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As always, A's will find viable fill-in for Pomeranz
The most recent casualty among the Oakland Athletics' starting pitchers is lefty Drew Pomeranz.
Some teams might look upon this sort of thing as a catastrophe. But for the A's, dire circumstances somehow translate mostly into opportunity.View Full Game Coverage
The most recent casualty among the Oakland Athletics' starting pitchers is lefty Drew Pomeranz.
Some teams might look upon this sort of thing as a catastrophe. But for the A's, dire circumstances somehow translate mostly into opportunity.View Full Game Coverage
After a rare bad outing against the Texas Rangers on Monday night, a disappointed Pomeranz was returning to the clubhouse and he punched a wooden chair. He has been placed on the disabled list with a broken right hand.
"I just let my emotions take over me, and I did something stupid," Pomeranz said.
Let's give Pomeranz the benefit of the doubt. At least he didn't do the incredibly stupid thing, which would have been punching the chair with his left hand. This way, while he's on the DL, Pomeranz can at least keep throwing.
Up until this episode, Pomeranz had been another one of those uplifting pitching stories that are a particular specialty with the A's.
In 2010, Pomeranz was the fifth pick overall in the Draft, selected by Cleveland. He was regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in the game. But Pomeranz was traded to the Rockies the next year, and like a lot of pitchers, when his career reached Colorado's thin air, a hitter-friendly environment, it turned downward.
But the Athletics, who find value where other clubs aren't able to, traded for Pomeranz in December 2013. Pomeranz, 25, began the season as a reliever, but he got a chance in the rotation when the A's, of course, needed another starter.
In seven starts prior to the one Monday night, Pomeranz compiled an ETA of 1.88. He was yet another pitcher who had been lightly regarded by other clubs, but not by the A's.
Oakland's season to date has been a story of overcoming the kind of pitching injuries that would have ruined a season for a less resourceful club.
Two staples of the rotation, Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin, were lost to Tommy John surgery before throwing a regular-season pitch for the A's. Losing 40 percent of the projected rotation is the kind of thing that many teams simply cannot withstand.
All of this happened, and the guy the Athletics obtained to be their closer, Jim Johnson, did not work out in that capacity.
You add it all up, and it must equal calamity, right? Things have been so bad, that after 2 1/2 months, the A's have the best record in the American League. Over their first 70 games, the A's were a .600 club. Only the San Francisco Giants could make the same claim.
Faced with serious injuries in the starting rotation, the A's not only found capable replacements, but winning replacements. Sonny Gray's emergence continued. Scott Kazmir's re-emergence continued.
Jesse Chavez, 30, whose career seemed to define the term "journeyman" has been a revelation. Tommy Milone has not been spectacular, but he has been useful.
And then there was Pomeranz, another career revived in Oakland. Now he, too, must be at least temporarily replaced.
At some point, it is relatively easy to believe that with all these injuries to the starting rotation, the A's will become like the rest of the Major League mortals, and will simply find themselves short of pitching.
But that's what people thought about them coming out of Spring Training. And 70 games later, the A's led the Major League in team ERA.
Somebody will have to take Pomeranz's spot in the rotation. Given the way the staff has evolved this season, that somebody will be a fill-in for a fill-in. But he'll be pitching for the Oakland Athletics, so it will be important work. And somehow, it will probably be winning work, too.
Maybe it will be Dan Straily, who has won at the Major League level before. He was sent down earlier this season, but he has worked well recently at Triple-A Sacramento. Whoever enters Oakland's rotation will be expected to succeed. And then he probably will.
Mike Bauman is a national columnist for MLB.com.


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Joe Turner is a penniless young artist in need of a break. One day, through a minor traffic accident, he makes the acquaintance of one of the richest couples in Europe.
Sergei Vanov is a Russian oligarch based in London, and his wife Catherine is of French and Italian descent. Soon, through their patronage, Joe's career is on a dramatic upswing, his fame and fortune assured. But the price he pays is high. Foolishly, he begins a secret affair with the beautiful Catherine, who is desperate for affection to make up for a cold and empty marriage. At the same time he becomes increasingly involved with the unpredictable Sergei, to the extent even of lying to the police to protect him against an accusation of murder.
Joe's position, caught between these two volatile and dangerous people grows increasingly impossible. Finally, to save himself, he realizes he must break free of them both. That proves to be more easily said than done. Before he knows it, he finds himself on a nightmare ride involving other killings and unsolved mysteries from the past.
And the truth, when it finally comes out, is something nobody is prepared for.
But when she begins to speak, why does Julia insist that her name is Melanie? And that Tom and Clare are not her real parents?
Haunted by the recurring nightmare of killing a young girl, Tom makes the chilling discovery that his daughter is possessed by the spirit of a girl who disappeared ten years ago - at the exact spot where Tom suffered his last alcohol and drug-fuelled blackout.
And now she wants revenge...
The experiment is a great success, with poltergeist activity and disembodied messages all scientifically recorded. Sam's theory appears conclusive - that ghosts are created by the people who see them. But a series of inexplicable and ominous events force Joanna and Sam to realize the ghost they have brought to life can also cause death…
Tessa Lambert is gorgeous, young - and a genius. She has just created the first viable artificial intelligence programme. But her discovery is so controversial that she must keep it a secret even from her closest friends and colleagues.
As her work grows daily more vital, Tessa's world begins to fall apart, and when her programme takes on its own completely malevolent existence, Tessa must make one last and absolutely terrifying connection…
Against a backdrop already larger than life, each scenario mixes the mysterious with the supernatural in a toxic cocktail of malevolent wit - Hollywood's glitter balancing on a scalpel edge of madness.
George Daly's life has been as unremarkable as most people's, until the day he finds himself going through his dead father's possessions. He discovers a photograph of himself as a boy, but he has no memory of where it was taken, nor does he recognize the people with him.
As he investigates further, he experiences an increasingly bizarre chain of coincidences that soon threaten to unravel his whole world. Before long he finds himself fighting for his sanity and even his survival.
Based on the real metaphysics of synchronicities, COINCIDENCE is a chilling and suspenseful novel about one man's search for the reason behind coincidences-and the shocking and murderous truths he uncovers.
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.
But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
The #1 New York Times Bestseller
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?
Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize
Now a miniseries from Hulu starring James Franco
In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King—who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer—takes readers on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it.
It begins with Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching GED classes. He asks his students to write about an event that changed their lives, and one essay blows him away—a gruesome, harrowing story about the night more than fifty years ago when Harry Dunning's father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a sledgehammer. Reading the essay is a watershed moment for Jake, his life—like Harry's, like America's in 1963—turning on a dime. Not much later his friend Al, who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination.
So begins Jake's new life as George Amberson, in a different world of Ike and JFK and Elvis, of big American cars and sock hops and cigarette smoke everywhere. From the dank little city of Derry, Maine (where there's Dunning business to conduct), to the warmhearted small town of Jodie, Texas, where Jake falls dangerously in love, every turn is leading eventually, of course, to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and to Dallas, where the past becomes heart-stoppingly suspenseful, and where history might not be history anymore. Time-travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying.
Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens -- town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing -- even murder -- to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn't just short. It's running out.
The debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people's lives, from the author of Into the Water.
"Nothing is more addicting than The Girl on the Train."—Vanity Fair
"The Girl on the Train has more fun with unreliable narration than any chiller since Gone Girl. . . . [It] is liable to draw a large, bedazzled readership."—The New York Times
"Marries movie noir with novelistic trickery. . . hang on tight. You'll be surprised by what horrors lurk around the bend."—USA Today
"Like its train, the story blasts through the stagnation of these lives in suburban London and the reader cannot help but turn pages."—The Boston Globe
"Gone Girl fans will devour this psychological thriller."—People
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She's even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life--as she sees it--is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
Mikael Blomkvist, crusading publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation. On the eve of its publication, the two reporters responsible for the article are murdered, and the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to his friend, the troubled genius hacker Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist, convinced of Salander's innocence, plunges into an investigation. Meanwhile, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous game of cat and mouse, which forces her to face her dark past.
But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.
The President's son and daughter are abducted, and Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene. But someone very high-up is using the FBI, Secret Service, and CIA to keep him off the case and in the dark.
A deadly contagion in the water supply cripples half of the capital, and Alex discovers that someone may be about to unleash the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced.
As his window for solving both crimes narrows, Alex makes a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes-one that may alter the fate of the entire country. Kill Alex Cross is fast, exciting, and tightly wound, full of "fast-and-furious action" (Washington Post).
San Francisco Detective Lindsay Boxer is loving her life as a new mother. With an attentive husband, a job she loves, plus best friends who can talk about anything from sex to murder, things couldn't be better.
Then the FBI sends Lindsay a photo of a killer from her past, and her happy world is shattered. The picture captures a beautiful woman at a stoplight. But all Lindsay sees is the psychopath behind those seductive eyes: Mackie Morales, the most deranged and dangerous mind the Women's Murder Club has ever encountered.
In this pulse-racing, emotionally charged novel by James Patterson, the Women's Murder Club must find a killer-before she finds them first.
