The Bad Apple

Relates how Mac, the apple, and Will, the worm, become friends.

The day after the funeral all our mourning clothes hung out on the line like sleeping bats. 'This will be really embarrassing,' I kept saying to my family, 'when she shows up at the door in a week or two.' When Deena's wild and mysterious sister Mandy disappears - presumed dead - her family are heartbroken. But Mandy has always been troubled. It's just another bad thing to happen to Deena's family. Only Deena refuses to believe it's true. And then the letters start arriving. Letters from Mandy, claiming that their family's blighted history is not just bad luck or bad decisions - but a curse, handed down through the generations. Mandy has gone in search of the curse's roots, and now Deena must find her. What they find will heal their family's rotten past - or rip it apart forever.

A flirty standalone novel* from New York Times and international bestselling author Elle Kennedy! One night with him will change her life… Between her waitressing job, volunteer work, and college classes, there are never enough hours in Maggie Reilly’s day. Especially not for a relationship. Luckily, she’s got the perfect arrangement: a lover she meets three or four times a year. But when she shows up at the hotel expecting to hop into bed with one man, she accidentally ends up with another—Ben Barrett, Hollywood’s most notorious bad boy. Ben, determined to lay low after another scandal, just wants some much-needed sleep. What he gets is a scorching make-out session with a gorgeous, naked redhead. He won’t accept her apology, but what he will accept is a place to hide out…and if there’s some hot, no-strings sex involved, why the heck not? But Ben soon discovers that one week with his sassy, bed-hopping waitress is definitely not enough. He wants more. A lot more. Now he needs to convince relationship-averse Maggie that a bad boy might be oh so good for her—and the best thing that’s ever happened to both of them. *Previously published in 2008, Bad Apple (formerly Midnight Encounters) features almost entirely new content, including a point-of-view switch. Enjoy this new version of an old favorite!

A collection of poems that find meaning in a world where we are "so tired of meaning nothing", "Fuel" covers topics ranging from the border families of southern Texas to small ferns and forgotten books to Jews and Palestinians in the Middle East.

One bad apple is up to no good in this lively, rhyming romp about actions and consequences. This is Apple. He’s not a normal, nice kind of apple. Not a peaceful piece of fruit, no siree. He’s rotten to the core. In this irreverent new book by award-winning author Huw Lewis Jones, a truly terrible piece of fruit is wreaking havoc far beyond the rim of the fruit bowl. Bad Apple is dead set on making life miserable for Pear, Plum, Cat, and Spoon, and it seems like no one will stop him. He pinches, steals, and breaks his way through the kitchen—until he encounters Snake. Could Snake be a match for the most mischievous snack in the house? Illustrated in a deadpan, painterly style by Ben Sanders, Bad Apple is sure to entertain the entire family.

There Can Only Be One Queen Bee. Young and beautiful, seventeen-year-old Apple believes there's one thing she can do better than anyone -- herself. Her selfish actions turn fatal in a New York minute when she gets tangled up with a ruthless hustler. He wants his payment in blood with interest. Apple goes undercover to try to clean up her mess, but the lines between vengeance and reality begin to blur. Meanwhile, Apple's twin sister Kola is leading a fast life of her own with an escort ring. Though she's making long money, she's not satisfied with second best, and she sets out to knock Apple off. Her wicked scheming explodes into the ultimate betrayal. Nisa Santiago's tale of beautiful sisters from Harlem proves that when sibling rivalry spins out of control, loyalty is just a word on the streets.

When the day doesn't go as planned, two friends use positive thinking and creative ideas to make it great anyway. What can you do if your swimming hole dries out? Or a thunderstorm crashes your afternoon? Just ask Mac and Will! When these unlikely friends’ fun plans go awry, they show how a day of unexpected ups and downs can still be a perfect day—all it takes is a little imagination. The stars of Bad Apple, A Tale of Friendship are back, making new friends by looking on the bright side.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Talent Code unlocks the secrets of highly successful groups and provides tomorrow’s leaders with the tools to build a cohesive, motivated culture. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BLOOMBERG AND LIBRARY JOURNAL Where does great culture come from? How do you build and sustain it in your group, or strengthen a culture that needs fixing? In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world’s most successful organizations—including the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six, IDEO, and the San Antonio Spurs—and reveals what makes them tick. He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation, and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind. Drawing on examples that range from Internet retailer Zappos to the comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade to a daring gang of jewel thieves, Coyle offers specific strategies that trigger learning, spark collaboration, build trust, and drive positive change. Coyle unearths helpful stories of failure that illustrate what not to do, troubleshoots common pitfalls, and shares advice about reforming a toxic culture. Combining leading-edge science, on-the-ground insights from world-class leaders, and practical ideas for action, The Culture Code offers a roadmap for creating an environment where innovation flourishes, problems get solved, and expectations are exceeded. Culture is not something you are—it’s something you do. The Culture Code puts the power in your hands. No matter the size of your group or your goal, this book can teach you the principles of cultural chemistry that transform individuals into teams that can accomplish amazing things together. Praise for The Culture Code “I’ve been waiting years for someone to write this book—I’ve built it up in my mind into something extraordinary. But it is even better than I imagined. Daniel Coyle has produced a truly brilliant, mesmerizing read that demystifies the magic of great groups. It blows all other books on culture right out of the water.”—Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Option B, Originals, and Give and Take “If you want to understand how successful groups work—the signals they transmit, the language they speak, the cues that foster creativity—you won’t find a more essential guide than The Culture Code.”—Charles Duhigg, New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better