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Presenting David Wojnarowicz's Controversial Film "A Fire in My Belly"

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A major figure in the East Village art scene in the 1970s and 80s, David Wojnarowicz left a troubled childhood, hustled on the street, and rose to fame for his exceptional range, intelligence, and passion. His powerful, provocative art was often marked by controversy, even after his death. In 2010, his silent film “A Fire in My Belly” was pulled from the National Portrait Gallery’s Hide/Seek exhibition, following complaints from the Catholic League.

To celebrate Open Road Media’s release of four ebooks by the iconic artist, we are pleased to share an excerpt from “A Fire in My Belly” on our website. Warning: The film contains images that some viewers may find disturbing.

Wojnarowicz never completed “A Fire in My Belly” for unknown reasons. While many have speculated that the film is a response to AIDS, the film’s creation (1986–87) predates Wojnarowicz learning that he was HIV positive.

To learn more about David Wojnarowicz and his extraordinary memoirs, journals, and works of fiction now available in ebook form, click here



Guillermo Fesser entrevista a Alonso Cueto

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El mes pasado tuvimos al novelista peruano Alonso Cueto de visita en nuestras oficinas de Nueva York. Contamos con la suerte de poder invitar el mismo día al periodista español Guillermo Fesser, así que organizamos una breve entrevista entre estos dos fantásticos escritores.


En la entrevista, Cueto reflexiona sobre la labor del escritor, la relación entre la literatura y el cine, y la esencia de contar historias. 

Guillermo Fesser y Alonso Cueto

Para escuchar la entrevista, haz clic aquí.


Fesser: Eres el autor de esta cita: “Un escritor es un buitre que se alimenta de conflictos”. Esto requiere de explicaciones para no llamarte a ti buitre…

Cueto: La esencia de una historia es el conflicto, es decir, no hay historias en las que la gente toda se lleva bien, está de acuerdo, es feliz, una historia en la que todos se sintieran satisfechos y se llevaran bien… pensarían que esto era muy aburrido y claramente nadie la quisiera leer. El hecho de vivir en el Perú, que es un país tan lleno de conflictos, tan lleno de diferencias, de traumas, de discriminación, de racismo, etcétera… es un privilegio para un escritor porque es un país lleno de historias.

Fesser: Entonces, tú dices que “en Perú hay conflictos”, y que “yo escribo sobre conflictos”, pero yo también he leído libros sobre Perú y sobre los conflictos que son un rollo. Sin embargo, tus personajes son muy importantes. Tiene que haber algo a la hora de saber seleccionar esos personajes para que realmente te atrapen, ¿no?

Cueto: Tiene que haber algo que se identifique contigo, tienes que entender a los personajes, y vivir la vida de ellos hasta el punto de creer que eres uno de ellos.

Fesser: En tu caso, tú tienes una relación con el cine muy directa: uno de tus libros, Grandes miradas, ha sido película, y hay otro que está a punto de serlo. Pero claro… yo me pregunto: tú no escribes pensando en cine, tú escribes una novela, y entonces… ¿eres de los que luego está muy enfadado porque el director hace una cosa que no tiene nada que ver o… cuál es tu relación con el cine?

Cueto: No, no, no… Grandes miradas es la historia de un juez que, en la época de Montesinos y de Fujimori, se revela contra las amenazas de la corrupción, se resiste a los sobornos y es asesinado. Es la historia de cómo este hombre muere. Su novia decide convertirse en una especie de vengadora, y sale a buscar matar a los sicarios y al mismo Montesinos que acabó con el amor de su vida…. Y esta es la historia, basada en un hecho real. Francisco Lombardi hizo una película. Desde el comienzo estuvo muy claro que él tenía toda libertad y yo creo que hizo una estupenda película, así como creo que las dos películas que vienen ahora también lo son. Creo que el que hace cine no debe traducir en imágenes las palabras, sino que debe recrear desde su punto de vista, visualmente, la historia manteniendo —o no—el espíritu, pero siendo consciente de que es una historia nueva.

Fesser: Yo lo que entiendo cuando una película funciona, o es fiel a un libro, no es porque ocurre exactamente lo mismo en el cine que en el libro, sino porque transmite las mismas emociones. O sea, que al final no pasa nada porque si lo que estás vendiendo es la emoción de un tío en la guerra, esa emoción puede estar en un sótano… ¡Puede estar en un sótano sin ver la guerra!

Cueto: Claro, absolutamente. Las historias pasan dentro de cada uno de nosotros. Y al final esto es lo que cuenta, creo: que las historias son parte fundamental de nuestras vidas y sirven para tratar de explicar lo que no tiene explicación. Durante muchos siglos no entendíamos los fenómenos naturales, y los mitos y las leyendas explicaban por qué sale el sol, por qué hay terremotos, por qué llueve, por qué hay truenos y relámpagos… Y las explicaciones eran explicaciones religiosas. Hoy día sí sabemos por qué hay terremotos, o por qué sale el sol o por qué llueve, pero hay otros misterios de la existencia humana que no conocemos. ¿Por qué la gente se enamora? ¿Por qué la gente es fiel? ¿Por qué una persona como la mujer de Grandes miradas se convierte en una feroz vengadora? Y creo que, como no entendemos esas cosas, surgen las historias…

 

 

Alonso Cueto

Alonso Cueto es considerado uno de los escritores más destacados del panorama literario peruano en la etapa post-boom, apoyado por Vargas Llosa, tal y como puede verse en sus conversaciones registradas. Nacido en Lima pero educado hasta los siete años en París y Washington, estudió literatura en Perú, España y Texas. Ha recibido diversos premios entre los que se encuentran el Premio Herralde (2005) por La hora azul

Entre sus novelas destacan además Grandes miradas, Dalia y los perros y Deseo de noche. Interesado por la crueldad, la venganza, la violencia, el erotismo o la culpa-presentes según el autor en cualquier lugar: desde un patio de colegio hasta en el terrorismo-indaga en las zonas oscuras de la psique humana en sus novelas para llegar a conocer las zonas más extremas.la etapa post-boom, apoyado por Vargas Llosa, tal y como puede verse en sus conversaciones registradas. Nacido en Lima pero educado hasta los siete años en París y Washington, estudió literatura en Perú, España y Texas. Ha recibido diversos premios entre los que se encuentran el Premio Herralde (2005) por La hora azul.


