Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion (Paperback)
by Mark Cotta Vaz (Author)

twilight

Everything fans want to know about the hotly anticipated Twilight movie and much more!

Designed as a celebration of the film, this lavishly illustrated paperback edition is an exclusive behind-the-scenes guide featuring full-color photos of the cast, locations, and sets, as well as storyboards, interviews, details of the special effects, and much more.
Praise for Eclipse:
“Move over, Harry Potter.” – USA Today

“Has a hypnotic quality that puts the reader right inside the dense, rainy thickets of [Forks]” – People Magazine

“The legions of readers who are hooked on the romantic struggles of Bella and the vampire Edward will ecstatically devour this third installment” – Publishers Weekly

“[Stephenie Meyer is] the world’s most popular vampire novelist since Anne Rice” – Entertainment Weekly

“Meyer’s trilogy seethes with the archetypal tumult of star-crossed passions, in which the supernatural element serves as a heady spice.” – The New York Times

Praise for New Moon:
-”Teens will relish this new adventure and hunger for more.”–Booklist
-”[A] near-genius balance of breathtaking romance and action.”–VOYA
-”New Moon will … leave [fans] breathless for the third.”–School Library Journal

Praise for Twilight:
-A New York Times Editor’s Choice
-A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
-An Amazon Best Book of the Decade…So Far
-An American Library Association Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults

Extreme Measures: A Thriller (Hardcover)
by Vince Flynn (Author)

Extreme Measures

In the newest devastatingly intense thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon Vince Flynn, his deadly and charismatic hero Mitch Rapp wages a war against a new enemy with the help of a fellow soldier as dedicated and as lethal as they come.

Vince Flynn’s thrillers, featuring counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp, have dominated the imagination of readers everywhere. In them, Flynn has captured the secretive world of the fearless men and women, who, bound by duty, risk their lives in a covert war they must hide from even their own political leaders.

Now, Rapp and his protege, Mike Nash, may have met their match. The CIA has detected and intercepted two terrorist cells, but a third is feared to be on the loose. Led by a dangerous mastermind obsessed with becoming the leader of al-Qaeda, this determined and terrifying group is about to descend on America.

Rapp needs the best on this assignment, and Nash, who has served his government honorably for sixteen years first as an officer in the Marine Corps and then as an operative in an elite counterterrorism team run by Rapp is his choice. Together, they have made careers out of meeting violence with extreme violence and have never wavered in the fight against the jihadists and their culture of death. Both have fought the war on terrorism in secret without accolades or acknowledgment of their personal sacrifices. Both have been forced to lie to virtually every single person they care about, and both have soldiered on with the knowledge that their hard work and lethal tactics have saved thousands of lives.

But the political winds have changed in America, and certain leaders on Capitol Hill are pushing to have men like Rapp and Nash put back on a short leash. And then one spring afternoon in Washington, DC, everything changes.

Using his insider knowledge of intelligence agencies and the military, Flynn once again delivers an all-too-real portrayal of a war that is that is waged every day by a handful of brave, devoted souls. Smart, fast-paced, and jaw-droppingly realistic, Extreme Measures is the political thriller of our time.

My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey (Hardcover)
by Jill Bolte Taylor (Author)

My Stroke of Insight

A brain scientist’s journey from a debilitating stroke to full recovery becomes an inspiring exploration of human consciousness and its possibilities

On the morning of December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist, experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain. A neuroanatomist by profession, she observed her own mind completely deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life, all within the space of four brief hours. As the damaged left side of her brain–the rational, grounded, detail- and time-oriented side–swung in and out of function, Taylor alternated between two distinct and opposite realties: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace; and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized Jill was having a stroke, and enabled her to seek help before she was lost completely.

In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor shares her unique perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery, and the sense of omniscient understanding she gained from this unusual and inspiring voyage out of the abyss of a wounded brain. It would take eight years for Taylor to heal completely. Because of her knowledge of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and most of all an amazing mother, Taylor completely repaired her mind and recalibrated her understanding of the world according to the insights gained from her right brain that morning of December 10th.

