Novels

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ISBN: 978-0-87417-998-9 

Binding: [Hardcover] 

Pages: 304 

Publication date: February 2016

$27.95

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The Gambler’s Apprentice

by H. Lee Barnes

Description

The Gambler’s Apprentice tells the story of a teenage boy growing up in Texas during desperate times. Willy, wise and ca-pable beyond his years, learns the gambler’s trade and experiences adventures that demand quick wits—and sometimes violent actions. This is a multilayered story, full of Old West motifs such as cattle-rustling and gunfights along with more modern twists. Starting with a cattle-rustling scheme involving his father, Willy embarks on a life of crime early, eventually landing in a Laredo jail for shooting a man. During his incarceration he meets Sonny Archer, an itinerant gambler, who teaches Willy how to be a cardsharp. Upon his release, Willy roams the country, honing his new talent and getting into more trouble. Dur-ing his time in New Orleans, Willy even winds up in a confrontation with an Italian crime ring. While all these adventures mold Willy into a clever card player and a masterful fortune-hunter, his grand ambition to be a professional gambler is thwarted when the influenza epidemic strikes. Willy is forced to return home to his family’s Texas ranch, where he faces the most challenging test of his young life and begins to prove that he is far more than simply an apprentice.

Reviews

“I found the reading extremely satisfying; I did not want it to end, and suspect that any reader of contemporary fiction would feel the same way.” -- Les Standiford, author of Deal with the Dead: A John Deal Mystery

“The book is dramatic, cinematic, and broad in scope. Willy Bobbins, the apprentice of the title, is a fascinating character, an illiterate who is nonetheless brilliant with numbers and odds, and on his way to becoming a master poker player. The Gambler’s Apprentice illuminates the role of Texas gamblers and oilmen in the founding of the gambling mecca of Las Vegas.” -- Lawrence Coates, author of The Goodbye House

“Except once in a blue moon, when else do you find a story packed with action and adventure involving big-as-life characters in settings and situations readymade for the silver screen? What’s more, the characters already know their lines; no script doctor is needed to improve this dialogue. Moreover, the author’s powers of description rival those of Cormac McCarthy in showing that the outback of the Tex-Mex border is no country for old men, and that even young ones age quickly there.” -- Robert Lamb, The New York Journal of Books

“Dialog out of the old school, as good as L’Amour, maybe even better.” -- The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy, and the Humanities

HIT RESET is a yoga revolution for athletes. Yoga coach Erin Taylor translates yoga for the sports world, revealing the essential poses that benefit athletes. Armed with the key, highly effective yoga poses, athletes will begin a radical redefinition of balance that will save their knees, unstiffen their hamstrings, and wake up their butts so they can optimize their performance in any sport.

Taylor’s HIT RESET program pulls yoga into the real world to meet athletes wherever they are. With her fresh, casual style and highly visual approach, Taylor makes yoga practical and powerful for athletes. She guides athletes to self-diagnose the problem areas of their bodies and root out imbalances that cause injury and tightness.

Join the HIT RESET revolution and you’ll find a no-nonsense approach that will make you a stronger, more resilient athlete.

More information coming soon on hitresetyoga.com.

AVAILABLE MARCH 2016

Hit Reset: Revolutionary Yoga for Athletes

Erin Taylor

Paperpack with full-color interior and photographs throughout.

7.5″ x 9.5″, 256 pp., $21.95, 9781937715427

The greatest athletic performances spring from the mind, not the body. Elite athletes have known this for decades and now science is learning why it’s true. In his fascinating new book How Bad Do You Want It?, coach Matt Fitzgerald examines more than a dozen pivotal races to discover the surprising ways elite athletes strengthen their mental toughness.

Fitzgerald puts you into the pulse-pounding action of more than a dozen epic races from running, cycling, triathlon, XTERRA, and rowing with thrilling race reports and revealing post-race interviews with the elites. Their own words reinforce what the research has found: strong mental fitness lets us approach our true physical limits, giving us an edge over physically stronger competitors. Each chapter explores the how and why of an elite athlete’s transformative moment, revealing powerful new psychobiological principles you can practice to flex your own mental fitness.

