Showing results by author "Os Swift" in All Categories

Graham Swift’s first collection of short stories confirms his power to bring an edge of the extraordinary, the dangerous or the subversive into otherwise familiar, safe, even comforting settings. On a holiday beach, a mismatched couple wage a sexually charged war for the devotion of their literally floundering son. A family doctor, oppressed by his own domestic insecurities, intimidates an apparent time-wasting patient. A zookeeper becomes the keeper of a bizarre fixation.

Work Rules! Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead (2015) by Laszlo Bock describes the unorthodox methods Google uses to hire and retain the most talented employees. Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, knew they wanted to create the world’s best search engine.... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

(1919) On his return from fighting the war in Europe, Eryk Laska finds Floodwood Station, Ohio, isn't the same quiet coal-mining town he left. Not only has an underhanded contender become a threat to his relationship with the love of his life, Eryk soon finds himself a prime suspect in one of the town’s growing number of grisly deaths.

Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success (2011), by Napoleon Hill, describes the circumstances surrounding the self-help author’s rise to fame and fortune. After overcoming many personal and professional trials, including financial ruin, Hill had the opportunity to question the Devil about the ways in which he ensnares humanity.... (Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you’re looking for the original book, it is available from Amazon and Audible.)

The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood is a dystopian novel set in a version of the US that has been overthrown by religious fundamentalists. In what was once most likely Massachusetts, under the militaristic regime of the Republic of Gilead, women no longer have civil rights or autonomy.... (Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you’re looking for the original book, it is available from Amazon and Audible.)

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion (2014) by neuroscientist and atheist Sam Harris explores how to develop a spiritual practice that is not based on outmoded religious beliefs about how the world works. Harris draws upon personal experience, neuroscience, psychology, and Buddhist conceptions of the mind to explore the nature of consciousness and how it is possible to embrace spirituality and remain secular....

Magda Caraganic already is a successful chocolatier. When she inherits an old stable from her aunt, she decides to convert it into a chocolate shop and café. The best contractor to help with the conversion is the man she has argued with since she was 15. The work sparks off spirit activity marked by the appearance of a mysterious ghost cat. Magda’s beautiful Birman cat, Crystal, starts to act strangely. What can it all mean? This is a story of friendship, friendly ghosts, cats, chocolate, and true love.

Edinburgh, 1820s. On one side is the Old Town; ancient, crumbling, and full of poverty. On the other is the New Town - elegant, refined, and prosperous. When newly qualified Doctor Martin Elliot arrives, he discovers that the duality goes deeper. There is more darkness in the streets than he could have imagined. Ghosts of the long-dead haunt the houses, and nightmares soon fill Martin’s head.

Carly James dream of opening her own jewelry shop is fast becoming a reality. The little shop with its crushed strawberry paintwork springs to life - filled with delightful things. The building’s history intrigues Carly, especially when she senses a spirit presence. Carly is a bit of a free spirit, which is evident by her outrageous clothing and vibrantly colored hair. Jazz and Evan - Carly’s friends who appear in The Secret of Chestnut Hall, the first book in the Blooms, Bones, and Stones Series, are about to be married.

Jasmine Summer - or "Jazz”, as her friends and family call her, takes on a contract to restore an intriguing old garden for her client, Evan Sutherland. Evan is quite a famous mountaineer who is trying to leave behind a shattered life and an ex-wife who almost ruined him. Evan’s house and garden have a mysterious past that intrigues Jazz and Evan. The discovery of a secret grotto leads them both into situations they would never have dreamed about...and into unforeseen dangers.

When she's abandoned just before Christmas, Peggy the pug is taken in by a foster family with a unicorn-mad little girl. Peggy thinks that her new friend, Chloe, wants a unicorn for Christmas - not a puppy. Believing that anything is possible, Peggy decides that she will turn into a unicorn. All she needs is a long silky mane, a glowing horn, and the ability to do magic! Easy, right? Peggy is determined to make her new friend's Christmas wish come true. And if she does, maybe she'll finally find a forever home.

When her betrothed is defeated in single combat, strong-willed Scottish heiress Jeannie Tweedie is kidnapped by a band of marauders and imprisoned deep in the bogs of the Borderland. When she comes face-to-face with fellow prisoner and sworn family rival, Hugh Veitch, Jeannie must decide where her loyalties lie.

With sensitivity and a teenager’s ability to find humor even in disaster, Jan Blixen tells of his life growing up gay in the Midwest. An escaped mental patient living in a refrigerator box gives Jan a priceless gift. A university professor accused of a terrible crime is Jan’s best friend. Jan’s father, a drunk and a brawler, loathes his gay son as God’s practical joke. Jan’s stories are a concentration of emotional power, often heartwarming and heartbreaking in the span of a few minutes.

When schoolteacher Lorna Buchanan witnesses a strange ceremony on the grounds of St. Anne’s College, she is sacked by the tyrannical headmistress - and becomes entangled in a web of mysticism and murder. Set in a cozy 19th-century English spa town, The Malvern Mystery follows Lorna as she investigates a deadly crime clouded by deception, greed, and ancient rituals.

Gulliver's Travels is a classic satire on human nature and a parody of the "travelers' tales" literary genre. Lemuel Gulliver travels to the remote country of Lilliput where he encounters the six-inch-tall Lilliputians. On his next journey, he is captured by a 60-foot-tall native of Brobdingnag.

Shipwrecked and cast adrift, Lemuel Gulliver wakes to find himself on Lilliput, an island in miniature where he towers above the inhabitants and surroundings. His subsequent encounters - with the brash giants of Brobdingnag, the philosophical brutish Yahoos, the flying creatures of Laputa - give Gulliver bitter insights into life, love, and humanity.

Peggy the pug is going on holiday to the seaside! Her special friend Chloe is excited, too, and hopes that she'll see a mermaid. But even though Chloe and Peggy search the beach, they can't find a mermaid anywhere. Not wanting her friend to be disappointed, Peggy decides that she'll just have to become a mermaid herself! But that means that she's going to have to learn how to doggy paddle.

In Making an Elephant, Graham Swift brings together a richly varied selection of essays, portraits, poetry and reflections on his life in writing. Full of insights into his passions and motivations, and wise about the friends, family and other writers who have mattered to him over the years, this is a revealing and intimate collection. Kazuo Ishiguro advises on how to choose a guitar, Salman Rushdie arrives for Christmas under guard and Ted Hughes shares the secrets of a Devon river. There are private moments, too, with long-dead writers.

De fantasierijke roman van de Ierse schrijver Jonathan Swift over de avontuurlijke reizen van scheepsarts Lemuel Gulliver naar de verste delen van de wereld is al zo'n 300 jaar een klassieker en een groots werk in de Engelstalige literatuur. Eerst bezoekt Gulliver's schip het eiland van de kleine kuil, waar de bewoners slechts 15 centimeter hoog zijn. De hoogte komt overeen met het niveau van de politieke discussies van deze mensen. Zijn tweede reis leidt hem naar naar Brobdingnag, dat wordt geteisterd door veldslagen, en naar een vliegend eiland.

At 22 years old, Robyn feels she is fast becoming an old maid. There are some eligible men in rural Midlothian, but Robyn has some competition from her particular friend, Amy. Already engaged to a man she no longer loves, Robyn sets out to hunt for a husband in a countryside racked by social unrest. Could her man be the collier hunted by the police - or the tall golfer? And who is the messenger who seems to appear just when he's not wanted?