"Delia Welegtabit discovered two things during her childhood on a South Pacific island: her love for mathematics and a novel that isn't supposed to exist. But the elusive book proves unexpectedly dangerous. Oskar Lens, a science fiction-obsessed mobster in the midst of an existential crisis, will stop at nothing to find the novel. After Delia's husband Levi goes missing, she seeks help from Daniel Chase, a young, face-blind book dealer. The infamous novel Lode Stars was written by the infamous Eugene Charles Hartley: legendary pulp science-fiction writer and founder of the Church of the All-Seeing Eyes. In Hartley's novel, a doppelganger of Delia searches for her missing father in a strange star system. But is any of Lode Stars real? Was Hartley a cynical conman on a quest for wealth and immortality, creating a religion he did not believe in? Or was he a visionary who truly discovered the secrets of the universe?"--

The very real but unlikely story of a Jewish kid from Brooklyn who—through a truly unusual series of events—became a Latin music legend. His is an unlikely story. A musical story. A New York story. A spiritual story. An amazing improbable journey that crosses cultural borders. The story of Larry Harlow, “El Judio Maravilloso,” (The Marvelous Jew) who grew up in one world—a Yiddish-speaking Jewish household in Brooklyn—and ventured into another, far different one, pre-Castro Cuba. Born Lawrence Ira Kahn, Harlow comes from a family of musicians. His mother was an opera singer; his grandfather played piano for silent films and in the Yiddish theater; and his father was a vaudevillian and orchestra leader who used the stage name Buddy Harlowe, and for many years led the house band at the Latin Quarter nightclub. It was summering at Jewish camps in the Catskills as a young boy where Harlow first acquired a taste for clave. He enrolled at Brooklyn College to study music, but his love for Latin culture and sound eventually led him to pre-Castro Havana, where he attended music classes by day and hung out in clubs and dance halls at night. When dangerous circumstances forced Harlow to leave Havana, he took with him a treasure trove of tapes and a deeper understanding of music with African roots and spiritual rhythms. He returned to a New York of John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, and Allen Ginsberg, bringing with him the sounds and music that no one else was playing. He was signed by Fania Records, a fledgling label that would become the Motown of Latin music, in large measure due to Larry’s role as its creative architect. There, as both a recording artist and record producer, he combined his strong classical and jazz background with his love of Cuban music, and became one of the creators of a unique New York sound that would captivate the world, and become known as salsa. With his groundbreaking salsa opera Hommy , Harlow helped rejuvenate the career of Celia Cruz. His influence, however, did not stop there. He has inspired successful Cuban musicians including Gloria Estefan, Arturo Sandoval, Buena Vista Social Club, and many, many more. This is, simply put, the unlikely tale of how a Jewish kid from Brooklyn grew up to become a Latin music legend.

When Keith Green died in a 1978 plane crash, many people wondered if his death would mark the end of his vital ministry.Nearly 20 years later, we know the answer. Keith's music continues to minister to old and new fans alike. His messages are also finding a new audience -- first, through If You Love the Lord, a collection of devotional messages based on Keith's teachings, and now in Make My Life a Prayer. This new collection from the writings, spoken messages, and journals of Keith Green contains some never-before-published material that will motivate readers to: -- Live a life of no compromise -- Seek personal holiness -- Hunger for God's presence -- Be zealous for the lost -- Deny themselves and pick up the cross of Christ -- Spend more time in prayerFor readers everywhere who want a deeper Christian life, Make My Life a Prayer is a must-have.

"Perfect for your summer trip to the beach" (O, The Oprah Magazine), Kathi Kamen Goldmark's hilarious novel of musicians, love, family, sex, and success is now in paperback. Follow Sarah Jean Pixlie as she catapults from struggling back-up singer to blazing star on the country music scene. Along the way, she pours out her savvy soul in the humorous lyrics from more than two dozen original songs, including "Put Me on the Guest List (To Your Heart)," "Hell on Heels," and "My Baby Used to Hold Me (Now He's Putting Me on Hold)." "Funny, authentic, and moving," raves Dave Barry about this first novel, which Scott Turow says is "the best thing to happen to country music since the broken heart."

"Christmas should be a time of peace, togetherness and celebration; yet it can leave all too many of us feeling overwhelmed by loneliness, stress and worry. In This Light is a timely collection of thoughtful meditations. The Most Revd Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, leads contributions from celebrities, business leaders, athletes, politicians and others, whose names you might not know but whose stories you will come to love. Alan Titchmarsh, Sally Philips, Bear Grylls, Afua Hirsch, Bishop Michael Curry, Secretary John Kerry, Dany Cotton, Elif Shafak and Sally Lloyd-Jones-- among others-- offer their thoughts and insights as we reflect on this time of year. In a world that often seems in turmoil, these personal essays invite us to remember and rejoice in the true, timeless spirit of Christmas"--Back cover.

