The stars shine brightest out of the deepest dark . . .” A child is imprisoned in a house by her reclusive, religious parents. Hester Wakefield has never spoken to another child, nor seen the outside world. Her one possession is an illustrated children’s Bible, and its imagery forms the sole basis for her capacity to make poetic, real-life connections. Her companions at home are Cat, Spoon, Door, Handle, Broom, and Tree, and they all speak to her, sometimes telling her what to do. One day she takes a brave Alice in Wonderland trip into the forbidden outside, at the behest of Handle, and this overwhelming encounter with light and sky and sunshine is a marvel to her. From this moment on, Hester learns that there are some things she cannot tell her parents, and she keeps this secret to herself. Hester buries it among her other secrets, the ones that take place in the shadowy corners of her insular world, and she keeps them all locked inside her as they multiply and grow, waiting until she can find other ways to be free. One Foot Wrong challenges the boundaries of right and wrong, sanity and madness, love and justice, poetry and life. The story told by Hester is often dark and harrowing, but the affecting impact of her distinctive voice and her way of seeing the world illuminates every page and makes this novel an exhilarating, enlightening and, ultimately, an uplifting and transformative experience.

UNFORTUNATELY, THEY BELIEVE IN HIM... Christopher Csejthe doesn't believe in vampires. Not until he becomes one. He doesn't believe in witches or werewolves, either. Not until they make him an offer he can't refuse.... Flight of the Living Dead A scream sliced the night air¾an animal sound as far removed from a human voice as the previous scream of tortured metal. It was a sound that went on and on as we hurried toward the RV. Mooncloud yanked the passenger door open and then ran around to the driver's side as I climbed up onto the bench seat. As she slid behind the wheel the other woman leapt from the building's rear doorway, sailing over the stairs and landing on the ground below. As she crouched on the asphalt, there was a shattering roar that canceled out the screaming. A ball of flame rolled out from the doorway like an orange party favor, licking the air just a few feet above her head. Mooncloud threw the van in gear and brought it skidding around as the blaze snapped back through the opening. Before I could reach for the door handle the woman was springing through the open window to land across my lap. "Go!" she shouted, but Mooncloud was already whipping the vehicle in a tight turn and accelerating toward the parking lot's north exit. The speed bump smacked my head against the roof of the cab and, by the time my vision cleared, we were driving more sedately down a side street, the woman with the crossbow sitting between me and the passenger door. In the rear-view mirror a pillar of flame was climbing from the roof of the old dormitory that housed the radio station. I shook my head to clear away the last of the planetarium show and gripped the dashboard. "Will somebody please tell me what's going on?" "It's very simple, Mr. Csejthe," Dr. Mooncloud said, pressing a button that locked the cab doors. "You are a dead man." At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

One Foot In The Grave

A brilliant first novel of profound depth, startling originality and breathtaking talent. A child is imprisoned in a house by her reclusive religious parents. Hester has never seen the outside world; her companions are Cat, Spoon, Door, Handle, Broom, and they all speak to her. Her imagination is informed by one book, an illustrated child`s bible, and its imagery forms the sole basis for her capacity to make poetic connection. One day Hester takes a brave Alice in Wonderland trip into the forbidden outside (at the behest of Handle `turn me turn me`), and this overwhelming encounter with light and sky and sunshine is a marvel to her. From this moment on, Hester learns the concept of the secret, and not telling, and the world becomes something that fills her with feeling as if she is a vessel, empty and bottomless for need of it.

Allen’s Dictionary of English Phrases is the most comprehensive survey of this area of the English language ever undertaken. Taking over 6000 phrases, it explains their meaning, explores their development and gives citations that range from the Venerable Bede to Will Self. Crisply and wittily written, the book is packed with memorable and surprising detail, whether showing that 'salad days' comes from Antony and Cleopatra, that 'flavour of the month' originates in 1940s American ice cream marketing, or even that we’ve been 'calling a spade a spade' since the sixteenth century. Allen’s Dictionary of English Phrases is part of the Penguin Reference Library and draws on over 70 years of experience in bringing reliable, useful and clear information to millions of readers around the world – making knowledge everybody’s property.

