Download or read book Tree of Smoke written by Denis Johnson and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2007-09-04 with total page 638 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once upon a time there was a war . . . and a young American who thought of himself as the Quiet American and the Ugly American, and who wished to be neither, who wanted instead to be the Wise American, or the Good American, but who eventually came to witness himself as the Real American and finally as simply the Fucking American. That’s me. This is the story of Skip Sands—spy-in-training, engaged in Psychological Operations against the Vietcong—and the disasters that befall him thanks to his famous uncle, a war hero known in intelligence circles simply as the Colonel. This is also the story of the Houston brothers, Bill and James, young men who drift out of the Arizona desert into a war in which the line between disinformation and delusion has blurred away. In its vision of human folly, and its gritty, sympathetic portraits of men and women desperate for an end to their loneliness, whether in sex or death or by the grace of God, this is a story like nothing in our literature. Tree of Smoke is Denis Johnson’s first full-length novel in nine years, and his most gripping, beautiful, and powerful work to date. Tree of Smoke is the 2007 National Book Award Winner for Fiction.

Download or read book My Side of the Mountain written by Jean Craighead George and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2001-05-21 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Should appeal to all rugged individualists who dream of escape to the forest."—The New York Times Book Review Sam Gribley is terribly unhappy living in New York City with his family, so he runs away to the Catskill Mountains to live in the woods—all by himself. With only a penknife, a ball of cord, forty dollars, and some flint and steel, he intends to survive on his own. Sam learns about courage, danger, and independence during his year in the wilderness, a year that changes his life forever. “An extraordinary book . . . It will be read year after year.” —The Horn Book

Download or read book RUNNING WITH TREES A Book of Short Tales written by Susan Hayward-Tonkin and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2016-08-28 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tales of courage through adversity with a little divine intervention. Finding love against all odds and having the courage to stand true to ones ideals.

Download or read book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running written by Haruki Murakami and published by Vintage Canada. This book was released on 2009-08-11 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the best-selling author of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and After Dark, a rich and revelatory memoir about writing and running, and the integral impact both have made on his life. In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Haruki Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he’d completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, not to mention triathlons and a slew of critically acclaimed books, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and—even more important—on his writing. Equal parts training log, travelogue, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and includes settings ranging from Tokyo’s Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston among young women who outpace him. Through this marvellous lens of sport emerges a cornucopia of memories and insights: the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer, his greatest triumphs and disappointments, his passion for vintage LPs and the experience, after the age of fifty, of seeing his race times improve and then fall back. By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in distance running.

Download or read book The Running Trees written by Amber McMillan and published by . This book was released on 2021-09-07 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A striking original, deftly humorous collection of stories that considers the quest for truth: how we come to it or alternatively avoid it. A fervently comic debut, The Running Treesleads readers into a series of conversations -- through phonelines, acts in a play, and a rewound recording of a police interrogation -- to reveal characters in fumbling bouts of brutality, reflection, isolation, and love. The relationship between two siblings disintegrates after one asks the other for thepen; a professor and his former student get drinks years after a "romantic" encounter; a book club meets only to find that they have wildly different opinions about a new memoir about their town; and a long-haired feline contemplates existence and consciousness while his cohabitant licks his butthole. Whimsical, unconventional, humorous, and always pitch-perfect, The Running Treesexplores how we desperately try to communicate with each other amid the gaps in meaning we create.

Download or read book The Curvy Tree written by Chris Colfer and published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2015-10-27 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The debut picture book from #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer Once upon a time, there was a little girl who didn't quite fit in. When she runs away, she happens upon a curvy tree who helps her understand the importance of being different! This picture book stands alone, but also plays an important role in the Land of Stories series--making this a must-have book for fans and new readers alike!

Download or read book The Book of Longings written by Sue Monk Kidd and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-04-21 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An extraordinary novel . . . a triumph of insight and storytelling.” —Associated Press “A true masterpiece.” —Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed An extraordinary story set in the first century about a woman who finds her voice and her destiny, from the celebrated number one New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wings In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything. Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary. Ana's pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome's occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history. Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus's life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman's bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her. It is a triumph of storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the height of her powers.

Download or read book About Trees written by Katie Holten and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: About Trees considers our relationship with language, landscape, perception, and memory in the Anthropocene. The book includes texts and artwork by a stellar line up of contributors including Jorge Luis Borges, Andrea Bowers, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ada Lovelace and dozens of others. Holten was artist in residence at Buro BDP. While working on the book she created an alphabet and used it to make a new typeface called Trees. She also made a series of limited edition offset prints based on her Tree Drawings.

