Showing results by publisher "Phoenix Books" in Literature & Fiction

At Christmas time department stores overflow with color and festivity, their halls bedecked with the trimmings of the season. In these 7 charming, memorable, and even magical Christmas tales retiree Tom Cavanaugh wanders the aisles of just such a store. Tom has made a tradition out of observing the marvels the Christmas spirit brings to each department and the people in them, from a jolly old maintenance man to testy last-minute shoppers to an exhausted salesclerk.

Has Jeeves finally lost his grip? Wealthy, scatterbrained Bertie Wooster—with the aid of his ever-faithful butler, Jeeves—attempts to romantically link dreamy, soulful Gussie Fink-Nottle with soppy, sweet Madeline Bassett. But as soon as Bertie takes Gussie and Madeline's love connection into his own hands, things go disastrously wrong! Fortunately, Jeeves steps in to set matters straight. But the characters must endure tangled layers of comedic complications before they reach the invariably clever and satisfying finale.

Herman Melville's high-seas adventure of whaling lore and legend is told through the eyes of Ishmael, a sailor aboard the ship Pequod. Under the command of the relentless madman Captain Ahab, whose sole quest is to hunt down and kill the whale who took his leg, Moby Dick is the tale of an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself.

This vibrant, provocative collection from the publishers of the best selling, award-winning When I Am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple is a compelling anthology of poems and short stories through which women candidly reveal their hidden feelings about their bodies. They delve into such compelling topics as budding sexuality, childbirth, physical strength and weakness, menopause, and aging.

In the year 2005, Sarah finds herself drawn into the tumultuous lives of her unconventional ancestors. She calls to memory her great-grandmother Sarah, propelled by a Russian pogrom to America in 1906; her grandmother Salome, who cavorted with Henry Miller in pre-war Paris; and finally her mother, Sally, a famous folk singer and emblem of the 1960s. Through the paradoxical nature of memory, Sarah comes to understand and impart her own story.

Roger Folger, age 61, recently lost his wife, Stella, but her spirit hasn't wandered far. In an all-too-earthly way, Roger converses with her disembodied voice in the privacy of the home they shared for many years, and you can bet Stella talks back. Roger fills her in on the latest about their kids and neighbors, while she tells Roger what heaven's like—picture the Ritz-Carlton in Florida, managed by Saint Peter. Worried that Roger is lonely, Stella decides that he needs a new woman in his life. But once he begins to date, Stella grows jealous.

Sebastian Zollner's failure as a journalist is matched only by his personal failures: his girlfriend is moving a new lover in before Sebastian even knows he's been dumped. Searching for the break that will redeem him in the eyes of his peers, he heads off on a wild-goose chase into the mountains to interview the eccentric, legendary painter Manuel Kaminski with the hope of writing his biography. Kaminski is going blind and is living in seclusion with his daughter.

In November of 1920, 7-year-old Bill Sackter walked through the looking glass into a state institution for the retarded. He never saw his family again. 44 years later, a much older Bill re-entered the world, hungry for all it could offer.Barry Morrow became that buddy, and learned to see the world through Bill's eyes, colored by his boundless reserve of good cheer and goofy humor. He tells Bill's story in this highly emotional performance.

During the course of a long summer, it becomes clear to two young, lost, and bored Korean War vets that their future lies outside Indianapolis—amid the gleaming towers of Manhattan, where they will find glory, fame, and lots of women. Set in the 1950s, this novel by acclaimed author Dan Wakefield seethes with pent-up frustration and confusion, and nearly every episode bubbles with hilarity.

"One night I dreamed a dream. I was walking along the beach with my Lord." So begins "Footprints," a poem written in 1964 by a young woman named Margaret Fishback, who was searching for direction at the crossroads of her life.

He's a grand guy, that Guy Grand—billionaire by birth, entrepreneur by avocation, and thoroughly unpredictable. He "keeps his hand in", buying into and revolutionizing industries ranging from championship boxing to African safaris. Is he a crackpot, or an eccentric, or perhaps a visionary with a goal of social redemption? Grand's greatest project, his tour de force, the cruise ship Magic Christian, sets sail on Easter Sunday, fully renovated into the most luxurious vessel ever to sail the seas.

A pauper's child reared in a workhouse, young Oliver Twist serves an apprenticeship in a loveless house. Despairing, he runs away and is befriended by a gang of young pickpockets who offer him the only welcome home he has ever known. Falling under the influence of villainous company, the young orphan struggles to escape from a life of poverty and crime, in search of the love he longs for. Oliver Twist is one of Dickens' greatest achievements, a vivid depiction of London's outlaw society with an array of memorable characters.

Prolific writer Max Evans produced a wide-ranging body of work representing several genres. From among his numerous publications, Evans selected personal favorites for this collection, which spans most of his writing career. In addition to an essay about a maverick film director—"Sam Peckinpah: A Very Personal Remembrance"—this collection includes three short novels.

There are eight million stories in the naked city; Anna is one of them. Let 'Em Eat Cake is a gritty, funny first novel that draws us into the life of lower-middle-class New York City as never before.

Beaufort, South Carolina is home to the Smallwoods, a family closely knit but fiercely at odds. Georgie, the youngest, is tormented by worry for her son, who vanished two years earlier, and by her anger at her father. An unforgiving patriarch and ex-Marine, Georgie's father neglects her mother, belittles her brother Ashby, and denies her sister Claire the financial support she needs after a trying divorce.

After decades of atheism and hard living, author Dan Wakefield experienced a profound religious awakening that led him back to the church. He describes his religious journey, fraught with peaks and pitfalls, and his hard-won realization that faith is not static. In a continuing quest to maintain his faith over the long-haul, Wakefield speaks plainly about the challenges of maintaining one's convictions in today's complex, secular world. Wakefield's acknowledgement that each day holds the promise of renewal will resonate with listeners who seek to keep their faith.

Raised in the wild by the mighty ape Kala, Tarzan the ape-man must learn to talk with the animals, swing through the trees, and fight great predators to survive in the jungle. Along with him are his childhood friends, Tanto the elephant, Ska the vulture, and Numa the lion. When white men invade his paradise, Tarzan's life is forever changed, for it is then that he meets Jane Porter, the first white woman he has ever seen. Set amid the vibrant colors and sounds of the savage African jungle, Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic work takes listeners on a glorious, adventurous, and romantic journey.

A board the majestic ocean liner Queen Elizabeth II, the leaders of the most powerful nations on earth meet for the first time ever to launch a new era of peace and global cooperation. For ultra-nationalist Chinese terrorists who believe that the summit will make their Asian homeland a pawn of the Western imperialist power, this summit represents a betrayal of monumental proportions. In ominous silence on the ocean floor, they have hijacked the nuclear submarine Lijiang and set a course to intercept the Queen in the North Atlantic.

A dark, many-gabled mansion in a small New England village—haunted by fraudulent dealings, accusations of witchcraft, and sudden death—houses the distinguished Pyncheon family. They are plagued by a centuries-old curse that casts the shadow of ancestral sin on its last four members. The arrival of Phoebe Pyncheon from the country breathes fresh air and sunshine into their musty, decaying home, but will her arrival come too late to rescue the family from a gloomy future?

Fourth in the new study guide series featuring engaging commentary by writer / lecturer Dr. Elizabeth McNamer on great literary classics. Dr. McNamer now concentrates on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Chaucer’s merry charm and Milton’s high seriousness become accessible to modern minds when explored by Dr. McNamer.