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Petals From The Sky by Mingmei Yip

2010-03-14T10:07:00.001-07:00

From the acclaimed author of Peach Blossom Pavilion comes a lush and lyrical novel of East and West—and of one young woman’s search for her heart’s true calling…
When twenty-year-old Meng Ning declares that she wants to be a Buddhist nun, her mother is aghast. In her eyes, a nun’s life means only deprivation—“no freedom, no love, no meat.” But to Meng Ning, it means the chance to control her own destiny, and to live in an oasis of music, art, and poetry far from her parents’ unhappy union.

With an enigmatic nun known as Yi Kong, “Depending on Emptiness,” as her mentor, Meng Ning spends the next ten years studying abroad, disdaining men, and preparing to enter the nunnery. Then, a fire breaks out at her Buddhist retreat, and Meng Ning is carried to safety by Michael Fuller, a young American doctor. The unprecedented physical contact stirs her curiosity. And as their tentative friendship grows intimate, Meng Ning realizes she must choose between the sensual and the spiritual life.

From the austere beauty of China’s Buddhist temples to the whirlwind of Manhattan’s social elite, and the brilliant bustle of Paris and Hong Kong, here is a novel of joy and heartbreak—and of the surprising paths that lead us where we most need to be.

You can learn more about Mingmei and her work at http://www.mingmeiyip.com/

HARD by Jamieson Wolf

2009-12-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

Owen’s best friend makes him hard. He’s been in love with Daniel for years, but could never tell him. If Daniel knew how Owen felt about him, Owen knew that he would lose him. And that his heart would break. Owen dreamed of kissing Daniel, of touching him. But the most they had done was look at porn together. Owen knew that his dreams would never become a reality……until Daniel rents some gay porn by accident and he becomes just as hard as Owen…

Website: www.jamiesonwolf.com
Blog: www.jamiesonwolf.blogspot.com

The Circle of Friends Book III: James by L. Diane Wolfe

2009-08-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

The future appears bright for James Sheppard. Emerging from a troubled childhood, he is blessed with talent and a good work ethic. Excelling in his classes and at the campus newspaper, James’s goal of editor appears within his grasp.

However, years of abuse and loneliness have dampened his spirit. By the time Maria enters his world, James is nearing the breaking point. Her innocent love slowly fills the void in his life, boosting his confidence and giving him hope.

When a crisis abruptly forces him into adulthood, James is saddled with more responsibility than expected. Struggling to cope with the situation, the past returns to haunt him. Will James find peace before the mistakes of his father destroy him completely?

Web site: http://www.thecircleoffriends.net/
Blog: http://circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com/

Tangled Roots by Sue Guiney

2009-03-04T14:40:00.001-08:00

Two voices interweave, an aging mother and her adult son, to carry us from Boston to London to Moscow and back again. Through physics, religion, travel and even baseball, they express the often unknown, yet undeniable, influences one life will have on another.

www.sueguineyblog.blogspot.com

9987 by Nik Jones

2009-02-28T13:24:00.001-08:00

The shop is everything to him - always neat and tidy, safe and reliable, the rental DVDs carefully categorised, alphabetised and memorised. He thinks he knows his customers, until the bloodstains begin to appear - on grubby banknotes, on porn DVDs, and on the shop's fresh new carpet. Then the girl comes into his life, green eyes and fresh scarlet slashed beneath her thin cotton blouse. He wants to rescue and protect her. He wants to be with her. Forever. Murky and disturbing, "9987" is a jagged, tragic crime story set in a disturbing, uncaring world where only three things are constant: fantasy, loneliness and love.

http://www.watching9987.blogspot.com/

Being Normal by Stephen Shieber

2009-01-21T16:42:00.001-08:00

"Being Normal" is an examination of loneliness, rejection and the idiosyncrasies of living in and against contemporary society. Stephen Shieber brings together the glory of everyday nothingness and elevates it to great drama; where loveless marriage, teen angst, childhood misadventure, lonely Christmases and family dysfunction are the norm. Each character in this stunning debut provides a very different slant on the notion of mundane - a book for anyone who has ever found themselves on the outside, dancing to the beat of their own drum.”

www.leavingtheroomwithdignity.blogspot.com

From Zaftig to Aspie by DJ Kirkby

2009-01-08T12:26:00.001-08:00

Growing up in Canada in the 1960’s, DJ Kirby experienced a life that many of us would have taken for granted. Living in and around Canada, Kirby lived with her hippie mother and followed her mother wherever her whims took her.

Living with hippies, Kirby was exposed to a world that was all around us but only few seemed able to see it. She lived with people who “recreated the rules”, who lived their own lives and shaped their own existence.

