Download or read book The Taxidermist s Daughter written by Kate Mosse and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2016-03-29 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A young amnesiac spinster contends with missing persons and murder in this gothic thriller by the New York Times–bestselling author of Labyrinth. 1912—In a remote village near the coast in Sussex, residents gather in a churchyard. More than a decade into the twentieth century, superstition still holds sway: It is St. Mark’s Eve, the night when the shimmering ghosts of those fated to die in the coming year are said to materialize and amble through the church doors. In the crowd is Constantia Gifford, the taxidermist’s daughter. Twenty-two and unmarried, she lives with her father in a decaying mansion cluttered with the remains of his once world-famous museum of taxidermy. No one speaks of why the museum was shuttered or how the Giffords fell so low. Connie herself has no recollection—a childhood accident has erased all memory of her earlier days. The locals shun Blackthorn House and the strange spinster who practices her father’s macabre art. When a woman is found dead—a stranger Connie noticed near the church—snippets of long-lost memories begin to tease through Connie’s mind, offering her glimpses of her vanished years. Who is the victim, and why has her death affected Connie so deeply? Why is she watched by a mysterious figure who has suddenly appeared on the nearby marsh? The answers are tied to a dark secret that lies at the heart of Blackthorn House, hidden among the bell jars of her father’s workshop—a mystery that draws Connie closer to danger . . . closer to madness . . . closer to the startling truth. Praise for The Taxidermist’s Daughter “The Taxidermist’s Daughter is amazing―atmospheric, gripping . . . I can’t put it down.” —Marian Keyes, author of This Charming Man “A superb, atmospheric thriller.” —Daily Mail (UK) “[A] fruitful use of meticulous research. A well-written page-turner.” —Historical Novel Society
Download or read book Sepulchre written by Kate Mosse and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2008-04-01 with total page 637 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the New York Times bestselling author of Labyrinth-"a rich brew of supernaturalism and intrigue."(Kirkus Reviews) In 1891, young Léonie Vernier and her brother arrive at the home of their widowed aunt in Rennes-le-Bains, in southwest France. But nothing is as Léonie had imagined. Their aunt is young, willowy, and beautiful, and the estate is a subject of local superstition. Villagers claim that Léonie's late uncle died after summoning a demon from the old Visigoth sepulchre on its grounds... More than a century later, Meredith Martin, an American graduate student, arrives in Rennes-le- Bains while researching the life of Claude Debussy. Haunted by a Tarot reading she had in Paris-and possessing the mysterious deck of cards-she checks into a grand old hotel built on the site of a famous mountain estate destroyed by fire in 1896. There, the pack of Tarot cards and a piece of 19th-century music known as Sepulchre 1891 hold the key to her fate-just as they did to the fate of Léonie Vernier.
Download or read book Mostly Dead Things written by Kristen Arnett and published by Tin House Books. This book was released on 2020-04-21 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The celebrated New York Times Bestseller A Best Book of the Year pick at the New York Times, NPR, The New Yorker, TIME, Washington Post, Oprahmag.com, Thrillist, Shelf Awareness, Good Housekeeping and more. What does it take to come back to life? For Jessa-Lynn Morton, the question is not an abstract one. In the wake of her father’s suicide, Jessa has stepped up to manage his failing taxidermy business while the rest of the Morton family crumbles. Her mother starts sneaking into the taxidermy shop to make provocative animal art, while her brother, Milo, withdraws. And Brynn, Milo’s wife—and the only person Jessa’s ever been in love with—walks out without a word. It’s not until the Mortons reach a tipping point that a string of unexpected incidents begins to open up surprising possibilities and second chances. But will they be enough to salvage this family, to help them find their way back to one another? Kristen Arnett’s breakout bestseller is a darkly funny family portrait; a peculiar, bighearted look at love and loss and the ways we live through them together.