The new psychobiological model of endurance performance shows that the most important question in endurance sports is: how bad do you want it? Fitzgerald’s fascinating book will forever change how you answer this question and show you how to master the psychology of mind over muscle. These lessons will help you push back your limits and uncover your full potential.

How Bad Do You Want It? reveals new psychobiological findings including:

• Mental toughness determines how close you can get to your physical limit.
• Bracing yourself for a tough race or workout can boost performance by 15% or more.
• Champions have learned how to give more of what they have.
• The only way to improve performance is by altering how you perceive effort.
• Choking under pressure is a form of self-consciousness.
• Your attitude in daily life is the same one you bring to sports.
• There’s no such thing as going as fast as you can—only going faster than before.
• The fastest racecourse is the one with the loudest spectators.
• Faith in your training is as important as the training itself.

Athletes featured in How Bad Do You Want It?: Sammy Wanjiru, Jenny Simpson, Greg LeMond, Siri Lindley, Willie Stewart, Cadel Evans, Nathan Cohen and Joe Sullivan, Paula Newby-Fraser, Ryan Vail, Thomas Voeckler, Ned Overend, Steve Prefontaine, and last of all John “The Penguin” Bingham

Watch the races featured in the book! How Bad Do You Want It? YouTube playlist

How Bad Do You Want It? Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle

Matt Fitzgerald

Foreword by Samuele Marcora, PhD

Paperback

6″ x 9″, 282 pp., $18.95, 9781937715410

When Fort Victoria was first established in the mid-nineteenth century, eight pioneer families of Europe’s upper class formed the social elite of the modest colony. The self-named aristocracy of this new land, these families shaped a world suited to their proper tastes on the upper floors of the fort, and eventually, in beautiful homes that imitated the height of fashion in Europe. However, between their tea parties and balls, these particular families greatly influenced the progress of the city of Victoria and the province of British Columbia.

In Above Stairs, get to know the the Douglases, the Pembertons, the Skinners, the Creases, the O’Reillys, the Trutches, the Rithets and the Barnards. These families made laws, surveyed land, founded businesses and set a standard of social acceptability for all those living in Victoria at the time. Like a kitchen hand sneaking up the servants’ steps to spy on the rich, discover the glamorous, complicated lives of Victoria’s social elite in Above Stairs.

Old Keb Wisting is somewhere around ninety-five years old (he lost count awhile ago) and in constant pain and thinks he wants to die. He also thinks he thinks too much. Part Norwegian and part Tlingit Native ( with some Filipino and Portuguese thrown in ), he s the last living canoe carver in the village of Jinkaat, in Southeast Alaska.

When his grandson, James, a promising basketball player, ruins his leg in a logging accident and tells his grandpa that he has nothing left to live for, Old Keb comes alive and finishes his last canoe, with help from his grandson. Together (with a few friends and a crazy but likeable dog named Steve) they embark on a great canoe journey. Suddenly all of Old Keb s senses come into play, so clever and wise in how he reads the currents, tides and storms. Nobody can find him. He and the others paddle deep into wild Alaska, but mostly into the human heart, in a story of adventure, love, and reconciliation. With its rogue s gallery of colorful, endearing, small-town characters, this book stands as a wonderful blend of Mark Twain s "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and John Nichols s "The Milagro Beanfield War," with dashes of John Steinbeck thrown in."