Mitch Rapp's hunt for a missing CIA asset raises the stakes for his own survival—in Vince Flynn's "tight, right, and dynamite" (Star Tribune, Minneapolis) #1 New York Times bestseller.
The head of clandestine operations in Afghanistan has been kidnapped, his four bodyguards executed in cold blood. With the CIA plunged into crisis mode, Rapp is dispatched to find his missing friend, Joe Rickman, at all costs. He isn't the only one looking for Rickman; an FBI special agent is at his heels, determined to blame Rapp for the bloody debacle. Rapp is, however, the only one who knows certain things about the vanished black ops master—secrets that in the wrong hands could prove disastrous. With elements of his own government undermining him—and America's security—at every turn, Rapp must be as ruthless and deceitful as his enemies to complete this razor's-edge mission.
--The New York Times
The Millennium series that began with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has become this generation's international bestselling phenomenon.
Disgraced crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist has no idea of the levels of conspiracy he will uncover when is enlisted to investigate the unsolved disappearance nearly forty years ago of a Swedish industrialist's niece. And when the pierced and tattooed computer savant Lisbeth Salander joins him, together they unearth layers and layers of secrets and scandals that permeate the highest levels of society, from politics to finance to the legal system itself--at the bottom of which lies unimaginable cruelty perpetrated on the weak. In the course of these three shocking, unputdownable thrillers, we encounter one of the most heroic of survivors, as she battles some of the most heartless villains ever imagined.
When Joe "Rick" Rickman, a former golden boy of the CIA, steals a massive amount of the Agency's most classified documents in an elaborately masterminded betrayal of his country, CIA director Irene Kennedy has no choice but to send her most dangerous weapon after him: elite covert operative Mitch Rapp.
Rapp quickly dispatches the traitor, but Rickman proves to be a deadly threat to America even from beyond the grave. Eliminating Rickman didn't solve all of the CIA's problems—in fact, mysterious tip-offs are appearing all over the world, linking to the potentially devastating data that Rickman managed to store somewhere only he knew.
It's a deadly race to the finish as both the Pakistanis and the Americans search desperately for Rickman's accomplices, and for the confidential documents they are slowly leaking to the world. To save his country from being held hostage to a country set on becoming the world's newest nuclear superpower, Mitch Rapp must outrun, outthink, and outgun his deadliest enemies yet.
"An impressive work of mythic magnitude that may turn out to be Stephen King's greatest literary achievement" (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), The Gunslinger is the first volume in the epic Dark Tower Series.
A #1 national bestseller, The Gunslinger introduces readers to one of Stephen King's most powerful creations, Roland of Gilead: The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which mirrors our own in frightening ways, Roland tracks The Man in Black, encounters an enticing woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the boy from New York named Jake.
Inspired in part by the Robert Browning narrative poem, "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came," The Gunslinger is "a compelling whirlpool of a story that draws one irretrievable to its center" (Milwaukee Sentinel). It is "brilliant and fresh…and will leave you panting for more" (Booklist).
Old vampires, roused from deep slumber in the earth, are doing the bidding of a Voice commanding that they indiscriminately burn their kin in cities across the globe, from Paris to Mumbai, Hong Kong to San Francisco. Left with little time to spare, a host of familiar characters including Louis de Pointe du Lac, Armand, and even the vampire Lestat, must embark on a journey to discover who—or what—is driving this mysterious being.
Don't miss an original essay by John Grisham in the back of the book.
John Grisham takes you back to where it all began. One of the most popular novels of our time, A Time to Kill established John Grisham as the master of the legal thriller. Now we return to Ford County as Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a fiercely controversial trial that exposes a tortured history of racial tension.
Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier. The second will raises many more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?
Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader's Circle for author chats and more.
Praise for Sycamore Row
"Powerful . . . immensely readable . . . the best of his books."—The Washington Post
"Welcome back, Jake. . . . [Brigance] is one of the most fully developed and engaging characters in all of Grisham's novels."—USA Today
"One of [Grisham's] finest . . . Sycamore Row is a true literary event."—The New York Times Book Review
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Kathy Reichs calls it "extraordinary… a major achievement."
Jeffery Deaver says that "fiction doesn't get any better than this."
Gillian Flynn says of Karin Slaughter: "I'd follow her anywhere."
See for yourself what these #1 New York Times-bestselling authors are talking about.
Sisters. Strangers. Survivors.
More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia's teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that's cruelly ripped open when Claire's husband is killed.
The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it.
Powerful, poignant, and utterly gripping, packed with indelible characters and unforgettable twists, Pretty Girls is a masterful novel from one of the finest writers working today.
Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming.
America's most powerful leader becomes its prime target, a "nightmarish" (Booklist) scenario made all-too-real in this Mitch Rapp thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn.
The stately calm of a Washington morning is shattered when a group of terrorists descends, killing dozens and taking nearly one hundred hostages as they massacre their way into the White House. The Secret Service evacuates the president to an underground bunker—and while officials argue over how to negotiate with the enemy, Mitch Rapp, the CIA's top counterterrorism operative, moves stealthily among the hidden corridors and secret passageways of the executive mansion, to save the hostages before the terrorists reach the president. But another adversary—someone within Washington's elite—is determined to see Rapp's rescue mission fail.
The masterful #1 New York Times bestselling story collection from O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King that includes twenty-one iconic stories with accompanying autobiographical comments on when, why and how he came to write (or rewrite) each one.
For more than thirty-five years, Stephen King has dazzled readers with his genius as a writer of short fiction. In this new collection he introduces each story with a passage about its origins or his motivations for writing it.
As Entertainment Weekly said about this collection: "Bazaar of Bad Dreams is bursting with classic King terror, but what we love most are the thoughtful introductions he gives to each tale that explain what was going on in his life as he wrote it."
There are thrilling connections between stories; themes of morality, the afterlife, guilt, what we would do differently if we could see into the future or correct the mistakes of the past. In "Afterlife," a man who died of colon cancer keeps reliving the same life, repeating his mistakes over and over again. Several stories feature characters at the end of life, revisiting their crimes and misdemeanors. Others address what happens when someone discovers that he has supernatural powers—the columnist who kills people by writing their obituaries in "Obits;" the old judge in "The Dune" who, as a boy, canoed to a deserted island and saw names written in the sand, people who then died in freak accidents. In "Morality," King looks at how a marriage and two lives fall apart after the wife and husband enter into what seems, at first, a devil's pact they can win.
"I made these stories especially for you," says King. "Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth."
Stories include:
-Mile 81
-Premium Harmony
-Batman and Robin Have an Altercation
-The Dune
-Bad Little Kid
-A Death
-The Bone Church
-Herman Wouk Is Still Alive
-Under the Weather
-Blockade Billy
-Mister Yummy
-The Little Green God of Agony
-Cookie Jar
-That Bus Is Another World
-Drunken Fireworks
-Summer Thunder
Vince Flynn's intensely suspenseful #1 New York Times bestseller puts the young, hungry, and lethal superagent of American Assassin in the crosshairs even as he kills with impunity.
In the year since the CIA trained and then unleashed him, Mitch Rapp has dismantled, kill by untraceable kill, the network of monsters behind the Pan Am Lockerbie terrorist attack. The hunt leads to Paris, where a deadly trap is sprung as the bullet leaves Rapp's silenced pistol—followed by the discovery of nine bodies, including Libya's oil minister, in one of the city's finest hotels. Washington wants no part of the international crisis, and Rapp is deemed a liability by Stan Hurley, one of his handlers. But as he slips outside their control to operate on his own, it will soon become clear that nothing is more dangerous than a wounded and cornered Mitch Rapp.
Will Robie escaped his small Gulf Coast hometown of Cantrell, Mississippi after high school, severing all personal ties, and never looked back. Not until the unimaginable occurs. His father, Dan Robie, has been arrested and charged with murder.
Father and son haven't spoken or seen each other since the day Robie left town. In that time, Dan Robie--a local attorney and pillar of the community--has been elected town judge. Despite this, most of Cantrell is aligned against Dan. His guilt is assumed.
To make matters worse, Dan has refused to do anything to defend himself. When Robie tries to help, his father responds only with anger and defiance. Could Dan really be guilty?
With the equally formidable Jessica Reel at his side, Robie ignores his father's wishes and begins his own desperate investigation into the case. But Robie is now a stranger to his hometown, an outsider, a man who has forsaken his past and his family. His attempts to save his father are met with distrust and skepticism...and violence.
Unlike the missions Robie undertook in the service of his country, where his target was clearly defined, digging into his father's case only reveals more questions. Robie is drawn into the hidden underside of Cantrell, where he must face the unexpected and possibly deadly consequences of the long-ago choices made by father and son. And this time, there may be no escape for either of them.
Vince Flynn's "high-energy" (Booklist) political thriller places CIA superagent Mitch Rapp in the crosshairs of an enemy even he did not anticipate.
