A strange carnival brings terror to the population of a small midwestern town. Few American novels written this century have endured in the heart and mind, as has this one Ray Bradbury's incomparable masterwork of the dark fantastic. A carnival rolls in sometime after the midnight hour on a chill Midwestern October eve, ushering in Halloween a week before its time. A calliope's shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and...

"The year is 2021, and the human race is - quite literally - coming to an end. Since 1995 no babies have been born, because in that year all males unexpectedly became infertile. Great Britain is ruled by a dictator, and the population is inexorably growing older. Theodore Faron, Oxford historian and, incidentally, cousin of the all-powerful Warden of England, watches in growing despair as society gradually crumbles around him, giving way to strange...

ABSOLUTE FRIENDS is a superbly paced novel spanning fifty-six years, a theatrical masterstroke of tragi-comic writing, and a savage fable of our times, almost of our hours. The friends of the title are Ted Mundy, British soldier's son born 1947 in a shining new independent Pakistan, and Sasha, refugee son of an East German Lutheran pastor and his wife who have sought sanctuary in the West. The two men meet first as students in riot-torn West Berlin...

London, 2027. Humanity has become infertile and no child has been born for 18 years. Science is at loss to explain the reason. Immigration is a crime and refugees are caged like animals. African and East European societies have collapsed and their dwindling populations are migrating toward England and other wealthy nations. Torn apart by nuclear fallout, rampant terrorism and political rebellion. In this climate of nationalistic violence, a London...

Kurt Holland moves to Bridgeport, Ohio so his younger brother Sam will have more opportunities, maybe even a scholarship to college. When Sam gets in trouble for fighting at school, Kurt meets Sam's English teacher. Emily Springer is passionate about helping all of her students succeed., and goes to bat in Sam's defense. When she meets Kurt, Emily questions her strict no-dating policy when it comes to her students' parents, since Kurt isn't technically...

"In early 1900s Kansas, Mercy McClain, determined to protect Teaville's children from the bullying she experienced as a child, finds fulfillment working at the local orphanage and serving on the school board. When Aaron Firebrook, the classmate who bothered her more than any other, petitions the board for a teaching position, she's dead set against him getting the job. Aaron knows he deserves every bit of Mercy's mistrust, but he's returned to his...

"At the end of her rope, single mom Lily Anderson is determined to move her rebellious children in the right direction. That means taking away their cell phones, tablets, and computers - at least temporarily - and moving to the house where Lily grew up in the rural town of Comfort, Texas. But Lily has a bigger challenge than two sulking kids. The house comes with Mack Cooper, high school teacher and handsome longtime renter. The arrangement: just...

When business analyst Abby finally moves into a place of her own, she is delighted to discover that her new apartment block is also home to a hunk-next-door. Kopano - teacher, swim coach, artist and all-round nice guy - seems too good to be true. Until Abby discovers evidence of a mystery girlfriend. As neighbours Abby and Kopano spend more and more time together as 'just good friends', the attraction deepens and their close connection develops into...

"A professor of English literature writes the autobiography of his fantasy alter-ego, wanton movie star Gloria Grahame, while his own sexual desires go frustrated. Denton Moulton -- a shy, effeminate male professor -- lives inside his head, and inside his head he is really a long-dead movie star -- the glamorous Gloria Grahame, from the golden age of Hollywood. Professor Moulton is desperate to reveal Gloria's shocking secret before he dies. Does...

"Mia Haas has built a life for herself far from the North Dakota town where she grew up, but when she receives word that her twin brother is missing, she's forced to return home. Once hailed as the golden boy of their small town, Lucas Haas disappeared the same day the body of one of his high school students is pulled from the river. Trying to wrap her head around the rumors of Lucas's affair with the teen, and unable to reconcile the media's portrayal...