Download or read book Rudyard Kipling Ultimate Short Story Collection 440 Short Stories in One Volume Complete Illustrated Edition written by Rudyard Kipling and published by e-artnow. This book was released on 2015-08-27 with total page 5290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This carefully crafted ebook: "Rudyard Kipling Ultimate Short Story Collection: 440+ Short Stories in One Volume (Complete Illustrated Edition)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Short Story Collections: The City of Dreadful Night Plain Tales from the Hills The Story of the Gadsbys Soldier's Three The Phantom 'Rickshaw and Other Ghost Stories Under the Deodars Wee Willie Winkie Life's Handicap Many Inventions The Jungle Book The Second Jungle Book The Day's Work Stalky and Co. Just So Stories Traffics and Discoveries Puck of Pook's Hill Actions and Reactions Abaft the Funnel Rewards and Fairies The Eyes of Asia A Diversity of Creatures Land and Sea Tales Debits and Credits Thy Servant a Dog Limits and Renewals Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist. He wrote tales and poems of British soldiers in India and stories for children. He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".

Download or read book Hothouse written by Brian W. Aldiss and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2015-05-19 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Hugo Award–winning classic about a far-future Earth dominated by gargantuan plants and the few humans who remain Millions of years beyond our time, our Earth has long since stopped spinning—and giant flora have taken over the sunlit half of the motionless world. Here humans are among the very few animal species that still exist, struggling to survive against enormous odds, but they have become small and weak, and their numbers have dwindled to almost nothing. When the aging leader of Gren’s tribe decrees it is time for the old ones to go “Up,” the younger are left to make their own way below. Although the journey will not be an easy one for young Gren, he sets off on an odyssey across a perilous world populated by carnivorous plants and other evolved vegetation. But any knowledge to be gained at the terminator—the forbidding boundary between the day world and the night—might well prove worthless for the boy and the companions he amasses along the way when the expanding sun goes nova and their Earth is no more. A thrilling parable of courage, discovery, and survival, Hothouse is among Grand Master Brian W. Aldiss’s most beloved and enduring works. Ingeniously inventive, richly detailed, and breathtakingly lush and vibrant, the doomed world and people that Aldiss creates will live forever in the minds of all those who enter this remarkable realm.

Download or read book The Giving Tree written by Shel Silverstein and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2014-02-18 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As The Giving Tree turns fifty, this timeless classic is available for the first time ever in ebook format. This digital edition allows young readers and lifelong fans to continue the legacy and love of a classic that will now reach an even wider audience. "Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy." So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein. This moving parable for all ages offers a touching interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk...and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave. This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein's incomparable career as a bestselling children's book author and illustrator began with Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back. He is also the creator of picture books including A Giraffe and a Half, Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros?, The Missing Piece, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O, and the perennial favorite The Giving Tree, and of classic poetry collections such as Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, Every Thing On It, Don't Bump the Glump!, and Runny Babbit. And don't miss the other Shel Silverstein ebooks, Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic!

Download or read book The Lorax written by Dr. Seuss and published by RH Childrens Books. This book was released on 2013-09-24 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Celebrate Earth Day with Dr. Seuss and the Lorax in this classic picture book about protecting the environment! I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. Dr. Seuss’s beloved story teaches kids to speak up and stand up for those who can’t. With a recycling-friendly “Go Green” message, The Lorax allows young readers to experience the beauty of the Truffula Trees and the danger of taking our earth for granted, all in a story that is timely, playful and hopeful. The book’s final pages teach us that just one small seed, or one small child, can make a difference. This book is the perfect gift for Earth Day and for any child—or child at heart—who is interested in recycling, advocacy and the environment, or just loves nature and playing outside. Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.

Download or read book The Mystery of the Golden Elephant The Mystery Series Short Story Book 5 written by Paul Moxham and published by Paul Moxham. This book was released on 2014-11-01 with total page 15 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you up for a thrilling adventure? When a daring thief robs a house in Smugglers Cove in broad daylight, the Mystery Kids are soon on the case. However, this rather simple case of robbery soon turns into a complex mystery as they discover that all is not as it seems. How did the thief get into the house? What surprising discovery does Joe make? And who isn't telling the truth? Set in 1950's Britain, this adventure story will suit anyone who enjoys Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys or the Famous Five. THE MYSTERY SERIES This middle grade series set in 1950's UK will delight children of all ages. Perfect for fans of Enid Blyton (Famous Five/Secret Seven), Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew), Franklin Dixon (Hardy Boys) and Gertrude Chandler Warner (The Boxcar Children). Suitable for children 6-8, 9-12, and even adults who love a clean and wholesome story. Full Length Novels: The Mystery of Smugglers Cove The Mystery of Adventure Island The Mystery of Hidden Valley The Mystery of Claw Mountain The Mystery of the Golden Dragons The Mystery of Treasure Island The Mystery of Four Towers Short Stories: The Mystery of the Missing Money The Mystery of the Missing Gnomes The Mystery of the Mysterious Man The Mystery of the Strange Notebook The Mystery of the Golden Elephant The Mystery of the Red Balloon The Mystery of the Howling Dog The Mystery of the Hidden Suitcase

