Set in Bombay in the mid-1990s, Family Matters tells a story of familial love and obligation, of personal and political corruption, of the demands of tradition and the possibilities for compassion. Nariman Vakeel, the patriarch of a small discordant family, is beset by Parkinson’s and haunted by memories of his past. He lives with his two middle-aged stepchildren, Coomy, bitter and domineering, and her brother, Jal, mild-mannered and acquiescent. But the burden of the illness worsens the already strained family relationships. Soon, their sweet-tempered half-sister, Roxana, is forced to assume sole responsibility for her bedridden father. And Roxana’s husband, besieged by financial worries, devises a scheme of deception involving his eccentric employer at a sporting goods store, setting in motion a series of events that leads to the narrative’s moving outcome. Family Matters has all the richness, the gentle humour, and the narrative sweep that have earned Mistry the highest of accolades around the world.

From the actor, director, and writer Ethan Hawke: a piercing novel of love, marriage, and renewal.Jimmy is AWOL from the army, but—with characteristic fierceness and terror—he's about to embark on the biggest commitment of his life. Christy is pregnant with Jimmy's child, and she's determined to head home, with or without Jimmy, to face up to her past and prepare for the future. Somehow, barreling across America from Albany to New Orleans to Ohio and Texas in a souped-up Chevy Nova, Christy and Jimmy are transformed from passionate but conflicted lovers into a young family on a magnificent journey.Ash Wednesday is a novel of blazing emotion and remarkable grace, a tale that captures the intensity—the excitement, fear, and joy—of being on the threshold of the mysterious country of marriage and parenthood. Powerful, assured, large of heart, and punctuated by moments of tremendous humor, it represents, for Hawke the novelist, a major leap forward.

How does a beat cop become America's secret weapon against evil? It isn't easy. Especially after being nearly fried in the electric chair, plunged into a secret crime-fighting organization called CURE, then handed over to a Korean killing machine called Chiun, the reigning master of Sinanju. But every prophecy – even one that foretells Remo Williams's future with the ancient house of assassins – has a downside, and for Chiun, it's an explosive family secret so devastating, it could spell doom for the House of Sinanju. Someone's got a plan for vengeance that's a real doozy and is selling their services to the mob-racking up the body count with capo and congressmen alike. Ready or not, Remo's got his first assignment. With Chiun along to make sure he doesn't screw up, Remo's about to stop an enemy from putting Congress out of session. Permanently.Breathlessly action-packed and boasting a winning combination of thrills, humour...

Caterer Misty Carlton is in serious trouble. Her business is on the rocks and the only man who can save her butt is Leone Andracchi an arrogant, infuriating and temptingly hot Sicilian tycoon. Leone knows exactly how precarious Misty's situation is and he's about to take advantage of it. He offers her a deal that seems deceptively easy. Misty plays obedient mistress to Leone strictly hands off, of course, and only for the sake of the public eye. In return for keeping up the charade, Misty gets a sizable chunk of cash and gets to keep her business. What Misty doesn't know is that she's part of a revenge scheme, aimed at discrediting her biological father. The hands–off factor is becoming a problem because every time Misty and Leone begin arguing heatedly, their bodies and lips take over. Sure, it makes for great press but how can Misty lust for someone she so thoroughly despises?

'At night, among the reeds on the bayou, Chicot could still hear the woman's wail, mingled now with the croaking of the frogs...' From one of the most daring writers of fin-de-siècle America, five stories of awakening that range from Louisiana's plantations and poverty-stricken bayous to its gilded cities.

THE VIRGIN AND THE GIPSY affirms the powers of instinct and intuition in their struggle against the constraints of civilisation and anticipates LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER in its theme. in it Lawrence tells the reverent tale of a young girl's emnotionalawakening in the elemental presence of a gypsy. First published 1930.

By-the-book Secret Service Agent Joe Stonehouse is assigned to work with rebel Agent Luke Ludzecky on a task force to combat school violence. When they go undercover in Fairholm, NY, to a school flagged for an outbreak, they find that the institution is indeed in danger. But when Joe butts heads with principal Suzanna Quinn, and teacher Kelsey Cunningham gets close to her new student Luke, all their personal lives are turned upside down. In Book 1, PROMISES TO KEEP, follow the fast-paced plot ripped straight from the headlines and bask in the love stories that will make you believe in romance.Don't miss all five books in the Lean On Me Series, heart-wrenching stories of teens in jeopardy and the adults who've dedicated their lives to helping them: PROMISES TO KEEP, MICHAEL'S FAMILY, TRUST IN ME, WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN and A PRICE WORTH PAYING.Praise for PROMISES TO KEEP:"Shay does an admirable job with a difficult subject, writing about school violence with sensitivity and...