Reviews

"Heacox, an exquisite writer, presents us with an Alaska true to its self, beautifully drawn. . . 'Jimmy Bluefeather' is a superb addition to Alaska -- indeed, American -- literature. With enough readership, Old Keb Wisting could become as beloved a character as 'To Kill a Mockingbird s' Atticus Finch. Not heroic but human, with qualities of toughness, resilience, acceptance and humor, learned as an Alaskan from a life of living close to the Earth and its waters, in a place of stories." Nancy Lord, Alaska Dispatch News" 

"JIMMY BLUEFEATHER contains echoes of John Irving and Kurt Vonnegut, but only if they had spent time among the canoe carvers, whale biologists, loggers and basketball players of Alaska. Heacox, a writer and explorer of renown, offers a genuine, funny and tender portrait that is rare in the literature of the 49th state." Andromeda Romano-Lax, author of THE SPANISH BOW, THE DETOUR, AND BEHAVE" 

BOOKLIST - "Alaskan Heacox s (Rhythm of the Wild, 2015) first novel is richly steeped in the landscape he knows so well and populated by a stellar group of diverse and unforgettable characters. Keb Wisting, part Tlingit and part Norwegian, is nearing 100 and worried about his family. His daughters are on opposing sides of a land-use battle near their island home, and his grandson, James, has just lost his shot at an NBA career due to a logging accident. The last canoe-builder in the village of Jinkaat, Keb embarks on a community-wide boat-building exercise that turns into a chance to recreate an ancestral journey across nearby Crystal Bay. The trip draws in not only troubled James but also an eclectic group, including a determined whale biologist, a cop trying to do the right thing, a fisherwoman who has seen too much hardship, and everyone who has an angle on the land-deal conflict. Heacox does a superb job of transcending his characters unique geography to create a heartwarming, all-American story. Jinkaat, Alaska, can stand beside Twain s Missouri and Anderson s Winesburg, Ohio." 

"The force that drives JIMMY BLUEFEATHER is the figure of Old Keb Wisting, the last canoe carver in his Alaskan Indian village. Keb is a powerfully drawn portrait of an indomitable spirit facing down his own death--with fierce determination, blasting a Tlingit song into the cold wind blowing off the glaciers. This is not just a well-crafted picture of an elder; it is unforgettable, in the direct lineage of THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA." Doug Peacock, author of IN THE SHADOW OF THE SABERTOOTH; GLOBAL WARMING, THE ORIGINS OF THE FIRST AMERICANS, and THE TERRIBLE BEASTS OF THE PLEISTOCENE" 

JIMMY BLUEFEATHER contains echoes of John Irving and Kurt Vonnegut, but only if they had spent time among the canoe carvers, whale biologists, loggers and basketball players of Alaska. Heacox, a writer and explorer of renown, offers a genuine, funny and tender portrait that is rare in the literature of the 49th state. Andromeda Romano-Lax, author of THE SPANISH BOW, THE DETOUR, AND BEHAVE" 

Kim Heacox s love for the land and people of Southeast Alaska shines forth in this character-driven saga, brimming with craft, humor, and deft turn of phrase. JIMMY BLUEFEATHER easily makes the short list for the great Alaska novel. Nick Jans, author of A WOLF CALLED ROMEO" 

It’s a Fat-Quarter Frenzy!

Does your fat-quarter collection require its own zip code? Put those treasured bundles to good use with 13 fast, fun, and versatile fat-quarter quilts! Want quilts in multiple sizes and variations? You’ll find a total of 75 possibilities! Play with scale, layout, colorways, and block design to make each project your own. Popular and up-and-coming designers share ideas to excite quilters of every style and skill level. This must-have collection will help you slash your stash today, keeping you inspired for years to come.

• 13 fast, fun, and versatile fat-quarter quilts

• Each quilt in multiple sizes and variations for a total of 75 fresh ideas

• Diverse styles and skill levels

• Features popular and up-and-coming designers Liz Aneloski, Charlotte Angotti, Jera Brandvig, Debbie Caffrey, Amanda Castor, Kate Colleran, Melissa Corry, Kelli Hanken, Tiffany Jenkins, Jo Kramer, Allegory Lanham, Ellen Murphy, Allison Nicoll, and Susan Pfau

Cheat Your Way to Foolproof Appliqué!

