Noteworthy

Endowed with a bright red mop of unruly hair, big blue eyes, a small snub nose, pointed ears and enormous feet, the neighbourhood children ridiculed Jimmy, and he decided to run away to find a place where he fit in. He stumbled into an underground world in his midnight flight through the forest. He discovers and rescues the town of Roombelow from the curse of the sleeping spell cast by Matilda the Witch and is ‘adopted’ by Mr McDonald, the Mayor. Matilda and Gemma, the little lady who lives at the bottom of the well, but doesn’t know how she got there, become Jimmy’s close friends.

When rain threatens a flood, with the help of The Great White Owl, Jimmy locates the sleeping Weather Man, who turns off the rain.

When the well dries up, Jimmy and Gemma search beneath Roombelow. A giant eel has plugged the water flow from the spring that fills the well. They return Olsen to the sea.

Jimmy visits Aunt Ethel to let her know that he is well. She explains that Jimmy is an orphan from the starworld of Attalia, and hidden in the forest is a starship which could take him home. Jimmy chooses to return to Roombelow.

One-eyed trolls threaten Roombelow, and Jimmy outwits Erg, their chief. His return to Roombelow is delayed by a cry for help from the cliff-side world of Lithania. Little people inhabit it, the Diamonites, who look just like Gemma.

Jimmy returns to introduce Gemma to her lost family. Lithania relies on a supply of goods from The Traders, but two are stealing diamonites. Jimmy seeks justice, but Gemma is kidnapped by the thieves who intend to sell her as a curiosity in their land across the ocean.

Jimmy seeks the help of Witch Ira, the Queen of water sprites when he sets sail in pursuit. He discovers where Gemma is imprisoned and rescues her, but a mighty storm threatens their escape – Ira’s magic helps again. Then, with the aid of a pod of dolphins, they safely reach home.

Jimmy decides it is time to visit his birthplace - star world Attalia. The hidden starship is reactivated and heads homeward through the stars.

The ship is damaged during a skirmish with Kursh, the head of the planet Ock. Jimmy abandons the starship, ejecting in a life support capsule.

The Attalian Rescue Mission saves Jimmy, and its Commander, Zaru, befriends him. On Attalia, Jimmy is welcomed by President Alpha, who awards him the honorary rank of Commander. There are no surviving members of Jimmy’s family.

Tension builds as they face an attack from Ock, and interplanetary warfare follows. They repel the invaders, but Kursh plans to rule over Attalia.

Jimmy devises a plan to close the time warp linking Attalia to Ock. The destruction of the warp maroons Kursh in nether space. Once continued peace is assured, Jimmy returns to his family of friends in Roombelow.

The Big White Church Down the Street exposes ineffective church leadership in the chasmatic church, and the harm it can cause a congregation. 

Readers meet the royal Karda family in Two Moons of Merth. The book's protagonist, Aadya, a peasant girl who becomes queen and her husband, Prince Poma. Through her leadership Aadya changes the fabric of Merth's male-oriented society with the help and prophecies of an omniscient and magical orb. The royal family are gifted with kinetic sight, including Aadya and Poma's children Ali, Galen, and Roark. Toward the end of the book Ali becomes the ruler of Merth, her older sister, Galen, is a gifted healer and Roark pulls himself and his kingdom forward by exploring science and facts. Something totally new for the people of Merth.

We follow these beloved characters through their many travails and celebrations in this multi-generational tale about destiny, family loyalty, tribal conflicts, and female empowerment. There is love-some forbidden-and there are tragic circumstances to be overcome. Scoundrels find their way into the plot as well, there is Alatoi, an Omi and gifted female artist, who turns her skills toward espionage, and Prince Tildyn, who tries to ingratiate himself to Ali and gain power.

The compelling journey is replete with Mitchell's signature vivid imagery and mesmerizing descriptions. Once again, readers are utterly transported, this time into a world illuminated by twin moons where fascinating animals and magical horses roam.

