless act in praise of Mother Earth, a way to feel young again, but certain townspeople don’t see it that way. As Emily digs deeper, more of the women are turning up dead. Knowing she’ll have to root out a killer to save her peaceful paradise, Emily teams up with the cantankerous Deputy Dolly and begins navigating between eccentric town gossips and reclusive neighbors who would rather be left alone. When the killer gets too close for comfort, Emily knows she’ll have to put aside her fears before the natural life she’s chosen comes to a grisly and very unnatural end. Rave reviews for the Emily Kincaid Mysteries: Dead Dogs and Englishmen A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2011! “Buzzelli will have you packing your bags for a move to northern Michigan.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Emily is a detective for our times: She can’t afford health care, but she can make flour out of cat tails and work three jobs at once.” —Christian Science Monitor Dead Sleeping Shaman “Buzzelli’s well-crafted third Emily Kincaid . . . [features] sharp prose and spirited characterizations.” —Publishers Weekly “The appeal of this third in the series comes both from Emily—a likable character forging a new life after her divorce—and the evocatively described, nicely detailed small-town setting.” —Booklist Praise for A Most Curious Murder: “Fans of [Lewis] Carroll will delight in Zoe’s flights of fancy, and the northern Michigan setting in all its splendor is a charmer . . . an entertaining series with a quirky premise and captivating characters.” —Library Journal “This quirky, clever cozy series launch . . . [is] hard to resist.” —Publishers Weekly “Quirky main characters, lyrical dialogue and a story sure to appeal to bookworms as well as cozy mystery fans are all elements that give this novel a distinctive voice. A clever mystery and intriguing supporting cast round out the mix.” —RT Book Reviews (four star review)
A dazzling page-turner, this novel depicts some of the great and near-great of history. The locale spans three continents: it is the story of wise men, heroes and fools. Peopled by a sprawling cast of memorable characters-royalty, patriots, heroic men and courageous women. The story moves with a tremendous sweep from one adventure to another, and is a network of intrigue and misunderstandings and missed opportunities, It is a powerful portrait of the great Austrian dynasty of Europe containing scenes of wealth and privilege and dire responsibility. A prince strives to inspire his people with hope and courage, gathering his forces, and stimulating them into action. While he works hard in many ways to rescue his country from the plight into which it had been thrown and all the while searching for an even deeper understanding of life and wise judgment. Politicians, philosopher and pundits lend thoughts to the judgments made by rulers and commoners alike. Princesses and exotic women add their love for the arts and fashion and enticement. All of these qualities combined make a dynamic story line for a magnetic novel. A novel crowded with beauty and incident, the search for wisdom, ambition, and adventure. A living novel which unexpectedly makes you feel you are in a story filled with people you know personally.
*THE TOP 10 BESTSELLER FROM THE MOST DECORATED BRITISH FEMALE OLYMPIAN IN HISTORY* 'Refreshingly honest [...] a highly enjoyable, fascinating read.' Horse and Hound _______________________________________________ "To ride into that arena, next to a sea of British flags and hear the roar of clapping and cheering, was so exciting. It's a sound I will never, ever forget." Charlotte Dujardin and her charismatic horse Valegro burst onto the international sports scene with their record-breaking performance at the London, 2012 Olympics. The world was captivated by the young woman with the dazzling smile and her dancing horse. But no one quite knew what it took to get there, nor how hard the path to success would be - until now. Dujardin began riding horses at the age of two, but dressage was firmly the domain of the wealthy, not the life of a girl from a middle-class family. Her parents sacrificed all and with a undeterred focus, Charlotte left school at 16 to follow her dream. When she was invited to be a groom for the British Olympian Carl Hester, she began to ride Valegro, a dark bay gelding and an unbreakable bond was formed. This is their incredible story.
A dazzling page-turner, this novel depicts some of the great and near-great of history. The locale spans three continents: it is the story of wise men, heroes and fools. Peopled by a sprawling cast of memorable characters-royalty, patriots, heroic men and courageous women. The story moves with a tremendous sweep from one adventure to another, and is a network of intrigue and misunderstandings and missed opportunities, It is a powerful portrait of the great Austrian dynasty of Europe containing scenes of wealth and privilege and dire responsibility. A prince strives to inspire his people with hope and courage, gathering his forces, and stimulating them into action. While he works hard in many ways to rescue his country from the plight into which it had been thrown and all the while searching for an even deeper understanding of life and wise judgment. Politicians, philosopher and pundits lend thoughts to the judgments made by rulers and commoners alike. Princesses and exotic women add their love for the arts and fashion and enticement. All of these qualities combined make a dynamic story line for a magnetic novel. A novel crowded with beauty and incident, the search for wisdom, ambition, and adventure. A living novel which unexpectedly makes you feel you are in a story filled with people you know personally.
A collection of twenty-three stories from one of the most influential figures in modern Japanese literature. Yasunari Kawabata is widely known for his innovative short stories, some called "palm-of-the-hand" stories short enough to fit into ones palm. This collection reflects Kawabata's keen perception, deceptive simplicity, and the deep melancholy that characterizes much of his work. The stories were written between 1923 and 1929, and many feature autobiographical events and themes that reflect the painful losses he experienced early in his life.
When a potential Urban Planner decides to dedicate rest his life for filmmaking he is attacked by questions, mostly by himself if not by others. At the age of twenty, a kid from a typical middleclass Indian family, when takes that desiccation for himself, he creates a ripple effect for the people surrounding him. He waits to see the ripple turn into tsunami with constant counterproductive forces like insecurity, self doubt, creative block, ego etc. that modifies his behaviour to cause catastrophic effects like loss of love, broken friendship, detachment from family, isolation and even detachment from his own passion. In a faraway Himalayan land while living with a self exile mentality, he attempts to retrospect his past with the little will power and optimism thats left, one last and deliberate attempt to cure his mental block he devices a creative instrument that would take him and us towards enigmatic dimensions. Its the story of a man who wants to be a film maker and who constantly tries to justify to himself regarding why he wants to do so. Its the story of an accidental expressionist. part of the story's dramatiation is available as a video called 'IRRATIONAL ~ A Retro Dream' on YouTube.com/imdiyu.