Say goodbye to tedious hand stitching and scruffy raw-edge appliqué with the incredible Flip & Fuse method! Sew 12 complex-looking quilts with precision, sharp lines, and easy curves. Turned edge appliqué with Flip & Fuse will save you time and hassle. If you’ve appliquéd your last chicken, you’ll appreciate these bold, geometric designs as a sophisticated alternative to old-school silhouettes. Learn quilting tips, incorporate fussy-cut designs, and make projects in multiple sizes. Even if you’ve been unsuccessful with other appliqué methods, you’ll love how easy it is to Flip & Fuse!

• Transform the way you appliqué with the revolutionary Flip & Fuse method
• A simple and accurate method with easy-to-use patterns designed for speed and economy
• Foolproof way to make complex-looking quilts with patterns in multiple sizes

edited by Nick Baron

Across Eastern Europe and Russia in the first half of the twentieth century, conflict and violence arising out of foreign and civil wars, occupation, revolutions, social and ethnic restructuring and racial persecution caused countless millions of children to be torn from their homes. Nurturing the Nation examines the powerful and tragic history of child displacement in this region and the efforts of states, international organizations and others to ‘re-place’ uprooted, and often orphaned, children. By analysing the causes, character and course of child displacement, and examining through first-person testimonies the children’s experiences and later memories, the chapters in this volume shed new light on twentieth-century nation-building and social engineering and the emergence of modern concepts and practices of statehood, children’s rights and humanitarianism.

Contributors are: Tomas Balkelis, Rachel Faircloth Green, Gabriel Finder, Michael Kaznelson, Aldis Purs, Karl D. Qualls, Elizabeth White, Tara Zahra

Biographical note

Nick Baron (MA, MPhil, Oxon.; PhD, Bham, 2001) is Associate Professor in History at the University of Nottingham, UK. He has published two books and numerous articles and chapters on twentieth century Russian and East European history and historical geography.

Readership

Advanced students and scholars of Russia and Eastern Europe and of twentieth-century history, and everyone interested in the history of childhood and youth, and the history of migration and refugees.

Table of contents

List of Figures List of Tables

List of Abbreviations

Note on Archival References Abbreviations of Archives Acknowledgments

Notes on Contributors

1. Placing the Child in Twentieth Century History: Contexts and Framework

Nick Baron

2. Orphaned Testimonies: The Place of Displaced Children in Independent Latvia, 1918-26

Aldis Purs

3. Relief, Reconstruction and the Rights of the Child: The Case of Russian Displaced Children in Constantinople, 1920-22

Elizabeth White

4. Memories of Displacement: Loss and Reclamation of Home/land in the Narratives of Soviet Child Deportees of the 1930s

Michael Kaznelson and Nick Baron

5. From Hooligans to Disciplined Students: Displacement, Resettlement, and Role Modelling of Spanish Civil War Children in the Soviet Union, 1937-51

Karl D. Qualls

6. Making Kin out of Strangers: Soviet Adoption during and after the Second World War

Rachel Faircloth Green

7. Lost Children: Displaced Children between Nationalism and Internationalism after the Second World War

Tara Zahra

8. Child Survivors in Jewish Collective Memory in Poland after the Holocaust: The Case of Undzere Kinder

Gabriel Finder

9. Ethnicity, Identity and Imaginings of Home in the Memoirs of Lithuanian Child Deportees, 1941-53

Tomas Balkelis

10. Violence, Childhood and the State: New Perspectives on Political Practice and Social Experience in the Twentieth Century

Nick Baron

LIST OF FIGURES

1.1 Soviet bezprizorniki. Newspaper cartoon, 1920s.

1.2 ‘The Ideal Child’. Newspaper cartoon, 1920s.

2.1. Aleksejs Gills.

2.2. Anna Brasmanis.

2.3. Jānis Čuilītis.

2.4. Voldemars Štrekmanis.

2.5. Aleksandrs Vaniševs.

2.6. Roberts Vetterbergs.

2.7. Gabriels Matrosovs.

2.8. Teodors Griķis.

8.1 Still from Undzere Kinder of a child

8.2 Still from Undzere Kinder of Chaim Preter

8.3 Photograph from the Stroop report of a roundup of Jews during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

The stunning companion to Kate Atkinson's #1 bestseller Life After Life, "one of the best novels I've read this century" (Gillian Flynn).