Today Taylor is convinced that the stroke was the best thing that could have happened to her. It has taught her that the feeling of nirvana is never more than a mere thought away. By stepping to the right of our left brains, we can all uncover the feelings of well-being and peace that are so often sidelined by our own brain chatter. A fascinating journey into the mechanics of the human mind, My Stroke of Insight is both a valuable recovery guide for anyone touched by a brain injury, and an emotionally stirring testimony that deep internal peace truly is accessible to anyone, at any time.

Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 2)

(Mass Market Paperback)
by Charlaine Harris (Author

Living Dead in Dallas

“I love the imaginative, creative world of Charlaine Harris!”
—Christine Feehan

“Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake… should cotton to Sookie Stackhouse.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A delightful Southern Vampire detective series.”
—Denver Post

“Charlaine Harris playfully mixes several genres to make a new one that is her own bright creation.”
—Rocky Mountain News –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description
When a vampire asks Sookie Stackhouse to use her telepathic skills to find another missing vampire, she agrees under one condition: the bloodsuckers must promise to let the humans go unharmed. 

Vampires, Telepaths, Shape Shifters, OH MY, April 18, 2007
By Cherise Everhard (Michigan, USA)

This is the second book in the Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse series.

Right from Chapter one this book will keep you enthralled. Sookie Stackhouse, the telepath waitress and her vampire boyfriend, Bill, have a lot going on in this story. Sookie first discovers a dead body, she is attacked, saved, and then she travels to Dallas where she finds more danger. The book summary pretty much tells you all you need to know any more and you’d have zero surprises. After coming home from Dallas there are some surprisingly real and heartfelt emotions and issues between Sookie and Bill. Ms. Harris does such an excellent job of writing what Sookie is feeling, that you feel it, too. While there is a lot going on in this story, it is woven together, seamlessly, and flows beautifully.

Eric the vampire makes another appearance and all I can say is… yum! He is an excellent character and adds a lot of chemistry and humor to this story. There is also an introduction of another Vampire leader, while his character was important to this story I didn’t get the feeling he’d be a major player in future stories. Sookie meets another Shape shifter in Dallas and I have the feeling I will be reading more about her in coming books, I am looking forward to that.

Living Dead in Dallas is an outstanding follow-up to the first book, Dead Until Dark. The story moves fast and has a little bit of everything in it; love, sex, action, sadness, life, death, laughs and drama. I loved it and would highly recommend it, but if you haven’t read the first book, I suggest you start there and read this series in order.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Hardcover)
by Mary Ann Shaffer (Author), Annie Barrows (Author)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

For Lovers Of Literature And Life, July 21, 2008
By Susan K. Schooniver (Boulder, CO)

I wasn’t that eager to read this lovely book. The title sounded silly and I’ve read a few other books that were told entirely in the form of notes or letters like this one and I wasn’t too impressed. And an aunt and her niece authoring a book together? I couldn’t imagine it. Yet, miraculously, THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY manages to offer wonderful well rounded characters, a genuine sense of historic time and geographic place, some real inspiring stories of courage under hardship during World War II and a sweet if rather predictable love story.

The book takes place in England during the mid 1940’s when the country was recovering from the effects of the long war years. The central character of the novel is Juliet, a thirty something single Londoner who has had some success writing a humorous newspaper column and is now looking for a book subject. Through chance and a mutual love of the power of literature Juliet begins corresponding with a group of diverse people on the British island of Guernsey who used books and the fellowship they found discussing them to help them get through the hideous occupation of their island by the Germans. The authors do a wonderful job giving unique voice and style to each of the letter writers (maybe having two authors really helped in this case) long before Juliet meets her new friends face to face. In the second half of the book, also written in letter form, Juliet is on Guernsey herself and this part of the book is not quite as strong as the beginning as the plot settles in to more of a traditional love story form and the literature themes are somewhat lessened. Still,through its final page, this is an original and entertaining book.

Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1)

(Paperback)
by Charlaine Harris (Author)

Dead Until Dark

A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity

A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity (Hardcover)

by Bill O’Reilly (Author)

The year was 1957, the month September, and I had just turned eight years old. Dwight Eisenhower was President, but in my life it was the diminutive, intense Sister Mary Lurana who ruled, at least in the third-grade class where I was held captive. For reasons you will soon understand, my parents had remanded me to the penal institution of St. Brigid’s School in Westbury, New York, a cruel and unusual punishment if there ever was one.