When diplomacy fails and military intervention is inappropriate, our leaders sometimes take the third option.…Mitch Rapp has been assigned just such an "unofficial" task, targeting a German industrialist who is supplying a notorious terror sponsor. But when the mission is dangerously compromised, Rapp realizes he's been deemed an expendable asset in a power battle on home turf: the choice of Dr. Irene Kennedy as successor to dying CIA director Thomas Stansfield has many detractors, some who will resort to extreme measures to prevent her from taking the reins. But no one counted on Mitch Rapp's return…or how far he'll go to find out who set him up.
From "one of the master storytellers of this or any age" (The Tampa Tribune) comes the stunning final adventure of "one of the most remarkable and appealing characters in current fiction"(The Virginian-Pilot)—as Dean Koontz brings the unforgettable odyssey of Odd Thomas to its dazzling conclusion.
Odd Thomas is back where it all started . . . because the time has come to finish it. Since he left his simple life in the small town of Pico Mundo, California, his journey has taken him to places strange and wonderful, mysterious and terrifying. Across the land, in the company of mortals and spirits alike, he has known kindness and cruelty, felt love and loss, saved lives and taken them—as he's borne witness to humanity's greatest good and darkest evil. Again and again, he has gone where he must and done what he had to do—for better or worse—with his courage and devotion sorely tested, and his soul forever changed. Every triumph has been hard won. Each sacrifice has taken its toll.
Now, whatever destiny drives him has finally steered his steps home, where those he cares for most surround him, the memory of his tragically lost true love haunts him, and one last challenge—vast and dreadful—awaits him. For Odd Thomas, born to serve a purpose far greater than himself, the wandering is done. Only the reckoning remains.
Praise for Saint Odd
"Equal parts supernatural thriller, cultural satire, character study, bildungsroman, offbeat love story, road trip, spiritual meditation, and apocalyptic adventure, the Odd Thomas books . . . are more than irresistible page-turners. They are intimate, haunting, often heartrending, exhilarating, and beautifully composed."—Biography.com
"Odd Thomas is such an endearing and likable character and, more than anything else, has been the reason for the success of the series. . . . For readers who have been with Odd all along, Saint Odd will satisfy."—Bookreporter
Acclaim for Dean Koontz and his Odd Thomas novels
"Odd's strange gifts, coupled with his intelligence and self-effacing humor, make him one of the most quietly authoritative characters in recent popular fiction."—Publishers Weekly
"Koontz gives his character wit, good humor, a familiarity with the dark side of humanity—and moral outrage."—USA Today
"The ultimate Everyman . . . an avatar of hope and honor and courage for all of us—the linchpin of a rollicking good tale . . . Odd evokes the homespun wisdom of Forrest Gump amid the mind-spinning adventures of a Jack Bauer."—BookPage
"There's never anything predictable about an Odd Thomas adventure."—Booklist
"The nice young fry cook with the occult powers is [Koontz's] most likable creation . . . candid, upright, amusing and sometimes withering."—The New York Times
"An inventive . . . mix of suspense, whimsy and uplift."—The Washington Post
"Heartfelt and provocative . . . a wonderfully rich and entertaining story."—Chicago Sun-Times
Detective Harry Bosch has retired from the LAPD, but his half-brother, defense attorney Mickey Haller, needs his help. A woman has been brutally murdered in her bed and all evidence points to Haller's client, a former gang member turned family man. Though the murder rap seems ironclad, Mickey is sure it's a setup.
Bosch doesn't want anything to do with crossing the aisle to work for the defense. He feels it will undo all the good he's done in his thirty years as a homicide cop. But Mickey promises to let the chips fall where they may. If Harry proves that his client did it, under the rules of discovery, they are obliged to turn over the evidence to the prosecution.
Though it goes against all his instincts, Bosch reluctantly takes the case. The prosecution's file just has too many holes and he has to find out for himself: if Haller's client didn't do it, then who did? With the secret help of his former LAPD partner Lucy Soto, Harry starts digging. Soon his investigation leads him inside the police department, where he realizes that the killer he's been tracking has also been tracking him.
Thrilling, fast-paced, and impossible to put down, The Crossing shows without a shadow of doubt that Connelly is "a master of building suspense" (Wall Street Journal).
Convicted murderer Melvin Mars is counting down the last hours before his execution--for the violent killing of his parents twenty years earlier--when he's granted an unexpected reprieve. Another man has confessed to the crime.
Amos Decker, newly hired on an FBI special task force, takes an interest in Mars's case after discovering the striking similarities to his own life: Both men were talented football players with promising careers cut short by tragedy. Both men's families were brutally murdered. And in both cases, another suspect came forward, years after the killing, to confess to the crime. A suspect who may or may not have been telling the truth.
The confession has the potential to make Melvin Mars--guilty or not--a free man. Who wants Mars out of prison? And why now?
But when a member of Decker's team disappears, it becomes clear that something much larger--and more sinister--than just one convicted criminal's life hangs in the balance. Decker will need all of his extraordinary brainpower to stop an innocent man from being executed.
Look for the hit series "A Discovery of Witches" streaming on Sundance Now and Shudder, and coming to television this April on AMC and BBC America.
After traveling through time in Shadow of Night, the second book in Deborah Harkness's enchanting series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew's ancestral home at Sept-Tours, they reunite with the cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency. In the trilogy's final volume, Harkness deepens her themes of power and passion, family and caring, past deeds and their present consequences. In ancestral homes and university laboratories, using ancient knowledge and modern science, from the hills of the Auvergne to the palaces of Venice and beyond, the couple at last learn what the witches discovered so many centuries ago.
With more than one million copies sold in the United States and appearing in thirty-eight foreign editions, A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night have landed on all of the major bestseller lists and garnered rave reviews from countless publications. Eagerly awaited by Harkness's legion of fans, The Book of Life brings this superbly written series to a deeply satisfying close.
Amos Decker's life changed forever--twice.
The first time was on the gridiron. A big, towering athlete, he was the only person from his hometown of Burlington ever to play in the NFL. But his career ended before it had a chance to begin. On his very first play, a violent helmet-to-helmet collision knocked him off the field forever, and left him with an improbable side effect--he can forget nothing.
The second time was at home nearly two decades later. Now a police detective, Decker returned from a stakeout one evening and entered a nightmare--his wife, young daughter, and brother-in-law had been murdered.
His family destroyed, their killer's identity as mysterious as the motive behind the crime, and unable to forget a single detail from that horrible night, Decker finds his world collapsing around him. He leaves the police force, loses his home, and winds up on the street, taking piecemeal jobs as a private investigator when he can.
But over a year later, a man turns himself in to the police and confesses to the murders. At the same time a horrific event nearly brings Burlington to its knees, and Decker is called back in to help with this investigation. Decker also seizes his chance to learn what really happened to his family that night. To uncover the stunning truth, he must use his remarkable gifts and confront the burdens that go along with them. He must endure the memories he would much rather forget. And he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Memory Man will stay with you long after the turn of the final page.
Ex-Navy SEAL John Clark has been named the head of Rainbow, an international task force dedicated to combating terrorism. In a trial by fire, Clark is confronted with a violent chain of seemingly separate international incidents. But there is no way to predict the real threat: a group of terrorists like none the world has ever encountered, a band of men and women so extreme that their success could literally mean the end of life on earth as we know it.
Notable Book of 2016 --Washington Post
10 Favorite Books of 2016 -- Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times
10 Best Mysteries of 2016 -- Adam Woog, Seattle Times
Detective Harry Bosch must track down someone who may never have existed in the new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly.
Harry Bosch is California's newest private investigator. He doesn't advertise, he doesn't have an office, and he's picky about who he works for, but it doesn't matter. His chops from thirty years with the LAPD speak for themselves.
Soon one of Southern California's biggest moguls comes calling. The reclusive billionaire is nearing the end of his life and is haunted by one regret. When he was young, he had a relationship with a Mexican girl, his great love. But soon after becoming pregnant, she disappeared. Did she have the baby? And if so, what happened to it?
Desperate to know whether he has an heir, the dying magnate hires Bosch, the only person he can trust. With such a vast fortune at stake, Harry realizes that his mission could be risky not only for himself but for the one he's seeking. But as he begins to uncover the haunting story--and finds uncanny links to his own past--he knows he cannot rest until he finds the truth.
At the same time, unable to leave cop work behind completely, he volunteers as an investigator for a tiny cash-strapped police department and finds himself tracking a serial rapist who is one of the most baffling and dangerous foes he has ever faced.
Swift, unpredictable, and thrilling, The Wrong Side of Goodbye shows that Michael Connelly "continues to amaze with his consistent skill and sizzle" (Cleveland Plain Dealer).
The perfect marriage? Or the perfect lie?
