And Venus Is Blue

Although Hood is considered a "Southern" writer, her sensibilities are universal. In this impressive collection of short fiction, she uses simple phrases to capture a character perfectly; at the same time, she knows when to unleash her controlled prose, freeing it for poetic evocations of landscapes or moments. Above all, she tells good stories. "After Moore" traces the dissolution of a marriage as told to a marriage counselor by all the family members. Hood manages to be both funny and perceptive as she adopts the voice of each character in turn. The title piece is an ambitious novella in which Hood's experiments with time do not quite work, but she deftly renders a family's complex relationships and at the same time creates the ambience of a mill-town community. Hood, who won the 1984 Flannery O'Connor Award for her first book of stories, How Far She Went, is a talented writer with a distinctive, memorable voice.

A landmark book offers a new dialogue for the next generation of mothers and daughters. "Who knows what is going to happen when the hormones kick in at age sixteen and she falls madly in love?" says one mother about her daughter. Statistically, the answer is alarming: 65 percent of eighteen-year-old girls have had sex. Four of every ten sexually active girls get pregnant, most of them unintentionally. Now more than ever, talking about sex is an essential rite of passage for both mothers and daughters. And in this groundbreaking book, Nathalie Bartle shows mothers how to help guide their daughters safely through the fears, intimacies, and sexual choices of adolescence. Combining stories of raising her own daughter with the voices of other families, Bartle tells us what today's young women urgently want to know--and what mothers need to tell them. Practical strategies and real-life examples help both parent and teen get the conversation right--encouraging trust, correcting misinformation, and emphasizing the importance of relationships and values. She covers: When is the right time to begin talking to girls about sex? How can you get your daughter to listen? How can you get past the mutual embarrassment? What six strategies have other mothers found effective? How can you play a role in your daughter's sexual education--without encouraging her to be sexually active?

When did my life start resembling a Hallmark movie? I suppose it all started when my charming fiancé turned out to be anything but, and I decided I wanted to push the reset button on my life. So, I packed up my business and moved to a small town in the Texas Hill Country, complete with the cast of small-town characters you’d expect and the ridiculously sexy new veterinarian. Being the new kids in town, Cal and I kept finding ourselves thrown togetherand even though men were the absolute last thing on my mind... one thing led to another. Now someone’s threatening my business, but I’m not the same woman I was when I arrived. And I’m ready to fight for what’s mine. Each book in the Konigsburg series is STANDALONE: * Venus in Blue Jeans * Wedding Bell Blues * Be My Baby * Long Time Gone * Brand New Me * Don’t Forget Me * Fearless Love * Hungry Heart

Discusses the innermost solar system and the importance of the Sun's energy on orbiting bodies. This volume covers the geological characteristics of Venus in relation to the Sun and the rest of the solar system. It is useful for those interested in understanding the science and history behind the exploration of the three celestial bodies.

The message had seemed simple, yet it was more complex than Don could have imagined. He was being called from Earth to an alien world for reasons unknown¾save only that his life depended on it. But setting out for Mars and getting there in good shape turned out to be a lot more complicated than Don ever would have guessed possible. It was trouble enough being inexplicably hounded by Earth's secret police. But when he was hijacked by Venusian rebels, Don suddenly realized that he was trapped in the center of a war between worlds that could change the fate of the Solar System forever! At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

An engrossing and revelatory first look at the search for alien life—on Earth and beyond For the past twenty years, Peter Ward has been at the forefront of popular science writing, with books such as the influential and controversial Rare Earth. In Life as We Do Not Know It, Ward, with his signature blend of eloquence, humor, and learned insight, vividly details the latest scientific findings, cutting-edge research, and intrepid new theories on the subject of alien life and the possible extraterrestrial origins of life on Earth. In lucid, entertaining, and bold prose, Peter Ward once again challenges our notions of life on earth (and beyond).

A comprehensive and authoritative text on the formation and evolution of planetary atmospheres, for graduate-level students and researchers.