Wealth can have its drawbacks. Case in point: The Collard and Vandervent families, who for decades have shared a large estate in the elegant London suburb of Blackheath. It's now the 1890s, and over the years, the families' near-incestuous entanglement has grown into a toxic web of lies and bitterness. While mama keeps an iron grasp on the purse strings, an unmarried daughter sucks greedily on her own disappointment, a son raises corruption to an art form, and an ethereal daughter-in-law casts come-hither glances at anything in pants. She casts them frequently at young Paul Vandervent, who responds by filling his journal with fevered love poems. And when one member after another of the extended clan falls victim to gastric misadventure--and his beloved falls under suspicion--Paul embarks on an equally feverish quest to clear her name, resolving to solve the extraordinary series of crimes popularly called The Blackheath Poisonings.

Elliot is a bachelor in his late thirties whose new girlfriend, Joanna, is everything he ever wanted in a woman--intelligent, beautiful, warm, independent--and yet terrifies him for precisely that reason. A twice-divorced real estate broker who likes order in her life, she is equally scared of the precariousness of having someone matter to her. Their uncertainties come to a head when Elliot takes her to a party to meet 'the guys'--Bobby, who works for Playboy; Phil, a recovering alcoholic; and Larry, who 'is not comfortable with a woman outside the confines of a divorce court.' The encounter becomes an initiation ceremony crackling with witty, barbed, and devastating dialogue that strips the two lovers of all pretensions, forcing them to confront each other anew in a painful awareness of their vulnerability. The result is a bitterly funny play about the ambiguities of being in love, with Jules Feiffer at his most incisive, wise, and wickedly honest.

For more advanced Pagan worshippers who are ready to deeply interact with their religion, Devoted to You offers an insightful and complete exploration of four significant deities. Many witches and Pagans worship specific Goddesses and Gods, gaining insight and guidance from their presence. Wiccans can look to Aphrodite to connect them with love, beauty, and sex. Gala, Mother Earth, teaches about the living planet, helping Pagans to appreciate and care for her. Brigit, the Celtic Goddess of creativity and healing, inspires readers to develop their own talents and skills. Anubis guides the way into the deep mysteries of death and transformation. Like all the ancient Gods, these four can enlighten and inspire today just as they affected the lives of those in ancient civilizations. Devoted to You features information on these four deities from a variety of cultures: Egyptian, Celtic, Greek, each written by an expert in his or her field. Readers will gain an understanding of the archetypes that devoted Wiccans are drawn to; the names the deities have been called in various cultures, times, and places; and the various myths associated with the Gods and Goddesses. Each deity is also connected with one of the four Earth Sabbats and they are explained with regard to suggested ritual and meditative exercises. In Devoted to You, Judy Harrow offers advice on how to apply these insights and power to daily life.

"Katz lives up to her first novel's potential in this moving, funny, wholly original picaresque about a nice Jewish girl. . . . The pasts and common destiny of two remarkable women--related with perfect timing in Sofia's convincing Yiddish-tinged English--come together beautifully in this nicely crafted, emotionally satisfying, and well-researched historical fiction."-- Publishers Weekly " The Escape Artist , a brilliant work of historical fiction . . . fast-paced and gorgeously written novel" -- Liberty Press Set in the brothels and gangster dens of Jewish Buenos Aires at the beginning of the twentieth century, The Escape Artist catapults us into the lives of Sofia Teitelbaum and Hankus Lubarsky. Sofia, a nice Jewish girl from Poland, is lured away from home by Tutsik Goldenberg, a wealthy traveling businessman who claims to be a lonely Argentine diamond merchant in search of a wife. Upon arriving in Buenos Aires, Tutsik dumps Sofia at his sister's brothel. Hankus, also a nice Jewish girl from Poland, is passing as a man. Having escaped the pogroms of Poland that killed her family, she lives her life as a handsome and mysterious magician and escape artist. When Tutsik spots the talented juggler and acrobat Hankus he envisions success as his manager, seeing Hankus as the means to get out from under his sister's thumb. Sofia and Hankus fall in love and their attempts to walk the tightrope of love, freedom, and independence are quickly put to the test. Sex, deception, magic, and love are the main ingredients of this tour de force novel by Lambda Literary Award winner Judith Katz. In The Escape Artist , Katz reveals that all human interactions consist of love and hate, deception and candor, altruism and self-interest. This is as true in our lives today as it was in an immigrant community at the turn of the last century. Judith Katz is the author of two published novels, The Escape Artist and Running Fiercely Toward a High Thin Sound , which won a Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Fiction. She has received Bush Foundation, McKnight Foundation, and National Endowment fellowships for fiction.

