Of all operas in the standard repertory, none has had a more complicated genesis and textual history than Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann. Based on a highly successful 1851 play inspired by the short stories by the German Romantic writer E.T.A. Hoffmann, the work occupied the last decade of Offenbach's life. When he died in October 1880, the work was being rehearsed at the Opera-Comique. At once cut and rearranged, the work was performed from the start in versions that ignored the composer's final intentions. Only a few decades ago, when previously unavailable manuscripts came to light, it became possible to reconstitute the score in its real form. Vincent Giroud and Michael Kaye's The Real 'Tales of Hoffmann' tells the full story for the first time in English. After discussing how the work of Hoffmann became known and influential in France, the book includes little-known sources for the opera, especially the complete Barbier and Carre play, in French and English. It describes the genesis of the opera. The annotated libretto is published in full, with the variants, for the two versions of the opera: with spoken dialogue or recitatives. Essays explain what was done to the opera after Offenbach's death, from the 1881 Opera-Comique production to more recent restoration attempts. There is also a survey of Les contes d'Hoffmann in performance from the 1970s to the present, and supplementary information, including discography, filmography, and videography. The Real 'Tales of Hoffmann' is intended to appeal to anyone interested in the work, specialists or non-specialists. Audiences, musicologists and students of French opera and opera-comique will find it of particular interest, as will opera houses, conductors, singers, directors, and dramaturgs involved in performances of the opera.

"And when she'd be asked, in years to come, what started the madness that became her life, she would only say, calmly, but with concrete resolution, "Because he killed my dog. I did all these things because he killed my dog.""

So begins the stunning, mesmerizing sequel to the 2005 novel 'From the Cradle to the Grave'.

This is Rachel's story. Now twenty-three, she has worked hard to recover from the deadly events that led her, as a six year old, to dramatically save her father's life. With her recovery by no means complete, Rachel becomes the prime suspect in a series of apparently unrelated local murders.

Her father, Mark, will not believe that his beloved, but damaged, daughter is responsible. But the police, and an ambitious TV reporter, come to think otherwise. As Rachel's life begins to unravel, the demons and doubts return, not only to her, but to all those aware of what she did as a child.

How easy is it for an investment broker to deceive clients? Very, particularly if his personal hero is Bernie Madoff. Skip Horowitz, along with his old pal A.J., has created what they believe is a foolproof scheme using commodities trading, bookmaking, and various other businesses as covers. Their plan has served them well for decades, surviving the scrutiny of government agencies lacking solid proof to support any allegations of wrongdoing. But luck can't hold forever...or can it? Catherine O'Reilley, newly sponsored in the high-risk world of investment strategy by Skip Horowitz, is about to find out.

Powerful, sensual, and hauntingly moving, "The Choice"is the captivating story of the Sheppard family caught in an unexpected crisis.

Husband and wife, Tom and Nuala, are faced with harrowing decisions when Tom is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

Their grown children, Rick and Jane, along with Tom's mother, Marian, are also deeply drawn into Tom's desperate situation.

Each family member faces their own conflicts and prejudices as they struggle to come to terms with Tom's mortality.

Tom's own pragmatic view of his illness forces his family to confront head-on one of today's most pressing and controversial issues.

Choices are made and choices are asked to be made. By the novel's end the family finally understands there simply are no easy answers, as it falls to Nuala to make the most heartbreaking choice of all.

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Intriguing, poignant, and compelling, From the Cradle to the Grave is the story of identical twin girls, born in the dirt poor town of Mission Gulch, Tennessee and destined to live vastly different lives. Harshly separated at birth, Anne is adopted by a wealthy Connecticut couple, while Ronnie is left to grow and survive in the squalor and abuse of poverty. After years of betrayal and unhappiness, Ronnie discovers her sibling's existence and determines to seek out her long lost sister. Anne, now happily married to Mark, and the mother of their beloved six-year-old daughter, Rachel, remains unaware of her twin's existence. The novel's chapters alternate, each telling a different story. Anne's husband Mark's tale is one of discovery. The parallel story documents Ronnie's life, leading her to the realization she may never have the loving family she craves unless she wills her own destiny into being...putting Ronnie and Mark on a collision course that will change all their lives forever. Different environments; the same genetics...identical twins...or not?