"He had been reconciled to death during the war and then suddenly the war was over and there was a next day and a next day. Part of him never adjusted to having a future." 

Kate Atkinson's dazzling Life After Life explored the possibility of infinite chances and the power of choices, following Ursula Todd as she lived through the turbulent events of the last century over and over again. 

A GOD IN RUINS tells the dramatic story of the 20th Century through Ursula's beloved younger brother Teddy--would-be poet, heroic pilot, husband, father, and grandfather-as he navigates the perils and progress of a rapidly changing world. After all that Teddy endures in battle, his greatest challenge is living in a future he never expected to have. 

An ingenious and moving exploration of one ordinary man's path through extraordinary times, A GOD IN RUINS proves once again that Kate Atkinson is one of the finest novelists of our age.

PRAISE FOR A GOD IN RUINS:

"Atkinson isn't just telling a story: she's deconstructing, taking apart the notion of how we believe stories are told. Using narrative tricks that range from the subtlest sleight of hand to direct address, she makes us feel the power of storytelling not as an intellectual conceit, but as a punch in the gut." (Publishers Weekly ).

"A grown-up, elegant fairy tale...a humane vision of people in all their complicated splendor." (Kirkus ).

"She also continues to write, as she did in Life after Life, about the savagery of war in clarion prose that is graphic in detail and possessed of a singular melancholy. And whether it is the stoic Teddy, his practical wife, his unbelievably selfish daughter, or his neglected grandchildren, every one of Atkinson's characters will, at one moment or another, break readers' hearts." (Booklist ).

"A novel so sublime I would nominate it to represent all books in the Art Olympics. The afterword deserves a literary prize all to itself. It is, as claimed on the sumptuous proof, even better than Life After Life." (The Bookseller ).

"Only as the book unfolds is each character more fully revealed. Ms. Atkinson's artistry in making this happen is marvelously delicate and varied."  (New York Times ).

"If you loved Atkinson's Life After Life, you're in luck. If you're one of the, say, five people who didn't read it: You're still in luck--Atkinson is a master at the top of her game. A quiet, moving portrait of a guy navigating life's small pleasures and painful failures." (Marie Claire ).

The definitive autobiography of Willie Nelson 

"Unvarnished. Funny. Leaving no stone unturned." 

. . . So say the publishers about this book I've written. 

What I say is that this is the story of my life, told as clear as a Texas sky and in the same rhythm that I lived it. 

It's a story of restlessness and the purity of the moment and living right. Of my childhood in Abbott, Texas, to the Pacific Northwest, from Nashville to Hawaii and all the way back again. Of selling vacuum cleaners and encyclopedias while hosting radio shows and writing song after song, hoping to strike gold. 

It's a story of true love, wild times, best friends, and barrooms, with a musical sound track ripping right through it. 

My life gets lived on the road, at home, and on the road again, tried and true, and I've written it all down from my heart to yours. 

Signed,

Willie Nelson

LEAVE YOUR MARK isn't an advice book -- it's a mentorship in 288 pages. 

Aliza Licht-global fashion communications executive, AKA fashion's favorite 'PR girl' and former Twitter phenomenon-is here to tell her story, complete with The Devil Wears Prada-like moments and insider secrets.

Drawing invaluable lessons from her experience, Licht shares advice, inspiration, and a healthy dose of real talk in LEAVE YOUR MARK. She delivers personal and professional guidance for people just starting their careers and for people who are well on their way. With a particular emphasis on communicating and building your personal brand, something she knows a thing or two about, Aliza is your sassy, knowledgeable guide to the contemporary working world, where personal and professional lines are blurred and the most important thing you can have is a strong sense of self.

How will Israel keep its strategic edge over an increasingly dangerous Iran? Israel has been preparing for this day by creating a special and secretive IDF unit called Talpiot.