Already, I had barely survived my first two years at St. Brigid’s because I was, well, a little nitwit. Not satisfied with memorizing the Baltimore Catechism’s fine prose, which featured passages like “God made me to show his goodness and to make me happy with him in heaven,” I was constantly annoying my classmates and, of course, the no-nonsense Sister Lurana. With sixty overactive students in her class, she was understandably short on patience. For survival, she had also become quick on the draw.

Then it happened. One day I blurted out some dumb remark, and Sister Lurana was on me like a panther. Her black habit blocked out all distractions as she leaned down, looked me in the eye, and uttered words I have never forgotten: “William, you are a bold, fresh piece of humanity.”

And she was dead-on.

One day in 1957, in the third-grade classroom of St. Brigid’s parochial school, an exasperated Sister Mary Lurana bent over a restless young William O’Reilly and said, “William, you are a bold, fresh piece of humanity.” Little did she know that she was, early in his career as a troublemaker, defining the essence of Bill O’Reilly and providing him with the title of his brash and entertaining issues-based memoir.

And this time it’s personal. In his most intimate book yet, O’Reilly goes back in time to examine the people, places, and experiences that launched him on his journey from working-class kid to immensely influential television personality and bestselling author. Readers will learn how his traditional outlook was formed in the crucible of his family, his neighborhood, his church, and his schools, and how his views on America’s proper role in the world emerged from covering four wars on five continents over three-plus decades as a news correspondent. What will delight his numerous fans and surprise many others is the humor and self-deprecation with which he handles one of his core subjects: himself, and just how O’Reilly became O’Reilly.

About the Author

BILL O’REILLY, a three-time Emmy Award winner for excellence in reporting, served as national correspondent for ABC News and as anchor of the nationally syndicated news magazine program Inside Edition before becoming executive producer and anchor of Fox News’s breakout hit The O’Reilly Factor. He is the author of the mega-bestsellers The O’Reilly Factor, The No Spin Zone, Who’s Looking Out for You?, and Culture Warrior, as well as Kids Are Americans Too, The O’Reilly Factor for Kids, and the novel Those Who Trespass. He holds master’s degrees from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Boston University.

The Wordy Shipmates (Hardcover)

by Sarah Vowell (Author)

The Wordy Shipmate

The Wordy Shipmates is New York Times–bestselling author Sarah Vowell’s exploration of the Puritans and their journey to America to become the people of John Winthrop’s “city upon a hill”—a shining example, a “city that cannot be hid.”

To this day, America views itself as a Puritan nation, but Vowell investigates what that means— and what it should mean. What was this great political enterprise all about? Who were these people who are considered the philosophical, spiritual, and moral ancestors of our nation? What Vowell discovers is something far different from what their uptight shoe-buckles-and-corn reputation might suggest. The people she finds are highly literate, deeply principled, and surprisingly feisty. Their story is filled with pamphlet feuds, witty courtroom dramas, and bloody vengeance. Along the way she asks:

* Was Massachusetts Bay Colony governor John Winthrop a communitarian, a Christlike Christian, or conformity’s tyrannical enforcer? Answer: Yes!
* Was Rhode Island’s architect, Roger Williams, America’s founding freak or the father of the First Amendment? Same difference.
* What does it take to get that jezebel Anne Hutchinson to shut up? A hatchet.
* What was the Puritans’ pet name for the Pope? The Great Whore of Babylon.

Sarah Vowell’s special brand of armchair history makes the bizarre and esoteric fascinatingly relevant and fun. She takes us from the modern-day reenactment of an Indian massacre to the Mohegan Sun casino, from old-timey Puritan poetry, where “righteousness” is rhymed with “wilderness,” to a Mayflower-themed waterslide. Throughout, The Wordy Shipmates is rich in historical fact, humorous insight, and social commentary by one of America’s most celebrated voices. Thou shalt enjoy it.

