Playing For The Ashes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Those who haven’t discovered Elizabeth George . . . should rush to read Playing for the Ashes.”—Us “The story begins with my father, actually, and the fact that I’m the one who’s answerable for his death. It was not my first crime, as you will see, but it is the one my mother couldn’t forgive.” Acclaimed author Elizabeth George reveals the even darker truth behind this startling confession in Playing for the Ashes, a rich tale of passion, murder, and love in which Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers once again find themselves embroiled in a case where nothing—and no one—is really what it seems. Intense, suspenseful, and brilliantly written, Playing for the Ashes is “a treasure” (Cosmopolitan).

*#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER *Winner, Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Nonfiction *Winner, Indigenous Voices Awards *Winner, High Plains Book Awards *Finalist, CBC Canada Reads *A Globe and Mail Book of the Year *An Indigo Book of the Year *A CBC Best Canadian Nonfiction Book of the Year In this extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle, once a high school dropout and now a rising Indigenous scholar, chronicles his life on the streets and how he overcame trauma and addiction to discover the truth about who he is. If I can just make it to the next minute...then I might have a chance to live; I might have a chance to be something more than just a struggling crackhead. From the Ashes is a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Métis-Cree man who refused to give up. Abandoned by his parents as a toddler, Jesse Thistle briefly found himself in the foster-care system with his two brothers, cut off from all they had known. Eventually the children landed in the home of their paternal grandparents, whose tough-love attitudes quickly resulted in conflicts. Throughout it all, the ghost of Jesse’s drug-addicted father haunted the halls of the house and the memories of every family member. Struggling with all that had happened, Jesse succumbed to a self-destructive cycle of drug and alcohol addiction and petty crime, spending more than a decade on and off the streets, often homeless. Finally, he realized he would die unless he turned his life around. In this heartwarming and heart-wrenching memoir, Jesse Thistle writes honestly and fearlessly about his painful past, the abuse he endured, and how he uncovered the truth about his parents. Through sheer perseverance and education—and newfound love—he found his way back into the circle of his Indigenous culture and family. An eloquent exploration of the impact of prejudice and racism, From the Ashes is, in the end, about how love and support can help us find happiness despite the odds.

When your greatest dream is born from spite, will it make you truly happy? Indoctrinated from birth by his devout, God-fearing father, Felix discovered his magical abilities in a terrifying incident. Ever since that night, spite has festered within his heart, shaping his desire to become a powerful sorcerer. And much to his surprise, his dream may become reality as he receives a chance to study at the prestigious Dragora Institute of Magic in the Medeian Empire. There are secrets lurking in the shadows, however. An enigmatic masked man hangs just out of sight, stalking Felix and fueling the flames of his hatred. And now, as Felix grows closer to realizing his dreams than ever before, a new, darker destiny threatens to corrupt his ambitions. As Felix forges new relationships with fellow magi from all across the world, he comes to discover more about himself and what he wants out of life. With an infinite number of winding, crisscrossing paths ahead of him, which will he take, and where will that road lead? Who will he choose to be?

REBELLION IS FORGED IN THE HEART OF THE EMPIRE. Before they were torn asunder, Laia lived happily and quietly with her Nan, Pop, and brother Darin within the Scholar district of Martial-ruled Serra. Although Laia is afraid to venture outside her home due to the heavy Martial presence, Darin loves to explore all parts of their home city... even those that are forbidden. A chance encounter with famed swordsmith Spiro Teluman, who sees in Darin a talent for forging weapons, leads him down a path that pulls him away from his family but towards hope for his people. While Laia is forced to take her brother’s place accompanying Pop to combat a dangerous illness spreading quickly through Serra. When Laia discovers a surprising cure, will she brave exposure and the heavily-patrolled streets so she can save the city and someone she loves?

Sir Ian Botham and the Ashes are as closely intertwined as willow and leather or Merv Hughes and his moustache. You simply cannot think of one without the other. In this book, Sir Ian takes you on a ride through a lifetime's relationship with cricket's oldest and most treasured prize, revealing just how it has shaped his life and how he has helped to turn it into the contest it is today. From the moment he first watched the likes of Ken Barrington stride to the wicket in jaw-jutting defiance to the day he flayed Australia's bowling attack around Headingley as if playing with his mates in the park, and then onwards to his role in commentating on what was arguably the finest series of the lot, in 2005, Sir Ian has a rich and varied connection with the Ashes, and he tells all here. The Ashes is a series that has provided incredible highs and heartbreaking lows for English and Australian fans alike over the past 35 years. Sir Ian has often been at the centre of the roller-coaster ride. Whether it is his account of his days as England's dogsbody in 1977 in Melbourne or the story of his refusal to let Bob Willis bowl downwind until he was angry enough to skittle the Aussies in 1981, all is revealed in depth in Botham's Book of the Ashes.

She is desperate to remember. He is aching to forget. Together, they are not broken. But together, one may not survive. Jade wakes up with no memory of her past and blood on her hands. Plagued by wicked thoughts, she searches for answers. Instead, she finds a boy who doesn't offer her answers, but hope. But sometimes, when nightmares turn into reality and death follows you everywhere, hope is not enough. LUST. LOVE. LOSS. Sometimes, all that is left are Ashes and Ice.

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions. When it happens, Alex was hiking in the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP. For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it's now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human. Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir joins writer Nicole Andelfinger and artist Sonia Liao for an all-new original graphic novel introducing the dangerous world of An Ember in the Ashes to new readers and revealing an untold story of Elias and Helene's beginnings at Blackcliff Academy in this stirring standalone chapter in the series' mythology. Before they were on different sides of a revolution, Elias and Helene were comrades at Blackcliff Military Academy. When they’re sent on a dangerous mission to steal a heavily-guarded poison on Isle South, they soon find themselves up against surprising enemies—including other recruits. As the true horror of their assignment is revealed, they will begin to confront the harrowing realities of Martial rule, their place in the system...and the choices they must make to survive.