At the conference held in in Moscow in October 1943, American officials proposed to their Soviet allies a new operation in the effort to defeat Nazi Germany. The Normandy Invasion was already in the works; what American officials were suggesting until then was a second air front: the US Air Force would establish bases in Soviet-controlled territory, in order to "shuttle-bomb" the Germans from the Eastern front. For all that he had been pushing for the United States and Great Britain to do more to help the war effort--the Soviets were bearing by far the heaviest burden in terms of casualties--Stalin, recalling the presence of foreign troops during the Russian Revolution, balked at the suggestion of foreign soldiers on Soviet soil. His concern was that they would spy on his regime, and it would be difficult to get rid of them afterword. Eventually in early 1944, Stalin was persuaded to give in, and Operation Baseball and then Frantic were initiated. B-17 Flying Fortresses were flown from
bases in Italy to the Poltava region in Ukraine.

As Plokhy's book shows, what happened on these airbases mirrors the nature of the Grand Alliance itself. While both sides were fighting for the same goal, Germany's unconditional surrender, differences arose that no common purpose could overcome. Soviet secret policeman watched over the operations, shadowing every move, and eventually trying to prevent fraternization between American servicemen and local women. A catastrophic air raid by the Germans revealed the limitations of Soviet air defenses. Relations soured and the operations went south. Indeed, the story of the American bases foreshadowed the eventual collapse of the Grand Alliance and the start of the Cold War. Using previously inaccessible archives, Forgotten Bastards offers a bottom-up history of the Grand Alliance, showing how it first began to fray on the airfields of World War II.

For his entire childhood, Jesse Cole dreamed of pitching in the Majors. Now, he has a life in baseball that he could have only imagined: he met the love of his life in the industry; they shaped Savannah, Georgia’s professional team into the league champion Savannah Bananas; and now the Bananas have restyled baseball itself into something all their own: Banana Ball.

Fast, fun, and outrageously entertaining, Banana Ball brings fans right into the game. The Bananas throw out a first banana rather than a ball. Their first-base coach dances to "Thriller" or Britney between innings. Players run into the crowd to hand out roses. And the rules themselves are bananas: if a fan catches a foul ball it’s an out; and players might go to bat on stilts or wearing a banana costume. And their fans absolutely love it.

But the reason this team is on the forefront of a movement is less about the play on the field and more about the atmosphere that the team culture creates. For the first time in this book, Jesse reveals the ideas and experiences that allowed him to reimagine America’s oldest sport by creating a phenomenon that is helping fans fall in love with the game all over again.

This is a story that’s bigger than baseball and bigger than the yellow tuxedo Jesse wears as the “ringmaster” of every game. And to understand the movement, you have to understand the story at its core. In Jesse’s telling, it takes heart, innovation, and joy (and a bit of tropical fruit) to make something wholly original out of one of America’s great traditions. His story is part Moneyball, part Field of Dreams, part The Greatest Showman. It is a personal story, a creativity story, and the story of a business scrapping for every success. And it has several distinct love stories—love stories like Jesse and his father, Jesse and his wife, the team and the sport of baseball, the team and the fans.

This is Jesse calling his dad from the outfield after each Bananas game, and putting unending creativity into a team with the ultimate goal of bringing the Bananas to the professional ballparks he himself never got to play in. This is his story of baseball, love, leadership, and going just a bit bananas for all.

In the second installment of the suspense-filled series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ian K. Smith, an ex-cop turned private investigator seeks to fight corruption on the streets of Chicago.

A Cadillac, a pistol, and a corpse make for another morning in Chicago. The body belongs to Walter Griffin, a prominent Black Chicagoan insider hailing from the city’s West Side. He ascended to the upper echelons of the mayor’s office only to meet his end in a watery grave at Wolf Point. Forensics finds his prints on the gun; it’s ruled a suicide.

But grizzled private investigator Ashe Cayne knows better.

Griffin’s children plead with a reluctant Ashe to hunt their father’s killer. They know their dad wouldn’t have taken his own life without a goodbye. And Ashe knows this town’s dark secrets often mean murder is not too far away.

