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A Light in the Flame: A Flesh and Fire Novel

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes
book two in her Flesh and Fire series… The only one who can save Sera now
is the one she spent her life planning to kill. The truth about Sera’s plan
is out, shattering the fragile trust forged between her and Nyktos.
Surrounded by those distrustful of her, all Sera has is her duty. She will
do anything to end Kolis, the false King of Gods, and his tyrannical rule
of Iliseeum, thus stopping the threat he poses to the mortal realm. Nyktos
has a plan, though, and as they work together, the last thing they need is
the undeniable, scorching passion that continues to ignite between them.
Sera cannot afford to fall for the tortured Primal, not when a life no
longer bound to a destiny she never wanted is more attainable than ever.
But memories of their shared pleasure and unrivaled desire are a siren’s
call impossible to resist. And as Sera begins to realize that she wants to
be more than a Consort in name only, the danger surrounding them
intensifies. The attacks on the Shadowlands are increasing, and when Kolis
summons them to Court, a whole new risk becomes apparent. The Primal power
of Life is growing inside her, pushing her closer to the end of her
Culling. And without Nyktos’s love—an emotion he’s incapable of feeling—she
won’t survive her Ascension. That is if she even makes it to her Ascension
and Kolis doesn’t get to her first. Because time is running out. For both
her and the realms. Read more

Faith Still Moves Mountains: Miraculous Stories of the Healing Power of Prayer

From FOX News anchor and author Harris Faulkner comes a collection of
powerful, true-life stories of resilience, healing, rescue, and
protection.We need reminders of God’s power now more than ever.We often
think about prayer as a wish list, with God as Santa Claus. The reality is
that the power of prayer reminds us not only how small we are, but also how
big God is. Prayer is hope put into action. And prayer works.From the
aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti to the theater shooting in
Aurora, Colorado, believers testify to how God inspired hope even when all
seemed lost.Two teenagers who were saved from treacherous seas by a vessel
named Amen now give thanks for the rescue that changed their lives. A
woman’s near-death experience with COVID-19 turned out to be the crisis
freeing her from despair. Others speak to how prayer helped them navigate
family trauma, overcome abuse, and cope with mental illness and depression.
Historical accounts of miracles testify to God’s power throughout time, and
Faulkner recounts the role of faith and prayer in her own life and the life
of her father.Along with these stories of God’s presence, the book includes
an exclusive packet of newly written prayers. Created to reflect the
current times, this prayer booklet will provide a road map for putting the
lessons of these stories into action.Faith Still Moves Mountains reminds us
that God’s light always shines through the darkness. Through these
testimonies, we learn prayer isn’t just a ritual, it’s a vital spiritual
strategy in a world that wants us to give up the fight. Read more

Thunderstruck

A true story of love, murder, and the end of the world’s “great hush.”In
Thunderstruck, Erik Larson tells the interwoven stories of two men—Hawley
Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive
creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication—whose lives
intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time.Set in
Edwardian London and on the stormy coasts of Cornwall, Cape Cod, and Nova
Scotia, Thunderstruck evokes the dynamism of those years when great
shipping companies competed to build the biggest, fastest ocean liners;
scientific advances dazzled the public with visions of a world transformed;
and the rich outdid one another with ostentatious displays of wealth.
Against this background, Marconi races against incredible odds and
relentless skepticism to perfect his invention: the wireless, a prime
catalyst for the emergence of the world we know today. Meanwhile, Crippen,
“the kindest of men,” nearly commits the perfect murder.With
his unparalleled narrative skills, Erik Larson guides us through a
relentlessly suspenseful chase over the waters of the North Atlantic. Along
the way, he tells of a sad and tragic love affair that was described on the
front pages of newspapers around the world, a chief inspector who found
himself strangely sympathetic to the killer and his lover, and a driven and
compelling inventor who transformed the way we communicate. Read more

Stellarlune (9) (Keeper of the Lost Cities)