Guillermo FesserGuillermo Fesser es un periodista español conocido por el innovador programa de radio Gomaespuma, que se transmitió durante 25 años y tuvo más de un millón de oyentes.

Fesser estudió periodismo en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid y cine en la Universidad del Sur de California en Los Ángeles. Ha escrito y dirigido películas, editado y presentado programas de televisión, y publicado artículos en medios influyentes como El País y El Mundo.

Fesser actualmente vive con su familia en Rhinebeck, Nueva York, desde donde transmite mini-documentales semanales sobre la vida cotidiana norteamericana en Onda Cero y en el Huffington Post

Father's Day Ebook Gift Guide: Fatherhood

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Here at Open Road Media, we understand that being a father is hard work. Whether you're shopping for a new dad or just looking for a way to say "thanks," here are five books perfect to give as gifts about fatherhood, and the joys and challenges that it brings. Not sure how to gift an ebook? These videos will help!

The Firstborn by Laurie Lee
This short essay, composed on the occasion of his daughter's birth, is one of Laurie Lee's most delightful and inspiring works. From the moment Jessy is born, "purple and dented like a bruised plum," to the first time his kiss quiets her cries, Lee describes the delights and responsibilities of new fatherhood with a poet's precision and boundless capacity for wonder.

Notes on a Cowardly Lion by John Lahr
Told with impressive objectivity, Notes on a Cowardly Lion is John Lahr’s quest to understand his father, the comedian and performer Bert Lahr. Part biography, part history of American show business, Lahr's masterwork is an extraordinary examination of life on the stage.

Chicken Soup for the Father and Son Soul
Chicken Soup for the Father and Son Soul takes a glimpse into the lives of fathers and sons, sharing the important male milestones from birth through the senior years, and every step in between. These powerful and poignant stories are written from every point of view—fathers, sons, grandfathers, mothers, and wives—everyone who has been deeply touched by the father and son relationship.

More Than a Team: A Father, A Son, and Barca by Vicenç Villatoro

The modern-day odyssey of a father and son who are held together by a single thread: Football Club Barcelona. A masterful exploration of soccer fandom, More Than a Team tells the moving story of a family navigating the passing of time, personal sacrifices, and the complexities of communication with those we love most.


 

Don’t Let the Summer Schedule Get You Down: Reads to Replace Your Favorite Shows and Movies

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Headed on a weekend getaway? Tired of binge-watching your favorite shows on Netflix? Grab some great reads—starting at $1.99—that will remind you of your on-screen favorites.

Downton AbbeyThe Gold Coin by Andrea Kane

Can’t wait until September for the return of your favorite British aristocratic drama? Spend your summer reading the Colby’s Coin series by Andrea Kane, beginning with The Gold Coin. Vacation at Medford Manor, where Anastasia Colby, the American-raised granddaughter of an English Viscount, has returned to claim her family legacy. 

 Coyote Wind by Peter BowenTrue Grit

Do you love a classic western and an antihero with a sharp tongue? Then Coyote Wind by Peter Bowen should be your next read. Officially, Gabriel Du Pré is a cattle inspector in the town of Toussaint, Montana, but unofficially, he is the sheriff’s right-hand man. Who can resist a hybrid of mystery and western with snappy dialogue, set in the Montana badlands?   

Crazy, Stupid, LoveDream Man by Judy G. Gill

If you swooned over Jacob Palmer, Ryan Gosling’s playboy character in Crazy, Stupid, Love, you’ll do the same for Max McKenzie in Dream Man, the first book in Judy Griffith Gill’s Golden Bangles trilogy. Enjoy this perfect beach read, in which Jeanie Leslie, similar to Emma Stone’s character Hannah, refuses to love until she reluctantly falls for Max.

Star TrekSpellsinger by Alan Dean Foster Into Darkness

Alan Dean Foster is a bestselling author most famous for his Star Trek novels—he even wrote the novelization of Star Trek Into Darkness! Want to escape into another world, into a land of magic? Pick up Foster’s Spellsinger, the first in an eight book series where a college student must save another dimension before he can return to his own world.

Slob by Rex MillerThe Following

If you can’t get enough of charismatic serial killer Joe Carroll, then a murderous genius who feasts on human hearts and calls himself “Death” might be your next favorite villain. Follow detective Jack Eichord as he tries to save the woman he loves and stop Death from capturing his next victim in Slob by Rex Miller, whom Stephen King has called “terrifying and original.”

The Miracle at St. Bruno's by Philippa CarrThe Tudors

Do you miss the tumultuous reign of King Henry VIII from the hit Showtime series The Tudors? Then transport yourself back to the 15th century with Philippa Carr’s The Miracle at St. Bruno’s, the first book in the Daughters of England series, which is at once a love story, a mystery, and an epic historical saga. 

TekWar by William ShatnerRoboCop

Who doesn’t love a tech-based futuristic cop story? TekWar is the first of a five book series written by the one and only William Shatner. In the 22nd century, Los Angeles’s toughest cop is released from a 15-year sentence in suspended animation after serving only four years, and no one will tell him why. So begins his search for the truth . . .

Laos File by Dale A. DyePlatoon

US Marine officer Dale A. Dye, who wrote the novelization of Platoon and played Captain Harris in the film, brings you Laos File—the first book in the Shake Davis series and winner of the Military Writers Society of America 2011 Book Award. In Laos File, Marine Gunner Shake Davis goes on a quest to learn what happened to hundreds of POWs. If you’re looking for a realistic story on the horrors of war and its effects on soldiers, then Laos File is for you.

Father's Day Ebook Gift Guide: Music and Arts

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If your father's massive vinyl collection has pushed all the bookshelves from his home, a ebook about his hobby is the way to go. Whether he jams to old time rock n' roll or is hard at work on a novel, these books are thoughtful gifts for the artistic dad. Not sure how to gift an ebook? These videos will help!

Good Rockin' Tonightby Colin Escott

If Sam Philips had done no more than discover Elvis Presley and produce his first five singles he would still be the godfather of rock ’n’ roll. But he did more. Rock ’n’ roll was born in Memphis in the tiny storefront recording studio of Sun Records—This is the definitive account of how it happened.



Listen to Bob Marley by Cedella Marley
Bob Marley’s music defined a movement and forever changed a nation. This collection is the best of Bob Marley presented in three parts: “The Man,” giving an in-depth look into the life of Bob Marley; “The Music,” comprising his most memorable lyrics as well as links to many of his songs in iTunes; and “The Revolution,” containing his meditations on social equality and the Rastafari movement. 

