Tags:ma
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 8
It's time for the biggest event on the calendar--The Great Advent Festival! The royal family and the bishops are in attendance for the celebrations. But beneath the surface is a web of deceit and intrigue, and it's up to Sylpha, Tao, Ren, and Babylon to ensure no harm comes to the VIPs. Of course, it would have been helpful to have the all-powerful Lloyd around, but the genius sorcerer is...nowhere to be seen!
Swift As Desire
Don Jubilo entered the world smiling rather than crying like other babies, and his life mission is to bring happiness to everyone's lives. Even as a young boy, acting as interpreter between his warring Mayan grandmother and his Spanish-speaking mother, he mistranslates words of spite into words of respect, so that their mutual hatred turns to love. When he grows up, he puts his gift for hearing what is in people's hearts and interpreting it to others, to good use in his job as the village telegraph operator. But the telegraph now lies abandoned, obsolete as a means of communication in the electronic age, and don Jubilo is on his deathbed, mute and estranged from his beloved wife, Lucha, who refuses to speak to him. What tragic event has come between such two sensuous, giving people to cause this seemingly irreparable rift? What mystery lies behind the death of their son, Ramiro, whom no one ever mentions? Can daughter Lluvia bring reconciliation to their parents by acting as an interpreter between them, just as Jubilo did for his grandmother and mother when he was a boy?This bittersweet story of the humble telegraph operator with a talent for curing misunderstanding, for hearing sand dunes sing and insects whisper, is based on the story of Laura Esquivel's own father, just as the much-loved LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE was inspired by her mother's family. Romantic, poignant, touched with graphic earthiness and wit, Esquivel shows us how, in our computerised world of excess, keeping secrets will always lead to unhappiness, and how old-fashioned speaking to each other can redress and heal all our wrongs.
Malinche
From the bestselling author of Like Water for Chocolate, an extraordinary retelling of the passionate and tragic love affair during the conquest of the Aztecs between the conquistador Cortés and his interpreter, Malinalli.A brilliant and multilingual woman, Malinalli has been reviled throughout Mexican history for the betrayal of her people—but her role was actually much more complex. When a young Malinalli's tribe was conquered and enslaved by the Aztec warriors, her grandmother imparted to her that their founding forefather god, Quetzalcoatl, had abandoned them—but he was destined to return with the rising sun and save her tribe from captivity. When the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés first arrives, she—like many—believes he is the reincarnated forefather god of her tribe, here to free them. With her talent for linguistics, Malinalli became an indespensable guide and translator for Cortés. In the hopes of freeing her people—and wanting to please this supposed god—she welcomes Cortés and assumes her new role as an interpreter for the Spanish. Throughout their travels and various conquests, Cortés and Malinalli gradually fall passionately in love. But it's not long before Malinalli realizes that Cortés's thirst for conquest is all too human, and that he is willing to destroy anyone, even his own men, and even their own love.
Queuing for the Queen
'Beautifully sensitive, quietly reflective, this absorbing tale about a group of strangers brought together following the death of Queen Elizabeth II is an absolute triumph.' LoveReading debut of the monthOne queue. 250,000 people. Twenty-four life-changing hours.A young boy wearing a cereal box crown, impatiently dragging his mother behind him.A friendly man in a khaki raincoat, talking about his beloved Leeds United to anyone who will listen.An elderly woman who has lived her life alongside the Queen, and is just hoping she'll make it to the end of the queue to say goodbye.And among them, a British Indian mother and daughter, driven apart by their differences, embarking on a pilgrimage which neither of them yet know will change their lives forever.Full of secrets and surprises, this uplifting novel celebrates not only the remarkable woman who defined an era and a country, but also the diverse and unique people she served for so long.
A Shadow in Moscow
In the thick of the Cold War, a betrayal at the highest level risks the lives of two courageous female spies: MI6’s best Soviet agent and the CIA’s newest Moscow recruit.Vienna, 1954After losing everyone she loves in the final days of World War II, Ingrid Bauer agrees to a hasty marriage with a gentle Soviet embassy worker and follows him home to Moscow. But nothing within the Soviet Union’s totalitarian regime is what it seems, including her new husband, whom Ingrid suspects works for the KGB. Inspired by her daughter’s birth, Ingrid risks everything and reaches out in hope to the one country she understands and trusts—Britain, the country of her mother’s birth. She begins passing intelligence to MI6, navigating a world of secrets and lies, light and shadow.Moscow, 1980A student in the Foreign Studies Initiative, Anya Kadinova finishes her degree at Georgetown University and boards a flight home to Moscow, leaving behind the man she loves and a country she’s grown to respect. Though raised by dedicated and loyal Soviet parents, Anya soon questions an increasingly oppressive and paranoid regime at the height of the Cold War. Then the KGB murders her best friend and Anya chooses her side. Working in a military research lab, she relays Soviet plans and schematics to the CIA in an effort to end the 1980s arms race.The past catches up to the present when an unprecedented act of treachery threatens all agents operating within Eastern Europe, and both Ingrid and Anya find themselves in a race for their lives against time and the KGB.“Eloquently portrays the incredible contributions of women in history, the extraordinary depths of love, and, perhaps most important, the true cost of freedom.” —Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding VeilAn exciting story of two brave female spies in Cold War MoscowIncludes discussion questions for book clubs
A Christmas Wish at Woolworths
Kent, 1953. The Woolworths Erith store, a beloved cornerstone of the community, faces closure if the December turnover fails to increase. And, as if store manager Betty Billington doesn't have enough on her plate, personnel shortages and a troublesome new employee add to the strife.With Christmas on the horizon, Betty and her staff must strive to find solutions to improve business and keep the store running – from special events for late-night customers to a festive group trip into central London. The Erith Players pantomime also promises to draw a crowd, injecting excitement into the local community.With the store festooned with decorations, lifting the spirits of customers and Betty, can a Christmas miracle save their beloved store?A Christmas Wish at Woolworths is the next instalment in Elaine Everest’s much-loved Woolworths series – a heartfelt tale of resilience, community and an unwavering spirit during hard times.This is the tenth book in the Woolworths series, following Celebrations for the Woolworths Girls.