In this stunning ninth book in the New York Times and USA TODAY
bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie and her friends
discover the true meaning of power—and evil. Sophie Foster changed the
game. Now she’s facing impossible choices: When to act. When to trust. When
to let go. Her friends are divided and scattered, and the Black Swan wants
Sophie to focus on their projects. But her instincts are leading her
somewhere else. Stellarlune—and the mysterious Elysian—might be the key to
everything. But finding truth in the Lost Cities always requires sacrifice.
And as the Neverseen’s plans sharpen into terrifying focus, it appears that
everyone has miscalculated. The Lost Cities’ greatest lie could destroy
everything. And in the battle that follows, only one thing is certain:
nothing will ever be the same. Read more

The Bookstore Sisters: A Short Story

From New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman comes a heartfelt
short story about family, independence, and finding your place in the
world.Isabel Gibson has all but perfected the art of forgetting. She’s a
New Yorker now, with nothing left to tie her to Brinkley’s Island, Maine.
Her parents are gone, the family bookstore is all but bankrupt, and her
sister, Sophie, will probably never speak to her again.But when a
mysterious letter arrives in her mailbox, Isabel feels herself drawn to the
past. After years of fighting for her independence, she dreads the thought
of going back to the island. What she finds there may forever alter her
path—and change everything she thought she knew about her family, her home,
and herself. Read more

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times

In an inspiring follow-up to her critically acclaimed, #1 bestselling
memoir Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama shares practical wisdom
and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly
uncertain world. There may be no tidy solutions or pithy answers to life’s
big challenges, but Michelle Obama believes that we can all locate and lean
on a set of tools to help us better navigate change and remain steady
within flux. In The Light We Carry, she opens a frank and honest dialogue
with readers, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: How do we
build enduring and honest relationships? How can we discover strength and
community inside our differences? What tools do we use to address feelings
of self-doubt or helplessness? What do we do when it all starts to feel
like too much? Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and
insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her
belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and
potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new
pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter,
spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she
has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various
obstacles—the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.” She
details her most valuable practices, like “starting kind,” “going high,”
and assembling a “kitchen table” of trusted friends and mentors. With
trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected
to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear,
find strength in community, and live with boldness. “When we are able to
recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it,” writes Michelle
Obama. A rewarding blend of powerful stories and profound advice that will
ignite conversation, The Light We Carry inspires readers to examine their
own lives, identify their sources of gladness, and connect meaningfully in
a turbulent world. Read more

The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters

“Readers will be inspired by Gaines’ desire to find strength in
self-discovery.” —Publishers WeeklyJoanna Gaines invites us on an authentic
and vulnerable journey into her story, a story of doubt and belief, shame
and acceptance; a journey from insecurity to self-discovery, and finding
truth on the other side of lies.Star of Fixer Upper and New York Times
bestselling author, Joanna grew up in a multiracial family, the product of
a unique and beautiful love story between her Korean mother and her
American father. Experiencing regular teasing as a child because of what
made her different, it wasn’t until later in life that she started to see
those differences as the most beautiful part of her story.From stories that
brought shame and her soul’s deepest insecurities to the page to stories
about healing and hope and having just a little bit more fun, join Joanna
as she journeys through the years of becoming a wife, mother of five, and
business owner—looking back to mend what’s broken and gain clarity in
places that are cloudy so she can look forward with grateful and certain
eyes, believing that every chapter has its purpose. The Stories We Tell
reminds us that every piece of our story matters to who we are today and
who we’ll become tomorrow.”This book is not an autobiography. I still have
too much to learn and discover about myself, and I feel as though I am only
halfway there. This book also is not a how-to, because I certainly don’t
have all the answers. What I hope this book is for you is an invitation to
come as you are. To join me, with a vulnerable and open heart, as we
connect the chapters of our life stories, and figure out where we go next,
learning to move forward from within.The only way to break free was to
rewrite my story. Because something would happen every time my pen stopped:
it was like my soul was coming back to my body. Like the deepest parts of
me that got knocked around and drowned out by all the crap I let the world
convince me about who I was came back to the surface. And what was left was
only what was real and true. I was, finally, standing in the fullness of my
story. I felt hopeful. I felt full. Our story may crack us open, but it
also pieces us back together. I’m grateful to have found truth on the other
side of lies. Vulnerability on the other side of fear. Empathy on the other
side of pain. This is how I know that every season has a purpose, and that
holding, even when it leads to letting go, is what clues us into the bigger
story being told.”—Joanna Gaines Read more

Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are

Relationships are wonderful . . . until they’re not.Join #1 New York
Times bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst as she helps you stop the
dysfunction of unhealthy relationships by showing you biblical ways to set
boundaries–and, when necessary, say goodbye–without losing the best of
who you are.Is it unloving or selfish to set a boundary? Are Christians
ever called to walk away from a relationship that’s no longer safe or
sustainable? Lysa TerKeurst deeply understands these hard questions in the
midst of relational struggles.But after thousands of hours of counseling
intensives and extensive theological research that transformed the way she
defined healthy relationships, Lysa is now more committed than ever to
loving people well without losing the best of who she is. She wants to help
you do the same. In these pages Lysa will help you:Understand the five
factors to remember when implementing healthy boundaries.Determine the
appropriate amount of personal and emotional access someone has to you
based on how responsible they’ll be with that access.Stop being misled and
emotionally paralyzed by wrongly interpreted or weaponized scriptures that
perpetuate unhealthy dynamics in difficult relationships.Overcome the
frustrating cycle of ineffective boundary-setting with realistic scripts
and practical strategies to help you communicate, keep, and implement
healthier patterns.Be equipped to say goodbye without guilt when a
relationship has shifted from difficult to destructive and is no longer
sustainable.Receive therapeutic wisdom you can trust directly from Lysa’s
Christian counselor Jim Cress, who weighs in throughout the book. You’ll be
relieved to learn that boundaries aren’t just a good idea, they’re
a God idea. Read more

How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving

This beloved book has touched hundreds of thousands of lives with its
profound and actionable advice. Retaining the core message of becoming more
mindful in our relationships, this edition includes new and revised
material that addresses how we live and love today. A new preface touches
on David Richo’s experience with the book over time and outlines the key
updates, including attention to online dating and modern communication
styles as well as new perspectives on anger and ending relationships.
“Most people think of love as a feeling,” says Richo, “but love is not so
much a feeling as a way of being present.” How to Be an Adult in
Relationships explores five hallmarks of mindful loving and how they play a
key role in our relationships. Adult love is based on a mutual commitment
to what Richo calls the “five A’s”: attention, acceptance, appreciation,
affection, and allowing. Brimming with practical exercises for couples and
singles, How to Be an Adult in Relationships offers heartening insights
into a lifelong journey of love. Topics include: • Becoming conscious of
our relationship patterns and how they relate to childhood • Recognizing
and attracting someone who can show adult love • Understanding the phases
relationships go through • Creating and maintaining healthy boundaries
• Overcoming fears of abandonment and engulfment • Expressing anger
and other emotions in adult and loving ways • Surviving break-ups with
our self-esteem intact • Understanding love as a spiritual journey Read more

Princess and the Player (Strangers in Love)

A masquerade ball brings together an NFL player and a penniless princess
in this smart and sexy romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author
Ilsa Madden-Mills.Levelheaded Francesca Lane never thought she’d miss her
own wedding. But when her fiancé betrays her, she puts on her wedding dress
and ditches the altar for a masquerade ball―at an exclusive lifestyle
club.There, she meets unknown-to-her NFL star Tuck Avery, dressed as a
prince and hiding behind a mask―he’s there to celebrate his birthday. For
one night, Francesca and Tuck indulge in a wickedly incognito affair. No
names. No strings. And the masks don’t come off.Unfortunately, Francesca
realizes quickly that her masked prince is the wealthy jock who lives in
the penthouse of her apartment building. His hobbies include parties and
supermodels―or so the tabloids say. Getting tangled up with a shallow jerk
is the last thing Francesca needs right now, so she vows to keep Tuck from
recognizing her (not that she’s his type anyway).But fate has a teeny-tiny
trick up her sleeve…a plus sign on a pregnancy test. Can this tormented
prince accept love, or will he push his princess away forever? Read more

Corrupted Chaos: An Enemies to Lovers Forced Proximity Romance (Tarnished Empire)

