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An exquisite middle grade debut about a girl who befriends ghosts from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Lauren DeStefano, perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Sheila Turnage.
Forty of the greatest fictional festivities as seen through the eyes of the world's greatest writers. People love to party. And writers love to attend and document these occasions. The party is a useful literary device, not only for social commentary and satire but also as an occasion where characters can meet, fall in and out of love, or even get murdered. A Curious Invitation is a humorous and informative guide to literature's most memorable parties. Some of these parties are depictions of real events, like the Duchess of Richmond's ball on the eve of battle with Napoleon in Thackeray's Vanity Fair; others draw on the authors' experience of the society they lived in, such as Lady Metroland's party in Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies; while others come straight from the writer's bizarre imagination, like Douglas Adams' flying party above an unknown planet from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Witty, entertaining, and full of fabulous detail, A Curious Invitation offers readers the chance to crash some of the great parties in literary history.
From the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Paris Apartment and The Guest List, an evocative love story set along the Italian Riviera about a group of charismatic stars who all have secrets and pasts they try desperately — and dangerously — to hide. Rome, 1953: Hal, an itinerant journalist flailing in the post-war darkness, has come to the Eternal City to lose himself and to seek absolution for the thing that haunts him. One evening he finds himself on the steps of a palazzo, walking into a world of privilege and light. Here, on a rooftop above the city, he meets the mysterious Stella. Hal and Stella are from different worlds, but their connection is magnetic. Together, they escape the crowded party and imagine a different life, even if it's just for a night. Yet Stella vanishes all too quickly, and Hal is certain their paths won't cross again. But a year later they are unexpectedly thrown together, after Hal receives an invitation he cannot resist. An Italian Contessa asks him to assist on a trip of a lifetime -- acting as a reporter on a tremendous yacht, skimming its way along the Italian coast toward Cannes film festival, the most famous artists and movie stars of the day gathered to promote a new film. Of all the luminaries aboard — an Italian ingénue, an American star, a reclusive director — only one holds Hal in thrall: Stella. And while each has a past that belies the gilded surface, Stella has the most to hide. As Hal's obsession with Stella grows, he becomes determined to bring back the girl she once was, the girl who's been confined to history. An irresistibly entertaining and atmospheric novel set in some of the world's most glamorous locales, The Invitation is a sultry love story about the ways in which the secrets of the past stay with us — no matter how much we try to escape them.
Thirteen-year-old Tim discovers he may be the greatest wizard of his time when four strangers introduce him to the world of magic, taking him on a journey through the past, present, future, and Faerie realms, where danger threatens at every turn.
Dive into the enigmatic world of Ravenwood Manor, where the echoes of the past reverberate within its ancient walls. In "The Secret of the Hidden Room: A Mystery of Intrigue," follow Evelyn, a determined detective, as she unravels the veil of secrecy cloaking this mysterious estate. Amidst the moonlit corridors and whispered legends, Ravenwood Manor holds untold secrets, each locked away behind hidden passages and obscured truths. When Evelyn receives a cryptic invitation to delve into the mysteries of this foreboding estate, she embarks on a journey that will test her wits, courage, and determination. As she navigates the labyrinthine halls, Evelyn encounters a tangled web of alliances, elusive clues, and a haunting history that refuses to stay buried. Shadows dance across the walls, and whispers echo through forgotten chambers, guiding her closer to the heart of the estate's enigmatic past. With each revelation, Evelyn inches closer to unraveling the estate's ultimate truth-a truth that has remained concealed for centuries, guarded by a legacy veiled in deception and hidden motives. From deciphering cryptic codes to confronting dark revelations, she faces a daunting quest to bring light to the obscured narrative of Ravenwood Manor. As she uncovers the secrets hidden within the estate's spectral echoes, Evelyn grapples with the weight of its history-a legacy fraught with intrigue, suspense, and the enduring allure of the unknown. The mystery deepens, the stakes heighten, and the truth lies just beyond the hidden room-a room that holds the key to unlocking the mansion's ultimate secret. "The Secret of the Hidden Room: A Mystery of Intrigue" is an enthralling tale of deception, suspense, and the relentless pursuit of truth. Join Evelyn on an unforgettable journey through the shadows and uncover the hidden truths that dwell within the heart of Ravenwood Manor.
An escaping youth discovers another captive named Rune. Together, she and Arien travel in search of her wayward brother. He has departed from the path of his people as a caretaker of the dead and has learned how to control them. But controling him is another. Though it is difficult, Rune has been given the task of stopping him - through any means necessary. It sounds easy enough, but the world is in complete chaos from his actions. As Rune fights through the ranks, the real world seems more fantastic than wild dreams.
"A proper travelogue - a joyful, moving and stereotype-busting ride." - National Geographic Traveller, Book of the Year In 2011, at the height of tension between the British and Iranian governments, travel writer Lois Pryce found a note left on her motorcycle outside the Iranian Embassy in London: ... I wish that you will visit Iran so you will see for yourself about my country. WE ARE NOT TERRORISTS!!! Please come to my city, Shiraz. It is very famous as the friendliest city in Iran, it is the city of poetry and gardens and wine!!! Your Persian friend, Habib Intrigued, Lois decides to ignore the official warnings against travel (and the warnings of her friends and family) and sets off alone on a 3,000 mile ride from Tabriz to Shiraz, to try to uncover the heart of this most complex and incongruous country. Along the way, she meets carpet sellers and drug addicts, war veterans and housewives, doctors and teachers - people living ordinary lives under the rule of an extraordinarily strict Islamic government. Revolutionary Ride is the story of a people and a country. Religious and hedonistic, practical and poetic, modern and rooted in tradition - and with a wild sense of humour and appreciation of beauty despite the comparative lack of freedom - this is the true story of real contemporary Iran.
Anne Cartier, a teacher of the deaf, accepts an offer to help a deaf child whose governess died in a fall down the stairs of the family's palatial mansion. Anne suspects the death might not have been an accident and begins to investigate. She is aided by her friend and suitor, Paul de Saint-Martin. They believe the young woman's death may have been the work of renegade French army officer Captain Fitzroy, already accused of a brutal rape in Paris. Fitzroy has found refuge at the mansion with his cousin and intimate friend, Lady Margaret, lady of the house and wife of slaver Sir Harry Rogers. Soon Anne discovers she must protect as well as teach young Charlie. Watching it all is Lord Jeff, a black footman and a bare-knuckle fighter of impressive skill who may win Sir Harry a large purse. But the slave has his own agenda. The abolition of slavery is a hot topic in Bath, a city that draws much of its wealth from that brutal business.
The setting is Bath, England's most fashionable spa, during the spring season of 1787. Haughty aristocrats, wealthy upstart businessmen, social climbers, adventurers, courtesans, sharpers, addicted gamblers, and a representative sample of the dregs of English society gather for pleasure and profit in this lovely Georgian city...Anne Cartier, Col...