Love Will Find a Way
Cliffehaven, December 1946From a hill above the town of Cliffehaven, a young woman makes a heart-breaking choice that will change the course of her life forever.Hours later, a baby is found in the Nativity crib of the local church.Who could have left him there, and why?The mystery preoccupies everyone in Cliffehaven - not least Peggy Reilly, who has enough to contend with at Beach View Boarding House without this extra secret to unravel.What's certain is that the whole community will pull together to keep the baby safe - and to support his mother when the truth of her identity is finally discovered...The latest gripping installment in Ellie Dean's Cliffehaven series, With Promises to Keep, is available to pre-order now!
The Berlin Letters
"Fans of codebreakers, spies, and Cold War dramas will be entrapped by Reay's tale of courage, love, and honor set against the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall." - Booklist Starred ReviewBestselling author Katherine Reay returns with an unforgettable tale of the Cold War and a CIA code breaker who risks everything to free her father from an East German prison.From the time she was a young girl, Luisa Voekler has loved solving puzzles and cracking codes. Brilliant and logical, she's expected to quickly climb the career ladder at the CIA. But while her coworkers have moved on to thrilling Cold War assignments--especially in the exhilarating era of the late 1980s--Luisa's work remains stuck in the past decoding messages from World War II.Journalist Haris Voekler grew up a proud East Berliner. But as his eyes open to the realities of postwar East Germany, he realizes that the Soviet promises of a better future are not coming to fruition. After the Berlin Wall goes up, Haris finds himself separated from his young daughter and all alone after his wife dies. There's only one way to reach his family--by sending coded letters to his father-in-law who lives on the other side of the Iron Curtain.When Luisa Voekler discovers a secret cache of letters written by the father she has long presumed dead, she learns the truth about her grandfather's work, her father's identity, and why she has never progressed in her career. With little more than a rudimentary plan and hope, she journeys to Berlin and risks everything to free her father and get him out of East Berlin alive.As Luisa and Haris take turns telling their stories, events speed toward one of the twentieth century's most dramatic moments--the fall of the Berlin Wall and that night's promise of freedom, truth, and reconciliation for those who lived, for twenty-eight years, behind the bleak shadow of the Iron Curtain's most iconic symbol.A Cold War novel that takes readers to the heart of Berlin to witness both the early and final days of the Berlin WallStand-alone novelBook length: approximately 107,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs
The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! (Manga) Volume 4
Suimei and Lefille continue on their journey together towards the Empire, but stumbling across agrievously wounded survivor from a second attack on the trade corps sends Lefille running in theother direction. Suimei chases after her, but knows what lies in store. As it turns out, theirencounter with the demon army isn’t over—in fact, it’s only just getting started. Can Lefilleconfront her dark past and take down Rajas? Or will fighting her own demons prove to be toomuch?
The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! (Manga) Volume 5
The brutal fight with Rajas comes to a close with unforeseen consequences for Lefille. Suimei does his best to get her to the Empire in her... compromised... state, but they have little idea of the intrigue that awaits them across the border. Meanwhile, Felmenia manages to catch up with Reiji’s party as they stumble across the aftermath of a certain slaughter. Caught between demons, Duke Hadorious, and a Nelferian princess, it’s unclear who their most dangerous enemy is at this point.
The Coast Road
“I loved this novel. All the female characters are complex and fascinating, and full of anger and hope. I found it an addictive read.”—actor Gillian AndersonA poignant debut novel about the lives of women in a claustrophobic coast town and the search for independence in a society that seeks to limit it.Set in 1994, The Coast Road tells the story of two women—Izzy Keaveney, a housewife, and Colette Crowley, a poet. Colette has left her husband and sons for a married man in Dublin. When she returns to her home in County Donegal to try to pick up the pieces of her old life, her husband, Shaun, a successful businessman, denies her access to her children.The only way she can see them is with the help of neighbour Izzy, acting as a go-between. Izzy also feels caught in a troubled marriage. The friendship that develops between them will ultimately lead to tragedy for one, and freedom for the other.Addictive as Big Little Lies with a depth and compassion that rivals the works of Claire Keegan, Elizabeth Strout, and Colm Tóibín, The Coast Road is a story about the limits placed on women’s lives in Ireland only a generation ago, and the consequences women have suffered trying to gain independence. Award-winning Irish author Alan Murrin reminds us of the price we are forced to pay to find freedom.
The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! (Manga) Volume 6
Suimei and Lefille settle down in Filas Philia in hopes of actually getting some research done at the imperial library, but little do they know of the dark secrets haunting the capital’s streets. A series of strange incidents has all of Filas Philia on guard, and Suimei may unwittingly be sticking his nose right in the thick of it. The more immediate threat, however, comes in the form of a boy named Elliot... who is threatening to take Lefille away by divine order of the Goddess!