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Title: Tigana Author: Guy Gavriel Kay File Type: Mobi Subject:Fantasy Description:From Publishers WeeklyKay ( The Fionavar Tapestry ) brings to life a layered, pragmatic world of magic and difficult choices, where brutality and beauty coexist. Eight of the nine provinces of the Peninsula of the Palm, on a world with two moons, have fallen to the warrior sorcerers Brandin of Ygrath and Alberico of Barbadior. Brandin's younger son is slain in a battle with the principality of Tigana, which the grief-stricken sorcerer then destroys. Years later, a small band of survivors, led by Alessan, last prince of Tigana's royal house, wages psychological warfare, planting seeds for the overthrow of the two tyrants. At the center of these activities are Devin, a gifted young singer; Catriana, a young woman pursued by suspicions of her family's guilt; and Duke Sandre d'Astibar, a wily resistance leader thought dead. Meanwhile, at Brandin's court, Dianora, his favorite concubine and--unknown to anyone, another survivor of Tigana--struggles between her growing love for the often gentle tyrant and her desire for vengeance. Gradually the scene is set for both conquerors to destroy each other and free a land. Tolkien protege Kay's brilliant and complex portrayal of good and evil, high and low, will draw readers to this consuming epic. br 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalIn a desperate attempt to revive the memory of a land banished from existence and to restore freedom to a battered world, a wandering musician and his small band of compatriots traverse a countryside bowed under the weight of its sorcerer-conquerors. The author of The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy creates a brilliant single-volume epic fantasy, rich in intrigue and subtlety. Memorable characters and cultures add depth to a gracefully plotted story. Highly recommended.br 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Title: Empress Orchid Author: Anchee Min File Type: Mobi Subject:Fiction:Historical Description:From Publishers WeeklyTalk about story arc poor girl from rural China auditions for a job as royal concubine, winds up as emperors wife number four, gives birth to the last Emperor, rules China as regent for 46 years. The fascinating, implausible life of Tsu Hsi, or Orchid, was reviled by the revolutionary Chinese, but here it receives a sympathetic treatment from Min (Red Azalea Becoming Madame Mao), who once again brilliantly lifts the public mask of a celebrated woman to reveal a contradictory character. Sexually assertive, intellectually ambitious, socially striving, Mins Orchid is also isolated, tense, and in some vague but very real way, dissatisfied. Even after giving birth to the emperors only son, Orchid feels trapped by the stultifying imperial rituals and persecuted by the other residents of the Forbidden City six other royal wives, 3,000 invisible concubines and 2,000 scheming eunuchs. In addition to these powerful distractions, she has to discipline her overindulged son, outmaneuver the ruthless politician Su Shun (who wants her buried alive when the emperor dies) and advise the ailing emperor how to fend off both the Boxers and the Western barbarians. Min, herself a survivor of Chinas Cultural Revolution, has done a prodigious amount of on-site research to capture the glorious, hopeless last days of the Ching dynasty. At times her writing is textbook-flat, and she sometimes loses track of her teeming cast of characters (for example, Orchids dangerous mother-in-law and mentally ill sister). But readers will be enthralled by the gorgeously woven cultural tapestry and the psychologically astute portrait of the empress-a talented girl from the provinces who married (way) up. br Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. FromMin, author of the acclaimed Becoming Madame Mao, which fictionalized the life of a woman demonized in history books, again melds exhaustive historical and political research with expertly articulated characters in Empress Orchid. Critics praised the novels linguistic dexterity (once in the U.S., Min had to learn English in six months or face deportation) and revelatory insights into the lives of women possessing few rights. Too many characters and events muddle the plot, and the style wavers from glittering to dull. Yet ultimately, the novel provides a valuable glimpse into the daily habits of fascinating historical characters and charts the last, decadent days of an empire. 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

