A Brutal Harvest

Soon to be a major motion picture! Norman Partridge's Bram Stoker Award-winning novel, Dark Harvest, is a powerhouse thrill-ride with all the resonance of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." “A major talent.” —Stephen King Halloween, 1963. They call him the October Boy, or Ol' Hacksaw Face, or Sawtooth Jack. Whatever the name, everybody in this small Midwestern town knows who he is. How he rises from the cornfields every Halloween, a butcher knife in his hand, and makes his way toward town, where gangs of teenage boys eagerly await their chance to confront the legendary nightmare. Both the hunter and the hunted, the October Boy is the prize in an annual rite of life and death. Pete McCormick knows that killing the October Boy is his one chance to escape a dead-end future in this one-horse town. He's willing to risk everything, including his life, to be a winner for once. But before the night is over, Pete will look into the saw-toothed face of horror—and discover the terrifying true secret of the October Boy. “This is contemporary American writing at its finest.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Meet Sam Thornton, Collector of Souls. Sam’s job is to collect the souls of the damned, and ensure their souls are dispatched to the appropriate destination. But when he’s dispatched to collect the soul of a young woman he believes to be innocent of the horrific crime that’s doomed her to Hell, he says something no Collector has ever said before. “No.” File Under: Urban Fantasy [ Souled Out | Damned If You Don’t | Collector Mania | On The Run ] e-book ISBN: 978-0-85766-219-4 From the Paperback edition.

This gripping tale of twisted irony pits one man¿s humanity against a backdrop of hate and destruction. Though gritty and hard core, this work has contemporary relevance and a social conscience.

Harvest Heat reveals how modern agriculture feeds hungry people. Something magical happens in 1950 during wheat harvest when one war veteran returns home. He struggles with civilian life after fighting from Utah Beach to Berlin. Despite horrible battle memories he gains new strength by keeping his promise to help starving people get food. He meets a young woman who teaches in a Kansas high school. The Kansas moon's white light fires the passion of these young lovers. She helps him adjust to being home from the war. In the summer heat fueled by the aroma of ripening wheat their carnal love exposes her dark secrets. He helps her fight the trauma of a brutal teenage attack. These young lovers face many challenges. War in Korea drives grain prices higher as American soldiers battle hordes of an advancing enemy. By helping farmers lobby for mutual goals and supporting the leaders of huge farm co-ops they establish a giant agricultural business on the lonely prairie where Indians and buffalo once roamed. With friends from Las Vegas they gamble and gain new wealth by trading grain commodity futures. But only 55 years later one of America’s largest farmer-owned cooperatives is bankrupt. Harvest Heat explains the intricate political relationships of people who helped build a multi-billion dollar agribusiness empire. They now struggle to keep their family farms that supply most of America’s food. Harvest Heat tells how much of America’s political influence comes from citizens in small towns. In the vibrant world of agribusiness these Midwestern folks clash with big corporations and crooked politicians who crave more power and money. Visit this Harvest Heat website for more information. http://harvestheat.org

It was when David Mas Masumoto's father had a stroke on the sprawling fields of their farm that the son looked with new eyes on the land where he and generations of his family have toiled for decades. Masumoto -- an organic farmer working the land in California's Central Valley -- farms stories as he farms peaches. In Wisdom of the Last Farmer, an impassioned memoir of revitalization and redemption, he finds the natural connections between generation and succession, fathers and children, booms and declines as he tells the story of his family and their farm. He brings us to the rich earth of America's Fruit Basket, under the vine trellises and canes where grapes are grown, and to the fruit orchards flush with green before harvest, where he uncovers and preserves the age-old wisdom that is fast disappearing in our modern, information-driven world -- and that is urgently needed in this time of food crises and social disruption. Masumoto sees the price the family has paid to grow complex heirloom peaches -- when the market rewards tasteless, big, and red fruits -- and the challenges of maintaining traditions and integrity while working in the modern, high-pressure agricultural marketplace. As his father's health declines along with the profitability of the family farm, Masumoto has the further hard work of nursing his father back to health -- becoming master to the teacher who once schooled him -- and is driven beyond economic concerns to even larger questions of life, death, and renewal. In his gorgeous, lyrical prose, Masumoto conjures the realities of farming life while weaving in the history of American agriculture over the past century, encapsulating universal themes of work along with wisdom that could be gleaned only from the earth. By the end of the workday, he understands the feeling of accomplishment when you've done your best...and discovers that it's when he lets go -- of both his father and control of nature -- that wisdom manifests itself. And, when Masumoto's daughter intends to return to the family farm, hope is found in the generations. In the quiet eloquence of Wisdom of the Last Farmer, you will see how your own destiny is involved in the future of your food, the land, and the farm.

Pat Willard's enticing exploration of the exotic spice saffron describes its journey from the ancient Sumerian kingdoms, Persia, and the island of Crete to the Pennsylvania Dutch in America. Through a beautiful blend of personal stories, myths, history, quotations, ancient remedies, and modern recipes, Willard takes us from Cleopatra's bath to the medieval court of France and beyond. A practical guide to buying, using, and even growing saffron as well as a cookbook containing recipes ranging from Paella Valenica to Saffron Consommé, this magical account is perfect for anyone who has ever been teased by this seductive spice.

To tea, or not to tea? That is no question! A tea collector and addict spills the leaves. The author is a vegetarian, non-smoker and teetotaler - but should one not have at least one vice? Brutally honest and in a comprehensive way, he reveals his experience with his addiction to finding increasingly better teas for the daily dose and the constantly growing collection. But that is not all, he also freely discloses how he treats the most tender leaves and buds with boiling water, some of which is even bubbling. In addition to providing personal experiences, the book also serves as a thorough guide and reference book, covering tea varieties and cultivars as well as the topics of purchasing, storing, choosing the right water, the various ways of brewing and the fitting accessories. Furthermore, more than 200 different teas are presented, both world-renowned standards as well as some personal favorites and curiosities. THIS EDITION CONTAINS EXACTLY THE SAME TEXT AS THE REGULAR EBOOK OR PAPERBACK, BUT MOST OF THE PHOTOS HAVE BEEN REMOVED. IN OTHER WORDS, THIS VERSION IS TEXT-ONLY WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO PICK THE REGULAR VERSION IF YOU PREFER TO HAVE YOUR READING EXPERIENCE ENHANCED BY A WIDE VARIETY OF PHOTOS.