"A hair-raising debut, both unsettling and addictive...A chilling thriller that will keep you reading long into the night." —Mary Kubica, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Good Girl
"This is one readers won't be able to put down." —Booklist (starred review)
"A can't-put-down psychological thriller." —Library Journal (starred review)
"This debut is guaranteed to haunt you...Warning: brace yourself." —Bustle (10 New Thrillers to Read This Summer)
"The sense of believably and terror that engulfs Behind Closed Doors doesn't waver." —The Associated Press, picked up by The Washington Post
"This was one of the best and most terrifying psychological thrillers I have ever read." —San Francisco Book Review
Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth; she has charm and elegance. He's a dedicated attorney who has never lost a case; she is a flawless homemaker, a masterful gardener and cook, and dotes on her disabled younger sister. Though they are still newlyweds, they seem to have it all. You might not want to like them, but you do. You're hopelessly charmed by the ease and comfort of their home, by the graciousness of the dinner parties they throw. You'd like to get to know Grace better.
But it's difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are inseparable.
Some might call this true love. Others might wonder why Grace never answers the phone. Or why she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn't work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. Or why she never seems to take anything with her when she leaves the house, not even a pen. Or why there are such high-security metal shutters on all the downstairs windows.
Some might wonder what's really going on once the dinner party is over, and the front door has closed.
From bestselling author B. A. Paris comes the gripping thriller and international phenomenon Behind Closed Doors.
An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction.
When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol—seared into the chest of a murdered physicist—he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati...the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth. The Illuminati has now surfaced to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy—the Catholic Church.
Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces they have hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.
Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair...a clandestine location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.
An explosive international thriller, Angels & Demons careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war.
Detective Alex Cross arrests renowned plastic surgeon Elijah Creem for sleeping with teenage girls. Now, his life ruined, Creem is out of jail, and he's made sure that no one will recognize him-by giving himself a new face.
A young woman is found hanging from a sixth-floor window, and Alex is called to the scene. The victim recently gave birth, but the baby is nowhere to be found. Before Alex can begin searching for the missing newborn and killer, he's called to investigate a second crime. All of Washington, D.C., is in a panic, and when a third body is discovered, rumours of three serial killers send the city into an all-out frenzy.
Alex's investigations are going nowhere, and he's too focused on the cases to notice that someone has been watching him-and will stop at nothing until he's dead. With white-hot speed, relentless drama, and hairpin turns, Alex Cross, Run is James Patterson's ultimate thrill ride.
From master storyteller Stephen King, his unforgettable and terrifying sequel to The Shining—an instant #1 New York Times bestseller that is "[a] vivid frightscape" (The New York Times).
On highways across America, a tribe of people called the True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, the True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the steam that children with the shining produce when they are slowly tortured to death.
Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel, where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant shining power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes "Doctor Sleep."
Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra's soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory and glorious story that will thrill the millions of devoted readers of The Shining and satisfy anyone new to this icon in the Stephen King canon.
After the events in Gathering Prey, Lucas Davenport finds himself in a very unusual situation—no longer employed by the Minnesota BCA. His friend the governor is just cranking up a presidential campaign, though, and he invites Lucas to come along as part of his campaign staff. "Should be fun!" he says, and it kind of is—until they find they have a shadow: an armed man intent on killing the governor...and anyone who gets in the way.
In his internationally bestselling and critically acclaimed novel The Passage, Justin Cronin constructed an unforgettable world transformed by a government experiment gone horribly wrong. Now the scope widens and the intensity deepens as the epic story surges forward . . .
In the present day, as the man-made apocalypse unfolds, three strangers navigate the chaos. Lila, a doctor and an expectant mother, is so shattered by the spread of violence and infection that she continues to plan for her child's arrival even as society dissolves around her. Kittridge, known to the world as "Last Stand in Denver," has been forced to flee his stronghold and is now on the road, dodging the infected, armed but alone and well aware that a tank of gas will get him only so far. April is a teenager fighting to guide her little brother safely through a landscape of death and ruin. These three will learn that they have not been fully abandoned—and that in connection lies hope, even on the darkest of nights.
One hundred years in the future, Amy and the others fight on for humankind's salvation . . . unaware that the rules have changed. The enemy has evolved, and a dark new order has arisen with a vision of the future infinitely more horrifying than man's extinction. If the Twelve are to fall, one of those united to vanquish them will have to pay the ultimate price.
A heart-stopping thriller rendered with masterful literary skill, The Twelve is a grand and gripping tale of sacrifice and survival.
Look for the entire Passage trilogy:
Praise for The Twelve
"[A] literary superthriller."—The New York Times Book Review
"An undeniable and compelling epic . . . a complex narrative of flight and forgiveness, of great suffering and staggering loss, of terrible betrayals and incredible hope."—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"The Twelve is even better than The Passage."—The Plain Dealer
"A compulsive read."—San Francisco Chronicle
"Gripping . . . Cronin [introduces] eerie new elements to his masterful mythology. . . . Enthralling, emotional and entertaining."—The San Diego Union-Tribune
"Fine storytelling."—Associated Press
"Cronin is one of those rare authors who works on two different levels, blending elegantly crafted literary fiction with cliff-hanging thrills."—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The second volume in Stephen King's #1 bestselling Dark Tower Series, The Drawing of the Three is an "epic in the making" (Kirkus Reviews) about a savage struggle against underworld evil and otherworldly enemies.
"Stephen King is a master at creating living, breathing, believable characters," hails The Baltimore Sun. Beginning just less than seven hours after The Gunslinger ends, in the second installment to the thrilling Dark Tower Series, Roland encounters three mysterious doorways on a deserted beach along the Western Sea. Each one enters into a different person's life in New York—here, he joins forces with the defiant young Eddie Dean, and with the beautiful, brilliant, and brave Odetta Holmes, to save the Dark Tower.
"This quest is one of King's best…it communicates on a genuine, human level…but is rich in symbolism and allegory" (Columbus Sunday Dispatch). It is a science fiction odyssey that is unlike any tale that Stephen King has ever written.
Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read
A patient escapes from a biological testing facility, unknowingly carrying a deadly weapon: a mutated strain of super-flu that will wipe out 99 percent of the world's population within a few weeks. Those who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge—Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious "Dark Man," who delights in chaos and violence. As the dark man and the peaceful woman gather power, the survivors will have to choose between them—and ultimately decide the fate of all humanity.
(This edition includes all of the new and restored material first published in The Stand: The Complete And Uncut Edition.)
As NY Lt. Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband Roarke are driving home, a young woman—dazed, naked, and bloody—suddenly stumbles out in front of their car. Roarke slams on the brakes and Eve springs into action.
Daphne Strazza is rushed to the ER, but it's too late for her husband Dr. Anthony Strazza. A brilliant orthopedic surgeon, he now lies dead amid the wreckage of his obsessively organized town house, his three safes opened and emptied. Daphne would be a valuable witness, but in her terror and shock the only description of the perp she can offer is repeatedly calling him "the devil"...
While it emerges that Dr. Strazza was cold, controlling, and widely disliked, this is one case where the evidence doesn't point to the spouse. So Eve and her team must get started on the legwork, interviewing everyone from dinner-party guests to professional colleagues to caterers, in a desperate race to answer some crucial questions:
What does the devil look like? And where will he show up next?
"Why is this town called Mother's Rest?" That's all Reacher wants to know. But no one will tell him. It's a tiny place hidden in a thousand square miles of wheat fields, with a railroad stop, and sullen and watchful people, and a worried woman named Michelle Chang, who mistakes him for someone else: her missing partner in a private investigation she thinks must have started small and then turned lethal.
Reacher has no particular place to go, and all the time in the world to get there, and there's something about Chang . . . so he teams up with her and starts to ask around. He thinks: How bad can this thing be? But before long he's plunged into a desperate race through LA, Chicago, Phoenix, and San Francisco, and through the hidden parts of the internet, up against thugs and assassins every step of the way—right back to where he started, in Mother's Rest, where he must confront the worst nightmare he could imagine.
Walking away would have been easier. But as always, Reacher's rule is: If you want me to stop, you're going to have to make me.
Praise for Make Me
"Child's Reacher series has hit Book No. 20 with a resounding peal of wisecracking glee. Everything about it, starting with Reacher's nose for bad news, is as strong as ever. . . . The big guy's definitely on the upswing. The guy who writes about him is too."—Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"Another winner . . . There's a reason why Child is considered the best of the best in the thriller genre: He can take all these strange elements and clichés and make them compelling and original."—Associated Press
"A superb thriller."—New York Daily News
"Child's complete command of the story makes this thriller work brilliantly."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"I've read all twenty of Lee Child's novels. Maybe there's something wrong with me. But I can't wait for the twenty-first."—Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker
"[The Reacher series] is the current gold standard in the genre. . . . In Make Me Lee Child delivers another Jack Reacher specialty; the total knockout."—Dayton Daily News
"Child serves up wingding plots, pithy dialogue, extraordinary background on intriguing topics, and cunningly constructed suspense. But what keeps us coming back—by the millions—is the chance to walk around in the skin of that big guy in the middle of everything."—The Oregonian
"A dark thriller . . . Lee Child's Make Me, the twentieth in his wildly popular Jack Reacher series, delivers exactly what readers have come to expect from the perennial bestselling author: interesting characters, tight plots and page-turning action. . . . Readers won't be disappointed."—Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Jack Reacher is back. . . . Readers new to this series will find this book a good starting point, and fans will be pleased to see Jack again."—LibraryReads (Top Ten Pick)
"The reigning champ ups the ante."—Booklist (starred review)
His code name is Mr. Clark. His work for the CIA is brilliant, cold-blooded and efficient...But who is he really?
