Fool on the Hill

Author: Matt Ruff
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
ISBN: 0802193625
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 411

Book Description
From the author of Lovecraft Country: Myth and reality collide on a college campus “in a comic fantasy of wonderful energy, invention, and generosity of spirit” (Alison Lurie). Stephen Titus George is a young writer-in-residence at Cornell University in upstate New York. A bestselling author in search of a new story, he sees his life as a modern-day fairy tale starring himself as a would-be knight trying to woo a lovely maiden—or, actually, two: the bewitching Calliope and his guiding light, Aurora Borealis Smith. But he’s not quite in control of the narrative. There’s another writer with even greater influence on campus. The unseen Mr. Sunshine is an eternal, semi-retired deity who’s been fashioning his own story for centuries. He has all his characters in place: dragons, sprites, gnomes, and villains. And now, finally, his hero. As Mr. Sunshine’s world comes to fabulous and violent life, how can Stephen decide his own fate if it’s already being plotted by a god? An epic of life and death, good and evil, love and sorcery, Fool on the Hill lands Matt Ruff happily on the shelf between Tom Robbins and J. R. R. Tolkien for every lover of the “funky and fantastical” (New York magazine). “Inspired . . . rich in flavorful language . . . [a] dazzling tour de force.” —San Francisco Chronicle “The plot comes together like a brilliant clockwork toy.” —Locus

The Nix

Author: Nathan Hill
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 1101946628
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 642

Book Description
Winner of the Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction A New York Times 2016 Notable Book Entertainment Weekly's #1 Book of the Year A Washington Post 2016 Notable Book A Slate Top Ten Book NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “The Nix is a mother-son psychodrama with ghosts and politics, but it’s also a tragicomedy about anger and sanctimony in America. . . . Nathan Hill is a maestro.” —John Irving From the suburban Midwest to New York City to the 1968 riots that rocked Chicago and beyond, The Nix explores—with sharp humor and a fierce tenderness—the resilience of love and home, even in times of radical change. It’s 2011, and Samuel Andresen-Anderson—college professor, stalled writer—has a Nix of his own: his mother, Faye. He hasn’t seen her in decades, not since she abandoned the family when he was a boy. Now she’s re-appeared, having committed an absurd crime that electrifies the nightly news, beguiles the internet, and inflames a politically divided country. The media paints Faye as a radical hippie with a sordid past, but as far as Samuel knows, his mother was an ordinary girl who married her high-school sweetheart. Which version of his mother is true? Two facts are certain: she’s facing some serious charges, and she needs Samuel’s help. To save her, Samuel will have to embark on his own journey, uncovering long-buried secrets about the woman he thought he knew, secrets that stretch across generations and have their origin all the way back in Norway, home of the mysterious Nix. As he does so, Samuel will confront not only Faye’s losses but also his own lost love, and will relearn everything he thought he knew about his mother, and himself.

The Last Dogs: Dark Waters

Author: Christopher Holt
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0316231959
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 213

Book Description
When canine heroes Max, Rocky, and Gizmo encounter a lavish riverboat moored close to shore, they're wary of what they might find on board. But as they're welcomed by a friendly community of dogs, the trio discover that there's more to their new world than they expected. These dogs have seen humans -- who Max, Rocky, and Gizmo thought had disappeared without a trace. The brave companions meet new friends and encounter old enemies in their search for their people, traveling to places they never imagined -- from a high-speed monorail to a zoo filled with exotic animals. Max, Rocky, and Gizmo uncover secrets that promise to change their lives forever as they draw closer to figuring out why the humans left and being reunited with their families. The Last Dogs: Dark Waters is the second book in a thrilling series about three friends on a journey to find their people -- and bring them home.

THE LAST DOG IN FRANCE

Author: John Van Wyck Gould
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1452031649
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 350

Book Description
Set against the backdrop of the French Resistance in World War II, this is a tale of conflict, survival, escape, the search for buried Nazi treasure – and romance. On Christmas Eve, 1987, convicted Nazi war criminal, Otto Streikler, escapes from French prison, vowing revenge on American officer, Mitch Carter, and beautiful eighteen-year-old French girl, Renee, who put him there. The story circles back to 1940, the German invasion of France, the French Resistance and their “Escape Line,” which smuggles spies and downed fliers across the Pyrenees. Renee is persuaded to spy for MI-6 by a British Lord who is secretly infatuated with her. After conveying covert codes to underground contacts, she is pursued by the Gestapo and caught in a web of intrigue, struggling to avoid capture and fending off sexual attack. Carter, also attached to MI-6, is infiltrated into France to work with the Resistance – and Renee. Renee’s brother, Henri, goes into hiding and forms a cell of the Resistance. Living off the land, dodging German patrols, and surviving by their wits, they are forced to kill and eat almost any small animal that moves. On Christmas Day, 1987, we have violent confrontation and a surprise ending.

The Last Dogs: Journey's End

Author: Christopher Holt
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0316279692
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 247

Book Description
Canine heroes Max, Rocky, and Gizmo return in this exciting series finale! As the trio travel south, following a trail of beacons left by Dr. Lynn, they encounter a stampede of horses. The horses urge the dogs to turn back, warning about a "silver wall of doom" that lies ahead. But the warning only serves to motivate Max. Could this be the wall from his dreams? The wall keeping Max from his family? Helped by animals along the way -- including bats and armadillos -- the dogs find themselves deep in the desert, where they face a new enemy: coyotes. They aren't the only danger, though. Dolph and his wolf pack lie in wait -- poised for a final showdown. The Last Dogs: Journey's End is the final book in a thrilling series about three unlikely friends on an epic quest to find their people -- and bring them home.