Thunder and Lightning by Natalie Goldberg

Any writer may find himself with an abundance of raw material, but it takes patience and care to turn this material into a polished finished piece. Referencing her own experiences both as a writer and as a student of Zen, Natalie provides insight into the struggles and demands of turning ideas into concrete form.



Settling the Score by Ned Rorem

Pulitzer Prize–winner Ned Rorem’s musical compositions are considered some of the finest produced in the past century. Here he explores the state of contemporary classical music in a magnificent collection of personally selected essays and critiques of masterworks, lesser works, and their legendary creators.

 

Father's Day Ebook Gift Guide: Sports

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Sports! You might love or hate them, but no matter what they are a great way to connect with your sports loving dad. Here are five books perfect for the sports fanatic father, no matter what his sport of choice might be. Not sure how to gift an ebook? These videos will help!

FOOTBALLAbout Three Bricks Shy of a Loadby Roy Blount Jr.
Roy Blount Jr.’s acclaimed account of the 1973 Pittsburgh Steelers—a team on the cusp of once-in-a-generation greatness. Uproariously funny and brilliantly written, About Three Bricks Shy of a Load was named one of the Top 100 Sports Books of All Time by Sports Illustrated. Perfect for dads for who miss football during the long off-season.

BASEBALLSeason Ticket by Roger Angell
Angell’s absorbing collection traces the highs and lows of major-league baseball in the 1980s. Perfect for dads who love remembering the way baseball was when they were young.

SOCCERSoccer in Sun and Shadow by Eduardo Galeano
One of Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 Sports Books of All Time—a history of soccer as mesmerizing as the game itself. Perfect for dads who are as excited as kids about the World Cup.

BASKETBALLPlaying for Keeps by David Halberstam
A revealing portrait of a once-in-a-generation athlete and global icon. Perfect for dads watching the NBA finals on Sunday.

GOLFGolf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy
The bestselling classic novel about an American traveler’s spiritual journey into the world of golf. Perfect for dads who would rather be on the golf course.

MOTORBIKINGBike Fever by Lee Gutkind

Lee Gutkind’s memoir of motorcycling, and an ode to the solitude, independence, and exhilaration of the open road. Perfect for dads who live life on two wheels.

  

Father's Day Ebook Gift Guide: Military

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Hoo-rah! Your military-loving dad needs a gift, and what better than one of these ebooks that show real men doing what men do best. Not sure how to gift an ebook? These videos will help!

Long Range Patrolby Dennis Foley
Culled from Dennis Foley’s experience as an Army Ranger in Vietnam, the Jim Hollister Trilogy takes readers deep into the jungles of Southeast Asia, a world full of savage firefights and unmatched courage. In the thrilling novel Long Range Patrol, we meet young, eager Lieutenant Jim Hollister as he leads a six-man squad into enemy territory. Perfect for any dad who likes to escape into battle with a war novel.

Marine Corps Tank Battles in Vietnam by Oscar E. Gilbert
In 1965 the large, loud, and highly visible tanks of 3rd Platoon, B Company, 3rd Tank Battalion landed across a beach near Da Nang, drawing unwelcome attention to America’s first, almost covert, commitment of ground troops in South Vietnam. The officers and enlisted men of the tank battalions sought out the enemy in the sand dunes, jungles, mountains, paddy fields, tiny villages, and ancient cities of Vietnam. Marine Corps Tank Battles in Vietnam is perfect for any father fascinated by tanks.

Miracle at Midway by Gordon Prange
The inside story of the historic battle that turned the tide in the war for the Pacific. Six months after Pearl Harbor, the seemingly invincible Imperial Japanese Navy prepared a decisive blow against the United States. After sweeping through Asia and the South Pacific, Japan’s military targeted the tiny atoll of Midway, an ideal launching pad for the invasion of Hawaii and beyond. Perfect for the navy buff.

Return to D-Day by The Greatest Generation Foundation
In Return to D-Day, you can share in the stories of 35 men who themselves landed on the Normandy beaches just over 70 years ago (the anniversary was marked last Friday, June 6), accompanied by John Riedy’s striking photographs that capture the raw emotions of their return to a pivotal battlefield of World War II in Europe. Perfect for dads who are also veterans.

How Can you Mend This Purple Heart by T.L. Gould
A farewell to his family in the summer of 1968 begins what would have been a four-year enlistment in the Navy for eighteen-year-old Jeremy Shoff. It is a third choice for Jeremy: a choice he let others make for him. A few months earlier he had made a verbal commitment to join the Marines, and the jungles of Vietnam were waiting. But somehow—between the 2-S deferment, the ensuing fistfights with his old man, and the lovemaking with his flower-child girlfriend—he gives up on the Marines and is left with no other choice. It is a choice he will regret for the rest of his life. A tribute to all the combat-wounded veterans of past and present conflicts.

 CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL OUR MILITARY TITLES

 

Authors Creating Outside Their Literature

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Odds are, if you are a regular visitor to the Open Road blog, one of your main hobbies is reading. Do you ever wonder what your favorite writers do outside of their literary careers? We’ve rounded up a few of our authors whose extracurricular activities might surprise you.


Nancy Willard's stained glass angelThe whimsy displayed in Nancy Willard’s poetry (found in collections like Swimming Lessons) and novels (such as Things Invisible to See) extends to her real life as well. Outside of her writing, she enjoys crafting and displays her extraordinary creations throughout her home or gifts them to friends and family. Willard has experimented with many different mediums, including stained glass and hand-painted furniture. The relationship between her art and writing gives a great insight into Willard’s mind, where art and literature influence each other to create great pieces.


When she’s not busy entertaining with her offbeat tales in novels such as Bigfoot Dreamsor Guided Tours of Hell, Francine Prose can be found cooking up a storm in her kitchen, along with her partner, artist Howie Michaels. Food is what unites them throughout the day. In a recent interview, Prose detailed how food enhances her writing, often serving as part of her research for her novels and stories. She credits Michaels with being the main cook in the house, but they work closely together to create recipes and Prose is usually the one buying the groceries to create the meals. She admits that she “can sous-chef from time to time.”


Not to be outdone in the kitchen, Joyce Maynard has the baking realm covered—specifically pies. The author of To Die For admits that the real secret to her spectacular pies is her crust, and she is never too shy to share her technique. Her love of making pies also extends into her literature, most notably her novel Labor Day. In order to make the protagonist, a convict, more sympathetic, she has him teach his hostages how to make a pie. Since the technique Maynard uses is so detailed and personal, when Labor Day was turned into a film she taught the star, Josh Brolin, the pie-making method herself.