In a harrowing tour de force, Tom Clancy shows how an ordinary man named John Kelly crossed the lines of justice and morality to become the CIA legend, Mr. Clark.
It is an unforgettable journey into the heart of darkness. Without mercy. Without guilt. Without remorse.
Bestselling author Vince Flynn—"the best pure adrenaline-charged action writer out there today" (The Providence Journal)—puts Mitch Rapp in the crossfire as America's enemies tighten their grip.
Returning from a covert mission, Mitch Rapp was publicly hailed by the president for his role in the fight against terrorism. After years of working in the shadows, Rapp was caught in the media spotlight—and marked for death by virtually every terrorist in the world. Now a CIA advisor, Rapp is ready to battle terror far from the front lines. But when a Navy SEAL team in the Philippines is ambushed, all evidence points to a leak within the US State Department. And a greater threat lurks—a ruthless assassin working for the most powerful men in the Middle East, who are bent on igniting a world war. With the world watching, Rapp must hold back the flames of Armageddon…
Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora Dane was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure.
Miraculously alive after her ordeal, Flora has spent the past five years reacquainting herself with the rhythms of normal life, working with her FBI victim advocate, Samuel Keynes. She has a mother who's never stopped loving her, a brother who is scared of the person she's become, and a bedroom wall covered with photos of other girls who've never made it home.
When Boston detective D. D. Warren is called to the scene of a crime—a dead man and the bound, naked woman who killed him—she learns that Flora has tangled with three other suspects since her return to society. Is Flora a victim or a vigilante? And with her firsthand knowledge of criminal behavior, could she hold the key to rescuing a missing college student whose abduction has rocked Boston? When Flora herself disappears, D.D. realizes a far more sinister predator is out there. One who's determined that this time, Flora Dane will never escape. And now it is all up to D. D. Warren to find her.
The #1 New York Times bestseller that launched the phenomenal career of Tom Clancy—a gripping military thriller that introduced the world to his unforgettable hero, Jack Ryan—nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.
Somewhere under the freezing Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision. The Red October is heading west. The Americans want her. The Russians want her back. The chase for the highly advanced nuclear submarine is on—and there's only one man who can find her...
Brilliant CIA analyst Jack Ryan has little interest in fieldwork, but when covert photographs of Red October land on his desk, Ryan soon finds himself in the middle of a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek played by two world powers—a game that could end in all-out war.
When Stephen King's classic thriller'SALEM'S LOT hit the stands in 1975, it thrilled and terrified millions of readers with tales of demonic evil in small-town America. Now, thirty years later and still scaring readers witless, 'SALEM'S LOT reemerges in a brilliant new edition, complete with photographs, fifty pages of deleted and alternate scenes, and two short stories related to the events of the novel.
While the original edition of 'SALEM'S LOT will forever be a premier horror classic, 'SALEM'S LOT: ILLUSTRATED EDITION, with the inclusion of material from King's archive, is destined to become a classic in its own right and a must-have for all Stephen King fans. In this edition, the hair-raising story of Jerusalem's Lot, a small town in Maine whose inhabitants succumb to the evil allure of a new resident, is told as the author envisioned it, complete with fifty pages of alternate and deleted scenes. With a new introduction by the author, two short stories related to the events and residents of Jerusalem's Lot, the lavishly creepy photographs of Jerry Uelsmann, and a stunning new page design, this edition brings the story to life in words and pictures as never before.
No library will be complete without this ideal collector's item for any King aficionado, the definitive illustrated edition of the great 'SALEM'S LOT.
They call them Travelers. They move from city to city, panhandling, committing no crimes—they just like to stay on the move. And now somebody is killing them.
Lucas Davenport's adopted daughter, Letty, is home from college when she gets a phone call from a woman Traveler she'd befriended in San Francisco. The woman thinks somebody's killing her friends, she's afraid she knows who it is, and now her male companion has gone missing. She's hiding out in North Dakota, and she doesn't know what to do.
Letty tells Lucas she's going to get her, and, though he suspects Letty's getting played, he volunteers to go with her. When he hears the woman's story, though, he begins to think there's something in it. Little does he know. In the days to come, he will embark upon an odyssey through a subculture unlike any he has ever seen, a trip that will not only put the two of them in danger—but just may change the course of his life.
From the Hardcover edition.
With a beautiful baby daughter and a devoted husband, Detective Lindsay Boxer can safely say that her life has never been better. Things seem to be going well for a change when all the members of the Women's Murder Club gather to celebrate San Francisco Medical Examiner Claire Washburn's birthday. But the party is cut short when Lindsay is called to a gruesome crime scene, where a woman has been murdered in broad daylight.
As Lindsay investigates, shocking video footage of another crime surfaces: the video is so horrific that it shakes the city to its core. Their faces obscured by masks, the cold blooded criminals on the tape could be anyone-and now all of Lindsay's co-workers are suspects. As a rash of violence sweeps through San Francisco, and public fear and anger grows, Lindsay and her friends must risk their lives in the name of justice, before it's too late.
With shocking twists and riveting suspense, 14th Deadly Sin proves yet again that when it comes to suspense fiction, "nobody does it better" than James Patterson (Jeffrey Deaver).
The life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young men. The mostly white town of Clanton in Ford County, Mississippi, reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. Until her black father acquires an assault rifle and takes justice into his own outraged hands.
For ten days, as burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spread through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client's life–and then his own.
It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C. But something about this mission doesn't seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable. He refuses to pull the trigger. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and is on the run.
Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a wayward teenage girl, a fourteen-year-old runaway from a foster home. But she isn't an ordinary runaway--her parents were murdered, and her own life is in danger. Against all of his professional habits, Robie rescues her and finds he can't walk away. He needs to help her. Even worse, the more Robie learns about the girl, the more he's convinced she is at the center of a vast cover-up, one that may explain her parents' deaths and stretch to unimaginable levels of power.
Now, Robie may have to step out of the shadows in order to save this girl's life...and perhaps his own.
Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in "The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas." She survived—and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club—a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes—locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben.
Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history: She'll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club—for a fee. As Libby's search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started—on the run from a killer.

subset: commoncrawl


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I'm stuck on a fairly easy problem and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction.
Problem: With vertCalcOffset.cpp, change it so that it draws two triangles moving in a circle, with one a half loopDuration ahead of the other. Simply change the uniforms after the glDrawArrays call and then make the glDrawArrays call again. Add half of the loop duration to the time before setting it the second time.
Relevant code:
Code :void display() { glClearColor(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f); glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT); glUseProgram(theProgram); glUniform1f(elapsedTimeUniform, glutGet(GLUT_ELAPSED_TIME) / 1000.0f); glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, positionBufferObject); glEnableVertexAttribArray(0); glVertexAttribPointer(0, 4, GL_FLOAT, GL_FALSE, 0, 0); glDrawArrays(GL_TRIANGLES, 0, 3); glDisableVertexAttribArray(0); glUseProgram(0); glutSwapBuffers(); glutPostRedisplay(); }
I can render two triangles on top of each other by calling glUniform1f again after the first glDrawArrays call, then calling glDrawArrays again, but the only thing I can seem to do is change the speed of the second triangle. How exactly do I "add" half loop duration to one? I feel like this should be really simple and the solution is right under my nose. Thanks.
SOLVED: Nevermind, figured it out. It wasn't hitting me why glutGet was being divided by 1000 (because it returns time in milliseconds), once I realized what was happening it was trivial: glUniform1f(elapsedTimeUniform, (glutGet(GLUT_ELAPSED_TIME) + 2500.0f) / 1000.0f);


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Status last updated: 2016-12-01 07:31:33
Female looking for a man for serious relationship
I've been dating since I was fifteen. I'm exhausted. Where are they?
I want to share both our passions, some of mine, some of yours, some new ones we find together.
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Jim Worthing In Concert
Jim Worthing, international recording artist, is coming to McConnellsburg on Sunday, February 27. He will be leading worship with gospel music at McConnellsburg United Metho- dist Church at 121 North Second Street at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Worthing is celebrating his 30th year of professional singing, and has appeared in 48 states, Canada, the Bahamas and Switzerland. Throughout these years, Worthing has performed live for millions of people and his unmistakable tenor voice can be heard on more than 60 nationally and internationally released recordings. He has produced six solo projects and has recently released his newest album, "Committed To Love." Worthing, a native of Altoona, Pa., makes his professional home base in Music City USA, Nashville, TennPrior to his solo career, Worthing sang with two national award-winning groups,
Re- Creation and The Cumberland Boys. While he was with Re-Creation, the group was awarded the prestigious George Washington Medal of Honor by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. While with the Cumberland Boys, Opryland's Gospel Quartet, he shared in the Horizon Award, Christian Country Group of the Year Award, and seven nominations for the Music City News/TNN Christian Artist of the Year Award.