The Last Dogs: The Vanishing

Author: Christopher Holt
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0316215872
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 247

Book Description
When all the humans in his world disappear, Max, a yellow Labrador Retriever, begins the search for his family. He knows that if he can just find Madame Curie, a wise, old black Lab, she'll be able to help. Madame had a premonition of astonishing events to come -- she might know where Max's family is. But Max can't make the journey alone. Joined by friends Rocky and Gizmo, Max sets off to find Madame. Along the way, the trio must face a pack of angry wolves, forage for food in a land where kibble is akin to gold, befriend a house full of cats, and outsmart a gang of subway rats. Ultimately, they'll have to escape from the biggest threat of all: the Corporation, a "perfect" society for dogs and by dogs, where nothing is quite as it seems. The Last Dogs: The Vanishing is a thrilling adventure and a tale of three unlikely friends on an epic quest to find their people -- and bring them home.

The Last Dog on the Hill

Author: Steve Duno
Publisher: Pan
ISBN: 1743031963
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 358

Book Description
When Steve Duno found a puppy - flea-bitten and emaciated - on a Californian roadside, he had no idea what he was letting himself in for. Lou, as he called the dog, was the offspring of marijuana farm guard dogs; a half-Rotweiller, half-Alsatian bundle of intelligence, loyalty, and mischief. Despite his traumatic beginnings, Lou went on to achieve great things, from foiling an armed robbery and fighting kidnappers, to comforting elderly war veterans and Alzheimer's patients. Most importantly, he inspired his owner to become a pet behaviourist, and worked with him to rehabilitate hundreds of aggressive dogs that would otherwise have been put to sleep. With a vocabulary of over 200 words, there was never any doubt that Lou was smart. But he was also funny, heroic, and, for 16 years, Steve's best friend and companion. This is their story.

The Last Dog Watch

Author: Mark A. Bruhwiller
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1452092559
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 157

Book Description
This memoir/autobiography celebrates 50 years of Junior Recruit service to our navy. Established in 1960 and decommissioned in 1984 the story follows the life of a 15 year old inducted into the service for twelve years in 1968 and sent to Vietnam on the Vung Tau Ferry (H.M.A.S. Sydney) the following year, then continues his somewhat capricious journey with a hint of mysticism along the way. The Commemorative year of 2010 recognised the contributions made by young teens, many still children, to their country, and is dedicated to the many who didn't survive physically and/or mentally serving at a time when the world was on its own path to perdition.

The Last Dog on Earth

Author: Adrian J. Walker
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 1492665770
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 363

Book Description
"A real find." —STEPHEN KING on The End of the World Running Club Every dog has its day... And for Lineker, a happy go lucky mongrel from London, the day his city falls is finally a chance for adventure. Too bad his master Reg plans to hide himself away from the riots outside... But when an abandoned child shows up looking for help, Reg and his trusty hound must brave the chaos in a journey that will prove not just the importance of bravery, but of loyalty, trust, and finding family in the unlikeliest of places. When the world has gone to the dogs, who will you choose to stand with? Praise for The End of the World Running Club "Extraordinary." — BBC Radio 2 "An end-of-the-world tale that is anything but an ending." — Anne Corlett "An exciting and nerve—wracking 'run'" — Robert McCammon

Bill Hill's Pills

Author: Dawn Greenfield Ireland
Publisher: Artistic Origins
ISBN: 1940385466
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 203

Book Description
Jimmy Katz wakes walloped with a cold, allergies, or the flu. Maddy, his cat, and Guppy, his Amazon parrot fret, but still demand breakfast. Mrs. Potts sends Jimmy over to the Wellness Center where Bill Hill sends the Katz-Diaz heir home with his special formula, Wellness in a Bottle. Brian, Jimmy’s best friend, and Danny, his coworker at the Twinkle Independent News, come to visit, followed by Aunt Betty, the matriarch of Twinkle and Starlight County. Celebrity stops by, sees how awful Jimmy feels and tells him she’ll be back later. The town drunk attacks Celebrity, and she ends up in a coma. When she resurfaces, a different reality has everyone concerned, especially Jimmy. After only three doses of Bill Hill’s formula, Jimmy fully recovers. He stops by the Wellness Center to purchase two more bottles. When he arrives home, Maddy and Guppy attack the bag. Then Brian and Danny show up and tell him that someone was poisoned by that formula. The deranged poisoner has targeted more than Bill Hill’s store. The Dime Water Foo(d) grocery store with the burnt out “d” in the sign, affectionately called the Foo, is shut down. It’s the only grocery store within a 150-mile radius. Betty calls upon her army of volunteers and they transform the Starlight Ballroom into a grocery store. More businesses are shut down as tampered products send people to the hospital. Chief Kenton Price, Ramirez, and Celebrity have their hands full with trying to hunt down the elusive poisoner, along with help from the Feds. Through the investigation, they discover that forty years ago a terrible crime was committed and concealed. Jimmy and Ramirez uncover the details and they seek justice for the family. While eating at the Biggem Diner with Danny, Brian, Ramirez, and Celebrity, Jimmy notices the poisoner in action. Ramirez and Celebrity take action. The culprit is arrested.