 

  

Dear Digby by Carol Muske-DukesCarol Muske-Dukes, author of the tragicomedy Dear Digby, uses her talents to give back to the community by teaching. Not only has she taught creative writing at a number of universities, but she has also used her skills to teach women in prison. She has been part of the Rikers Island program in New York, and has worked with some of the most famous activists and inmates in the prison. Through her work, she has inspired people who desire to reform their lives but feel as though they have slipped through the cracks of society. And the benefit is mutual, as her students have inspired her work as well.


Although these authors’ pastimes may be vastly different than the writing for which they are well-known, their talents demonstrate that the inspiration for literature can come in many forms. Share what inspires your writing!


New Science Fiction and Fantasy Launching in July

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science-fiction-banner 

Open Road is proud to be adding two exciting new titles to our science fiction and fantasy collection this month, from bestselling authors Walter Mosley and Simon R. Green.

If you like a side of noir with your science fiction or fantasy, we have the stories for you.

tales-of-the-hidden-worldTales of the Hidden World by Simon R. Green

Seventeen delightfully unexpected stories, including a brand-new adventure of the Droods.

Take a stroll on the Darkside with a jaded street wizard, an underpaid government functionary responsible for keeping demons, vamps, and aliens in line. Enter the hidden recesses of Drood Hall, where the aging family member who creates powerful weapons that protect humankind recalls his long and bloody career. Join a squad of no-longer-human soldiers dispatched to combat the all-consuming jungle on a distant planet. Visit a house at the intersection of two realities that serves as a sanctuary from the evil of all worlds. Confront the unstoppable zombie army of General Kurtz in a brilliant homage to Apocalypse Now. And whatever you do, never forget that there are monsters out there. Really.

 

Jack Strong by Walter Mosleyjack-strong

In a Las Vegas hotel room, a man awakes to confront his destiny.

Dreaming, Jack hears voices: a frightened child in a hospital, a woman cheating on her husband, a death-row inmate. When he wakes, the voices recede, but they do not vanish. He is in a luxurious hotel room on the Vegas strip, and his body is covered in scars. Jack Strong is a patchwork man, his flesh melded together from dozens of men and women, and his mind is the same way. Countless lifetimes are contained within him: people whose time was cut short, and who see their place in Jack as a chance to make things right.

Jack fights for control as he lurches from impulse to impulse, certain that somewhere within him exists a soul.

Mysterious, evocative, and mind-bending, Jack Strong is a treat for all of Mosley’s readers—science fiction and detective fans alike.

Irresistable Summer Dessert Recipes

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Savor the sweeter side of summer! Indulge with these dessert recipes featuring the best of the season. All these cookbooks are on sale through June 30th (up to 70% off!).

For the Love of Ideals

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Julius and Ethel RosenbergMany know of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg—and their subsequent trial and execution for spying on the United States and attempting to reveal secrets to the Soviet Union—but few really know the people behind the controversy, and what their lives were like before they became one of the most sensationalized stories in modern US history. With the recent success of the television show The Americans, interest in the lives and motivations of people who lived during this tumultuous time has increased. David Evanier’s Red Love is not only an examination of the political beliefs that led to the fateful event, but also the love between two people at the center of it all.

 

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were born to Jewish families in New York City in the 1900s. They met when they were both members of the Young Communist League and married in 1939. Julius worked as an engineer-inspector for the Army Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories from 1940 to 1945, when he was fired for his communist ties. It was later suspected he joined the NKVD in 1942 and supplied them with thousands of documents and reports relating to nuclear secrets. When David Greenglass, Ethel’s brother, was arrested under suspicion of espionage he implicated Julius as well as Ethel, for not revealing her husband’s dealings and typing documents for him.

 

Julius was arrested in July 1950, and Ethel in August. Their trial lasted less than a year and they were found guilty of their crimes in March 1951. They were sentenced to death and executed by electric chair on June 19, 1953. Their conviction would eventually give power to Senator Joseph McCarthy’s investigations into un-American activities within the United States. Others were fiercely against the convictions, claiming it amounted to a witch hunt that violated civil liberties and set the precedent for future trials and investigations.

 

Red Love by David EvanierEvanier shared his fascination with the Rosenbergs and his inspiration for writing the novel:

           

I came up with the idea for Red Love in the 1980s. I had been very close to the Communist Party as a young man in the 1960s and was haunted by my memories of the party and the Rosenberg case. I had attended rallies for the Rosenbergs (who had already been executed) and Morton Sobell. I returned to my old turf in order to write a novel that I hoped would capture the ambience and aspirations of a vanished time and truly understand the figures on the posters at those grotesque rallies.

 

This is the true story, told with compassion but also irreverence and humor as a way of demystifying a history that had slid into iconic mythology. I had access to some of the key players in the case, including Morton Sobell, indicted with the Rosenbergs, and his wife, Helen Sobell, both of whom I interviewed at length. I wanted the human story behind the men and women in handcuffs featured in blaring headlines. Red Love is a passionate journey into a time and place that still burns in the memory, a time when McCarthyism was rampant and American Communism was a source of innocent hope for those seeking a better, kinder world. It explores how a handful of idealists let themselves be recruited as spies by the Soviet Union because they thought it was a workers’ paradise.

 

No matter what your political stance, you will be intrigued by David Evanier’s surprisingly heartwarming account of the Rosenberg’s story. Evanier takes a case that centers on fear and treason, and turns it into an examination of the human condition and the complexity of relationships. 

 

 

 

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Family and History Collide in Philadelphia

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Historical mystery author Cordelia Frances Biddle has an interesting family history. Being part of one of Philadelphia’s oldest families, Biddle has been able to base many of her characters on family lore, with her ancestors making an appearance in a number of her books. She has combined historical research with family tales to write the Martha Beale Mysteries series, which is based in the author’s hometown.

 

The series explores the chasm between wealth and poverty during turbulent 1840s Philadelphia. The Conjurer, the first title in the series, follows an heiress as she breaks free of social conventions and attempts to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance.

 

When her father fails to show up for lunch at their country estate, Martha Beale knows something is wrong.  The family’s faithful dogs discover Lemuel Beale’s hunting rifle by the river, but there is no sign of the millionaire financier. Refusing to believe he is dead, his daughter—and sole heir—begins a discreet investigation with the help of the mayor’s aide, Thomas Kelman.