Worthing has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, Prime Time Country, Nashville Now, Crook and Chase, the Trinity Broadcasting Network, the Canadian television show – 100 Huntley Street, and Paul Heil's nationally syndicated radio show, The Gospel Greats. He was also featured as the special guest vocalist of the 100th anniversary celebration of the United States Army Reserve held in April of 2008 in Washington, D.C., the CPAC 2007 Presidential Banquet with Vice President Richard B. Cheney in attendance also held in Washington, D.C., the 2003 Miss Kentucky Pageant, the 2005 National Convention for the National Exchange Clubs of America, and the 2010 Army & Air Force Exchange Service change of command ceremony held in Dallas, Texas.
A voice alive with the dynamics of faith and experience, a clear and winsome testimony, and a deep-seated commitment to the Christian message make a Jim Worthing concert inspiring, challenging and uniquely unforgettable. For more information about the worship gathering, call the church office at 485-4815.


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Benihana - Dulles
We had a new female chef that was excellent! She was a little slow, but learning! We loved her!
Very entertaining dinner with great food. One of my favorite spots to dine in Northern Virginia!
Excellent food and the service was superior! Chef did an outstanding presentation with tools and the prepared food. The manager did a terrific job to accommodate coupons for birthday rewards (Chef Table). The new menu items are good, but, we thought that we should be told it is $4.20 instead of $2 for the new fried rice. Otherwise, a great event celebration triple birthdays! Great!
I am not a huge fan of the Japanese steakhouse but by father loves the experience for his birthday. Even he didn't like it. The service was poor, there weren't enough chefs on staff (it took an hour at the table until the cooking even began) the dishes were expensive for quality of food that is very average and the "show" was non-existent. Terrible.
The food was sos-so. Our server was so friendly, but drinks took a long time to arrive, and our chef left the exhaust on our entire dinner, which made the table freezing cold with a breeze and thus our food got cold immediately. The restrooms were an absolute pig sty. Overflown toilet, paper everywhere, no paper towel s.
Food and chef was amazing - we had a woman and she was phenomenal!! The only downside was the slower service, you can tell they are understaffed for servers and chefs. Other than that, it was a great dinner!
Food is delicious
I had a 8pm reservation and wasn't seated until around 9pm! I understand it was busy because of Valentine's Day but THATS WHY YOU MAKE A RESERVATION! Our chef, bless his heart was new and very young. Extremely inexperienced and not equipped to handle a huge table on such a busy night. Our waitress took forever to bring drinks, appetizers and I didn't get my steamed white rice until the end of my meal because I had to remind them to bring it to me! A horrible Valentine's Day considering all the money we spent on this dinner! Benihana is canceled for me.
Had to wait 15 min from our reservation time and an additional 45 min before dinner even started.
The worst - had reservations at 8 pm - was seated at 8:35 pm.
Chef never showed up - left at 9:30 never having eaten.
Manager had no clue what he was doing. No apology nothing.
Birthday and valentines
We went on Valentine's Day, however that is not an excuse for as long as we waited, it took like 15min to get our drinks and 1 hour and 20 min for the cook to come over and get started. We we spoke to the manager and she was pretty brief with the concern, however ended up taking off $32.00 off the check. It was a real disappointment Hibachi should not be franchised wasn't worth the hype. If I wouldn't have traveled from Alexandria I would have left.
Valentine's Day was the occasion, restaurant didn't seem organized or prepared for that many people. Very obvious that the cook was new and she was very nervous. Some of the food was over cooked and some was cold as the cook struggled with the order in which she was supposed to cook the meats. Floors were dirty. Pretty poor dining experience.
The food was so bland that we had to ask for salt & pepper. Also we told them several times that it is our daughters 16th Birthday & if they could do something special for her. They ended up bringing our check without even asking us if we want dessert meanwhile the table next to us got a piece of cake with a candle & birthday song sang to him. It was a very disappointing experience. Will never go back! And would recommend to everyone not to go.
Bad customer service not only was the server rude, but I was overcharged for items that I didn't order.
Great food and service. Reservation was key with the holiday
Valentine's Day
The food was very good and the show done for the cooking has been consistent. I am disappointed though in the fact that now the fried rice is an addition charge instead of being included with the meal which it was last year when I was there. Mixed drink was good that my girlfriend had.
Worst teppanyaki experience I have ever had, first time to this location and will definitely be my last one. For starters the waiter messed up the order and orders chicken fried rice for all 5 of us when it was only one person that ordered it because the other 4 do not like the chicken in their rice and ordered regular fried rice. The veggies had no taste, the chicken was overcooked and the steak was overcooked as well. it was my mom's birthday but somehow they forgot so i had to remind them again, and when i did no one came to sing just for that one waiter who sang half a song then left. In addition they were out of candles. Lastley our cook seemed to be almost about to fall asleep with almost no interaction at all. All in all I had invited my party to this place for a supposedly nice occasion but nothing from the food quality to the service and everything in between was nice. The amount i paid here for all 5 was not worth 10% of what I had to pay. If i could i would give it 1/2 a star. Saukra is way superior in every single detail.
The food was good but the service was horrible. The waitress was slow, abrupt, and forgot requests repeatedly.
We had the table to ourselves! Wonderful service and our chef was awesome!
Food was good. Waiter was nice, but I would have liked him to check on us more frequently for drink refills during the meal. Chef's performance was very cute, but she spoke very quietly so I had to keep repeating the ingredients she said. Overall it was a good experience and I would recommend everyone to try this kind of eating experience at least once.
We had a reservation for 8 didn't get a table until 9 when we walked in just before 8 there was no one at the front counter to greet us waited over 20 minutes for someone to come and talk to us they were very rude our waiter was very rude the guy working at the bar was very nice and helpful with sat there for an hour and had drinks while waiting on the table then our lady that did the cooking at the table was very good all the rest of the staff was very rude. One of my guests ordered Pepsi it came out very very flat with no bubbles the waitress told us it was because she poured it from a bottle they bought from the store the machine was not working, the food portions we're a lot smaller compared to other similar restaurants the Taste was poor quality we were party of seven that spent over $400
Waited about 30 minutes to be sitted even though we had reservations. Once we were sitted, no one came to take our order (not even drinks) for another 20 minutes. We tried to find a server but there was no one! It was my daughter's birthday and we were getting very frustrated. After another 5 minutes we got up and left. We let the manager know but he didn't even seemed to care. Luckily we were able to find another place to go at this point (pass 9pm) but the bitter disappointment with Benihana will remain for a very long time. Will never even consider coming back.
Arrived 10 minutes prior to our reservation time and found a large line to see the host. Host was no where to be found for nearly 15 minutes. When he arrives, he tells me that we will have to wait an additional 20 minutes beyond our reservation because of some large parties. Would have been fine if it ended up being 20-minutes. Waited for nearly 45 additional minutes before we were told we were next. Won't be returning, not when you pay over $200 for a party of 7. Will not return; not recommended
I was honestly shocked at our most recent trip to Benihana-Dulles. We had a reservation at 5:45 we all (party of *) arrived just a bit early for. We weren't seated until 6:15. And when seated they took our party of 8 and seated us at a table with a young couple already seated, making the table total 10. To say we were squished was an understatement! My son was hanging off the corner of one side and my mother had no tablespace on another. It was unacceptable! I spoke with what appeared to be a manager and he added a "bar table" to the end where the young couple was seated and they graciously moved down. Eben still the seating was awkward and not at all what one would expect when paying upwards of $20 per plate! When I asked to be reseated I was told that they're busy on Saturday nights and that the tables can seat 8-12!! I was shocked that at a teppanyaki grill table they'd try to squeeze in 12 people!
During our dinner...
we requested both white and fried rice...the white rice came out before the salad so by the time we had meat or veggies to eat with it it had turned cold.
we frequently had nothing to drink
we asked for table salt and never received any
we asked for forks when our salads were delivered and it took over 8 minutes to receive
Our Chef Jonathan was wonderful, very skilled and served delicious food.
our server was clearly assisting too many guests and while very nice he was unable to tend to any table well.
All in all not a good experience for the $300 bill we received.
Food never disappoints us at this location and the cooks and servers were so friendly this time we were there even the hostess was nice.
Thank you
Aweful service and the cook was not enjoyable. She cook all our items one by one and the ffo was cold by the time the last item was placed on our plates. The server was slow to get our cocktails, we didnt get to go items that we purchased. Not sure if we will frequent this location again.
We reserved a table at 7 and were not seated until 7:30. Then we sat and waited another 15 or 20 min before anyone came to the table. It was so cold with people holding the entrance door open that someone asked for them to put up a partition which helped some. While the staff tried to be gracious they were mostly stressed and running around trying to keep up.
Great food. Server was a bit inattentive at times. Fun birthday recognition for one of our family members.
We do an annual Japanese Steak House birthday dinner every January. We have been to Benihana's once before, but it's been a few years and thought we'd try it again. We won't be going back. The hosts at the front were unaccommodating to our TWO over 90 year old guests (wouldn't seat them even though the family was just parking the car), the chef went through the motions and wasn't entertaining, the food was over cooked and didn't taste as good as we have had at three other Japanese Steak Houses. We will be going back to Kobe's in Leesburg. Much better food and more entertaining.