And what an existence it is.

From a young age, Kirby knew she was different. She had a different way of looking at the world that had nothing to do with her hippie lifestyle and upbringing. She knew inside of herself that she was different than everyone else around her.

But there were no words to describe her condition, no words to explain what she felt inside of her.

Those words, those powerful words that would put her entire life into perspective, would not come until she was forty years old when she was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome.

www.djkirkby.blogspot.com

Valentines Labyrinth by Jamieson Wolf

2008-12-06T18:44:00.001-08:00

It is 270 A.D.Valentine, cleric and sorcerer, is on the run from Emperor Claudius and is in hiding. With his lover Asterius by his side, every day is magic.

But something is wrong. A dark force hunt them. Lady Magnolia is on the hunt for blood. Lady Magnolia has a plan. She will use, Anna, Valentine’s former Priestess, as bait in a trap.

Valentine will have to face his darkest hour yet if the people he loves are to live…

www.jamiesonwolf.com

motorbikes, ducks and crispy sweet apples by Christopher I. King

2008-12-06T18:41:00.001-08:00

The book is absolutely amazing. Here’s a bit about the novel itself:

Jimmy was good at internet dating and he enjoyed it that is until he physically met the women. So he’d decided that he wasn’t going to meet up with anymore of his online ‘friends’ but now he’d broken his own rule!

He should have walked away when the alarm bells first sounded in his head. He had plenty of other opportunities to walk away since then, but he couldn’t or wouldn’t and he wasn’t sure why. He’d tried to convince himself it was because he was doing ‘the right thing’! Was that ‘the right thing’ for him or her? And had the need to do it stopped being the fulfillment of a promise and become an obsession?

Now it really didn’t matter anymore. He was well out of his comfort zone, on his own, thousands of miles from home and with blood on his hands!

http://www.christopheriking.synthasite.com/

What Choices We Made by Sandy Lender

2008-11-12T15:55:00.001-08:00

Would the world of Onweald be the same if Enara had acted differently all those years ago? Join Chariss's early ancestor on the shores that become Arcana. Rescue a dragon and flee a screaming horde of edras demons. Step into a fantasy realm where romance and humor meet sword and sorcery—where choices of the past shape the world of a powerful heroine. Step into What Choices We Made

www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com

Black Boxes by Caroline Smailes

2008-11-10T12:09:00.003-08:00

Ana Lewis is a woman trapped and ruined by her own expectations. Her intense relationship with fellow student Alex cracks beyond repair when she falls pregnant, and his subsequent withdrawals, both emotional and sexual are hard for her to bear. Eventually, following the births of their children Pip and Davie, Alex leaves Ana to a life of question and blame…

www.carolinesmailes.co.uk

Choices Meant for Gods by Sandy Lender

2008-11-10T12:09:00.001-08:00

Not even the gods noticed when Chariss was born with the mark of The Protector. Now she and her wizard guardian seek shelter from a mad sorcerer in a household not just full of secrets and false hope, but watched by the god who will unwittingly reveal her role in an impending war. When an orphan sets aside a lifetime of running and fear to accept the responsibilities of guarding an arrogant deity, can she face the trials in the prophecies she uncovers? Will Nigel Taiman of her latest refuge dare to use his dragon heritage to bind her to his estate or to help her in her duty?

www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com

Father of the Wolf by L. Shannon

2008-11-10T12:08:00.002-08:00

Between a wolf and his woman awaits the love they have both been searching for but to reach it they must overcome doubt, fear and betrayal. After several hundred years of isolation Athair and his clan of Valafrn rejoin the American world in search of mates. As a veterinarian, Hope doubts her sanity when she discovers that the wolf who is hit by a car is actually the man of her dreams.

www.lshannon.net

In Search of Adam by Caroline Smailes

2008-11-10T12:08:00.001-08:00

Left abandoned by the suicide of her mother and betrayed by her closest family, six-year-old Jude Williams' childhood is fractured by the horror and experience of sexual abuse. Trapped within the limitations of her language and understanding, and unwitting party to a shocking family secret, Jude becomes the consequence of her mother's tragedy. As she moves through the 1980s, Jude's life is buffeted by choice and destiny and she collects experiences that layer her personal tragedy and plunge her into the darkest of worlds.

www.carolinesmailes.co.uk

The Forbidden Daughter by Shobhan Bantwal

2008-11-10T12:07:00.002-08:00

This is the story of one young mother, Isha Tilak. When a sonogram reveals that their second child is another girl, Isha and her husband Nikhil's lives are forever altered. Their doctor suggests an abortion and her in-laws insist on it. Refusing to comply with their wishes leads to a bizarre chain of events -- Isha's husband becomes the victim of a mysterious murder plot, leaving her alone with one daughter and another on the way. Her only option is to sever her ties to her in-laws and raise her girls as a single mother.But more danger threatens to rip apart her new life. The stakes become impossibly high -- even for a woman as brave as Isha.

