The Devil's Laugh and Other Stories is a book of folktales to help you check out your philosophy of life. We all know you don't believe in "ol Scratch," and you thought you knew what a sphincter was. You've never heard of the Quarry of Suffering, and can't imagine what it's like to have the evil eye yourself. Therefore, save this book for emergencies-like the day you need to remember what it was like to discover the joy of reading.

In this dramatic rendering, in this fictional portrayal of three central characters lives, we perhaps catch a glimpse, a glimmer of something which conveys the timelessness of truth. At once striking in the intensity of its sweep, illuminated are the supposed oppositions of victim and victimizer alike. One cannot help but observe the aesthetic connotations of the painted canvas versus a virtually textual one as their coupling and separation is explored concurrently within the very fabric of the narrative structure. The tension rendered is at once religious, yet pagan; prosaic, yet poetic; magical yet realistic as this melding of contradiction takes place.

Surviving high school is a bizarre enough experience for most kids, and for Emma Niles, that's only one of her challenges. It's her senior year, and she has to find a way to put the multiple stresses of her home life behind her. Her parents have just been through a messy divorce, and now her father has remarried. Add on classes and all the other demands on her sanity, and life seems just crazy. Fortunately, Emma knows that no matter how weird her life may seem, she can always count on her friends to see her through it all.

But when Bobby Watson, a tall, dark, and mysterious young man, enrolls at their school, everyone is charmed by him. Everyone, that is, but Alexis, Emma's best friend. Alexis, a gifted Native American girl, can see the darkness behind his beautiful face. She knows that Bobby is much more than he appears to be-and that his plans represent dangerous times for everyone they know and love. Alexis invites her friends to take part in a sacred fire ceremony so that they can learn more about his true intentions.

As they prepare for the ritual, Emma learns of her own powers and family history. By embracing her newly revealed Native American heritage and culture, Emma begins to figure out who she is, what's really happening in her school-and why. Through it all, Emma learns that her true strength is found within and that friendship is the strongest magic of all.

The amphibious cult classic: a magical tale of a suburban housewife's affair with a frogman ... 'Disturbing but seductive ... Wonderful.' Margaret Atwood 'Perfect.' Max Porter 'Still outpaces, out-weirds, and out-romances anything today.' Marlon James 'A feminist masterpiece: tender, erotic, singular.' Carmen Maria Machado ''Genius ... A broadcast from a stranger and more dazzling dimension.' Patricia Lockwood 'Kind of weird and cool. ' Irvine Welsh 'Genius ... Like Revolutionary Road written by Franz Kafka ... Exquisite.' The Times 'Incredibly liberates readers from the awfulness of convention to a state where weirdness and otherness are beautiful.' Sarah Hall 'A devastating fable of mythic proportions ... Wondrously peculiar.' Irenosen Okojie (foreword) Dorothy is a grieving housewife in the Californian suburbs; her husband is unfaithful, but they are too unhappy to get a divorce. One day, she is doing chores when she hears strange voices on the radio announcing that a green-skinned sea monster has escaped from the Institute for Oceanographic Research - but little does she expect him to arrive in her kitchen. Muscular, vegetarian, sexually magnetic, Larry the frogman is a revelation - and their passionate affair takes them on a journey beyond their wildest dreams ... Rachel Ingalls's Mrs Caliban is a bittersweet fable, a subversive fairy tale, as magical today as it was four decades ago 'A miracle . A perfect novel.' New Yorker 'Every one of its 125 pages is perfect ... Clear a Saturday, please, and read it in a single sitting.' Harper's What Readers Are Saying: 'Maybe the most gorgeous, lyrical book ever written'***** 'A fantastic wee novel, strange and brilliant, and absolutely the inspiration for The Shape of Water.'***** 'Wonderful, sharp minimal prose offers big truths. Superb - brilliant, in fact.'***** 'Absolutely incredible. It's weird, funny, and heartbreaking, like a Richard Yates novel except with lizardman sex.'***** 'One of the best tongue-in-cheek social satires that I've ever read. It delves into gender politics. It takes a long, hard look at mental health. It addresses female sexual freedom and agency. It asks the reader to examine what it means to be human ... Genius.'***** 'Really brilliant: a deconstruction of suburbia by way of monster movies that examines sad realities with hilarious verve ... Sometimes you need a sexy frog person to break you out of the ties that bind. '***** 'Hooked me so deeply I picked it up and finished it the same night ... Beautiful ... Will stay with me.'***** 'What the hell just happened?'*****

The clans of the four-legged and winged are at war. The sacred flame, the heart of all that is or ever was has been stolen.

