Fiction

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2013 contains twenty prize-winning stories chosen from thousands published in literary magazines over the previous year.

The name of the Marquis de Sade is synonymous with the blackest corners of the human soul, a byword for all that is foulest in human conduct. In his bleak, claustrophobic universe, there is no God, no morality, no human affection, and no hope. Power is given to the strong, and the strong are murderers, torturers, and tyrants. No quarter is given; compassion is the virtue of the weak.

With her best friend Mackenna Reid now a permanent citizen of Doon, and her relationship with her prince and true love Jaime back on track, Veronica is certain things are finally right with her kingdom. Until she suddenly becomes ill, collapsing as the witch of Doon begins draining of her life. Desperate to save Veronica, Jamie will do anything-including casting a forbidden spell that trades his health for Vee's recovery.

New York Times bestselling author Javier Sierra takes you on a grand tour of the Prado museum in this historical novel that illuminates the fascinating mysteries behind European art-complete with gorgeous, full-color inserts of artwork by da Vinci, Boticelli, and other master artists.

Falling in love is easy. Falling out of love is the hardest thing in the world. And Elin and Ty Whitt are terrible at it. The first time the local basketball star smiled at Elin, she was a goner. It was just so damn easy to fall for the dark-haired hometown hero with his charming smile and strong, athletic build. Thousands of sleepy smiles, aimless drives down country roads, and squeaks of the backdoor after a swing shift later, reality hits. And it hits hard. Falling in love was definitely the easy part. Watching it break apart was impossible. Through the tears, the second-guesses, the memories of a life built together, the world keeps spinning. With each turn comes clarity and hope-sometimes in the form of a pair of muddy boots by the back door or from the words of a wise friend. When Ty shows back up with a new found determination to put his family back together, Elin's torn between the fights of the past and the possibility of a new start. This is the man that holds her heart, the man she loves beyond anything else. But this is also the one person in the world that can cause her the most pain. Life's not always easy. Love's not for the faint of heart. But with life comes lessons and Ty and Elin have the scars to prove it. But it's their love written in those scars that will hold them together ... or break them apart.

Jayne Ann Krentz, the New York Times bestselling author of Secret Sisters, delivers a thrilling novel of the deceptions we hide behind, the passions we surrender to, and the lengths we’ll go to for the truth...

Larry Virgil skipped out on his latest court date after he was arrested for hijacking an eighteen-wheeler full of premium bourbon. Fortunately for bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, Larry is just stupid enough to attempt almost the exact same crime again. Only this time he flees the scene, leaving behind a freezer truck loaded with Bogart ice cream and a dead body-frozen solid and covered in chocolate and chopped pecans.

Special Agent John Puller, combat veteran and the army's most tenacious investigator, is back in this action-packed thriller from worldwide #1 bestselling author David Baldacci.

Nearly lost in a fog of grief over the fatal stabbing of her daughter, art historian Grace Neville feels only sorrow as Jordan Dukes is found guilty of murder. Days after the sentencing, Grace receives a visit from Jordan's father, who claims that his son is innocent and a grave miscarriage of justice has taken place. Jordan's history of gang-related violence and the fact that he doesn't have an alibi make his father's plea hard to believe. But then why does somebody break into Grace's home and go through her daughter's belongings?

The next installment of Bernard Cornwell's bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the making of England, "like Game of Thrones, but real" (Observer, London)-the basis for The Last Kingdom, the hit television series coming to Netflix in Fall 2016.

Lights, camera, action... Tamara Collins is poised to become the next great American actress. The problem is Hollywood doesn't know that just yet.....and since her bills aren't paying themselves, Tamara signs on to star in the new stageplay, It Should've Been Me. Get in, get out, get paid...that's all Tamara wants to do. But her co-stars - including Donovan Dobbs, her ex that left her at the altar and Camille Woods, a young starlet with a serious grudge - could make this the worst decision Tamara's ever made. Whatever it takes... Playwright/producer Gwen Tanner Weinstein has decided if her neglectful husband can't give her love, she'll take his money. And use it to make her stageplay dreams come true. She's put together an amazing cast, sold out shows across the country and is ready to take her rightful reign as one of the top play producers in the country. If only she can keep the drama contained to the stage....and that sexy young merchandising guy out of her bed.... From shady crewmembers, to unscrupulous paparazzi, It Should've Been Me is bound to be turned into real life drama that will rival anything that could ever happen on the stage.

The bestselling author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is at her superb best in this fun-loving, moving novel about what it means to be truly alive.

Doctor Who Short Trips is a series of themed short story anthologies of new Doctor Who fiction, featuring the Doctor in all of his first eight incarnations. They feature stories written by some of the leading names in Doctor Who, past and present, including Paul Cornell, Gareth Roberts, Christopher H. Bidmead, and Paul Magrs. A Day in the Life features 16 stories whose total "running time" adds up to a single 24-hour period: a fictional "day in the life of the universe," made up of fragments from throughout time and space. Given the temperamental NATURE of the TARDIS and the round-the-clock events that go on every single day, it's no wonder that the Doctor often arrives at his destinations at differing times. As we leave one story and join the next, we switch location and era-but not the hands on the clock.

"This book is beautiful." - A.O. Scott, New York Times Book Review, cover review "An exuberant meld of fiction and family history." - Hamilton Cain, O Magazine Following on the heels of his New York Times bestselling novel Telegraph Avenue, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon delivers another literary masterpiece: a novel of truth and lies, family legends, and existential adventure-and the forces that work to destroy us.

Doctor Who Short Trips is a series of themed short story anthologies of new Doctor Who fiction, featuring the Doctor in all of his first eight incarnations. They feature stories written by some of the leading names in Doctor Who, past and present, including Paul Cornell, Gareth Roberts, Christopher H. Bidmead, and Paul Magrs. To the governments and corporations of the world in 2040, expansion is an article of faith. The human race must expand outwards, exploring new territories, new technologies, and new ways of thinking. Only problem is, the human race doesn't necessarily share that faith. And with so much at stake, their leaders may have to call in some new partners to make sure we see the LIGHT.

Set in Paris, from the award-winning author of Little Known Facts, an effervescent new novel about a woman in thrall to a powerful older man.

Edith Grossman, celebrated for her brilliant translation of Don Quixote, offers a dazzling new version of another Cervantes classic, on the 400th anniversary of his death

"The Survivalist may be the best post-apocalyptic series out there," raves Steve Erwood of the Disaster Preparedness Blog. "In addition to a steady stream of gunfights with zombie-like mutants, roadway bandits, and opportunistic warlords, the books teach dozens of useful survival tricks. Learn to hotwire cars, construct homemade booby traps, build garbage-powered generators, and retrieve fuel from abandoned gas pumps."

What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?

Tess Slesinger's 1934 novel, The Unpossessed details the ins and outs and ups and downs of left-wing New York intellectual life and features a cast of litterateurs, layabouts, lotharios, academic activists, and fur-clad patrons of protest and the arts. This cutting comedy about hard times, bad jobs, lousy marriages, little magazines, high principles, and the morning after bears comparison with the best work of Dawn Powell and Mary McCarthy.