 

But Philadelphia in 1842 is a dangerous place for a female, especially a 26-year-old single woman. Martha’s quest for answers takes her from the pinnacle of high society, which is abuzz about a visiting European conjurer who communicates with the dead, to the city’s tragic slums where a brutal killer is targeting young prostitutes—and through it all Martha will confront the most ruthless aspects of human nature.

 

 “As the young dog watches, entire tree trunks and mangled fence rails thunder past, the power of the surge so great that each sodden piece of wood is repeatedly plunged below the surface to then repeatedly shoot back up into the air. The pup scans these projectiles with apprehensive eyes, although he never follows their course for more than a yard or two. What he desperately searches for should be directly below his resting place.” —Cordelia Frances Biddle, The Conjurer

The Conjurer is available as an ebook June 17. More information on Cordelia Frances Biddle and the Martha Beale Mysteries series can be found here.

 

Joyce Johnson: The First Female Beat Writer

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“Lower Manhattan in the days when Idlewild was Idlewild and Kennedy had not been shot seems like a funky-glamorous Parisian-bohemian Camelot and Joyce Johnson is its chronicler.” —Phyllis Rose

“No one writes about the Bohemian New York art and literary scene of the late 1950s and early ’60s with more affectionate and rueful insight than Johnson.” —Publishers Weekly

In the Night Cafe

Writer Joyce Johnson was born in 1935 in New York City, the setting for all her fiction: Come and Join the Dance, recognized as the first Beat novel by a woman writer, Bad Connections, and In the Night Café. Open Road Media is proud to publish these three novels, now available as ebooks and in paperback. 

Johnson is perhaps best known for her memoir Minor Characters, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1983 and dealt with coming of age in the 1950s and her involvement with Jack Kerouac. She has published two other Beat-related books: Door Wide Open: A Beat Love Affair in Letters and The Voice Is All: The Lonely Victory of Jack Kerouac.

Here, Joyce shares some background about In the Night Café:

The theme of lost sons and absent fathers has been a central preoccupation of male writers; I wanted to write a novel that would deal with it from a woman’s point of view, though the other theme of In the Night Café ­­is the haunting persistence of love, even after a tragic death. 

Set in the New York art world of the early 1960s, In the Night Café tells a story whose roots go back to an earlier period—to 1925 when a young out-of-work cabdriver abandons his teenage wife and newborn son. Thirty-five years later, the son, Tom Murphy, a troubled war veteran who is now a painter—separated from two small boys and a vengeful first wife—meets Joanna, the narrator, a rootless young woman with an unfulfilled need for love that has driven her from affair to affair. With both of them determined to change their lives, they fall in love quickly and deeply and feel they are meant to be together, but Tom cannot overcome his drive toward death, and Joanna cannot save him from himself or from the destabilizing memories of his grim childhood and his wartime experiences.

This novel is based on my memories of my first marriage to the abstract expressionist painter James Johnson. That marriage lasted only a year—ending when I was 27 and my husband, a man obsessed with the fragility of life, was killed in a motorcycle accident on the Bowery, just around the corner from the loft where we lived. Although the details of our life together were burned into my memory, I kept abandoning my various attempts to write a novel, finally succeeding when I was fifty, since it had taken me a long time to find the necessary distance to go beyond elegy and fully understand the story I felt impelled to tell.

The title of the book is taken from Van Gogh’s famous painting, “The Night Café,” about which he wrote: “I have tried to express the terrible passions of humanity by means of red and green.” My husband tried to do the same thing in his abstract canvases.

Joyce Johnson brings to life a bohemian world where art is everything and life is as full of intensity and risk as the bold sweep of a painter’s brush across a canvas. Says Hilma Wolitzer, “In the Night Café is heartbreaking and exhilarating at once. Joyce Johnson has written a memorable love story.” Learn more here.

Cinco escritores extranjeros que tienes que leer durante el Mundial

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A pesar de no ser gran fanático del fútbol, disfruto enormemente del Mundial y añoro, como un hooligan enloquecido, esa descarga brutal de partidos que viene cada cuatro años. Lo disfruto no solo porque es, sin duda alguna, el evento deportivo más importante a nivel mundial, sino sobretodo porque, al igual que los Juegos Olímpicos, el Mundial es un acontecimiento que genera conciencia masiva acerca de la enorme diversidad del planeta.  

Existen muy pocos eventos populares que reúnen a una novena parte de la población mundial para ver jugar a centenares de deportistas de treinta y dos países diferentes—cada uno de ellos representando una bandera. Frente a semejante convergencia de naciones, surge algo inaudito. Hay un inevitable descubrimiento de lo desconocido, de lo ajeno. Ante la presencia de tan gran variedad de banderas, los fanáticos de fútbol comienzan a sentir curiosidad por la formación del estado de Bosnia-Herzegovina, la ubicación geográfica de Ghana, el idioma oficial de Argelia, o por cualquier otro tema desconocido.

El Mundial es un evento único porque nos abre la mente a millones de personas. Eso es lo más bonito del Mundial. Bueno… los goles también.

En honor al Mundial y con el ánimo de incentivar el descubrimiento de lo desconocido, los dejo con cinco escritores extranjeros geniales que son relativamente desconocidos por fuera de su país de origen. Estas son las joyas aún no descubiertas de la literatura universal.   

 

La saga de Gösta Berling

Selma Lagerlöf

Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940) fue una novelista y cuentista sueca. A pesar de su poca fama a nivel mundial, fue la primera mujer en recibir el Premio Nobel de Literatura, "en reconocimiento al altivo idealismo, la vívida imaginación y la percepción espiritual que caracterizan a todas sus obras".

Lagerlöf aseguró su lugar en las letras suecas con La saga de Gösta Berling, su primera y más reconocida obra. La fantástica novela histórica fue adaptada a una película protagonizada por Greta Garbo.  


Maurice Leblanc

Maurice Leblanc (1864-1941) fue un escritor fancés de literatura policíaca. Creó a Arsène Lupin en 1905, uno de los personajes más célebres de la literatura universal. Es un ladrón de guante blanco, culto y seductor, que roba a los malos. Es el protagonista de veinte novelas y relatos, y sus aventuras lo han convertido también en héroe de películas y series de televisión. Para muchos, las historias de Arsène Lupin son la versión francesa de Sherlock Holmes.