Ashe decides to take on the case and navigate a city rotting with corruption, racial tensions, and sketchy backroom deals. On the bleak streets of Chicago, it’s every man for himself—and that makes everyone a suspect.

Il nuovo presidente russo minaccia la pace. Solo l’ex agente dei servizi segreti Marcus Ryker potrà fermarlo. A ogni costo.
Alla Casa Bianca c’è grande attenzione per le crescenti tensioni in Corea del Nord e in Iran. Mentre il presidente americano è impegnato a monitorare la situazione potenzialmente esplosiva, a Mosca sono in corso piani per sfruttare la situazione. Al Cremlino, infatti, sta avanzando un nuovo zar. Un presidente russo che consolida il suo potere, mettendo a tacere l’opposizione con il pugno di ferro. E le trame che vengono ordite in segreto minacciano di scardinare l’intero equilibrio internazionale. I russi, infatti, stanno organizzando un’eclatante e fulminea azione militare che potrebbe rompere l’alleanza nato e portare Washington e Mosca sull’orlo di una guerra nucleare. C’è solo una cosa che gli astuti servizi segreti russi non hanno previsto: l’ex agente statunitense Marcus Ryker conosce i loro piani e intende fermarli a ogni costo. Prima che si scateni una crisi globale inarrestabile. Perché, anche se Ryker è stato addestrato a salvare vite umane, questa volta è disposto anche a uccidere.
«Rosenberg è molto abile ad ambientare le sue storie nel mondo reale, come ha fatto magistralmente in questo libro. Il romanzo presenta il peggior scenario immaginabile. Tutti gli americani, in particolare il Presidente, i membri del Congresso e la nostra squadra di sicurezza nazionale, dovrebbero essere consapevoli della minaccia che una Russia fuori controllo rappresenta per la pace e la libertà.»

Demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace must endure the terrors of Tartarus to rescue an old friend in this thrilling adventure co-written by New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan and award-winning author Mark Oshiro. Percy Jackson fans, rejoice! Nico and Will have a book of their own! As the son of Hades, Nico di Angelo has been through so much, from the premature deaths of his mother and sister, to being outed against his will, to losing his friend Jason during the trials of Apollo. But there is a ray of sunshine in his life--literally: his boyfriend, Will Solace, the son of Apollo. Together the two demigods can overcome any obstacle or foe. At least, that's been the case so far . . . Now Nico is being plagued by a voice calling out to him from Tartarus, the lowest part of the Underworld. He thinks he knows who it is: a reformed Titan named Bob whom Percy and Annabeth had to leave behind when they escaped Hades's realm. Nico's dreams and Rachel Dare's latest prophecy leave little doubt in Nico's mind that Bob is in some kind of trouble. Nico has to go on this quest, whether Mr. D and Chiron like it or not. And of course Will insists on coming with. But can a being made of light survive in the darkest part of the world? and what does the prophecy mean that Nico will have to "leave something of equal value behind?" Nico will have to face demons both internal and external as his relationship with Will is tested to the core in this standalone adventure featuring two of the most popular characters in the Percy Jackson saga. Complete your Nico di Angelo collection with these series by Rick Riordan: Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Heroes of Olympus The Trials of Apollo

A Navy SEAL has nothing left to live for and everything to kill for after he discovers that the American government is behind the deaths of his team in this ripped-from-the-headlines political thriller.

On his last combat deployment, Lieutenant Commander James Reece’s entire team was killed in a catastrophic ambush that also claimed the lives of the aircrew sent in to rescue them. But when those dearest to him are murdered on the day of his homecoming, Reece discovers that this was not an act of war by a foreign enemy but a conspiracy that runs to the highest levels of government.

Now, with no family and free from the military’s command structure, Reece applies the lessons that he’s learned in over a decade of constant warfare toward avenging the deaths of his family and teammates. With breathless pacing and relentless suspense, Reece ruthlessly targets his enemies in the upper echelons of power without regard for the laws of combat or the rule of law.

An intoxicating thriller that cautions against the seduction of absolute power and those who would do anything to achieve it, The Terminal List is perfect for fans of Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Stephen Hunter, and Nelson DeMille.