The debut novel, first published nearly twenty years ago, from the National Book Award-winning author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression and Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity--a luminous and moving evocation of the love between a son and his mother. A finalist for the Los Angeles Times First Fiction prize, A Stone Boat is an achingly beautiful, deeply perceptive story of family, sexuality, and the startling changes wrought by grief, loss, and self-discovery. Harry, an internationally celebrated young concert pianist, travels to Paris to confront his glamorous and formidable mother about her dismay at his homosexuality. Before he can give voice to his hurt and anger, he discovers that she is terminally ill. In an attempt to escape his feelings of guilt and despair over the prospect of her death, he embarks on several intense affairs--one with a longtime female friend--that force him to question his capacity for love, and finally to rediscover it. Part eulogy, part confession, and part soliloquy on forgiveness, A Stone Boat is a luminous evocation of the destructive and regenerative, all-encompassing love between a son and his mother, by America's foremost chronicler of personal and familial resilience.

“An extremely readable and ultimately moving novel” based on the true story of a boatful of Jewish refugees refused entry to Palestine (The New York Times). In October 1940, as the storm clouds of World War II gathered, the SS Atlantic set sail for Palestine. A condemned and overcrowded ship, it was overflowing with bedraggled Jewish refugees who, having bought their way out of Nazi Germany and Austria, hoped to find safety from the concentration camps that had begun to claim their brethren. But they were not destined to find the shelter they sought. In this poignant novel, Hanna Sommerfeld recalls her long-ago voyage on the Atlantic—a journey plagued by epidemics and food shortages that led not to freedom but, improbably, to incarceration in a British penal colony off the eastern coast of Africa. For Hanna, it would also lead to a heartbreaking loss. Weaving Hanna’s current life with her son’s family in Haifa, Israel, with her memories of marriage and her coming-of-age in the jungles of Mauritius, Boat of Stone is a unique Holocaust story that not only reveals a little-known chapter of history, but also introduces one of the most unforgettable characters you are likely to meet: a gritty, humorous, wise, and adventurous woman who refuses to become a victim. It is “a splendid novel” from National Book Award finalist Maureen Earl, author of Gulliver Quick (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

Journey through a magical realm where talking animals, wicked stepmothers, and brave princes weave tales of wonder and adventure. Rediscover the timeless magic of classic fairy stories, brought to life with vivid storytelling. From the depths of the ocean to towering castles, let these enchanting narratives transport you to faraway lands. Lose yourself in a world of folklore and fantasy – perfect for dreamers of all ages.

A “marvelously amusing” political fable in which part of the European continent breaks off and drifts away on its own (Publishers Weekly, starred review). A Nobel Prize winner who has been called “the García Márquez of Portugal” (New Statesman) chronicles world events on a human scale in this exhilarating allegorical novel. One day, quite inexplicably, the Iberian Peninsula simply breaks free from the European continent and begins to drift as if it were a sort of stone raft. Panic ensues as residents and tourists attempt to escape, while crowds gather on cliffs to watch the newly formed island sail off into the sea. Meanwhile, five people on the island are drawn together—first by a string of surreal events and then by love. Taking to the road to explore the limits of their now finite land, they find themselves adrift in a world made new by this radical shift in perspective. As bureaucrats ponder what to do about their unusual predicament, the intertwined lives of these five strangers are clarified and forever changed by a physical, spiritual, and sexual voyage to an unknown destination. At once an epic adventure and a profound fable about the state of the European project, The Stone Raft is a “hauntingly lyrical narrative with political, social, and moral underpinnings” (Booklist) that “may be Saramago’s finest work” (Los Angeles Times). Translated from the Portuguese by Giovanni Pontiero

Seven short stories with traditional folktale themes including encounters with otherworldly forces, benign, life threatening or purely magic. Suggested level: primary, intermediate.Seven short stories with traditional folktale themes including encounters with otherworldly forces, benign, life threatening or purely magic. Suggested level: primary, intermediate.

In this explosive thriller from #1 New York Times–bestselling author Stuart Woods, Stone Barrington’s newest foe has a short fuse...and it’s just been lit. Stone Barrington is enjoying a boating excursion off the Maine coast when a chance encounter leaves him somewhat the worse for wear. Always able to find the silver lining in even the unhappiest circumstances, Stone is pleased to discover that the authors of his misfortune are, in fact, members of a prestigious family who present a unique business opportunity, and who require a man of Stone’s skills to overcome a sticky situation of their own. The acquaintance is fortuitous indeed, for as it turns out, Stone and his new friends have an enemy in common. He’s the sort of man who prefers force to finesse, and who regards any professional defeat as a personal and intolerable insult. And when Stone’s sly cunning collides with his adversary’s hair-trigger-temper, the results are sure to be explosive...

Richard sits, surrounded by his loving grandchildren, in the midst of yet another difficult Wisconsin winter. Fighting the cold, cuddling close to a blazing fire, they say, Tell us a story, Grandpa! Tell us a story! Grandpa Richard is happy to oblige, and so begins a nostalgic journey back to the 1920s, when Richards family struggled to survive in rural parts of the far northern United States. A mix of fact and fiction, Stoneboat Journey is one mans look into his family history and how their history related to and affected the history of our country. Richards family was comprised of German immigrants, living and fighting to thrive through blizzard, fire, and tragic loss. Richard, once a shy a withdrawn young man, finds himself thrown into the mix, as well, accepting a leadership role at a very early age. In his unexpected leadership role, Richard finds happiness, purpose, and wisdom that last into his later years. Stoneboat Journey is more than a family memoir. It is the memoir of a developing America. Many of our current creature comforts are based on the difficult lives of these early families, struggling to make ends meet. The story of Richards family is the story of America.

Little Bear loves his little boat. He rows it around Huckleberry Lake, fishing and dreaming. But then Little Bear begins to grow and grow, until one day he doesn’t fit in his little boat anymore! All children who experience growing pains will appreciate Little Bear’s predicament. And they will smile with satisfaction as the solution to his problem unfolds in simple, lyrical words and charming pictures from two award-winning picture-book creators.

Set against the backdrop of mankinds epic space odyssey is the tale of a dream that wouldnt die and a stone boat that eventually sailed 40,000 ocean miles. Despite false starts, setbacks, and neartragedy, a boat named Fram set sail on its oceangoing adventure in 1987. This is the story of the remarkable couple who dared to dream of sailing the worlds oceans on the spark of an idea planted while mankind was aiming at the moon, and spent the next three decades completing their odyssey. Follow this amazing journey from the muddy bayous of Louisiana, to the verdant wilderness of British Columbia, and eventually to the palmgraced atolls of the South Pacific as they discover how to sail, how to build a boat, and how to live their dream.

Most Americans today are aware that jobs are being outsourced to China, India, and other nations at an alarming rate. From factory jobs to white-collar, high-tech positions, the exporting of labor is one of the most controversial issues in America.Yet few people know much about the other end — about the people who are actually working these jobs and how their own lives have been throw into tumult by these new economic forces. Andrew Ross spent a year in China, interviewing local employees and their managers in Taiwan, Shanghai, and the far western provinces. In this engaging and informative book, he shows how the Chinese workforce has inherited many of the same worries as American workers, such as job instability, long hours, and awareness of their own expendability. He reports on the daily reality of corporate free trade and explores the growing competition between China and India. This is an eye-opening exploration of an unseen side of our globalized world.