A heart-warming tale of loyalty, betrayal and family values in the village of Turnham Malpas. Things are heating up in the village of Turnham Malpas. Now comfortably settled in the Big House, Johnny and Alice Templeton are over the moon at the arrival of their second son. But Johnny's roguish younger brother, Chris, is visiting from Brazil and causing trouble in the village. For Ford and Mercedes Barclay, returning to the village after all these years is a big step. Will they be welcomed or shunned? And will Ford be able to convince people he's a changed man? Meanwhile, poor Fran Charter-Plackett has some important decisions to make about her future. With all her siblings having flown the nest, the pressure is on to decide what to do with her life. And when her parents discover Fran's shocking secret, things really start to get messy...

Fortunes of Officials is a story about the whole process of StrongIdeal Gao to become the most powerful person-- the secretary from deputy secretary of municipal committee of Near Violet City with a population of seven million people and to resign from the post. Like other place, Near Violet was filled opportunities, restlessness and uneasiness in the transformation period. As the most powerful person in the city, StrongIdeal Gao had to face various enticements and schemes and sufferings, but he withstood various challenges, took the great opportunities of the Reform and Opening Door Policy, and made a great contribution to the economic development of the city under the tenet: As the most powerful person in the place, local people must benefit from his performance, thus he was well loved by the people of the city. The novel described the officials working at the city level using a documentary method about their political fortunes and personal trails from a positive angle with the ups and downs and lively scenes. The novel was a signature novel which laid foundation for the author to become the well-known author about officialdom in China.

Changing Fortunes is a novel about a young woman named Malele who faces many challenges in her early desire for an education and her determination to escape from village life. The novel touches on many topical issues which include property grabbing, education for girls, arranged marriages, and the conflicting values of town and village life. Malele proves to be a strong and resourceful young woman who ultimately finds both career satisfaction and personal happiness.

Everything changes when Isabelle discovers that she is the heir to Fortune's Farm, a wondrous place where the final remnants of magic grow. For as long as she can remember, ten-year-old Isabelle has dreamed of escaping her home in Runny Cove, a gray village where it never stops raining, and where she is forced to work at Mr. Supreme's Umbrella Factory. Journeying across the ocean, Isabelle finds a sunny new home filled with magical delights, including Curative Cherry trees that can heal all kinds of sickness, and Floating Fronds that make her fly. But Isabelle still feels the call to return to Runny Cove and use the secrets of the farm to stop the rain. With the magic of Fortune's Farm behind her, will Isabell be strong enough to bring back the sun and stop the despicable Mr. Supreme? From the author of Smells Like Dog comes a magical journey about loyalty, family, and the magic within.

Welcome back to the Five Hundred Kingdoms, where the greatest fortune is the one you make… The seventh daughter of the Sea King, Ekaterina is more than a pampered princess—she's also the family spy. Which makes her the perfect emissary to discover secrets in the neighboring kingdom…and nothing interests her more than Sasha, the seventh son of the king of Belrus. She suspects he's far from the fool people think he is, but before she can find out what lies beneath his façade, she runs into trouble… Kidnapped and trapped in a Jinn’s castle, Ekaterina knows her chances of being found are slim. Now fortune, a fool and a paper bird are the only things she can count on to escape—along with her own clever mind and intrepid heart.… Previously Published. Read the Tale of Five Hundred Kingdoms Series by Mercedes Lackey: Book 1: The Fairy Godmother Book 2: One Good Knight Book 3: Fortune’s Fool Book 4: The Snow Queen Book 5: The Sleeping Beauty Book 6: Beauty and the Werewolf

If you think McDonald's is the most ubiquitous restaurant experience in America, consider that there are more Chinese restaurants in America than McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Wendys combined. New York Times reporter and Chinese-American (or American-born Chinese). In her search, Jennifer 8 Lee traces the history of Chinese-American experience through the lens of the food. In a compelling blend of sociology and history, Jenny Lee exposes the indentured servitude Chinese restaurants expect from illegal immigrant chefs, investigates the relationship between Jews and Chinese food, and weaves a personal narrative about her own relationship with Chinese food. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles speaks to the immigrant experience as a whole, and the way it has shaped our country.

Llyat Emgar, the seventeen year old runt of Maplehill, and Methladon Heyn, three years his elder and much more robust, witness their families destroyed by an evil that comes in the night. A mysterious foe is at work in the wild lands and may in some way be linked to the serial killer reaping havoc in the Capital. A sullen bard with deep secrets of his own is tasked by the Sovereign to bring an end to the resurgence of a deadly cult. Meanwhile the city watch of Parandor is ordered to catch the murderer. The trail will be long, convoluted, and dangerous. The stink of death is in the air.

1830, Russia and Poland. In a time of war and cholera, two men compete for a Prince’s fortune, but in autocratic Russia, fame and riches come at a cost. When Andrey, a disgraced and impoverished young officer, claims to be the heir to Vasily’s family wealth, Vasily is forced to leave the comfort of his country estate and return to St Petersburg to investigate. Seeking the truth, he rediscovers his lost love and reveals a story of deception and fatal intrigue that threatens to cost him his life. To prove himself, Andrey marches to war, while the woman he loves, Vasily’s cousin, Nadezhda, must contrive to repel other suitors as she prays for his safe return. When the past is uncovered, hard choices must be made. Will either man be prepared to pay fortune’s price?

EVIL FROM BEYOND TIME RULES THE GREATEST EMPIRE ON EARTH!Link, the supercomputer from a future that should not exist, has used terror and gunpowder weapons to forge the Malwa Empire, harnessing the vast manpower of the Indian subcontinent and using the barbarian races of the periphery to bind the whole together. No power on Earth in the 6th century could stand against Link's evil.Aide, a human soul embodied in a jewel, has come back to halt evil's progress. Aide has no power but that of truth, but truth is the only power that could move the greatest general of the age, Belisarius.With his sword, his paladins, and his genius, Belisarius has turned the armies of Byzantium into a weapon capable of blunting the first assault of the Malwa hordes. Now, supported by allies from all the world yet free, Belisarius, with his wife and co-commander Antonina, faces overwhelming Malwa numbers in a ring that tightens about them.There is no room for maneuver and no safety in defeat. The armies of Good and Evil gathered on the fertile plains of Mesopotamia will decide the fate of the world --And the fate of all the future!

Winthrop Fortune had a secret. He kept it well hidden in his garage, until one day when they closed the post office where he worked, it was inadvertently discovered. His hidden collection of letters that he had never delivered revealed his dementia and set into motion issues that were supposed to have been settled and resolved years before. As the letters were delivered, a father receives a clue about his long-lost son, a woman finds the father that had left years before, a young woman wins a lottery ticket and pursues her riches, a Mafioso investigates his bosss murder, a woman discovers a husbands secret, an old grudge reappears, a father exposes how far he would go for his family, and siblings discover a fathers hidden vault. Each letter has its story to tellvengeance, bigotry, forgiveness, deceit, and love. As you read the book, discover alongside the characters the new information that could complete themor haunt them for the rest of their lives.