Instead of being trained to fight, the few soldiers each year selected for Talpiot are taught how to think. In order to join this unit they have to commit to being in the army for ten years, rather than the three years a normal soldier serves. 

Talpiots are taught advanced level physics, math and computer science as they train with soldiers from every other branch of the IDF. The result: young men and women become research and development machines. Talpiots have developed battle ready weapons that only Israel’s top military officers and political leaders know about. They have also dramatically improved much of the weapons already in Israel’s arsenal. 

Talpiot has been tasked with keeping Israel a generation ahead of a rapidly strengthening and technologically capable Iran. Talpiots contribute to all of the areas that will be most important to the IDF as Iran becomes even more powerful including missile technology, anti-missile defense, cyber-warfare, intelligence, satellite technology and high powered imaging. Talpiot soldiers have also been a major factor in the never ending fight against Israel’s other enemies and many have left the R&D lab to fly fighter planes, serve in the field as commanders of elite army ground units and at sea commanding Israel’s fleet of naval ships.

After leaving the army, Talpiots have become a major force in the Israeli economy, developing some of Israel’s most famous and powerful companies.

Israel’s Edge contains dozens of interviews with Talpiot graduates and some of the early founders of the program. It explains Talpiot's highly successful recruiting methods and discloses many of the secrets of the program's success. The book also profiles some of the most successful businesses founded by Talpiot graduates including CheckPoint, Compugen, Anobit, recently bought by Apple, and XIV, recently bought by IBM.

No other military unit has had more of an impact on the State of Israel and no other unit will have more of an impact in the years ahead. The soldiers of Talpiot are truly unsung heroes.

A killer with a macabre passion for human teeth stalks the residents of Harrowfield.

Three linked murders means Assistant Chief Constable Wendy Smythe is brought in to take ultimate charge of the serial murder investigation, and she is adamant on managing the task akin to a drama. Dylan has to dig deep to remain professional.

Chilling, ultimate and full of menace. There is dark suspicion that nobody is safe until the perpetrator is apprehended. Will the ring of steel wrapped around Harrowfield bring the psychopath to justice?

Coupled with the fact Dylan and Jen’s daughter Maisy is hospitalised with an undiagnosed serious illness; Jack is under pressure on all fronts.

On a happier note Jen’s dad Ralph, introduces the pair to his new lady friend but all is not as rosy as it seems three hundred miles away on the Isle of Wight, when her son brings the police to their door.

Dylan shares intelligence with The National Crime Agency which brings back a deep seated anguish of fallen colleague DS Larry Banks. Can he help them capture the boss of an international drugs cartel, and if so will it bring Dylan closure?

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was the surprise best seller of 2011—an unprecedented mix of YA fantasy and vintage photography that enthralled readers and critics alike. Publishers Weekly called it “an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters.”

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

“...fans will be thrilled to know that the sequel to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is as hauntingly sinister as the first and is unequivocally worth the wait. It’s a rare sequel that improves on the series’ beginning... A must-read!” -RT Book Reviews

"...a tasty adventure for any reader with an appetite for the…peculiar."—Kirkus Reviews

"Riggs has created a fresh and original world in these Peregrine novels, with likable, quirky characters and a very readable style."—Library Journal Xpress Review

"New readers of the series will find this novel a treat...Fans of the first title will find this book a treasure. The only downside: waiting for the third installment to find out what happens to Jacob and his peculiar friends."—School Library Journal

"...a stunning achievement."—Boston Globe

"I was blown away....Hollow City is fantastic..."—USAToday.com

"Ideal for fans of Neil Gaiman and Daniel Kraus, Hollow City blends fantasy and horror into a world that will engross readers and leave them eager for more."—Shelf Awareness for Readers

"...a great big jolt of fun"—Litreactor.com

A magical collection of 10 stories based on the folklore and oral traditions of Mexican and Native American cuentistas

Rich in the folklore of his ancestors, Rudolfo Anaya’s tales will delight young readers from across the globe. In stories both original and passed down, this bestselling author incorporates powerful themes of family, faith, and choosing the right path in life. In “Lupe and la Llorona,” a 7th grader searches for the legendary Llorana; in “The Shepard Who Knew the Language of Animals,” a shepherd named Abel saves a snake and gains the ability to understand the language of animals; In “Dulcinea,” a 15-year-old dances with the Devil. Other tales feature coyotes, ravens, a woodcutter who tries to cheat death, the Virgin Mary, a golden carp, and a young Latino who seeks immortality.