The service was slow and skills poor. We were celebrating a birthday which was on the reservation and discussed when we arrive but completely ignored by the staff.
Good food, good service
The service was terrible. Our server never came back to check on us, offer refills, etc.
Great chef with good food. It's a hibachi restaurant, so you watch your chef prepare your food. They also do a good job of accommodating food allergies as long as you're clear with what you want.
My son kept begging us to take him to "the place where they cook in front of you." We had been going for years to Matsutake in Herndon but they have changed format, and I had fond memories of Benihana from my youth so we drove out to try it.
This did not meet our expectations. Service was incredibly slow. My husband's order was wrong, which they at least figured out before the cooking began, but they treated it as if he were inconveniencing them by correcting their mistake. He also asked for a second beer and had to ask for it three times from two different waiters before anyone would bring it.
The shrimp was good. I had the chicken and jumbo shrimp. They cut the jumbo shrimp in half though so who could tell? There wasn't enough of it. But it tasted good.
The chicken was dry. Like, seriously it's fast cooking right in front of you and it was super dry. How do you even get that to happen? The vegetable side was the smallest portion I have ever seen. (One slice of zucchini per person followed by a handful of onions).
And the show was meh. Rote. Like "this is the Benihana show that I will now do for you." I mean yes I couldn't do it but there was no interaction. It was like we weren't even there.
Really disappointing.
This was one of the least interactive Japanese steakhouse experiences I've had. I thought the food was so so and same for the service.
Chef was not as entertaining as we usually have
This place never disappointed! It's the perfect place for a family dinner out. Our kids love it!
Upon entrance, the restaurant smelled so bad like unclean, sour wash rags.
We had made a special request to be seated at a table without children ... the restaurant was empty and we were seated at a table with a baby. The host acknowledged our special request but told us the only way we'd get a chef to cook for us, we'd have to sit at the table with the baby, even though no other tables were occupied.
The table was smelly and sticky. While our server was very nice, her tray was filthy. I was second guessing eating the food because the (empty) restaurant appeared very unsanitary, but we had a gift certificate so we took a chance. The food turned out to be so-so, not horrible, not great. We got a very small serving of zucchini for the "vegetables" and nothing else - maybe 4 pieces.
The bathrooms were filthy.


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Confessions of a Church of Christ Monk - Amen! Total Surrender
Creation Information
sound as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this recording useful in their work.We've identified this
Contact Us
Mapped Locations
Confessions of a Church of Christ Monk - Amen! Total Surrender, audio recording, February 19, 2002; (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth795039/: accessed February 20, 2019), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.


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Product Launch: Platinium Pro
Munters is proud to announce the introduction of the Platinum Pro Controller.
Bringing with it all the functionality of the Farm Premium Controllers, the Platinum Pro Controller represents a major leap forward for the poultry, swine, and dairy industries. Significantly reducing the capital expenditures required for large operations, Platinum Pro enables you to extend your controller's ability to network with a large number of accessories and input/output devices, only one controller administers hundreds of input/output devices, sensors, scales, and more.
The Platinum Pro modularity and improved software means each installation can be tailored to specific requirements. Other features include:
- Supports daisy chain and star configuration device architectures
- Supports hundreds of analog and digital input/output devices
- Access via the Web or Cloud
- Business Intelligence provides data analysis 24/7
- Up to 200 heavy duty relays (2 HP)
- Program accessories directly from the Platinum Pro
Platinum Pro Downloads
244,03 kb


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CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — The reviews are in, sort of. Black Friday was a success. Cyber Monday? Not just a day. Or a week. But an entire month. In short, the retail world (version 2012 ) is saved.
Not so fast.
Despite upbeat headlines, occasionally violent sales lines, and frequent expert predictions that all is right in the shopping world, this holiday season's Black Monday/Cyber Monday sales hide the dark reality of the retail market generally and the even darker truth of specific retailers: Holiday season 2012 will provide no saving grace to an industry — and weak individual players — in trouble.
Regardless of the "everything's solved!" headlines you've read and the "hallelujah, the slow selling season is over!" declarations you've heard, the retail industry is nowhere near recovered. Indeed, for some, this holiday season presents concrete financial proof something must change, should these companies wish to return to profitability in 2013.
Here are five predicted retail losers this holiday season:


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Function Tutorial for Arduino Author: Alexander Brevig Contact: email@example.com
So you want to write a Function for the Arduino?
Here is a little tutorial on how to write and use functions.
You will learn the basic syntax rules for c++ function declaration and definitions.
For this tutorial we will implement a function called blinkLED.
It will make the LED in question blink when called.
We will make this:
In computer science, a subroutine or subprogram (also called procedure, method, function, or routine) is a portion of code within a larger program, which performs a specific task and is relatively independent of the remaining code. Wikipedia
A function is a way for programmers to reuse code without having to rewrite the code.
This is time saving, and often makes kode more readable, if the function names are well selected, that is.
A function is written as this in C/C++ and Arduino
returntype functionName( arguments ){ //function body return returntype; }
For our example we will use
//returntype functionName( arguments ){ void blinkLED(){ //function body digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH); // sets the LED on delay(1000); // waits for a second digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW); // sets the LED off delay(1000); // waits for a second //return returntype; //implied by closing curly bracked }
An argument consists of both a datatype and a name. For instance, one could specify a function that adds two integers like this: int add( int x, int y){ return x+y; }. For our example the argument is non-existant, but the compiler will see it as a void argument.
The funciton name should clearly state what the function will do. If you can think of many names, you should select the least verbose name.
For instance, we could replace blinkLED with setAPinHighThenLow, but this is a longer name, and I would argue, less descriptive, although more detailed.
It is also important to make your API user friendly. Arduino has selected a lowercaseUppercase naming convention, and I think Arduino users should comply to this convention.
Any type that is legal for a variable can be used for the return type. The type void means that the function does not return any value.
I will argue that selecting the datatype with the least amount of size, bytewise, will be good practice.
This will produce faster code, and in my opinion makes coding more intuitive.
Try to keep the parameter list as short as possible, but be sure to require enough info for your function to execute correctly.
|Part of AlphaBeta Tutorials and Resources.
|Last Modified:
|June 05, 2009, at 04:11 PM


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Four University of Delaware Cooperative Extension professionals were recognized at the National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences conference, which was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, earlier this fall.
Kathleen Splane received the National Early Childhood Child Care Training Award and an editing team consisting of Maria Pippidis, Margo McDonough and Sandy Peralta received an Eastern Region Newsletter Communication Award.
Splane is Extension's family and consumer science educator for Kent County. The child care training award recognizes Splane's innovative online program, "Healthy Habits, Healthy Start." Splane received funding from the state Division of Public Health for the program, which is designed for providers throughout the state who serve preschoolers. Some curriculum content was provided by Nemours Health & Prevention Services.
"There is a critical need for training materials about childhood nutrition and exercise," says Splane. "Delaware has a very high percentage of children who are obese or overweight. In a state by state ranking, we rank 16th highest. Child care providers, in conjunction with parents, can play an important role in giving young children a healthy start."
The Extension editing team, led by Maria Pippidis, was recognized for Two Cent Tips for Delaware, an email newsletter that focuses on consumer money management skills. Recent issues have covered such topics as retirement planning, getting along and saving money in multigenerational households, reducing the cost of holiday travel, and helping teenagers and young adults become credit savvy. Pippidis is the director of the New Castle County Cooperative Extension office, Peralta is an administrative assistant in that office and McDonough is a UD communications specialist.
To learn more about "Healthy Habits, Healthy Start," contact Splane at email@example.com or 302-731-4000. To subscribe to Two Cent Tips for Delaware, send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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A Post from Marianne Gerry....
Reflections on 2011 NAC's
Many of you don;t know me, but I am sure you all know Frank.When I go to a regatta, I am all about the sailing, the time outside in the sun and the physical and mental challenge of sailing in different places and different conditions.I don't hang around and socialize too long so it takes longer to get to know me.Both Frank and I continue to strive to improve our sailing and do our best, no matter what place that gives us.
Anyway, on to the NACs.Two days of driving, first night a stop at Berlin Yacht Club in Ohio to pick up our boat and spend the night, see a few friends who were in the middle of overnight Junior Sailing Camp;50 + kids; we didn't hang around too long; afraid we'd get put to work.
I hadn't even looked at any of the NAC promotion material until I began reading it on our second day of travel.WOW, I was impressed by the clear and concise instructions and theattention to every detail on paper.I asked Frank who wrote the instruction packet and he said either Hank or Melanie.When I met them both, I complimented the author; Melanie by the way.I tend to be a very organized person (some say OCD) and recognize and appreciate that trait in others.
