Sparrow Nights

An exhilarating novel of erotic and psychotic extremes from one of Canada’s best fiction writers. Everyone would agree that Darius Halloway was the most civilized of men, a professor of French literature, a connoisseur of ideas and women and wine, a perfect guest at life’s dinner party. Darius himself would have agreed, until Emma, waifish and insatiable,walks out the door, leaving her empty clothes hangers rattling in his closet. For a little while, it’s not so bad. He thinks she must come back, and other women find his melancholy quite compelling. But then the sparrows of insomnia start picking at the inside of his skull. Life’s little aggravating moments seem to require him to seek direct retaliation. Soon all his smoothness and cleverness is directed toward wreaking the most elaborate revenge… and getting away with it. Until the ultimate retaliation arises, and there he is, in the most damning of situations, with his nerves on fire and his heart in his throat…finally not thinking of Emma. From the Hardcover edition.

The Sparrows Song was compiled from words I have found meaningful over the years and they have provided comfort in what otherwise could have been a dismal past. I started gathering these at an early age and continued searching for deeper meaning until the present time. It is my desire that others may be encouraged to use reading and writing as a diversionary art to aid the formation of peace in sharing love.

Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, the highly acclaimed translators of War and Peace, Doctor Zhivago, and Anna Karenina, which was an Oprah Book Club pick and million-copy bestseller, bring their unmatched talents to The Selected Stories of Anton Chekhov, a collection of thirty of Chekhov’s best tales from the major periods of his creative life. Considered the greatest short story writer, Anton Chekhov changed the genre itself with his spare, impressionistic depictions of Russian life and the human condition. From characteristically brief, evocative early pieces such as “The Huntsman” and the tour de force “A Boring Story,” to his best-known stories such as “The Lady with the Little Dog” and his own personal favorite, “The Student,” Chekhov’s short fiction possesses the transcendent power of art to awe and change the reader. This monumental edition, expertly translated, is especially faithful to the meaning of Chekhov’s prose and the unique rhythms of his writing, giving readers an authentic sense of his style and a true understanding of his greatness.

A classic collection of tales by the acclaimed Russian playwright and author universally recognized as a master of the modern short story. In “The Bet,” partygoers strike up a debate regarding the humanity of capital punishment versus life imprisonment, which causes a two-million-ruble wager to be struck between a lawyer and a banker. The lawyer, arguing in favor of life imprisonment, agrees to spend fifteen years in total isolation in a guest room on the banker’s property. Granted only basic necessities, he staves off loneliness and depression by reading, studying, playing piano, and drinking wine. Meanwhile, the banker experiences the follies of fortune, leading him to a desperate and dastardly decision . . . Other stories in this volume include “A Tedious Story,” “The Fit,” “Misfortune,” “After the Theatre,” “That Wretched Boy,” “Enemies,” “A Trifling Occurrence,” “A Gentleman Friend,” “Overwhelming Sensations,” “Expensive Lessons,” “A Living Calendar,” and “Old Age.”

On any clear night, the night sky offers an ever-changing display of fascinating objects, visible to the naked eye: stars, constellations, bright planets, the moon, human-made satellites, and sometimes even meteor showers or the International Space Station. With gorgeous high-definition imagery and a wealth of charts, graphs, and infographics, readers will find here what is visible in the night sky at various times of the year and from what locations around the world. They will learn what additional objects they can see with the help of telescopes, binoculars, and sky maps. Also featured are skywatching terms and night sky observing tips.

The classic dark fantasy series Tales from the Flat Earth opens with this collection of three dreamlike inter-linked tales featuring the cruel and beautiful Azhrarn, Prince of Demons Reminiscent of the Arabian Nights and Greek mythology, perfect for fans of Jack Vance’s Dying Earth fantasy series Rediscover master fantasist Tanith Lee’s classic, most popular series, where demons and gods grant wonders and wreak havoc. Visit the Upperearth, where dwell the gods; the Underearth, the realm of nightmarish demons; the Innerearth, domain of the dead; and the Flat Earth itself, the home of mortals. Supreme amongst them all is the demon god Azhrarn, Night’s Master, whose deadly whims could change the lives of those in the Flat Earth. Azhrarn holds in his heart a mystery which could alter the very existence of the Flat Earth forever.