Download or read book A Little Life written by Hanya Yanagihara and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2016-01-26 with total page 833 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A stunning “portrait of the enduring grace of friendship” (NPR) about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. A masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century. NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE A Little Life follows four college classmates—broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition—as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. Look for Hanya Yanagihara’s latest bestselling novel, To Paradise.

Download or read book Hitting Trees with Sticks written by Jane Rogers and published by Comma Press. This book was released on 2013-12-03 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: **Long-listed for the 2013 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Prize** **Short-listed for the 2013 Edge Hill Short Story Prize** A young textile designer quits Britain to work for a Nigerian women’s refuge, confident that this is her one chance to make a difference… A sixteen-year-old uses his first job, as a window-cleaner, to peer into other people’s lives and carefully plan his own… A leading scientist spends an evening trying to explain his latest theory to a man who could destroy him... The characters in Jane Rogers’ first short story collection are each blessed with an unwavering conviction. Buoyed up on self-belief, they enthuse, take calculated risks, and refuse to be deterred by the odds stacked against them. But just as Rogers’ compassion as a writer endears us to their cause, her keen eye shows how fine the balance can be between conviction and self-delusion. At times, her subject seems to be the fallibility of any point of view, the persistence of blind spots no matter how careful or intelligent the viewer. Hers are not unreliable narrators, merely human ones – diverse, contradictory, imperfect. Indeed it is often their flaws that beguile us. ‘There is nothing predictable about a Jane Rogers story. She has the confidence and skill to inhabit many different voices and different worlds. She slides the reader, in imagination, to a snow-bound France, to Africa, to the Caribbean: she takes us into offices and libraries, under the sea and into the forest, and also into the vast untrodden country of memory that we carry around inside. Her observation of our species is tender, precise, illuminating.’ – Hilary Mantel 'Thrilling, ambitious stories that cross continents and soar from cells to stars.' – Maggie Gee ‘Warm, wise, insightful, sharply observed and beautifully written – each story is a world in microcosm.’ – Marina Lewycka 'This is her first collection of short stories, and it is beautiful.' - The Independent on Sunday

Download or read book Oxford Anthology of the Brazilian Short Story written by K. David Jackson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006-08-31 with total page 540 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford Anthology of the Brazilian Short Story contains a selection of short stories by the best-known authors in Brazilian literature from the late nineteenth century to the present. With few exceptions, these stories have appeared in English translation, although widely separated in time and often published in obscure journals. Here they are united in a coherent edition representing Brazil's modern, vibrant literature and culture. J.M. Machado de Assis, who first perfected the genre, wrote at least sixty stories considered to be masterpieces of world literature. Ten of his stories are included here, and are accompanied by strong and diverse representations of the contemporary story in Brazil, featuring nine stories by Clarice Lispector and seven by Joao Guimaraes Rosa. The remaining 34 authors include Mario de Andrade, Graciliano Ramos, Osman Lins, Dalton Trevisan, and other major names whose stories in translation exhibit profound artistry.The anthology is divided into four major periods, "Tropical Belle-Epoque," "Modernism," "Modernism at Mid-Century," and "Contemporary Views." There is a general introduction to Brazilian literary culture and introductions to each of the four sections, with descriptions of the authors and a general bibliography on Brazil and Brazilian literature in English. It includes stories of innovation (Mario de Andrade), psychological suspense (Graciliano Ramos), satire and perversion (Dalton Trevisan), altered realities and perceptions (Murilo Rubiao), repression and sexuality (Hilda Hilst, Autran Dourado), myth (Nelida Pinon), urban life (Lygia Fagundes Telles, Rubem Fonescal), the oral tale (Jorge Amado, Rachel de Queiroz) and other overarching themes and issues of Brazilian culture. The anthology concludes with a haunting story set in the opera theater in Manaus by one of Brazil's most recently successful writers, Milton Hatoum.

Download or read book The Throwaway Horse and Other Short Stories for Young People written by Lynn Lowry and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2012-10 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a group of short stories, some are a little funny, some are scary true stories and some are fiction that are real page turners. A few are true animal stories about the animals that pass through my life and the adventures that happen, all are fun to read and will leave you wanting more.