In the exhilarating young adult novel, "Son of Skye," Nickolous finds himself thrust into a world where the clans of the four-legged and the winged rule. The Sacred Flame, the heart of all living things has been stolen. Held captive by those who walk in darkness, hope wanes as it weakens for only a few hold the knowledge that if the flame is extinguished the worlds of knowing will turn inward upon themselves, and the clans of earth and sky will cease to be. It is up to Nickolous, a half-son of Skye to lead the way through a forbidden valley to the "Three." Forest guardians long passed into memory, their tomb the gateway that leads to the "Beneath."

A son of both worlds, belonging to neither, gifted by the elders, those old ones who watch through the veil that separates the worlds within worlds, Nickolous has to look deep within to help the clans and himself as he begins a perilous journey into the unknown. Protected by Gabriel, a blue-eyed wolf and his mate, Chera, guided by the Old One, her voice the wisdom of untold turnings past, and Owen, a snowy owl, Nickolous s journey takes him into a world where winged warriors watch from above and darkness and light meet.

Only he can wield the power of the sacred staff .

What's this about a lost goblin? In Polly and the Shadow Goblin: Goblin Lost, Polly is a thirteen-year-old in the eighth grade. She is attractive, intelligent, and is a good student. All she has ever wanted is to fit in, but she never has. Polly goes through many painful attempts to find a niche for herself, but never quite makes the grade. Then she meets a strange boy with a problem greater than her own. She tries hard to help him, and suddenly finds herself the center of attention for a basketball hero at school. As she starts to finally fit in, Polly's problem and her friend's problem intrude. Polly and the Shadow Goblin: Goblin Lost concludes with a desperate search to find a lost goblin with the aid of a magic necklace. Polly realizes several things when she helps the stranger find the goblin. She learns the importance of friendship and that people mature at different times, even though they are the same age. These simple lessons are part of a complex story. Polly Shepherd could never see in the dark; she could never run down falling debris safely to the ground. Polly could not ignore the bite of winter's cold breath, nor could she step into the heart of a shadow and step out of another shadow; anywhere She couldn't outrun an automobile, or run up a steel anchor cable in the wind. All she'd ever been able to do was alienate herself from her peers, but all that is about to change. Now retired, Alec Zandur has lived in Grant County, Indiana, for most of his life. He and his wife raise Pekingese puppies. "My wife and I have been together, more or less constantly, since she was fifteen and I was sixteen; poor woman." He studied writing at the Institute of Children's Literature and served in the Armed Services in Korea. This is the first book of a series. A friend's daughter was his inspiration and is "the soul" for Polly. "I was totally astounded at the maturity level of a child of her tender years. I mean the way she thought things through before she would comment on a problem, the mature way she would approach a given problem. I had to throw out all my preconceived notions as to how a girl that age would think and react. The real Polly was so mature in her thinking. I found I could let 'my Polly' make decisions, and really handle social interactions, even with adults I was dumbfounded Did I mention the real Polly was only thirteen at the time?" Publisher's website: http: //sbpra.com/AlecZandur

In Lore of the Fallen, Paradise and Tartarus war over the souls of Earth in the classic "good vs. evil" conflict. The Guardians, Michael and Christopher, must protect their Charges, the humans: Lore and James. The orphaned Heiress and the battle scarred Barron are forced to wed and chaos ensues. Striving to bring peace to their Charges, the Guardians, face intense opposition as they struggle to help their mortals resist temptation and fulfill their respective destinies...
... But the malevolent Traducers of Tartarus have other ideas for these two humans. The lethal Liakime and the lustful Legna manipulate time and space as they toy with Lore and James, in an attempt to thwart destiny. The two Traducers thrive on a constant uproar of conspiracies and intrigues with their fellow Tartaruchans, as they relentlessly pursue the mortal couple. Liakime and Legna will stop at nothing to achieve absolute power and turn Lore and James in to the Fallen.

The book is a fantasy/adventure; which puts a new spin on the fairy tale about Rapunzle: the girl with the beautiful, long hair, that has enchanted kids all over the world for many years. It was written for teens, and pre-teens alike, and it is a beautiful and exciting story, filled with exhilarating and funny scenes. There is a huge market for children's books, mainly for kids below the age of ten, but books written for kids between the ages of Ten and Sixteen, are rather limited. There aren't many books in this fantasy Genre that are written or published every year, and the ones that are published, are rather long and tedious. This book is short and very simple to read, and understand.