My enemy doesn’t make the rules behind closed doors…Even if he’s my
boss.Cade Armanelli might be an infamous hacker with billionaire status who
operates better alone, but I earned my spot working alongside him…Whether
he likes it or not.It’s precisely why I’m on the first plane to an
undisclosed location for our cybersecurity team retreat. I’m ready to prove
to our company that I can handle anything…Except sharing a cabin and a bed
with my meticulous, elusive boss. He’s antisocial.Ruthless.Enemy number
one.Unfortunately, he’s also number one in tatted, dark, and dangerous. I
quickly come to find that not only are his hacking skills perfection, but
so is his performance in the bedroom.Not that it matters. I have a job to
keep, a heart to protect, and our nation’s data to secure.Cade can’t help
me with any of that.He’s a distraction. One I have to avoid…Even if it
means I’m spray painting a red line down our bed and keeping my boss on his
side.Corrupted Chaos is a light mafia standalone romance with forced
proximity, steam, and a tech mogul that will fight and grovel for a HEA
with his spitfire woman. Read more

HEBREWS TO NEGROES: WAKE UP BLACK AMERICA!

The book “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” touches on subjects
too controversial for most authors to reveal to the people. This book will
expose the truths that have been hidden by the powers that be in America.
Since the European and Arab slave traders stepped foot into Africa, blacks
have been told lies about their heritage. This was all by Satan’s design
for he is the father of lies. There is an old stereotypical expression that
says “If you want to hide something from a Black person, put it in a book.”
Well, this is THE BOOK that ALL Black people must read! Since biblical
times, there has been a satanic agenda to destroy God’s Chosen People. This
agenda still exists today and is carried on by man in many forms. Satan
knows who God’s Chosen People are, but for centuries we have been blind to
this knowledge even though it’s been right in front of our face. After many
years of research, the time has finally come for ALL Black people to know
the truth. Inside Hebrews To Negroes you will find the answers to all the
burning questions you have wanted ask your parents, teachers and pastors
for years. It has been said that the mind has a strong drive to correct
itself over a period of time if it can touch some substantial ORIGINAL
historical base about itself. This time period is ending and the truth is
being exposed! Is this signs of the End Times? The bible says in the last
days that knowledge will increase. It also says “In the last days, saith
God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your
old men shall dream dreams:” Knowledge is the TRUTH and Satan’s time is
running out. Don’t be left behind. Find out what’s really going on behind
the scenes as it relates to BLACK AMERICA then and now. Afterwards you be
the judge as to who God’s Chosen People really are and who Satan’s army is
really after. AT THE END OF READING THIS BOOK, I GUARANTEE YOU WON’T REGRET
IT. Read more

Cinema Speculation

The long-awaited first work of nonfiction from the author of the #1 New
York Times bestselling Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: a deliriously
entertaining, wickedly intelligent cinema book as unique and creative as
anything by Quentin Tarantino.In addition to being among the most
celebrated of contemporary filmmakers, Quentin Tarantino is possibly the
most joyously infectious movie lover alive. For years he has touted in
interviews his eventual turn to writing books about films. Now, with Cinema
Speculation, the time has come, and the results are everything his
passionate fans—and all movie lovers—could have hoped for. Organized around
key American films from the 1970s, all of which he first saw as a young
moviegoer at the time, this book is as intellectually rigorous and
insightful as it is rollicking and entertaining. At once film criticism,
film theory, a feat of reporting, and wonderful personal history, it is all
written in the singular voice recognizable immediately as QT’s and with the
rare perspective about cinema possible only from one of the greatest
practitioners of the artform ever. Read more

You’re My Little Pumpkin Pie

With adorable illustrations, shaped cutouts, and raised elements, this
sweet, interactive board book celebrates the little pumpkin pie in your
life!2020 Publishers Weekly Bestseller National Bestselling Title
(Publishers Weekly and USA Today)National Bestselling SeriesYou’re My
Little Pumpkin Pie is a adorable board book to share with your little one.
With chunky pages for little hands and die-cut shapes to add depth and
interest, children will love the interactive features alongside the story.
This endearing board book is a wonderful read for Halloween or any time.Get
to know the You’re My Little series from Silver Dolphin Books! From
Valentine’s Day to Christmas Day and every day in between, the
bestselling You’re My Little series is cute as can be—and fun too! Each
spread of these chunky board books features adorable illustrations by
Natalie Marshall, as well as shaped cut-outs and raised elements. Perfect
for cuddling up with your little one, these sweet rhyming stories celebrate
a parent’s love for their child. Read more

The Simply Happy Cookbook: 100-Plus Recipes to Take the Stress Out of Cooking (The Happy Cookbook Series)

