From one of our most admired (and feared) cultural critics, a memoir that captures all the gritty, grubby glamour of New York in the awful/wonderful Seventies. In the autumn of 1972, a very young and green James Wolcott arrived in New York from Maryland, full of literary dreams, equipped with a letter of introduction from Norman Mailer, and having no idea what was about to hit him. Landing at a time of accelerating municipal squalor and, paradoxically, gathering cultural energy in all spheres as "Downtown" became a category of art and life unto itself, he embarked upon his sentimental education, seventies New York style. This portrait of a critic as a young man is also a rollicking, acutely observant portrait of a legendary time and place. Mixing grit and glitter in just the right proportions, suffused with affection for the talented and sometimes half-crazed denizens of the scene, it will make readers long for a time when you really could get mugged around here.

James Wolcott’s career as a critic has been unmatched, from his early Seventies dispatches for The Village Voice to the literary coverage made him equally feared and famous to his must-read reports on the cultural weather for Vanity Fair. Bringing together his best work from across the decades, this collection shows Wolcott as connoisseur, intrepid reporter, memoirist, and necessary naysayer. We begin with “O.K. Corral Revisited,” Wolcott’s career-launching account of the famed Norman Mailer–Gore Vidal dust-off on the original Dick Cavett Show. He goes on to consider (or reconsider) the towering figures of our culture, among them Lena Dunham Patti Smith, Johnny Carson, Woody Allen, and John Cheever. And we witness his legendary takedowns, which have entered into the literary lore of our time. In an age where a great deal of back scratching and softball pitching pass for criticism, Critical Mass offers a bracing taste of the real thing.

"A new star is rising in the fantasy firmament...teems with magic and spine-chilling amounts of skullduggery."–Dave Duncan, author of The Great Game When young Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn’t commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things–none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine, and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec’s new mentor, and this time there just might be…Luck in the Shadows.

Breakthrough thinking comes as a sudden, seemingly unaccountable moment of inspiration: From Archimedes' discovery in the bathtub of the principle of water displacement to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, from Brunelleschi's development of perspective drawing to the Impressionist revolution, from the taming of fire to the creation of the laser, it has shaped and advanced civilization.

One person’s treasure is another’s trash. . . Pepper Reece, owner of the Spice Shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, wants nothing more than to live a quiet life for a change, running her shop and working with customers eager to spice up their cooking. But when she finds an envelope stuffed with cash in a ratty old wingback left on the curb, she sets out to track down the owner. Pepper soon concludes that the chair and its stash may belong to young Talia Cook, new in town and nowhere to be seen. Boz Bosworth, an unemployed chef Pepper’s tangled with in the past, shows up looking for the young woman, but Pepper refuses to help him search. When Boz is found floating in the Ship Canal, only a few blocks from Talia’s apartment, free furniture no longer seems like such a bargain. On the hunt for Talia, Pepper discovers a web of connections threatening to ensnare her best customer. The more she probes, the harder it gets to tell who’s part of an unsavory scheme of corruption—and who might be the next victim. Between her quest for an elusive herb, helping her parents remodel their new house, and setting up the Spice Shop’s first cooking class, Pepper’s got a full plate. Dogged by a sense of obligation to find the rightful owner of the hidden treasure, she keeps on showing up where she’s not wanted, asking probing questions. One mistake, and she could find herself cashing out. . .

In Kinetic Golf, Nick Bradley uses 115 extraordinary photographs, accompanied by clear, direct text, to raise the bar on golf instruction and give golfers—amateur or professional—a unique way of actually feeling their way to mastering the game. Offering insights that words alone cannot convey, the book provides a vastly improved golf game as the reward. Drawing upon his deep knowledge of trade and Tour secrets, Bradley shows how to build a powerful and consistent game while also debunking many of the myths that cloud the confidence and hinder the performance of the novice and developing golfer. Throughout Kinetic Golf, Bradley boils down the very essence of swing motion and technique, blends it with a feeling, and then creates an image that says it all. Take one look, and you’ll get the picture.