"Here is a virtual masterclass for violinists, and for all those who love the music of that instrument, by one of the legendary virtuosi of our time...for this new Dover edition, famous musicologist and musician Spike Hughes, a long-time friend of Szigeti, has added a preface which acts as a charming anecdotal biography of the great violinist." (back cover).

Flight without End (German: Die Flucht ohne Ende) is a 1927 novel by the Austrian writer Joseph Roth. The novel is set in the period between August 1916 and 27 August 1926. It starts in the city of Irkutsk and ends in Paris. During his journey the protagonist lives in Ukraine, Baku, Vienna and an unspecified German university town on the Rhine. The novel starts with protagonist Franz Tunda, born 1894, escaping confinement in Russia and finding a home with Baranowicz from Poland, who lives in Werchne-Udisnk. In the spring of 1919 the lieutenant hears of the end of the war and decides to go to Vienna to meet his fiancee, Miss Irene Hartmann. By September Tunda has made it to Ukraine. Caught up in the Russian Civil War, he first falls into the hands of the White Army, but later he ends up with the Red Army. Tunda falls in love with his supervisor, a Russian woman named Natascha Alexandrowna, becomes a revolutionary himself and gives passionate speeches in support of Communism. Later, in Moscow, Tunda has to manage his postwar life. He is asked to join the Communist Party, but leaves to Georgia and falls in love with a woman called Alja. They get married in Baku. Tunda takes care of a French delegation from Paris, shows them around and sleeps with Mrs. G., the only woman in the delegation. Later he is regarded as a spy by the French. When saying goodbye, Mrs G. tells Tunda her address in France. Tunda leaves his wife, gets Austrian identity papers and later lives in Vienna on unemployment benefit. He misses his home in Siberia just as much as he misses to Irene. On his way to Paris, he visits his brother, a well-off bandmaster who lives in the Rhineland, but they don't have anything to talk about. Tunda publishes a book about his experiences and sends his wife in Baku a bit of money. In Paris, he meets Mrs G. again, but everyone in France seems to know that he is broke. Tunda and Irene pass each other once, but neither recognizes the other. Baranowicz writes a letter from Siberia: Alja has just arrived at his place and they are both waiting for Tunda. Tunda can now go back to the region of Irkutsk but he doesn't know what to do. The novel was adapted into a 1985 film directed by Michael Kehlmann. A stage adaptation by Steve Waters was performed at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in May 2006. (wikipedia.org)

"Joseph Epstein may well be the only first-rate American literary critic who can be said to have--and deserve--fans. His essays have captivated readers with their wit, learning, and unabashed love of reading. . . .He has high standards for craftsmanship and a low tolerance for cant." --Washington Times

"I want you frowning now, knowing something is very wrong with your parachute even before actually pulling the cord and praying it opens. P.S. It won't." So Jonathan Carroll addresses his readers in this much-awaited collection of 20 stories. Author of several wry and dark novels, Carroll has a considerable following, but his books are difficult to pigeonhole, so some horror and fantasy readers are still unfamiliar with him. This collection shows off his talents admirably, in tales that range from bittersweet sadness over God's failing memory, to a disturbing friendship between a dog and a dying child, to a macabre fantasy about how men and women manipulate each other. As The New York Times put it, "Carroll's world is one that is subtly out of kilter, and which can take a turn for the sinister at any time." This volume is winner of the 1996 Bram Stoker Award for Best Short Story Collection. Contents: Mr. Fiddlehead (1989) Uh-Oh City (1992) The Fall Collection (1989) Friend's Best Man (1987) The Sadness of Detail (1990) Waiting to Wave (1993) The Jane Fonda Room (1982) A Quarter Past You (1989) My Zoondel (1989) Learning to Leave (1992) The Panic Hand (1989) The Bear in the Mouth (1989) Postgraduate (1984) Tired Angel (1989) The Dead Love You (1990) Florian (1989) The Life of My Crime (1992) A Wheel in the Desert, the Moon on Some Swings (1994) A Flash in the Pants (1995)

Jon Robin Baitz has been praised as one of America's foremost playwrights on themes of conscience. Now from the author of The Substance of Fire comes an absorbing new play about power and money and the ruinous effects it can have on friendship, love, marriage, and ultimately oneself. In this modern tragedy set in urban New York City, Wall Street powerhouse Sandy Sonenberg finds his personal and professional life threatened by the unraveling secrets of his past. After burying his true sexual identity, a lethal affair with a young male associate forces Sonenberg to confront a lifetime of unrequited love and betrayal.