 


Helena

Machado de Assis

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (1839-1908) es quizá el mayor representante de la modernidad en las letras brasileñas. Su obra, considerada de una modernidad radical, se ha valorado como inclasificable, sobre todo a partir de Memorias póstumas de Blas Cubas.

Le han comparado con Flaubert, Kafka o Beckett. Susan Sontag ha dicho de él que se trata del más grande autor que ha producido América Latina, por encima Borges. 


Gibran Jalil Gibran

Gibran Jalil Gibran (1883–1931) es quizá el escritor libanés de más alto renombre. El misticismo de Gibran Jalil Gibran intenta descifrar un sentir existencial y las esencias clásicas del comportamiento, siempre desde la afabilidad, la sencillez, la bondad, la honradez y lo natural.

Entre sus obras más destacadas se encuentran El locoEl hereje y El vagabundo. Su obra cumbre es El profeta (1923).

Cenizas 

Grazia Deledda

Grazia Deledda (1871-1936) fue una escritora italiana. En 1926 se convirtió en la segunda mujer en recibir el Premio Nobel de Literatura. La narrativa de Deledda se caracteriza por vivencias poderosas de amor, dolor y muerte, y por la conciencia de una inevitable fatalidad.

Refreshing Summer Romance

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Summer is here and we’re turning up the heat! Spring blossomed quickly and came with enough rain to keep our pages turning—but was there any time for a new fling? This season, let’s turn back the clock and look for love with a revival of romantic novels across the ages. If everything seems to be moving too fast, try out some of these summer reads—all for $1.99 and up—that will remind you of a love that lasts. 

 

The Last Duke by Andrea KaneThe Last Duke by Andrea Kane

Kane’s dark tale of unexpected love reminds us of the complexities of romance in the 1800s. When the anonymous Tin Cup Bandit climbs into her room in the middle of the night, Lady Daphne Wyndham is stunned to find that she recognizes the masked figure, and she becomes the innocent obstacle in this story of ruthless revenge.

 Highland Conqueror by Hannah Howell

Highland Conqueror by Hannah Howell

Responsible for protecting Lady Jolene Gerard from a murderous villain, Scottish Highlander Sigimor Cameron knows he and Jolene must marry while he longs for another. When the enemy is closing in, how will Cameron balance his blood debt with the wishes of his own heart?

 Stranger in Paradise by Eileen Goudge

Stranger in Paradise by Eileen Goudge

Samantha Kiley, a widow, does not approve of her daughter’s marriage to a man twice her age. But it is Samantha’s passion for a much younger man that threatens everything she holds most dear and sets tongues wagging in the idyllic small town of Carson Springs.

 The Fatal Crown by Ellen Jones

The Fatal Crown by Ellen Jones

Two royal heirs of William the Conquerer, Maud and Stephen, have an insatiable lust for the English throne that will test their forbidden love.

 For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale

For My Lady’s Heartby Laura Kinsale

How do you navigate love through a world of vows and laws as confining as a suit of armor? Ruck—a noble knight abandoned by his wife for the church—and widow Princess Melanthe must overcome the powers conspiring against them in this sensual medieval romance.

 


Remembering The Troubles

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Derry, IrelandOne of Ireland’s foremost modern writers, Jennifer Johnston writes novels that stay close to her homeland and the turmoil that Ireland suffered during the 20th century—and continues to struggle through today. Arguably the most significant of these time periods that established the political status of Ireland was The Troubles, a nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that also spread at times to the Republic of Ireland, England, and parts of Europe. Although the conflict spanned nearly 30 years, The Troubles gained prominence with the Bloody Sunday attacks that occurred in Derry on January 30, 1972.

 

Beginning in the 1960s, the conflict was based around the status of Northern Ireland. While the territory was owned by the United Kingdom, many of the residents felt loyalty to the Republic of Ireland and considered themselves to be Irish, not British. Northern Ireland became divided into Irish nationalists who wanted independence from the UK, and unionists, or loyalists, who preferred to remain a British territory. It began as a peaceable movement, but the Irish nationalists claimed increasing discrimination by the unionists. The exact date The Troubles began is debated, but by 1969 the struggle had turned violent. In response to the occupation of Northern Ireland by British soldiers, Irish nationalists formed the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA).

 

After years of rioting, murders, and countless other acts of violence, the situation boiled over in the now infamous Bloody Sunday attack. On January 30, 1972, 26 unarmed nationalist civil rights demonstrators were shot by the British Army in Derry—14 of them died from their injuries. Despite the shocking outcome, the violence continued for decades, turning the citizens war-weary and in need of a resolution. In 1998, the Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland signed the Good Friday Agreement, putting an end to most of the violence. In all, more than 3,500 people were killed. Today, Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom, but is largely self-governed. It works with both the Republic of Ireland and Britain to create policies. Although the agreement ended the majority of the turmoil, sporadic violence still occurs in the region as nationalists continue to fight for independence.

 

Shadows on Our Skin by Jennifer JohnstonPoetically told through the eyes of a young schoolboy, Johnston’s Shadows on Our Skin is a sobering fictionalized look at the effects of The Troubles in Derry, before Bloody Sunday. In her novel, Johnston shows how deeply the conflict shook the Irish citizens, whether they wanted to be involved or not. Joe Logan’s life is far from ideal, with an alcoholic father and a mother who confines Joe to the house when he is not in school. The situation is not much better outside the home, as the violence only increases between the unionists and Irish nationalists.

 

When Joe meets the young teacher Kathleen Doherty, her zest for life despite the unrest captivates him and they strike up a friendship that becomes his only escape to happiness. But the bliss is short-lived when Joe’s brother, Brendan, returns home from London. Brendan joins the PIRA and brings the conflict ever closer to the Logan family. Brendan also strikes up his own relationship with Kathleen, making Joe jealous. But Kathleen is not everything the brothers think she is, and her secret threatens not only her safety, but also the Logan boys’ relationship forever.

 

Despite the official end of the conflict, the lasting effects of The Troubles continue to be felt in Ireland. By writing about Ireland’s past, Johnston illuminates the ways in which the most significant events in Ireland’s history are still part of their culture. To read more of Johnston’s novels, visit her author page here.

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Get a Sneak Peek at the New Simon R. Green Short Story Collection!

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science-fiction-banner 

Today, you can return to Simon R. Green’s Secret Histories series with the never-before-published story, “Question of Solace.” Follow Jack Drood, Armorer to the Drood family, as he faces the battle of his lifetime.