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The entire Witches of Cleopatra Hill paranormal romance saga, now available in one super-sized boxed set! This set includes the complete text of all fourteen books (11 full-length novels + 3 novellas) — more than a million words! DARKANGEL The future head witch of her clan, Angela McAllister must bond with her consort during her twenty-first year, but her dreams are haunted by a man she’s never seen. She faces a hard choice: give up her dreams of the man she may never meet, or leave her clan at the mercy of those who seek their ruin. DARKNIGHT Forced to re-evaluate everything she’s ever known about the Wilcox witches, Angela begins to explore the powerful connection that binds her to Connor Wilcox, despite the generations of hostility between their families and the disapproval of those closest to her. DARKMOON One hundred and fifty years ago, a terrible curse descended on the Wilcox clan, dooming generations of women to an early death should they bear a child to the bloodline of Jeremiah Wilcox. Now Angela McAllister is carrying Connor Wilcox’s child, and if she can’t find a way to break the curse, that same doom will fall upon her…. SYMPATHETIC MAGIC Warlock "Lucky" Lucas Wilcox has a gift that ensures his success in all things, but his magic fails him completely when it comes to sexy Margot Emory, the vibrant “elder” of the McAllister witch clan. A CLEOPATRA HILL CHRISTMAS Connor and Angela Wilcox return to Angela's hometown of Jerome, Arizona, to spend the holiday with the McAllister witch clan and attend Lucas Wilcox's and Margot Emory's wedding. But problems arise as they try to juggle new parenthood, interfering relatives, and romantic complications in this lighthearted holiday novella. PROTECTOR Caitlin McAllister has been keeping a secret. While her clan suffers for lack of a seer, she’s been hiding her gift of second sight—hiding and running away from a destiny she does not want and has done her best to escape. Unfortunately, she finds that keeping secrets carries its own price when she and two of her friends end up in the hands of three evil warlocks who seem intent on using the young witches for their own dark purposes. SPELLBOUND Damaged and desperate, Danica Wilcox searches for sanctuary and peace of mind after enduring vile and brutal treatment by the dark warlock Matías Escobar. Hoping for safe haven at an old summer cabin owned by the Wilcox witch clan for more than a hundred years seems to be her safest option. But when her rejuvenating R&R is interrupted by a ghostly visitor, Danica sets out to solve the mystery of his death. THE ARRANGEMENT Jeremiah Wilcox's wife died cursing him and all the sons of his line. Struggling with his solitary existence, Jeremiah has spent the days since her death ensuring his family prospers…even while wishing for what he knows he'll never have. IMPRACTICAL MAGIC Still struggling to deal with the brutal murder of her younger sister at the hands of a dark warlock, Jenny McAllister is going through the motions, doing her best to pick up the pieces and move on with her life. Meeting Colin Campbell at a family event changes everything…. STRANGE MAGIC Life for Zoe Sandoval, the future prima of the de la Paz witch clan, is not going as planned. As if being almost kidnapped by a dark warlock wasn't bad enough, Zoe’s struggling with her birthday closing in — and she still hasn’t found her destined soulmate. Frustrated and at the end of her rope, Zoe takes matters into her own hands, using her magical gifts to conjure the perfect man of her dreams. DEFENDER The last thing Detective Jack Sandoval needs is another witch-related crime to sweep under the rug. As the de la Paz witch clan’s expert in defensive magic, Jack knows there is some deeper form of ritual dark magic involved…and one look into the beautiful, stricken face of the victim’s widow tells him she isn’t the culprit. BAD BLOOD As she journeys from Scotland to Arizona to wed her dull-as-dishwater betrothed, Hannah McAllister encounters a handsome, compelling warlock, Nathan Wilcox. A walk in Central Park, a kiss, and the die is cast for love, betrayal, and a spell whose impact will reverberate for generations to come… DEEP MAGIC Hayley McAllister has a rare gift that an evil warlock covets for his own. Levi would give every last drop of his high-octane magic to save her…but it might cost him his life. DARKTIDE When Angela and Connor try to find out who — or what — killed a de la Paz clan member private investigator, they realize the clans are being set up for destruction. The clans must unite and learn to control dangerous new powers to defeat their deadliest enemy…once and for all. witch, warlock, witch clan, magic, spell, enchantment, soul mate, psychic, demon, devil, angel, black magic, Arizona, Jerome