#1 New York Times bestselling authors Fox & Friends cohost Steve Doocy and
his wife, Kathy, share more delightful stories and delicious recipes that
are simple and stress-free. What’s better than serving your family food
they rave about? Keeping it simple, of course! Sure, there are times when
you want to spend all day noodling around in the kitchen, but most days we
want more oomph with less effort. In The Simply Happy Cookbook, Steve Doocy
and his wife, Kathy, provide more than a hundred recipes for their favorite
dishes that are just as comforting to make as they are to eat—using fewer
ingredients, simpler preparations, and less time in the kitchen.Just as in
their previous two cookbooks, they share family photos and stories along
with their recipes, so the time and energy saved in the kitchen can be put
toward what’s important—reading charming and funny stories about their
family and (sometimes famous) friends.The Doocys offer recipes for every
occasion, including appetizers, breakfast, sandwiches, sides, casseroles,
slow cooker meals, pasta, pizza, and desserts, so you’re covered no matter
what you’re looking to make. Some of their low-effort, all-American comfort
dishes include:Maple Bacon Cinnamon RollsLasagna Grilled Cheese
SandwichBuffalo Chicken Pot PieSingle Skilled Shrimp and Cheesy GritsBacon
and Burst Tomato TortelliniPretzel Crust Chocolate Peanut Butter PiePerfect
for low-stress solo dinner prep, or for luring the cooking-averse into the
kitchen to create happy memories around more than just the dinner
table, The Simply Happy Cookbook is sure to please. Read more

Going Rogue: Rise and Shine Twenty-Nine (29) (Stephanie Plum)

Stephanie Plum breaks the rules, flirts with disaster, and shows who’s
boss in this “fast and fun” (Publishers Weekly) thriller from #1 New York
Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.Monday mornings aren’t supposed to
be fun, but they should be predictable. However, on this particular Monday,
Stephanie Plum knows that something is amiss when she turns up for work at
Vinnie’s Bail Bonds to find that longtime office manager Connie Rosolli,
who is as reliable as the tides in Atlantic City, hasn’t shown up.
Stephanie’s worst fears are confirmed when she gets a call from Connie’s
abductor. He says he will only release her in exchange for a mysterious
coin that a recently murdered man left as collateral for his bail.
Unfortunately, this coin, which should be in the office—just like Connie—is
nowhere to be found. The quest to discover the coin, learn its value, and
save Connie will require the help of Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur, her best
pal Lula, her boyfriend Morelli, and hunky security expert Ranger. As they
get closer to unraveling the reasons behind Connie’s kidnapping, Connie’s
captor grows more threatening and soon Stephanie has no choice but to throw
caution to the wind, follow her instincts, and go rogue. Full of surprises,
thrills, and humor, Going Rogue reveals a new side of Stephanie Plum, and
shows Janet Evanovich at her scorching, riotous best. Read more

I’m So Glad You Were Born: Celebrating Who You Are

Parents and children both have big dreams—about their life and the wonders
the future holds. I’m So Glad You Were Born celebrates those dreams as well
as the wonder of everyday experiences like sweet and special snuggles and
cuddles, fun times and learning times too!New York Times bestselling author
and FOX News anchor Ainsley Earhardt has created a picture book that
celebrates ALL the dreams come true–a parent’s, a child’s, and Creator
God’s! I’m So Glad You Were Born is full of love and hope and has a sweet,
playful message inspired by Scripture that will leave your child without a
doubt just how thankful you are that they are in your life and that they
were created to be extraordinary.I’m So Glad You Were Born:Will appeal to
children as well as the adults who love themIs a perfect gift for childhood
celebrations including birthdays, baby showers, graduation gifts,
communion, confirmation, and dedication giftsIs written in sweet (and
humorous) rhyme perfect for reading aloudFeatures beautiful and fun
illustrations by artist Kim Barnes I’m So Glad You Were Born is an
inspiring and loving message to your child, sure to become a go-to favorite
for reading aloud as well as during bedtime snuggles! Read more