Here is an early excerpt from the new story.

Jack Drood, Armorer to the Drood family for many years now, sat slumped in his special chair before his personal workstation, looking at his latest invention and wondering whether it was worth all the time and effort he’d put into it. As Armorer to the Droods, it was his job to come up with all the powerful weapons, sneaky gadgets and nasty surprises that the family’s field agents needed, to help them bring down the bad guys. The Armorer had been doing that very successfully for decades now, and he was getting really tired of it.

He looked middle-aged but was actually a lot older. He kept up appearances by following a carefully balanced diet of protein and pasta, doing as little regular exercise as he could get away with, and abusing a whole bunch of exotic medications of dubious provenance. He liked to joke that when he died there’d be so many pills in him they’d have to bury him in a coffin with a childproof lid. He was tall and thin, growly and grumpy, and not nearly as full of nervous energy as he used to be. Two shocks of tufty white hair jutted out over his ears, below a bulging, bald pate. He had bushy white eyebrows, a prominent nose, and steely gray eyes. His face looked lived-in and hard-used, and he scowled a lot. Particularly when he had to talk to people.

He did have people skills. He just mostly couldn’t be bothered.

When he occasionally forced himself up out of his chair, to go prowling around the massive stone cavern that held the Armory, and all its dangerous wonders, it quickly became obvious he was bent over in a pronounced stoop, legacy of so many years spent leaning over workbenches, creating things designed to make people play nicely with one another, whether they wanted to or not. He wore a long white lab coat, decorated with stains and chemical burns, and the occasional explosives residue, over a grubby T-shirt bearing the legend Guns Don’t Kill People, Unless You Aim Them Properly. Armorer humor.

He still liked to think of himself as an engineer, rather than a weapons designer.

He sat there in his favorite chair, right at the back of the Armory, where people wouldn’t bother him. The Armory was buried deep in the bedrock under Drood Hall, so that when things inevitably went wrong, usually suddenly and loudly and violently, the damage wouldn’t reach the hall. The Armorer was thinking, and scowling, and doing his best to ignore the general racket going on around him. Dozens of lab assistants filled the Armory, working on dozens of projects, their terribly inventive minds limited only by the laws of science and probability. The laws of the land, or even basic morality, didn’t get a look in. To become one of the Armorer’s lab assistants, a young Drood had to prove they were way above average intelligence, incredibly and indeed foolishly brave, and basically lacking in all the usual self-preservation instincts. Their job was to produce all kinds of weird weapons, and outside-the-box inventions. And then test them extensively, often on one another, before they could be passed on to the field agents. Output was high, and so was the turnover of assistants.

The Armorer couldn’t help noticing that not quite far enough away, two lab assistants equipped with personal teleport devices were dueling inside a circle. They flickered in and out, appearing just long enough to throw a blow, or dodge one. Obscenities, blasphemies, and sounds of pain hung on the air long after they were gone. Beyond them, a statue in a corner moved, ever so slightly. From when a lab assistant had slowed down his metabolism so much that for him, decades passed between each tick and tock of the clock. He’d gone under in 1955, and showed no signs of coming out. The Armorer kept him around as a cautionary example. Beyond the statue, two invisible fighters were trying to find each other inside a circle. And someone … had just blown up the firing range again.

Lab assistants. Always in such high spirits.

 

tales-of-the-hidden-world-cover

Check out the rest of this story and the other stories in the collection, Tales of the Hidden World.

 

Clásicos de la literatura norteamericana para leer el 4 de julio

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4 de julio
No hay nada como el arte y la literatura para acercarnos a una época histórica. Por supuesto que los libros de historia y los documentales contienen información valiosísima sobre hechos pasados, pero estos no se comparan con las emociones tan fuertes que transmiten las novelas, las pinturas, la fotografía y el cine. Solo piensa en lo que hemos aprendido sobre la monarquía europea en las obras de Shakespeare o en la manera en que El pianista nos ha conmovido acerca del Holocausto.

El 4 de julio es, como toda festividad histórica, una fecha para recordar. En medio de banderas coloridas, fuegos artificiales monumentales y barbacoas de verano, es necesario recordar la historia de un país que obtuvo su independencia el 4 de julio. Y preguntarse qué significa ser norteamericano.

En esta fecha tan especial, te invitamos a leer algunos de los grandes clásicos de la literatura norteamericana, aquellos que tanto nos han enseñado sobre la cultura, la historia y la sociedad de los Estados Unidos. De la mano de Las uvas de la ira, de John Steinbeck; Matar un ruiseñor, de Harper Lee; El gran Gatsby, de F. Scott Fitzgerald; El ruido y la furia, de William Faulkner; y muchas más, estas novelas ameritan una segunda leída durante el 4 de julio.

 

Winesburg, Ohio

Winesburg, OhioLos habitantes de Winesburg, Ohio anhelan las pasiones, las esperanzas, el futuro. Pero el pueblo tiene la cualidad de atraparlos.

En el centro de estas 22 historias sobre los personajes y la vida de un pueblo del Medio Oeste americano está George Willard, un joven reportero del periódico local a quien los solitarios del pueblo le hacen sus confidencias.

Winesburg, Ohio es la obra maestra de Sherwood Anderson. Este libro, publicado en 1919, influyó tanto en Ernest Hemingway como en John Updike; en Raymond Carver como en Joyce Carol Oates. Es el debut de la modernidad en la literatura americana.


 

El camino del tabaco

El camino del tabacoLos Lester son aparceros en Georgia. Han perdido sus tierras hace tiempo. Viven con dos de sus 17 hijos en una casa ruinosa en medio de una tierra baldía. Solo les preocupa el hambre y sus apetitos sexuales, viven en el temor de caer algún día tan bajo en la escala social que se los juzgue inferiores a los negros y les obsesiona morir dejando un cadáver indecoroso. Una novela hilarante y tristísima al mismo tiempo en la que la tragedia de la vida contrasta con la indiferencia moral de sus protagonistas.

El camino del tabaco es el clásico controversial sobre la devastación de la Gran Depresión. 


 

Del tiempo y el río

Del tiempo y el rioEugene se embarca en un viaje hacia el Norte. Después de haber dejado la universidad en su estado natal, está convencido de que se ha convertido en testigo y repositorio de una vasta y panorámica serie de imágenes que, en conjunto, revelan las innumerables caras de América.