As we pulled into Cedar Point Yacht Club, were greeted, directed, boat unhitched,etc. I realized the organization on paper had been transferred to reality.I have never attended a National Championship (17 years in the Highlander class and 6 NACsin the Flying Scot) where measuring was done so efficiently and stress free.I remember at other times, baking in the sun, waiting in line, tempers around me growing short and I won't even tell you about my temper!!Ephram was pretty awesome but the addition of a full service yacht club at Cedar Point made the NACs that much better. I quickly found the upstairs balcony with shade and a breeze and not many people and it became my yoga studio every morning before racing.
Wepulled into the Cedar Point Yacht Club parking lot at 4:15 pm on Saturday and were measured and registered by 5 pm.WHAT SERVICE
For the first time ever, we had time to sail on Sunday at a leisurely pace, try out our new spinnaker,( Ryan finally got there with spinnaker in bag) and get acquainted with the big water of Long Island Sound.
Day One, Monday July 11. Got there early so Frank could have time to play with the boat, socialize, and generally take his time.Not a problem for me, I used the time to go for a walk, check out the real estate, and do a nice yoga practice up on the balcony.An hour or hour and a half of exercise is my normal morning routine.
The first glitch in the NAC organization happened just when Scots began lining up at the hoist, and all of the dock space was taken up by Junior sailors in Optis for an hour.No wind and a hot day so we delayed for an hour and I am glad those Optis did us the favor of getting in the way.We still bobbed around until 2 pm waiting for the sea breeze to come in.The best favor the Optis did was to delay our race starts until noon for the rest of the week.The heat took it's toll on me that day and I was glad I hadn't planned on attending the Jimmy Buffet themed dinner that evening.I did throw my Jimmy Buffet Parrot T-Shirt and earrings and a lei into my suitcase, but never wore them; stayed in my room at the DoubleTree.AIR CONDITIONING and some chicken fajitas were much better than a social event.
Day Two July 12
We still haven't figured out the wind on this BIG LAKE.Is there a favored side?Do we play the compass?Does the tide really make a difference?At least there was better wind today and we did finish respectably enough to make the Championship division.
Used the afternoon to hang around the yacht club.I headed for the beach where I took a dip on Monday after the races; glorious cool clean water,(never seen a midwest lake this clean).I was planning to do some serious lap swimming, invited Ben and Deb, Ryan and Carrie, Sarah and Charles, but no one was up for it.Just as well. It was low tide and there was no water for me to swim in.I walked out to the dock and dangled my feet in the 4 inches that had been over my head on Monday.
Day Three July 13
Yay, the wind is blowing nicely and the forecast is to build.Our Lake Erie years got us used to some pretty wild conditions, and taught us to respect the water but not fear those high winds.Contrary to most women, I actually love "balls to the wall" sailing.I remembersome windy crazy rides being mad at Frank for not putting the chute up.Although I am a Master's swimmer and swim 2000 yards or more three times a week, I do put my lifejacket on if it is blowing enough that I could get hurt.Doesn't matter how good a swimmer you are, if you are unconscious.So when you see me with a lifejacket on, it's definitely time to put on yours.
Day Four and Five
I confess it is now August 2 and two weeks past the NAC's and I never finished this.I was writing in the van on the drive home to kill the time and as soon as I got home, all the minutiae of daily life took over and I never wrote again.
To sum it up, though, I had a good time at the NACs and everything went smoothly.Also as one of the locals told me, they had a "Chamber of Commerce" week for weather.The following week they and us were wallowing in the 100 degree nasty stuff.
One never knows what Mother Nature has planned so we got lucky that week.I think the weather is the number one factor in the success of any regatta.At this NACs they had everything else perfectly under control and someone must have paid the right bills to get the weather to cooperate too.


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Ben Gibbard Posts 'Ichiro' Song Tribute to Seattle Mariners Legend
Yesterday (July 23) was a sad day for Seattle Mariners fans, as one of the team's most beloved and longest-lasting players, Ichiro Suzuki, was traded to the New York Yankees. But Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard helped soothe the burn a bit by posting his own musical tribute to the departed legend, suitably titled 'Ichiro.'
"I wrote this a few years ago," explained Gibbard in a note on his SoundCloud page. "Today seems like the best day to let you all hear it. Thank you, Ichiro."
The track reminds listeners what made Ichiro special during his 12-year run as a Mariner, with lyrics that include the line "At any given moment, he could completely blow your mind / So don't you take your eye off Ichiro."
With nearly 13,000 plays in a little over 12 hours, it seems safe to say 'Ichiro' has an audience -- but we still don't expect to find it in the track listing for Gibbard's upcoming solo debut, 'Former Lives,' due for an Oct. 16 release on Death Cab's Seattle-based former label, Barsuk.
Listen to Ben Gibbard, 'Ichiro'


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Reviewed by Timothy P. (age 8)
I think you will love this book. Cory lies to this girl about horses. Will the girl find out? Will Cory get away with lying? Cory reminds of a friend of mine who is very funny. It will make you laugh. Some of the things that happen remind me of some things that happened to me. You have to read the book to find out about the lie. It's exciting with a lot of action and things to figure out.
Kids will like this funny book.


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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Stephen Merchant, the gangly and bespectacled comedian best known for creating with Ricky Gervais the British and U.S. TV sitcoms "The Office," steps in front of the camera with his warped sense of reality in the HBO comedy "Hello Ladies."
The eight-episode series, which debuts on Sunday, is Merchant's first turn in a leading role on U.S. television. The 38-year-old Briton plays Stuart, a loser who is looking for love in Los Angeles.
The Emmy winner spoke to Reuters about how the show originated from his stand-up routine, the Hollywood dream machine and how his unusual height helps drive his humor.
Q: Did you believe your stand-up show could be a sitcom?
A: It wasn't a plan I had, and once they (HBO) brought that up, my mind started wandering, and they suggested to me the idea of him being in Los Angeles. That sort of appealed to me because I like the idea that Stuart is a fantasist in a way, who has bought into L.A. as this world of glamour, beautiful people and VIP parties behind red velvet ropes, and having dreamed in the suburbs of England about that fantasy life, trying to get access to it, and, of course, failing as so many people do.
Q: Stuart is a foreigner in Los Angeles, like yourself. Does foreignness help propel your comedy writing?
A: He's kind of a foreigner everywhere. I feel this in many ways: I'm too tall and I'm a little too pale and you know, I've always felt a little bit like an alien. But also I think it magnifies the disjuncture between his fantasy of what life could be and the reality. For some reason, that's very pronounced in somewhere like Los Angeles because of this disparity between the glamour and the beauty and normal people is very distinct.
Something that interests me as well is the idea of loneliness and the way that L.A. in particular is a very lonely city because everyone is in their cars and there's no real hub. But also this idea that the grass is always greener, this notion that, particularly in the Internet age, we are led to believe that the world is open to us and we can travel and we can experience things and it's there for the taking. The reality is, that it's not always the case.
Q: What were your impressions of Hollywood while growing up?
A: I think it was like many people. It was refracted through TV shows. Something we tried to give this character is the idea that he's got this picture of Los Angeles that's soundtracked by '80s saxophone music and beautiful women attending glamorous parties, and that was certainly my view of it.
Q: I don't want to say you're characters are desperate.
A: No, I think there is a desperation. You know, it's funny, I remember being a big fan of (comedian) Richard Pryor. In a weird way I was jealous of so much of the horrible tragedy he suffered, just because it seemed to fuel his comedy. He grew up in a brothel and his mother was a prostitute and he was a drug addict and he was navigating being a person of color in a very difficult time. All of that energy, and it felt like those were big emotions for him to fuel his work. I never really had that.
Q: What did you have?
A: I was very lucky in a cozy middle-class life. But the thing that always bothered me - and I used to see it in friends and family and people I went to school with - was this idea of not fulfilling your dreams and you sort of have one chance at life and what if you blow it? That seemed like a very real and very tangible thing and it's something that I've always responded to in music and in movies. So when I first discovered Woody Allen it seemed like a lot of that same area was fear, that kind of existential anxiety of "What do I make of my life?"
For some reason that idea seems very valuable in comedy because it gives the characters a drive and a goal that seems really important. For me, it makes it more comic when you're not fulfilling those dreams.
Q: You make much of your height, even as Stuart. Do you feel like you stand out in Los Angeles?
A: I feel like I stand out everywhere, particularly in L.A. where certainly most aspiring male actors are seemingly about 5-foot-2.
Q: People are often shocked how celebrities are shorter than they appear on screen.
A: Yes, I'm constantly surprised by that.
Q: How is that for you, being probably taller than you appear on TV?
A: There were a couple of instances where depending on what the script entailed, I did have to cast taller actresses alongside me just so I could fit both of us on screen at the same time without it being terribly wide.
The height thing is one of those things where, when I was a teenager it seemed like a curse and now as a comedian it's like a great asset because it allows me to be very physical. What I hear is always John Cleese, who was similarly tall and used his gangly frame in "Monty Python." Now I embrace it and use it for the comedy and I sort of walk tall with a bit more pride than I did when I was a kid when I was trying to kind of hide myself away and be less self-conscious.
Editing by Mary Milliken