Covering over 10,000 idioms and collocations characterized by similarity in their wording or metaphorical idea which do not show corresponding similarity in their meanings, this dictionary presents a unique cross-section of the English language. Though it is designed specifically to assist readers in avoiding the use of inappropriate or erroneous phrases, the book can also be used as a regular phraseological dictionary providing definitions to individual idioms, cliches, and set expressions. Most phrases included in the dictionary are in active current use, making information about their meanings and usage essential to language learners at all levels of proficiency.

This book dives into the world of surgery and medicine through the eyes of Salah Abbas, a Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeon. Using his own life as a case study for medicine and its trials and tribulations, this work discusses essential topics such as; the influence of global regimes on medical professionals, the difficulties and uncertainties that surgeons encounter on a daily basis to make a decision, act on it and accept the consequences and the effects of emigration on the professionals themselves. This publication would be of interest to an array of professionals interested in understanding more about individual influences on surgical professionals as well as those in the history of Salah Abbas himself.

In 2013 Ian Crofton undertook a journey he had been pondering for years: a walk along the Border between Scotland and England. It would be an exploration both of his own identity - not quite Scottish, not quite English - and of a largely unexplored stretch of country. Apart from the line marked on the map, the route is not obvious. For much of its length the Border either follows the middle of various rivers, or traces the Southern Upland watershed, an area of bleak moorland and dense conifer plantations. During the course of his walk, Ian Crofton investigates the history, literature and legend of the Border. He talks to a range of people he comes across - farmers, landladies, bar staff, anglers, labourers, shepherds, shopkeepers - to find out what they make of the Border, if anything at all. Such conversations lead to a consideration of the very nature of borders. Do they provide a necessary defence of the nationstate? Or are they, in this day and age, an affront to global justice? Walking the Border is in the best traditions of travel writing, combining vivid description with human insight, the whole spiced with a wry sense of the absurdity and necessity of both inward and outward journeys.

Begin the breakthrough equestrian series now! Jules Thornton galloped into Ocala in Ambition, and she was determined to never leave Florida's horse country. With her gaze set firmly on becoming Three-Day Eventing's newest star, Jules isn't afraid of anything the equestrian world can throw at her. But she'll have to weather hurricanes, master her temper, and make difficult decisions as she seeks to take her place as a top horsewoman. Always putting her horses first? That's the easy part. Making a living, keeping a roof over her head, and managing human relationships: that's where Jules will be challenged again and again. Take a journey like no other, as you explore the gorgeous Florida horse country with Jules and her horses, working students, and friends. As you begin this bestselling series which has captivated thousands of readers, you'll find yourself thrust into the tough, unglamorous world of professional equestrians - and the ways this challenging industry molds its future stars. This collection includes: Ambition Pride Courage Luck Forward Prospect Home Save with this 7-book series over buying each title individually! Read the entire series! Bold: A Prequel to the Eventing Series Book 1: Ambition Book 2: Pride Book 3: Courage Book 4: Luck Book 5: Forward Book 6: Prospect Book 7: Home Reviews for Ambition "Natalie weaves the story of Jules, her horses, and their uncertain road to the upper levels of eventing with realism and detail." - The Equine Insider "'Ambition' is one of the good ones." - Susannah St. Clair (Vine Voice Reviewer) "This all felt very real to me." - Karen McGoldrick, author of The Dressage Chronicles "I loved watching her story unfold -- the good, the bad, and the ugly were highly entertaining." - Brittney Joy, author of the Red Rock Ranch Series "In Jules Natalie Keller Reinert has created a barbed wire heroine who still, despite her arrogance, and her pathetic inability to see the good in people, still has something about her that catches at your heart." - Jane Badger, Editor and Equestrian Writer "I was sucked in from the very first page." - BassetMom (Amazon Reviewer) "This book shows the hard work, drudgery and living-on-the-edge aspects that come long before the jumps. The Florida setting provides the big action sequence that dominates the final third of the book. Trust me - you'll blast through the book then and won't put it down." - R. Maners (Amazon Reviewer) Perfect for fans of equestrian fiction and readers of books like The Horsewoman (James Patterson), Riders (Jilly Cooper), Dark Horse (Dick Francis), Riding Lessons (Sarah Gruen), The Horse Whisperer (Monty Roberts) and The Lady (Anne McCaffery. Great for fans of three-day eventing, dressage, show jumping, horse racing, and horse showing!