Icebreaker

Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA.A
competitive figure skater since she was five years old, a full college
scholarship thanks to her place on the Maple Hills skating team, and a
schedule that would make even the most driven person weep, Stassie comes to
win.No exceptions.Nathan Hawkins has never had a problem he couldn’t solve.
As captain of the Maple Hills Titans, he knows the responsibility of
keeping the hockey team on the ice rests on his shoulders.When a
misunderstanding results in the two teams sharing a rink, and Anastasia’s
partner gets hurt in the aftermath, Nate finds himself swapping his stick
for tights, and one scary coach for an even scarier one.The pair find
themselves stuck together in more ways than one, but it’s fine, because
Anastasia doesn’t even like hockey players…right?18+ content. Read more

The Golden Enclaves

Chapter 1 the yurt The last thing Orion said to me, the absolute bastard,
was El, I love you so much. And then he shoved me backwards through the
gates of the Scholomance and I landed thump on my back in paradise, the
soft grassy clearing in Wales that I’d last seen four years ago, ash trees
in full green leaf and sunlight dappling through them, and Mum, Mum right
there waiting for me. Her arms were full of flowers: poppies, for rest;
anemones, for overcoming; moonwort, for forgetfulness; morning glories, for
the dawn of a new day. A welcome-­home bouquet for a trauma victim, meant
to ease horror out of my mind and make room for healing and for rest, and
as she reached to help me, I heaved myself up howling, “Orion!” and sent
the whole thing scattering before me. A few months—­aeons—­ago, while we’d
still been in the midst of our frantic obstacle-­course runs, an enclaver
from Milan had given me a translocation spell in Latin, the rare kind that
you can cast on yourself without splitting yourself into bits. The idea was
that I’d be able to use it to hop around from one place to another in the
graduation hall—­all the better to save people like enclavers from Milan,
which is why she’d handed me a spell worth five years of mana for free. You
couldn’t normally use it to go long distances, but time was more or less
the same thing as space, and I’d been in the Scholomance ten seconds
before. I had the hall visualized as crisp and clear as an architectural
drawing, complete with the horrific mass of Patience and the horde of
maleficaria behind it, boiling its way towards us. I was placing myself at
the gates, right back where I had been when Orion had given me that final
shove. But the spell didn’t want to be cast, putting up resistance like
warning signs across the way: dead end, road washed out ahead. I forced it
through anyway, throwing mana at it, and the casting rebounded in my face
and knocked me down like I’d run straight into a concrete wall. So I got
back up and tried the exact same spell again, only to get pasted flat a
second time. My head was ringing bells and noise. I crawled back to my
feet. Mum was helping me up, but she was also holding me back, saying
something to me, trying to slow me down, but I only snarled at her,
“Patience was coming right at him!” and her hands were slack, sliding off
me with her own remembered horror. It had already been two minutes since
I’d been dumped out; two minutes was forever in the graduation hall, even
before I’d packed it full of all the monsters in the world. But the
interruption did stop me just banging my head against the gates repeatedly.
I spent a moment thinking, and then I tried to use a summoning to get Orion
out, instead. Most people can’t summon anything larger or with more
willpower than a hair bobble. But the many summoning spells I’ve
unwillingly collected over the years are all intended to bring me one or
more hapless screaming victims, presumably to go into the sacrificial pit
I’ve incomprehensibly neglected to set up. I had a dozen varieties, and one
of them that let you scry someone through a reflective surface and pull
them out. It’s especially effective if you have a gigantic cursed mirror of
doom to use. Sadly I’d left mine hanging on the wall of my dorm room. But I
ran around the clearing and found a small puddle of water between two tree
roots. That wouldn’t have been good enough ordinarily, but I had endless
mana flowing into me, the supply line from graduation still open. I threw
power behind the spell and forced the muddy puddle smooth as glass and
staring down at it called, “Orion! Orion Lake! I call you in the—­” I took
a quick glance up at the first sunlight and sky I’d seen in four years of
longing for them, and the only thing I could feel was desperate frustration
that it wasn’t dawn or noon or midnight or anything helpful, “—­waxing
hours of the light, to come to me from the dark-shadowed halls, heeding my
word alone,” which would very likely mean he’d be under a spell of
obedience when he got here, but I’d worry about that later, later after he
was here—­ The spell did go through this time, and the water churned into a
cloud of silver-­black that slowly and grudgingly served up a ghostly image