www.shobhanbantwal.com

Disraeli Avenue by Caroline Smailes

2008-11-10T12:07:00.001-08:00

“The houses on Disraeli Avenue all looked the same, the same shape, the same size but behind each coloured front door there was a story, a secret, a need. Bill Williams is lost, Aunty Maggie longs to be young and attractive, Crystal is searching to find out more about Adam. Tales of debt, infidelity, incest, love and loss all combine and weave into a mosaic of working class life. As the characters featured within In Search of Adam are given individual voice, the flashes connect into the making of Disraeli Avenue.”

www.carolinesmailes.co.uk

The Truth by Dr. Barbara Becker

2008-11-10T12:06:00.002-08:00

A very slim, diary-like book, The Truth (I'm a Girl, I'm Smart and I Know Everything) is the sort of book that appeals to girls and grown women alike. It is sweet and somewhat sadly nostalgic. Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein lays out this story in the form of a young girl s diary, with all the high emotions, fears and joys of that time of life. It brings us back to remembering small happiness’s, allowing them to make us glow - instead of steeping the all-importance of bills, chores and work.

www.enchantedself.com

Hocus Pocus by Teresa Roblin

2008-11-10T12:06:00.001-08:00

Amanda Santorelli is considered a quiet mouse until her aunt casts a spell on her. Now she’s vocalizing her most private thoughts.

Confounded by the new Amanda, her boss Mark Abbott is reconsidering his vow never to mix business with pleasure. But Mark doesn’t know if it’s love or if he’s a victim of Hocus Pocus.

www.teresa-roblin.com

Dark Lullaby by Mayra Calvani

2008-11-10T12:05:00.001-08:00

At a trendy Turkish tavern one Friday night, astrophysicist Gabriel Diaz meets a mysterious young woman. Captivated by her beauty as well as her views on good and evil, he spends the next several days with her. Soon, however, he begins to notice a strangeness in her--her skin's abnormally high temperature, her obsession with milk products, her child-like and bizarre behavior as she seems to take pleasure in toying with his conscience.

But nothing, not even the stunning splendour of the Black Sea, can disguise the horror of her nature. In a place where death dwells and illusion and reality seem as one, Gabriel must now come to terms with his own demons in order to save his sister's unborn child, and ultimately, his own soul…

www.mayracalvani.com

Your Messages edited by Lynne Rees and Sarah Salway

2008-11-10T12:02:00.004-08:00

Your Messages is the result of a highly inventive online collaboration which ran during November 2007, where contributors were given a single day to write a response in exactly 300 words to a message of exactly 300 words created by Lynne Rees and Sarah Salway.The quality of pieces in this collection is remarkably consistent and extremely readable. Humour, pathos, invention and tragedy abound, with the contributors squeezing every last drop out of the short word count. It is genuinely that good.

www.writeyourmessages.blogspot.com

Avery's Treasure by Kate Dolan

2008-11-10T12:02:00.003-08:00

Pirate Henry Avery disappeared with one of the largest fortunes every taken on the high seas, but he's afraid to spend it for fear of attracting too much attention. Tired of living like a pauper, his daughter sets sail with Captain Charles Vane to follow a map to the hidden treasure. Missionary Charles Carter, and sometime pirate Edward Talbot (from Langley's Choice) follow her and the map for their own reasons. This story follows the accounts of real pirates including Avery, Vane, Calico Jack Rackam and even Blackbeard.

www.katedolan.com

The Anom'tan Series by L. Shannon

2008-11-10T12:02:00.001-08:00

Anom’tan (Ah-nom-tan) Special group of Tascryn demons who have reclaimed their souls from the Hall of Souls and are able to complete sacred tascs without being harmed by sunlight. They are strong enough to tasc mortal souls without risking their own because each is bound in pairs. These may be mated demons or possibly twins. Whatever the relationship, these demons must trust their other half with their very lives.

In the Anom'tan series we meet a unit working in New York City. After a brutal attack leaves one member missing and his twin brother hovering at the edge of the soul madness, the unit is desperate to find the missing Synn demon and save the lives of both the twins.

www.lshannon.net

Gigolo on the Row by Jack Eadon

2008-11-10T12:01:00.002-08:00

Mark, the protagonist of Jack Eadon's ""Gigolo" on the Row," is a novelist who is struggling to improve his fledgling writing career, while his wife Katrina runs a restaurant. They lead the regular life of an American couple, until the evening that Katrina becomes the victim of a hit-and-run accident. Her sudden death throws Mark's life into complete disarray.