Download or read book The Art of Taxidermy written by Sharon Kernot and published by Text Publishing. This book was released on 2018-07-02 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shortlisted for the 2017 Text Prize Lottie collects dead creatures and lovingly cares for them, hoping to preserve them, to save them from disintegration. Her father understands—Lottie has a scientific mind, he thinks. Her aunt wants it to stop, and she goes to cruel lengths to make sure it does. And her mother? Lottie’s mother died long ago. And Lottie is searching for a way to be close to her. The Art of Taxidermy is a heartbreaking verse novel exploring love and death, grief and beauty, and the ways we try to make sense of it all. Sharon Kernot writes poetry and fiction. Her work has appeared in a variety of journals, magazines and anthologies including Island, Mascara Literary Journal, Best Australian Poems, and Australian Love Stories. ‘Completely mesmerising, fresh and unexpected.’ Diana Sweeney, winner of 2013 Text Prize ‘An intense exploration of grief.’ Steven Herrick ‘[An] exquisite lyrical verse novel...[A] sharply evocative tale.’ West Weekend ‘The work couples the swift, clipped charm of a verse novel and the unpredictable beauty of the Australian landscape in a captivating manner that showcases an author entirely comfortable with her form...Lingers in the mind for weeks afterwards.’ Tulpa Magazine ‘Kernot has created an intriguing tale of mystery and the imagination with a haunting ambience that the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe would recognise and admire...this is a delightful story about grief transformed and the urge to resurrect and to re-create.’ Saturday Paper ‘This book is beautifully written...while the novel is about grief, it is also about the importance of remembering and keeping the memory of loved ones alive.’ Magpies Magazine ‘In lyrical language, Kernot draws a comparison between the Australian bush and death: both are beautiful and desolate at once.’ Readings ‘Kernot’s writing is imbued with life and grace and moments of infectious joy.’ SA Weekend
Download or read book Still Life written by Melissa Milgrom and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2010-02-14 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After her curiosity is piqued by a safari gone awry, a journalist delves into the curious world of taxidermy and shares her findings. It’s easy to dismiss taxidermy as a kitschy or morbid sideline, the realm of trophy fish and jackalopes or an anachronistic throwback to the dusty diorama. Yet theirs is a world of intrepid hunter-explorers, eccentric naturalists, and gifted museum artisans, all devoted to the paradoxical pursuit of creating the illusion of life. Into this subculture of passionate animal-lovers ventures journalist Melissa Milgrom, whose journey stretches from the anachronistic family workshop of the last chief taxidermist for the American Museum of Natural History to the studio where an English sculptor, granddaughter of a surrealist artist, preserves the animals for Damien Hirst’s most disturbing artworks. She wanders through Mr. Potter’s Museum of Curiosities in the final days of its existence to watch dealers vie for preserved Victorian oddities, and visits the Smithsonian’s offsite lab, where taxidermists transform zoo skins into vivacious beasts. She tags along with a Canadian bear trapper and former Roy Orbison impersonator—the three-time World Taxidermy Champion—as he resurrects an extinct Irish elk using DNA studies and Paleolithic cave art for reference; she even ultimately picks up a scalpel and stuffs her own squirrel. Transformed from a curious onlooker to an empathetic participant, Milgrom takes us deep into the world of taxidermy and reveals its uncanny appeal. “Hilarious but respectful.” —Washington Post “Engrossing.” —New Yorker “[A] delightful debut . . . Milgrom has in Still Life opened up a whole world to readers.” —Chicago Tribune “Milgrom’s lively account will appeal to readers who enjoyed Mary Roach’s quirky science books.” —Library Journal
Download or read book The Burning Chambers written by Kate Mosse and published by Minotaur Books. This book was released on 2019-06-18 with total page 537 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "For fans of juicy historical fiction, this one might just develop into their next obsession."—EW.com From the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of Labyrinth, comes the first in an epic new series. Power and Prejudice: France, 1562. War sparks between the Catholics and Huguenots, dividing neighbors, friends, and family—meanwhile, nineteen-year-old Minou Joubert receives an anonymous letter at her father’s bookshop. Sealed with a distinctive family crest, it contains just five words: She knows that you live. Love and Betrayal: Before Minou can decipher the mysterious message, she meets a young Huguenot convert, Piet Reydon. Piet has a dangerous task of his own, and he will need Minou’s help if he is to stay alive. Soon, they find themselves on opposing sides, as forces beyond their control threaten to tear them apart. Honor and Treachery: As the religious divide deepens, Minou and Piet find themselves trapped in Toulouse, facing new dangers as tensions ignite across the city—and a feud that will burn across generations begins to blaze. . . "A masterly tour of history . . . a breathless thriller, alive with treachery, danger, atmosphere, and beauty.”—A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
Download or read book Savage Girl written by Jean Zimmerman and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-03-06 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An over-the-top romp through 1870s America . . . compulsively readable.” —Oprah.com Jean Zimmerman’s spectacular follow-up to The Orphanmaster has it all: Gilded Age romance, robber baron excess, detective story suspense, and a compelling female protagonist whom readers will fall in love with. In 1875, the Delegates, an outlandishly wealthy Manhattan couple on a tour of the American West, seek out a sideshow attraction called “Savage Girl.” Her handlers avow that the wild, seemingly mute Bronwyn has been raised by wolves. Presented with the perfect blank slate to explore the power of civilized nurture, the Delegates take her back east to be introduced into high society. Cleaned up, Bronwyn is blazingly smart and darkly beautiful; as she takes steps toward her grand debut, a series of suitors find her irresistible—and begin to turn up murdered.