that might have been Orion from the back, barely an outline against pitch
darkness. I shoved my arm into the dark anyway, reaching for him, and for a
moment, I thought—­I was sure—­I had him. The taste of frantic relief
swelled through me: I’d done it, I’d got hold of him—­and then I screamed,
because my fingers were sinking into the surface of a maw-­mouth, with its
sucking hunger turning on me. Every part of my body wanted to let go at
once. And then it got worse, as if there were any room for that to get
worse, because it wasn’t just one maw-­mouth, it was two, grabbing at me
from both sides, as if Patience hadn’t quite finished digesting Fortitude
yet: a whole century of students, a meal so large it would take a long
while eating, and meanwhile Fortitude was still groping around trying to
feed its own hunger even while it was being swallowed down. And it had been
blindingly obvious to me back there in the graduation hall that we couldn’t
possibly kill that monstrous agglomerated horror, not even with the mana of
four thousand living students fueling me. The only thing to do with
Patience was the only thing to do with the Scholomance: we could only push
them off into the void, and hope they vanished away forever. But apparently
Orion had disagreed, since he’d turned back to fight even with the school
teetering on the edge of the world behind him. As if he’d thought Patience
was going to get out, and in some part of his stupid brutalized brain
imagined that he could stop it getting out, and therefore he had to stay
behind and be a hero this one more time, one boy standing in front of a
tidal wave. That was the only possible reason I could imagine, and it had
been stupid enough without shoving me out the gates first, when I was the
only one of us who’d ever actually fought a maw-­mouth before. That made it
so unutterably stupid that I needed him out, needed him here, so I could
scream at him at length to impress upon him exactly how stupid he’d been. I
clung to that rage. Rage made it possible for me to keep holding on,
despite the heaving putrescence of maw-­mouth trying to envelop my fingers,
sucking on my skin and my shielding like a child trying to get through a
candy shell to the better sweetness inside, trying to get to me, trying to
get to every last bit of me so it could devour me down to staring eyes and
screaming mouth. Rage, and horror, because it was going to do that to
Orion, Orion who was still there in the hall with it. So I didn’t let go.
Staring down into the scrying puddle, I hurled murder at it past his
blurry, half-­seen shoulder, casting my best, quickest, killing spell over
and over, the feeling of a lake of rot sloughing away from around my hands
each time, until I was gulping down nausea with each breath I took, and
each casting of “À la mort!” went rolling off my tongue on the way out,
blurring until the sound of my breathing was death. All the while I kept
holding on, trying to pull Orion out. Even if it meant I’d heave Patience
out into the world with him and spill that devouring horror into the cool
green trees of Wales right at Mum’s feet, my place of peace I’d dreamt of
in every minute I’d been in the Scholomance. All I’d have to do was kill
it, after all. That had seemed utterly impossible five minutes before, so
impossible I’d just laughed at the idea, but now it was only a low and
trivial hurdle, when the alternative was letting it have Orion instead. I
was really good at killing things. I’d find a way. I even had a plan laying
itself out in my head, the clockwork machinery of strategy ticking coolly
away in the background of my mind where it never stopped after four years
in the Scholomance. We’d fight Patience together. I’d kill it a few dozen
lives at a time, and he could pull the mana out and feed it back to me, and
together we’d create an unending killing circle between us until the thing
was finally gone. It would work, it would work. I had myself convinced. I
didn’t let go. I didn’t let go. I was pushed off. Again. Read more

Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories

A sharp, funny, and honest collection of real-life stories from Kelly
Ripa, showing the many dimensions and crackling wit of the beloved daytime
talk show host.In Live Wire, her first book, Kelly shows what really makes
her tick. As a professional, as a wife, as a daughter and as a mother, she
brings a hard-earned wisdom and an eye for the absurdity of life to every
minute of every day. It is her relatability in all of these roles that has
earned her fans worldwide and millions of followers on social media.
Whether recounting how she and Mark really met, the level of chauvinism she
experienced on set, how Jersey Pride follows her wherever she goes, and
many, many moments of utter mortification (whence she proves that you
cannot, in fact, die of embarrassment) Kelly always tells it like it
is. Ms. Ripa takes no prisoners.Surprising, at times savage, a little
shameless and always with humor… Live Wire shows Kelly as she really is
offscreen—a very wise woman who has something to say. Read more