Unable to come to terms with the loss of his wife, he begins to reflect on his life with Katrina. Matters get complicated when Mark makes new revelations about Katrina's life. Beginning with an appearance by Katrina after her death and the coroner's disclosure that Katrina was pregnant at the time of her death, Mark learns about various hidden aspects of his dead wife's life, prompting him to investigate his wife's past and, by extension, his own. He discovers Katrina's part in a neighborhood drama, and it is one of the first vital clues that leads him to her secret life.

www.eadonbooks.com

If Truth Be Told by Lynda Fitzgerald

2008-11-10T12:01:00.001-08:00

Newspaper reporter Christie O'Kelly has always valued honesty and truth above all else. Now she suspects that one of the people she loves the most may be guilty of murder. Will she have the strength to search for answers even though she knows that finding them may cost her everything?

www.fitzgeraldwrites.com/

Short Meditations by Susan Gregg

2008-11-10T12:00:00.003-08:00

This book offers you a variety of simple yet powerful mediations designed to improve quality of your life by quieting the mind. This book shows you how to feel like you have more time, how to enjoy life more deeply and passionately, and how to handle everyday life without stress.

http://www.susangregg.com/

The Dowry Bride by Shobhan Bantwal

2008-11-10T12:00:00.001-08:00

On a dark, sultry night, Megha, a young bride, overhears an extraordinary conversation -- an evil plot by her in-laws to kill her for not bringing the promised dowry. Shocked and terrified, she runs to save herself from death by fire. The only person who can help her is Kiran, a man she barely knows. And yet, he puts his life on the line to protect her.

The attraction that grows between them can only bring more danger. Megha and Kiran are soon caught in a complicated web of greed, vengeance, deceit and forbidden passion. Compelled to choose between tradition and the truths buried in their hearts, they will discover the real cost of the only things worth having in life

www.shobhanbantwal.com

The Ghost Mirror by Jamieson Wolf

2008-11-10T11:59:00.003-08:00

After being neglected by her parents for thirteen years, going to live with her Grandmother is like a breath of fresh air. At her Grandmother's, she is not shunned or ignored; instead she is loved for what she is. The Last Witch.

Following one of the Ghosts that inhabit her Grandmother's house, Mave steps through The Ghost Mirror into a world that is hauntingly like her own. The Town of Elements has many surprises; foremost being the magic that surges through Mave. Another: that something dark is hunting for her. Mr. Lavender, an eater of souls, knows what Mave is and wants her soul for his own.

www.jamiesonwolf.com

Valentine by Jamieson Wolf

2008-11-10T11:59:00.001-08:00

Valentine is the story of Valentine, a sorcerer in the heyday of the Roman Empire. Though Claudius has made a decree forbidding marriage, Valentine weds people in honor of the God Lespercus. He knows that his magic, his work, comes from a higher power than the Roman Emperor. When he is visited by Asterius, the chief of the Roman Guard, Valentine falls in love with him. But how can he love someone who is supposed to be an enemy? Valentine will have to free his heart and face death in order to become the man of legend…

www.jamiesonwolf.com

Witches by Jamieson Wolf

2008-11-10T11:58:00.003-08:00

Owen has always been able to see the Witches.

Every year at Halloween, they appear for three days and then disappear. This year, however, is different. This year, something is hunting the Witches.

Jace, the only male Witch in existence, goes to Owen for help. Jace knows that there is a magic inside of Owen that can help them defeat the hunter.

Will their love have a chance to grow or will they become the hunted?
www.jamiesonwolf.com

Finding Beauty by Jamieson Wolf

2008-11-10T11:58:00.001-08:00

Having never thought of himself as beautiful, Owen wonders if he will ever find someone to love. He loved someone, a long time ago. But the love was never returned.

Deciding to look for Beauty, Owen explores the city around him and the passion inside him.

But when he receives a phone call from that long lost love, he feels torn. Can he forgive Marc for past betrayals or can he let the love, the beauty, inside of him free?

www.jamiesonwolf.com

Hunted by Jamieson Wolf

2008-11-10T11:57:00.001-08:00

Susan Halliway has to fight for her life when a serial killer begins to leave increasingly frightening notes after he kills each of his victims. She receives details of the killings days before the bodies are found.

Susan turns to Derrick Madison for help. Years ago, he left her broken hearted. Will he do the same again?

The two will have to work together to reach the end of the hunt alive. But will they be able to ignore the passion that mounts between them?

www.jamiesonwolf.com