Download or read book American Delirium written by Betina González and published by Henry Holt and Company. This book was released on 2021-02-16 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From award-winning novelist Betina González, a dizzying, luminous English-language debut about an American town overrun by a mysterious hallucinogen and the collision of three unexpected characters' lives through the mayhem First, in a small Midwestern city, the deer population starts attacking people. So Beryl, a feisty senior with a troubled past, decides to take matters into her own hands, training a squad of fellow retirees to hunt the animals down and reclaim their own vitality. At the same time, a group of protesters decides to abandon the “system” and live in the woods, leaving their children and all responsibility behind. Berenice never thought her mother would join the “dropouts,” but she’s been gone for several days, and the only clue to what might have happened to her is hidden somewhere in her old scrapbook. Vik, a taxidermist at the natural history museum and an immigrant from the Caribbean, is beginning to see the connections between the dropouts, the deer, and the discord. But he’s not about to act on his suspicions—he knows he would somehow be the one to go to jail. Each of these heartfelt and engrossing characters struggles to see their place in a society full of contradictions, but they ultimately rescue one another in surprising ways.
Download or read book Beatrice And Virgil may 10 written by Yann Martel and published by Penguin Books India. This book was released on 2010 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Henry receives a letter from an elderly taxidermist, it poses a puzzle that he cannot resist. As he is pulled further into the world of this strange and calculating man, Henry becomes increasingly involved with the lives of a donkey and a howler monkey--named Beatrice and Virgil--and the epic journey they undertake together.
Download or read book Crap Taxidermy written by Kat Su and published by Ten Speed Press. This book was released on 2014-09-09 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A humorous look at what happens when taxidermy goes terribly wrong, by the founder of the hit website crappytaxidermy.com. A relaxed toad enjoying a smoke and a brew. A cat with eerily flexible front legs. A smiling lion with receding gums. Whether you choose to laugh or cringe at these spectacularly bad attempts at taxidermy, you won't be able to tear your eyes away from the curiosities inside. This volume brings together the very best of the worst (along with a DIY "Stuff Your Own Mouse" lesson by an Insect Preparator from the American Museum of Natural History), showcasing the most perverse yet imaginative anatomical reconstructions of the animal kingdom you'll ever see.
Download or read book Citadel written by Kate Mosse and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2012-10-25 with total page 806 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An epic wartime novel from the No.1 bestselling author of LABYRINTH and THE CITY OF TEARS 1942, Nazi-occupied France. Sandrine, a spirited and courageous nineteen-year-old, finds herself drawn into a Resistance group in Carcassonne - codenamed 'Citadel' - made up of ordinary women who are prepared to risk everything for what is right. And when she meets Raoul, they discover a shared passion for the cause, for their homeland, and for each other. But in a world where the enemy now lies in every shadow - where neighbour informs on neighbour; where friends disappear without warning and often without trace - love can demand the highest price of all...