Deeply rooted in ancient mythological beliefs, these accounts of enchantment are as beautiful and mysterious as the Rio Grande itself—and serve as a testament to the lost art of oral storytelling.

This ebook features illustrations by by Amy Córdova.

EDITORIAL REVIEWS

• “Contains compelling twists that will keep the pages turning.” —Publishers Weekly

•  

• “Filled with ghosts, devils, and tricksters, these cuentos are suffused with the beliefs of the peoples in the Rio Grande region. . . . Anaya champions the reading of a good book or listening to a folktale as an opportunity to insert one’s own experiences into the story and, hence, to nurture the imagination. This appealing volume will add diversity to folklore collections.” —Library Journal

•  

• “Every story spins its magic effectively. Best of all, beyond their solid entertainment value and read-aloud potential, the engaging tales allegorically extol solid virtues (obeying one’s parents, creating luck through hard work, keeping vows, being charitable) that readers can easily grasp.” —Booklist

•  

• “The wide variety of stories demonstrate a mature understanding of life’s trappings and dangers, but retain a healthy sense of humor about the human predicament.” —Kirkus Reviews

•  

• “Perfect to use as an introduction to the Hispanic culture of the Southwest.” —Multicultural Review

With an Introduction by David Stuart Davies.

'In the great mirror opposite I saw myself, and right behind, another wicked fearful self, so like me my soul seemed to quiver within me, as though not knowing to which similitude of body it belonged'.

Elizabeth Gaskell is better known today for her pioneering social novels such as Mary Barton (1848) but she also wrote some fascinating tales of the supernatural and the macabre, which are collected here in this volume. The real charm of this dark anthology is its variety. Unlike so many writers of this kind of material, Gaskell allows the story to fit the style rather than the other way around and as result there is a charming freshness to each tale.

This remarkable author uses different voices, tones and topics to engage her readers and as you turn from one story to the next you cannot be quite sure what to expect.

For a review of this book click here

Tales incude:

• The Old Nurse's Story
• The Squire's Story
• The Poor Clare
• Lois the Witch
• The Doom of the Griffiths
• The Ghost in the Garden room
• The Grey Woman
• Curious, if True
• Disappearances

“[Daly] writes with a singular voice and a fierce passion that roars off the page, while also displaying a visceral understanding of the betrayals and humiliations of domestic life.”—Daily Mail 

The Mistake I Made is the latest page-turner from one of the England’s most captivating new thriller writers. In her provocative and riveting third novel, Paula Daly focuses her masterful eye for psychological suspense and family drama on an indecent proposal that has fatal repercussions. 

Single mother Roz has reached the breaking point. After the dissolution of her marriage, Roz’s business has gone under, debts are racking up, the rent is late (again), and she’s struggling to provide for her nine-year-old son, who is starting to misbehave in school. Roz is in trouble. Real trouble. 

When Roz returns home from work one day and finds an eviction notice, she has two weeks to find a solution; otherwise they will be kicked out of their home. Increasingly desperate, Roz doesn’t know where to turn. Then an unusual opportunity presents itself. At her sister’s fortieth birthday party, Roz meets Scott Elias—wealthy, powerful, and very married. And she leaves an indelible impression on him. He tracks her down and makes Roz an offer to spend the night with him—for money. He wants no-strings-attached intimacy and can guarantee total discretion. Could it be as simple as it sounds? With that kind of cash, Roz could clear her debts and get her life back on track. But as the situation spirals out of her control, Roz is forced to do things she never thought herself capable of doing. Can she ever set things right again?