Said The Robin To The Sparrow

This three book series is intended to show my life in the written words with a blurred line between fact and fiction. The detail being lost in my memory and impossible to retrieve. Conversations, experiences and encounters from decades earlier are part of what I am today.It has been impossible to write an outline of my life without naming others and describing the circumstances of having an alcoholic father. The autobiographical nature of the book made any different scenario impossible.

A visionary work that combines speculative fiction with deep philosophical inquiry, The Sparrow tells the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a scientific mission entrusted with a profound task: to make first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life. The mission begins in faith, hope, and beauty, but a series of small misunderstandings brings it to a catastrophic end. Praise for The Sparrow “A startling, engrossing, and moral work of fiction.”—The New York Times Book Review “Important novels leave deep cracks in our beliefs, our prejudices, and our blinders. The Sparrow is one of them.”—Entertainment Weekly “Powerful . . . The Sparrow tackles a difficult subject with grace and intelligence.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Provocative, challenging . . . recalls both Arthur C. Clarke and H. G. Wells, with a dash of Ray Bradbury for good measure.”—The Dallas Morning News “[Mary Doria] Russell shows herself to be a skillful storyteller who subtly and expertly builds suspense.”—USA Today

This is the full-color version of the coloring book

IN MY FAMILY, when anyone rides the wave of their emotions, we say they're chucking a birkett. When the emotion drives out all common sense, we say they're chucking a big one. The telltale signs are: flaming cheeks, shortness of breath, bulging eyes, and a prolonged illogical outburst.Gemma Stone is convinced that it's always unseemly to chuck a birkett and that it's actually insane to chuck one in front of a complete stranger. But that was before she fell for a boy who barely knows she exists, before she auditioned for the school play, before she met the family of freaks her sister Debbie is marrying into, before the unpredictable Raven De Head took an interest in her, and before she realized that at the right time and for the right reason, a birkett could be a beautiful thing.

Family at Booknook By Brenda Humphrey Meisels A traumatized teenage mother, a cantankerous old man and a precocious child create an unlikely family. In 1959, date rape was not uncommon, pregnancy out of wedlock was shameful, and abortion was illegal. Sixteen-year-old Sparrow is pregnant. Banished from her home, she is left at Dave Stanley’s bookshop. Dave, grieving the death of his wife, is disturbed by her presence. However, an accident forces a temporary alliance. Withdrawn and seemingly unaware of her pregnancy, Sparrow remains and works at Booknook. With the birth of her daughter, Finch, she awakens and is determined to keep her baby Dave becomes a surrogate grandfather, protector of mother and daughter. Living life through her child, Sparrow secludes herself at Booknook. Finch grows up feeling the sting of being illegitimate. She longs for her mysterious, absent father who, she believes, can complete her family. As an adolescent, Finch hates her mother’s passivity and secretiveness. Only when Finch calls her mother a recluse does Sparrow confront her fears and embark on a terrifying journey outside the safety of the shop. When Finch announces that she will be leaving home, Sparrow’s world is again shaken. But when tragedy strikes, it is Finch who is desolate and Sparrow who attempts to comfort her. Finch is further devastated when her mother’s secret is revealed. Can Sparrow confront her past and ease her daughter’s pain?

Get ready for the coldest season with A World Full of Winter Stories, a beautifully illustrated anthology of magical winter stories from around the world.