This book is a short, lovely memoir of the authors childhood, based on the song/poem written by David Mallett, I Knew This Place. A place that was unique, very historic, and very loving, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, was a hustling and bustling community in the 1950s. All predictions were it would become the next Chicago. The Sounds and Smells of My Childhood is a nostalgic journey. It brings the reader back in time to that place of their own youth,...

Amir was unhappy with his life in India. So, when he was able to successfully immigrate to Australia, he thought that he had reached the promised land. He dreamed of buying a house near the shore in Australia, setting up a business, and most of all, of bringing his mother and sister to Australia. But rarely are things in life ideal. Soon, he gets to experience all the beauty and all the ugliness of what Australia has to offer. Soon, he needs to decide:...

"Ready or Scot... Globetrotter Addie Macrae always follows her wanderlust. As a travel consultant, she jet sets around the world - anywhere but Scotland. But when she's sent on assignment to help a struggling family-run tour company in the Highlands - and save her own job - Addie packs away her emotional baggage and turns on the professional charm. Rugged as the land he loves, Logan Sutherland's greatest joy is sharing the beauty of Scotland's hidden...

"This is the story of Corey Fah, a writer who has hit the literary jackpot: their novel has just won the prize for the Fictionalization of Social Evils. But the actual trophy, and with it the funds, hovers peskily out of reach. Neon-beige, with UFO-like qualities, the elusive trophy leads Corey, with their partner Drew and eight-legged companion Bambi Pavok, on a spectacular quest through their childhood in the Forest and an unlikely stint on reality...

Cecilia Lapthorne always vowed she'd never go back to Dune Cottage. So no one is more surprised than Cecilia to find herself escaping her own seventieth birthday party to return to the remote but beautiful cottage on Cape Cod, a place filled with memories. Some are good, especially memories of the early days with her husband, volatile artist Cameron, before his fame eclipsed their marriage. But then there are the memories she has revealed to no one....

Ian Buruma explores the life and death of Baruch Spinoza, the Enlightenment thinker whose belief in freedom of thought and speech resonates in our own time ℗¿ "An elegant, relevant biography of a vital thinker."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ℗¿ Baruch (Benedictus) Spinoza (1632-1677) was a radical free thinker who led a life guided by strong moral principles despite his disbelief in an all-seeing God. Seen by many-Christians as well as Jews-as...

The kids in these humorous short stories each have a minor superpower they're learning to live with. One can shape-shift--but only part of her body, and only on Mondays. Another can always tell whether an avocado is perfectly ripe. One can even hear the thoughts of the animals in the pet store! But what these stories are really about is their young protagonists "owning" a power that contributes to their individuality, that allows them to find their...

"The last thing Ada Hart needs is a man to take care of her. Not anymore. After failing out of her interior design program and the disaster that was her short-lived marriage, Ada clawed her way up from her rock bottom. Now, the only person she trusts is herself, and that has gotten her further than ever before. She has her own business, and one of the largest ranches in Wyoming just hired her for the most important project of her career. When Ada...

"Abby Akerman believes in the Universe. After all, her Midwest high school marching band is about to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City--if that's not proof that magical things can happen, what is? New York also happens to be the setting of her favorite romance novel, making it the perfect place for Abby to finally tell her best friend Kat that she's in love with her (and, um, gay). She's carefully annotated a copy of the...