True Beethoven fans know that Beethoven is the greatest composer of all time, but in recent years Mozart's followers have grabbed most of the good tunes. Beethoven is admired but he is lost in our affection. John Suchet both admires Beethoven and likes him, and his three-volume fictional biography, THE LAST MASTER is a carefully researched labour of love. Not a street name or coffee-house in Vienna has gone unchecked. There are many studies of Beethoven and his music, but fewer biographies. His work is complex, and his letters are not immediately revealing in the way that Mozart's are. John Suchet makes his aims clear: within the framework of the historical evidence, he allows himself to imagine episodes which could have happened. Anything which turned out to be impossible has been rewritten until it met this criterion. The result is an awesomely impressive feat of scholarship as well as a compelling read.

In 1997, amid Aerosmith's sold-out world tour and number one album release, word about Joey's troubles was reported in the press.Despite the advice he had received to play it down, Joey revealed in an interview his ongoing struggles with depression. The response from fans and people battling those same internal demons was overwhelming. Joey—who has been the drummer in Aerosmith since it was founded in 1970 and is the first member of the band to release his own book—now tells the complete story: the early days of the band, glamorous drug-addled events leading up to their eventual sobriety, battles within his family and among bandmates, and the explosive internal dynamics in Aerosmith that continue to unleash a fury of endless creativity. This is not just another rock 'n' roll memoir. In addition to the never-before-told Aerosmith war stories that abound in the book, Hit Hard unpacks the history of a rock star who was both fragile and tough, who after years of insane wildness became willing to accept help and finally kick a serious alcohol and drug addiction, only to find that the real terrors and hard work were still ahead. It's the story of an average kid from an average American suburb who went through physical and emotional trauma. It's about years of depression and the nervous breakdown at the height of the band's comeback success. Ultimately, Hit Hard is about how Joey recognized his confusion between love and abuse, awakening to the kind of self-acceptance and compassion that make relationships possible in the "real world" as a member of the biggest band in American history.

From legendary cult writer Jerry Stahl comes Plainclothes Naked, a breakout novel that jacks up crime fiction to new heights of twisted, sexy, mind-blowing brilliance. With searing wit and devastating detail, Stahl -- whose work, Jim Carroll has written, "fills the gap in American literature left void since the death of the late, great Terry Southern " -- takes us deep into the minds of addicts and detectives, fetishists and killers. It's a vision of American misfits in a world of violent crime, official corruption, drug-addled scheming, and -- perhaps strangest of all -- genuine, up-from-the-toes true love. In a wildly careening plot that can only be described as crack noir, two pipe-heads accidentally steal a photo of George W. Bush's presidential package with a happy face tattooed on it and decide to blackmail the Republican Party. Before the crack-crazed thieves can follow through, however, a gorgeous, whip-smart young nurse absconds with the goods. But Nurse Tina's got her own problems -- she's just offed her online "money swami" husband with a bowl of Drano-laced Lucky Charms. When Manny Rubert, a scarred ex-junkie turned codeine-popping detective, is called in to investigate the "foamer" hubby's untimely demise, love hits him like a wrench to the head. Soon Manny and Tina are making plans of their own for the presidential pic -- and for their future together. But the meddling police chiefs and motel room sex-change surgeons of the world just won't leave them alone. And then there are those killer crackheads, still out there and closing in... At once a scathing tale of contemporary insanity and a no-holds-barred, tour de force thriller, Plainclothes Naked forges violence and comedy into a criminal love story as shocking as it is transcendent.

A world where "the family" stood above all else...where murder was a cure for treachery...where respectability could be purchased for vast sums of money...where love struggled to survive in a climate of corruption and violence...where memories of a penniless immigrant past still fired his consuming ambition...and vengeance could still come suddenly, totally, from friends, from family, from the most unexpected places.

Internationally renowned author Jane Yolen has composed a sequence of tough, angry, and moving love poems that express grief and gratitude for her late husband David, as witness to his treatment for and passing from cancer, and the ongoing loss that is felt years after his death. In one poem, Yolen--a prize-winning poet, speaks of his "shallow bird breath/beating beneath the cage of his chest bones." In another: "Do not help me to forget./Help me to remember." And in a third: You have gone before me into winter, Into spring, into summer, somehow A consummate time traveler I can never catch up to, Always a season ahead. Jane Yolen , often called "the Hans Christian Andersen of America," is the author of over three hundred books, including Owl Moon , The Devil's Arithmetic , and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight . The books range from rhymed picture books and baby board books through middle grade fiction, poetry collections, nonfiction, novels, and story collections for young adults and adults, and two books of adult poetry. Her books and stories have won two Nebula Awards, a World Fantasy Award, a Caldecott Medal, the Golden Kite Award, three Mythopoeic awards, two Christopher Medals, a nomination for the National Book Award, and the Jewish Book Award. She is also the winner (for body of work) of the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Association Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Catholic Library's Regina Medal.

From the author of World Made by Hand, The Witch of Hebron and Long Emergency comes this wonderful story of youth, misunderstanding, adventure and love. A perfect parable for the holiday season.