A classic collection of tales for young readers of about six, featuring beloved characters and lively stories by P.L. Travers, Jill Barklem, Michael Morpurgo and others, chosen by children's book expert, Julia Eccleshare. The Banks family are searching for a nanny; Macaw the parrot helps out at the fish and chip shop and a stonecutter dreams of becoming an emperor... These classic stories are wonderful to share and enjoy with your child at any time of the year, or would make the perfect birthday gift.

A collection of folk tales from India's fairyland where rajas, ranis, rakshas, jackals, magicians, and cobras prevail.

As the last thunderstorm of summer ravages France's Forest of Fontainebleau, a tiny, lavender faerie seeks shelter inside a hollow oak. It is not long, however, until Fey discovers she is not alone.

Her accidental encounter with an enormous, frightening bat on a solitary journey to the fabled City of Lights has her bargaining for her life by granting him a wish he idly makes-a wish which sends him from a state of spiritual purity to the messy, complicated realm of humanity, a transition he is ill-equipped to deal with. Taken in by a kind farmer, the transformed being, who calls himself Paolo, learns to cope with the moral complexity of being a young man in contemporary society, while Fey is left to cope with the loss of both her magic and the chance to become handfasted with the noble, chivalrous Guiscard.

Meanwhile, Yasmine, a matchmaker playing a reckless game, has just opened a Pandora's Box that will unleash Paolo's heart and determine Fey's destiny.

Although this is Louis Green's first novel, his unique speaking style has captivated audiences since the mid 1960's. Now the masterful preacher presents the Parable of the Prodigal in such a way that each chapter will say to you, this is how it must have happened. complexity when a young mother dies giving birth to twin sons. While dying, she gives them names foretelling of their oncoming conflict. The confusion accompanying their birth, threatens to destroy their family as they grow older. possessed with insecurities and the blood red rage of a spurious criminal who will stop at nothing to get revenge. Then plait the cord with an outer layer of witchcraft, drugs and deviant sex, as the younger son pursues an uncharted course, caravanning to Carnival in Canaan. After learning life's hard lessons, the lost one retraces his steps home, to be embraced in celebration by some but spurned by his brother's contempt. the last chapter concludes in unexpected tumult?

AN EPIC BATTLE THAT LASTED TEN YEARS. A LEGENDARY STORY THAT HAS SURVIVED THOUSANDS. 'An inimitable retelling of the siege of Troy . . . Fry's narrative, artfully humorous and rich in detail, breathes life and contemporary relevance into these ancient tales' OBSERVER 'Stephen Fry has done it again. Well written and super storytelling' 5***** READER REVIEW ________ 'Troy. The most marvellous kingdom in all the world. The Jewel of the Aegean. Glittering Ilion, the city that rose and fell not once but twice . . .' When Helen, the beautiful Greek queen, is kidnapped by the Trojan prince Paris, the most legendary war of all time begins. Watch in awe as a thousand ships are launched against the great city of Troy. Feel the fury of the battleground as the Trojans stand resolutely against Greek might for an entire decade. And witness the epic climax - the wooden horse, delivered to the city of Troy in a masterclass of deception by the Greeks . . . In Stephen Fry's exceptional retelling of our greatest story, TROY will transport you to the depths of ancient Greece and beyond. ________ 'A fun romp through the world's greatest story. Fry's knowledge of the world - ancient and modern - bursts through' Daily Telegraph 'An excellent retelling . . . told with compassion and wit' 5***** Reader Review 'Hugely successful, graceful' The Times 'If you want to read about TROY, this book is a must over any other' 5***** Reader Review 'Fluent, crisp, nuanced, begins with a bang' The Times Literary Supplement 'The characters . . . are brilliantly brought to life' 5***** Reader Review PRAISE FOR STEPHEN FRY'S GREEK SERIES: 'A romp through the lives of ancient Greek gods. Fry is at his story-telling best . . . the gods will be pleased' Times 'A head-spinning marathon of legends' Guardian 'An Olympian feat. The gods seem to be smiling on Fry - his myths are definitely a hit' Evening Standard 'An odyssey through Greek mythology. Brilliant . . . all hail Stephen Fry' Daily Mail 'A rollicking good read' Independent