Download or read book Walter Potter s Curious World of Taxidermy written by Pat Morris and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes the life and work of the Victorian taxidermist who was best known for his elaborate, anthropormorphic taxidermy tableaux, and details how his work has been received in the contemporary art world.
Download or read book The Taxidermist s Cut written by Rajiv Mohabir and published by Four Way Books Intro Prize in. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A survival guide that shows how bigotry and redemption are mapped on the psyche and on the body
Download or read book Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories written by Kelly Barnhill and published by Algonquin Books. This book was released on 2018-02-20 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Mrs. Sorensen’s husband dies, she rekindles a long-dormant love with an unsuitable mate in “Mrs. Sorensen and the Sasquatch.” In “Open the Door and the Light Pours Through,” a young man wrestles with grief and his sexuality in an exchange of letters with his faraway beloved. “Dreadful Young Ladies” demonstrates the strength and power—known and unknown—of the imagination. In “Notes on the Untimely Death of Ronia Drake,” a witch is haunted by the deadly repercussions of a spell. “The Insect and the Astronomer” upends expectations about good and bad, knowledge and ignorance, love and longing. The World Fantasy Award–winning novella “The Unlicensed Magician” introduces the secret magical life of an invisible girl once left for dead—with thematic echoes of Barnhill’s Newbery Medal–winning novel, The Girl Who Drank the Moon. With bold, reality-bending invention underscored by richly illuminated universal themes of love, death, jealousy, and hope, the stories in Dreadful Young Ladies show why its author has been hailed as “a fantasist on the order of Neil Gaiman” (Minneapolis Star Tribune). This collection cements Barnhill’s place as one of the wittiest, most vital and compelling voices in contemporary literature.
Download or read book Taxidermy Art written by Robert Marbury and published by Artisan Books. This book was released on 2014-09-23 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this collection of taxidermy art, you’ll find a winged monkey with a fez and a martini glass, a jewel-encrusted piglet, a bionic fawn, and a polar bear balancing on a floating refrigerator. Author Robert Marbury makes for a friendly (and often funny) guide, addressing the three big questions people have about taxidermy art: What is it all about? Can I see some examples? and How can I make my own? He takes readers through a brief history of taxidermy (and what sets artistic taxidermy apart) and presents stunning pieces from the most influential artists in the field. Rounding out the book are illustrated how-to lessons to get readers started on their own work, with sources for taxidermy materials and resources for the budding taxidermist.
Download or read book The Winter Ghosts written by Kate Mosse and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-02-03 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the New York Times bestselling author of Sepulchre and Labyrinth-a compelling story of love, ghosts and remembrance. World War I robbed England and France of an entire generation of friends, lovers and futures. In Freddie Watson's case, the battlefields took his beloved brother and, at times, his peace of mind. In the winter of 1928, still seeking some kind of resolution, Freddie is travelling through the beautiful but forbidding French Pyrenees. During a snowstorm, his car spins off the mountain road. Freezing and dazed, he stumbles through the woods, emerging in a tiny village, where he finds an inn to wait out the blizzard. There he meets Fabrissa, a lovely young woman also mourning a lost generation. Over the course of one night, Fabrissa and Freddie share their stories. By the time dawn breaks, Freddie will have unearthed a tragic mystery that goes back through the centuries, and discovered his own role in the life of this old remote town. By turns thrilling, poignant, and haunting, this is a story of two lives touched by war and transformed by courage.
Download or read book The City of Tears written by Kate Mosse and published by Minotaur Books. This book was released on 2021-01-19 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following #1 Sunday Times bestseller The Burning Chambers, New York Times bestseller Kate Mosse returns with The City of Tears, a sweeping historical epic about love in a time of war. "Mosse is a master storyteller."—Madeline Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe Alliances and Romance August 1572: Minou Joubert and her husband Piet travel to Paris to attend a royal wedding which, after a decade of religious wars, is intended to finally bring peace between the Catholics and the Huguenots. Loyalty and Deception Also in Paris is their oldest enemy, Vidal, in pursuit of an ancient relic that will change the course of history. Revenge and Persecution Within days of the marriage, thousands will lie dead in the street, and Minou’s family will be scattered to the four winds . . .