Con el avance del viaje, lo embarga una sensación de huida del misterio oscuro y lúgubre del Sur hacia la libertad y la promesa luminosa del Norte, con sus ciudades brillantes y sus esperanzas extravagantes. Las llanuras, los picos y los valles que conforman el paisaje sobre el que pasa, así como los innumerables pueblos y ciudades a lo largo del camino, nos hablan a través de Eugene de la diversidad ilimitada de los Estados Unidos.

Este clásico norteamericano ha influenciado la escritura de Jack Kerouac, Ray Bradbury, Philip Roth y William Faulkner.

Little Knits for Long Days

Ebook Deals $2.99 and Under

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For $2.99 or less, scoop up a new ebook from participating retailers throughout the month of July. Browse the nine ebooks below for everything from bestselling literary fiction to thrilling murder mysteries. Click on each cover to learn more.

 

The Lords of DisciplineThe Lords of Disciplineby Pat Conroy

As Will McLean begins his studies at the Carolina Military Institute, antimilitary sentiment is raging and the American South is in turmoil over desegregation. McLean survives his freshman year despite the school’s notorious hazing, and avoids attention from its fabled and menacing secret society, the Ten. But when he becomes the mentor of the school’s first black student, Will is drawn into the intense racial politics—and the simmering threat of violence—that lie just beneath the surface at the Institute. Buy The Lords of Discipline from Amazon.com, the Apple iBookstore, Barnesandnoble.com, Google Play, or Kobo.

 

McNally's SecretMcNally's Secretby Lawrence Sanders

Inveterate playboy Archy McNally gets paid to make discreet inquiries for Palm Beach’s power elite. But keeping their dirty little secrets buried will take some fancy footwork in McNally’s latest case. When passion erupts into murder and McNally must dig even deeper to uncover the truth, he unearths a shocking secret that could expose his own family’s skeletons. New York Times bestselling author Lawrence Sanders introduces his most disarming detective in this powerhouse novel of passion, murder, and unabashed greed. Buy McNally’s Secret from Amazon.com, the Apple iBookstore, Barnesandnoble.com, Google Play, or Kobo.

 

          The Intruders

The Intruders: A Jake Grafton Novelby Stephen Coonts

When the psychotic Colombian drug lord Chano Aldana is extradited to the United States for trial, he brings his army of vicious mercenaries with him. And as Aldana’s hit men target the President of the United States, the capital is plunged into chaos that only veteran fighter pilot Jake Grafton can stop. Grafton races against time to prevent all-out catastrophe from enveloping the nation. Buy The Intruders from Amazon.com, the Apple iBookstore, Barnesandnoble.com, Google Play, or Kobo. 

 

A Season in HellA Season in Hellby Jack Higgins

Sean Egan and Sarah Talbot are united by tragedy when his sister and her son are both murdered, their corpses used to smuggle heroin by members of Europe’s bloodiest drug ring. Now Egan, an Irish-born British Special Forces operative, and Talbot, a well-connected Wall Street lawyer, will stop at nothing to bring the murderers to justice. Their mission takes them through London, Paris, Sicily, and Ireland as they’re trailed by a brutally efficient hit man bent on thwarting their every move. Buy A Season in Hell from Amazon.com, the Apple iBookstore, Barnesandnoble.com, Google Play, or Kobo. 

 

Murder in the Ball ParkMurder in the Ball Park by Robert Goldsborough

When a state senator is shot at a baseball game, Archie Goodwin wants to take on the case. However, Archie’s employer—the rotund genius Nero Wolfe—has no interest in investigating the stadium slaying, even as Archie is swayed by the senator’s suspiciously lovely widow. Her husband was mired hip-deep in corruption, and sorting out who killed him will be a task far less pleasant than an afternoon at the ballpark. Buy Murder in the Ball Park from Amazon.com, the Apple iBookstore, Barnesandnoble.comGoogle Play, or Kobo.

 

Topaz

Topaz by Leon Uris

On the eve of the Cuban Missile Crisis, American and French intelligence agents are plunged into a maze of Cold War intrigue. Two agents, along with a small band of Cuban exiles and Soviet defectors, chase leads around the globe in a quest to save NATO, themselves, and perhaps the world itself. From the bestselling author of Exodus comes this fast-paced but deeply informed thriller. Buy Topaz from Amazon.com, the Apple iBookstore, Barnesandnoble.comGoogle Play, or Kobo.

 

Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul

Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother’s Soul: Stories to Inspire and Warm the Hearts of Soon-to-Be Mothers by Jack Canfield

This Chicken Soup book will find a place in the loving hearts and anxious minds of expectant mothers (and some fathers, too!). By relaying the insecurities and triumphs of a variety of moms and moms-to-be—including multiple births, premature births, adoptions, and single-parent families—this book will tug at the heartstrings and ease the fears of any expectant mother, regardless of her situation. Chapters include: Special Moments, Delivery Day, Challenges, On Adoption, Advice from Others, For Expectant Fathers, and The First Few Years. Buy Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother’s Soul from Amazon.com, the Apple iBookstore, Barnesandnoble.comGoogle Play, or Kobo.

 

Oddkins

Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages by Dean Koontz

Blockbuster author Dean Koontz’s first novel for young readers is a beautifully illustrated and visually stunning story about a magical band of living toys who learn to overcome the fears we all face in the dark. Toymaker Isaac Bodkins created the Oddkins, a group of living toys, for very special children who face difficulties in life and need true friends. When Mr. Bodkins dies, the Oddkins must go on a journey to find his chosen successor as a life-giving toymaker—the only person who can save them. Buy Oddkins from Amazon.com, the Apple iBookstore, Barnesandnoble.comGoogle Play, or Kobo.

 

The Obedient Assassin

The Obedient Assassin: A Novel Based on a True Story by John P. Davidson

Ramón Mercader was plucked from the front of the Spanish Civil War by the Soviets and conscripted to murder the great intellectual Leon Trotsky, a leader of the Bolshevik Revolution who was exiled in the 1920s for opposing Joseph Stalin. As Ramón is trained for the task and assumes a new identity, he lives a lush life in Paris, befriending Frida Kahlo and falling in love with a left-leaning Jewish woman whom he is ordered to seduce as a means of getting at Trotsky. From Barcelona to Paris and New York to Mexico City, the assassin moves inevitably closer to the grim task that awaits him at Trotsky’s compound. Buy The Obedient Assassin from Amazon.com, the Apple iBookstore, Barnesandnoble.com, Google Play, or Kobo.

 

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