The four Stroud brothers were all born into magic, and when they all come of age their powers will be revealed. It all sounds like a fairytale, but not all magic is good. Their mother embraced the darkness and paid with her life. Finn Stroud was happy working on the family farm until the day his father announced it was time for them all to go out and find their place in the world, and their magic. He and his four brothers knew this was the tradition of the Imagi people who were meant to wield elemental magic, but Finn soon finds how ill prepared he was for the real world.

Crow Rapp assumes he’ll spend his life growing corn in rural Illinois, like the grandparents who raised him. But during a visit to a traveling carnival, he encounters a handsome stranger named Simeon Bell—and receives a prophecy of a horrifying future. When that future materializes soon afterward, Crow flees...only to find that no matter how far he goes, fate pursues him.

Randy Miller wants nothing more than to make a living selling the fantastic cookies he dreams up when he’s not working as a web designer. He’s always loved baking, but he’s afraid of taking the leap from hobby to business. Mostly he’s afraid of failing, and of Eli coming up with a better recipe. Eli Canton has a crush. A big crush on someone who avoids him whenever he can. Eli loves everything about Randy, even if he’s grouchy and seems to work way too much. Eli knows he’s not all bad and hopes to have a chance with him someday.

Jack Hulbert has worked at the hardware store Nuts and Bolts since he was sixteen. He had big dreams of leaving town and traveling, but five years later, not much has changed, and he worries he'll end up living the rest of his life in the small town he was born in. Hudson Carter has been working in Sacramento for the past ten years, managing a big box store. He left Foggy Basin for college in the city and he never once looked back. His parents have owned the hardware store in town for two generations, and he'd hoped to avoid the same fate.

Welcome to Foggy Basin. Just passing through? No problem. Here to stay, well, better find your place. Sit back, relax and get to know the townsfolk. They love hard and play even harder.

As a classic and beloved figure in the history of American literature, Mark Twain has warmed the hearts of millions with his powerful stories and world-famous adventures. As a celebration of his immense literary legacy, this collection brings together his most popular stories, providing contemporary readers with a profound glimpse into the literature of the past. With whimsical characters including Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, these stories are a rich collection of imaginative prose, sharp wit, and adventures that shed light on all aspects of the human condition.

"The Wilderness Collection" presents a captivating anthology that brings together two timeless classics by Jack London: "White Fang" and "Call of the Wild." These stories delve into the primal instincts and struggles for survival in the harsh landscapes of the North American wilderness. Each tale offers a unique perspective on the bond between humans and animals, exploring themes of loyalty, courage, and the untamed spirit of the wild. Through White Fang's journey, London portrays the brutality and beauty of nature, and the transformative power of kindness.

"Gorgias" by Plato is a dialogue, where Socrates discusses with Gorgias, a famous speaker, and his follower Polus, about rhetoric and its relationship to justice, morality, and the pursuit of knowledge.

Yeah, so I'm Kyle and I'm kind of screwed. Here's the deal: I work as an assistant to a Hollywood producer. My boss, Mr. Swoon, who's like the hottest thing since Matt Bomer—I'm totally in love with him, but he doesn't know it yet. And it gets worse. I ran across his profile on the gay dating site, Humper dot com and I sort of created this secret profile. We've been chatting for months and we've totally clicked. My boss calls me his soul mate. Except he doesn't know it's really me.

Sydney Carton, is an English lawyer who bears a remarkable resemblance to French aristocrat Charles Darnay. Darnay, who renounces his aristocratic heritage to start a new life in England, ends up falling in love with Lucie Manette. Meanwhile in Paris, the cruel Marquis St. Evrémonde runs down a child with his carriage, setting off a chain of events that will lead to revolutionand will alter their destiny.

When mystery author D. B. Ziegler is late delivering her book, Abi Schore steps in to help. Surely she can give her favorite author moral support over the holiday break and get the manuscript to her boss at Tea & Sympathy Publishing in time for the new year. When Abi shows up on Ms. Ziegler’s doorstep bearing holiday treats, she’s met by the author’s handsome grandson Dov, who reveals a startling plot twist. His grandmother isn’t able to finish the book and Dov promised he’d complete it so fans won’t be disappointed—a task that’s harder than he ever imagined.

Two little girls stand with their heads bowed in my living room. I’m told they’re my granddaughters. Daisy is nine, and Alice seven. Daisy is the spitting image of her mother. This is the first time I’ve met them since my daughter and I fell out after she married that waste of space, Vince. They’ve come to live with me because their mother — my daughter — was murdered. In her own home while they slept close by. I think Vince killed her. But the police can’t prove it. I’ve always known he was no good. He treated my daughter like dirt. I said he’d cheat on her — but she wouldn’t listen.

There's no place like home for the holidays ... especially for Lesley Carver. Life in the big city just wasn't her jam and now she's back in Hickory Falls, working at the family diner and helping her mom after she took a tumble. Lesley longs to build a life here, working at the cafe, selling her handmade ornaments and ... er, apparently reviving her high school crush on her best friend’s older brother. Only one problem, her mom wants her to leave Hickory Falls far behind.

Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.

First published in 1843, it tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean and unpleasant man who dislikes people generally and Christmas especially. One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come and given a glimpse of the many homes and lives which Scrooge has touched in his wretched life to date. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.

Clark Griswold was onto something...at least with his annual holiday meltdown. And since the last three weeks of my life have been riddled with humbug—another breakup, a broken toe, an office promotion I deserved and didn’t get—I’m not at all in the mood to celebrate nor have the happ, happ, happiest Christmas EVER.

My fiancé brought me tea and scrambled eggs in bed that morning, and we snuggled together, talking about buying our rings, and about our perfect wedding next year. Then we headed into town. He held my hand and gazed at the ring I liked best, a smile spreading slowly over his face. Then a glass of bubbly to celebrate. I felt flushed, excited and ready for the rest of my life with the man I loved. We race to get on the train home. It screams to a halt and I run towards its open doors. Made it. I think he’s right behind me — but when I turn around, he’s gone.

Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much. Why complicate things when he’s happy alone? Then one day the apartment board, a vexing trio of authority, rings his doorbell. And Lucas’s solitude takes a startling hike. They demand to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight, and instead of removing the errant object, as Lucas suggests, they insist on finding the guilty party. But their plan backfires. Colossally.

Johnnie Rico never really intended to join up—and definitely not the infantry. But now that he’s in the thick of it, trying to get through combat training harder than anything he could have imagined, he knows everyone in his unit is one bad move away from buying the farm in the interstellar war the Terran Federation is waging against the Arachnids. Because everyone in the Mobile Infantry fights. And if the training doesn’t kill you, the Bugs are more than ready to finish the job.