A Most Wanted Man (Hardcover)

by John le Carre (Author)

A Most Wanted Man

Review
“Le Carré’s … secret agents exist in a world of stalemate, moral compromise, ambiguity and betrayal… Like his books, le Carré is a mix of unblinking realism and hopeful humanism.”– Jill Lawless, Associated Press

“What le Carré has always done terrifically is to capture the nuances of the spying game. His spooks are wonderful… In A Most Wanted Man you are, unlike the modern world, in thrillingly deft, safe hands.”– The Guadian (UK)

“Highly recommended.”– Library Journal

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” , September 18, 2008
By Leonard Fleisig “Len (Washington, D.C.)

With the possible exception of one young German lawyer there are no revolutionary acts in John Le Carre’s “A Most Wanted Man”. Rather, we have high-level functionaries from German, British, and US intelligence agencies for whom deceit is the norm and truth plays, at best, a secondary role in acting in what is or may be in each country’s national interest. In tone and substance this is not much different from Le Carre’s Cold War fiction. The trick is to see whether the same cynical realism plays as well in today’s `war on terror’. Le Carre’s transition from the Cold War to the brave new world post-9/11 is excellent. The result is a book that is dark, cynical, and almost as rewarding as the best of Le Carre’s earlier fiction.

The most wanted man in question is Issa. Issa is the product of the rape of a Chechnyan woman by a Red Army Colonel stationed in Chechnya. Raised by his father in Russia, Issa flees to the west after his father dies. Issa finds his way to Hamburg and despite his famished look it appears that Issa has connection to money and influence. He is also, apparently, a Muslim and because of his Chechnyan heritage he is identified by Russian intelligence agencies as a suspected terrorist. German, US, and British intelligence agencies based in Hamburg quickly identify him as a person of interest. The other main protagonists are Annabel Richter and Tommy Brue. Richter is a newly qualified attorney who has foregone work in private practice to work for a German civil rights organization created to assist immigrants and refugees in normalizing their status in Germany. Brue is a private banker whose bank is the depository of the significant funds Issa may lay claim to.

Le Carre does a wonderful job portraying Issa, Richter, and Brue. Issa is a total cipher. He has a naïve innocence about him (think of Chance from Jerzy Kosinki’s Being There) that takes the reader in one direction in assessing his motives and the real reason for his presence in Germany. Yet there are enough anomalies and discrepancies in his story and in his remarks to Richter and Brue that make you go, “hold on a moment, there’s more here than meets the eye.” Richter is something of a naif, her idealism tends to obscure her ability to cast a truly critical eye over the gaps in Issa’s story.

Tennyson once wrote:

“That a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies;
That a lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outright;
But a lie which is part a truth is a harder matter to fight.”

Le Carre writes with exquisite precision and insight about a world in which truth is not a matter worth fighting for. Highly recommended. L. Fleisig

Grace: A Novel (Hardcover)

by Richard Paul Evans (Author)

Grace

She was my first kiss. My first love. She was a little match girl who could see the future in the flame of a candle. She was a runaway who taught me more about life than anyone has before or since. And when she was gone my innocence left with her.

As I begin to write, a part of me feels as if I am awakening something best left dead and buried, or at least buried. We can bury the past, but it never really dies. The experience of that winter has grown on my soul like ivy climbing the outside of a home, growing until it begins to tear and tug at the brick and mortar.

I pray I can still get the story right. My memory, like my eyesight, has waned with age. Still, there are things that become clearer to me as I grow older. This much I know: too many things were kept secret in those days. Things that never should have been hidden. And things that should have.

About the Author
Richard Paul Evans is the author of eleven New York Times bestselling novels and five children’s books. He has won the American Mothers’ Book Award and two first-place Storytelling World Awards for his children’s books. His books have been translated into more than eighteen languages. More than thirteen million copies of his books are in print worldwide. Evans is also the founder of The Christmas Box House International, an organization dedicated to helping abused and neglected children. More than 13,000 children have been housed in Christmas Box Houses. He is the recipient of The Washington Times Humanitarian of the Century Award and the Volunteers of America National Empathy Award. He is currently building a second orphanage in Peru. He lives with his wife, Keri, and their five children in Salt Lake City, Utah.