Master storyteller Peter Benchley combines high adventure with practical information in Shark Trouble, a book that is at once a thriller and a valuable guide to being safe in, on, under, and around the sea. The bestselling author of Jaws, The Deep, and other works draws on more than three decades of experience to share information about sharks and other marine animals. “Shark attacks on human beings generate a tremendous amount of media coverage,” Benchley writes, “partly because they occur so rarely, but mostly, I think, because people are, and always have been, simultaneously intrigued and terrified by sharks. Sharks come from a wing of the dark castle where our nightmares live—deep water beyond our sight and understanding—and so they stimulate our fears and fantasies and imaginations.” Benchley describes the many types of sharks (including the ones that pose a genuine threat to man), what is and isn’t known about shark behavior, the odds against an attack and how to reduce them even further—all reinforced with the lessons he has learned, the mistakes he has made, and the personal perils he has encountered while producing television documentaries, bestselling novels, and articles about the sea and its inhabitants. He tells how to swim safely in the ocean, how to read the tides and currents, what behavior to avoid, and how to survive when danger suddenly strikes. He discusses how to tell children about sharks and the sea and how to develop, in young and old alike, a healthy respect for the ocean. As Benchley says, “The ocean is the only alien and potentially hostile environment on the planet into which we tend to venture without thinking about the animals that live there, how they behave, how they support themselves, and how they perceive us. I know of no one who would set off into the jungles of Malaysia armed only with a bathing suit, a tube of suntan cream, and a book, and yet that’s precisely how we approach the oceans.” No longer. Not after you’ve read Shark Trouble. From the Hardcover edition.

The War of the Spider Queen spreads...A hand-picked team of the most capable drow adventurers begin a perilous journey through the treacherous Underdark, all the while surrounded by the chaos of war. Their path will take them through the very heart of darkness, and the Underdark will be shaken to its core. If the powerful dark elves falter, the world below is open for Insurrection.

Nothing in Lakshmi's childhood, running carefree and barefoot on the sun-baked earth amid the coconut and mango trees of Ceylon, could have prepared her for what life was to bring her. At fourteen, she finds herself traded in marriage to a stranger across the ocean in the fascinating land of Malaysia. Duped into thinking her new husband is wealthy, she instead finds herself struggling to raise a family with a man too impractical to face reality and a world that is, by turns, unyielding and amazing, brutal and beautiful. Giving birth to a child every year until she is nineteen, Lakshmi becomes a formidable matriarch, determined to wrest from the world a better life for her daughters and sons and to face every new challenge with almost mythic strength. By sheer willpower Lakshmi survives the nightmare of World War II and the Japanese occupation -- but not unscathed. The family bears deep scars on its back and in turn inflicts those wounds on the next generation. But it is not until Lakshmi's great-granddaughter, Nisha, pieces together the mosaic of her family history that the legacy of the Rice Mother bears fruit.

In The Protestant Ethic, Max Weber opposes the Marxist concept of dialectical materialism and relates the rise of the capitalist economy to the Calvinist belief in the moral value of hard work and the fulfillment of one's worldly duties.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Elizabeth and Jackson Shore married young, raised two daughters, and weathered the storms of youth as they built a future together. But after the children leave home, they quietly drift apart. When Jack accepts a wonderful new job offer, Elizabeth puts her needs aside to follow him across the country. Until the sudden death of her father changes everything. Grieving and alone, she retreats to an isolated beach house where she packs away the last remnants of her parents’ lives. There, the pieces of a past she never knew unfold to reveal a tender story of lasting devotion, the kind of steadfast commitment that Elizabeth admits is missing from her own marriage. Faced with her own disillusionment, she makes a terrifying decision, risking everything she has for a second chance at happiness. Enriched by soul-stirring emotion and an appreciation for the simple joy of everyday miracles, Distant Shores is an exquisite reminder of the most precious gifts in life: friends and family, children and lovers, the strength to change, and the courage to forgive-–all flawlessly captured by the graceful hands of Kristin Hannah.

Like Alice down the rabbit hole, seven women follow romance and desire beyond all limits...and discover a world they never imagined...Ellis' dream of a relaxing villa escape is shattered when she spies best friend Sasha in a compromising position. After being invited to join the other guests' intense games...Ellis musters up the courage.Hadley has changed since breaking up with her ex, Guy. She used to be Dom to his sub, but she's been fantasising about having someone control her for once. When Guy invites her to his studio, she finds the perfect candidate...When Kate's roommate ditches Jules for asking her to do something 'kinky', Kate's eager to know what he wants and to try and convince him that she's his perfect bed mate...Tess's Navy SEAL boyfriend, Drew, returned from his latest mission changed — filled with raw need and the desire to possess her...at whatever the cost.A nameless woman met a stranger in a...