Title: Crystal Lies Author: Melody Carlson File Type: Mobi Subject:Fiction:Religous Description:FromStarred Review Carlsons Crystal Lies brings to life the horror of crystal methamphetamine addiction. Hapless Glennis Harmon, who thought she was a typical suburban wife and mother, wakes up one day to find her resentful teenage son, Jacob, addicted to meth, the poor mans cocaine. In the bargain, Glennis high-rolling husband is having an affair. Carlsons story is as much about a middle-aged womans melancholy coping as it is about drugs, but Carlson makes the point that an addiction has ripple effects: on an indulgent mother; a self-righteous sister; and a stern, let-the-chips-fall-where-they-may father. Carlson provides no easy answers; instead, she offers a realistic portrait of addictive behavior, the trap of enabling, and the always incomplete process of recovery. Crystal Lies isnt as clever as Carlsons portrait of the ravages of schizophrenia, Finding Alice, but its every bit as valuable for bewildered parents--and therapists. John Mort American Library Association. lt;Review“Raw, real, and provocative, Crystal Lies thrusts us into a world inhabited by more people than we may realize on the surface. This account of one mother’s struggle for the healing of her drug-addicted son speaks to anyone who has ever loved anyone else. Melody Carlson never fails to drag us out of our Christian easychairs and right into the coals of the confusing culture in which we all find ourselves. She never fails to reveal that place of compassion within each of us. Excellent.”–Lisa Samson, author of The Church Ladies and Tiger Lillie “As an addiction specialist, I was moved by Crystal Lies. With great confidence, I can say that Melody Carlson’s story will enlighten, encourage, and empower you. Read this book; walk through its pages toward healthy God-directed relationships.”–Gregory L. Jantz, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director of The Center for Counseling & Health Resources, Inc. “An honest, doesn’t-pull-any-punches, look at the reality of addiction and codependency in Christian families. Told in Carlson’s adept style, this is a novel that will lead readers into the light of a powerful God who stands firm and loves beyond all measure and who delights in meeting His children inside the world’s most impenetrable, convoluted issues. I found myself praying Carlson’s prayers over my own children as I lay in bed. Read, enjoy, and–most important–pass this along to everyone you know who is struggling with addiction.”–Deborah Bedford, author of _If I Had You, Just Between Us and When You Believe_“‘Crystallize: to coat with sugar.  To give a definite and permanent form.’  So says the American Heritage Dictionary.  Melody Carlson’s Crystal Lies creates a permanent image of a family in pain and the various ways they chose to sugar coat their lives rather than face it.  We are this family, whether touched by methamphetamine use, alcohol addiction, super-perfection and adultery or not.  We are this family because we avoid, separate, pretend blindness, live inside fogs of drugs or denial because to face the pain alone is just too great.  What Melody reveals through her crisp yet tender words is that we are not alone even when we separate ourselves.  God has chosen to bring each of us closer.  We are given the gift of hope and the definite and permanent form of God’s love to take us through the lies, the pain and disappointment into a steadied peace.  Melody’s Crystal Lies is brilliant.  Her best.”–Jane Kirkpatrick, award-winning author of The Tender Ties series “Melody Carlson knows addiction is an issue that affects not only addicts, but their families, their friends, their associates. And she shows that, when the addict is a believer, addiction affects the body of Christ. Crystal Lies is a wonderful lesson, taught the way Jesus taught–in story. I recommend it especially to those of us who have thought we were being charitable when we looked at those marginalized by addiction and thought, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ Carlsons highly personable prose puts that viewpoint on its ear, and teaches us to see it as, ‘Here we are together, in need of Gods grace.’ Crystal Lies is clearly truth–revealed in fiction.”– Tom Morrisey, author of Yucatan Deep and _Turn Four_“Crystal Lies pulls no punches about the emotional devastation caused by addictions, and yet offers beautiful, accessible hope.  Having been through the turmoil of addictive behavior in my own family, I wept with both the agony and the joy of what I read.  Dont miss this book!”– Janelle Burnham Schneider, author of “From Carriage to Marriage” in the Brides for a Bit anthology and “A Distant Love” in the Christmas Duty anthology