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The Battle for Castle Cockatrice

Author : Gerald Durrell

Publisher : HarperCollins

Page : 208 pages

File Size : 46,63 MB

Release : 1999-06-04

Category : Juvenile Fiction

ISBN : 9780064407809

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Book Description

What do you get when you cross a bunch of odious toads and ornery fire-breathing birds with one parrot, a distressed dragon, a group of weasels, a troop of mermaids, a herd of unicorns, a band of gryphons, and three children? When Penelope, Simon, and Peter go to the beach, they get a surprise they'll never forget. A package washes ashore and begins to speak! The children open it up to reveal a talking parrot and spider who were kidnapped and sent away. Their home is Mythologia, where sunrise takes place all day long and magical creatures like Mooncalves and Will-o'-the-Wisps lived peacefully--until the evil Cockatrices decided to take over. And now the new rulers are threatening to turn it into a land of cruelty and fear. It's only a matter of time before the Cockatrices become all powerful. So with the help of a counterspy toad, Penelope, Simon, and Peter decide to do everything they can to help overthrow the wicked birds. But will they be able to survive a trip to Mythologia's scariest places and defeat the evil Cockatrices? For Penelope, Simon, and Peter, a day at the beach is the beginning of an unforgettable adventure. A big brown package washes ashore and begins to speak! Imprisoned inside are Parrot and his companion Ducibelle, a spider, exiles from the land of Mythologia, where magical creatures like unicorns, dragons, and mermaids live together happilyuntil the villainous cockatrices (half serpent, half rooster) take over and enslave the entire population. Can the children help defeat the evil cockatrices and restore peace to Mythologia?A charming, whimsical tour-de-force, The Battle for Castle Cockatrice is a classic story that fantasy readers will welcome back into print.A marvelously created fantasy. The Horn Book



The Talking Parcel

Author : Gerald Durrell

Publisher :

Page : 190 pages

File Size : 26,25 MB

Release : 1974

Category : Children's stories

ISBN : 9780006712183

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The Talking Parcel

Author : Gerald Durrell

Publisher : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Page : 191 pages

File Size : 34,33 MB

Release : 1975-01-01

Category : Fantasy

ISBN : 9780397316083

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Book Description

Three children befriend an unusual parrot and spider and travel with them to Mythologia, the magical land of mythical animals, to try and save it from being taken over by the evil Cockatrices.



Do. Fail. Learn. Repeat.

Author : Nicholas Haralambous

Publisher : Jonathan Ball Publishers

Page : 186 pages

File Size : 34,27 MB

Release : 2018-06-25

Category : Business & Economics

ISBN : 0639926436

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Book Description

Are you bored and baffled by spin doctors telling you how to succeed, how to make $1 000 000 or how to build the best business in just 30 days? Everyone claims to have the next best short cut or hack to help you along the path of entrepreneurship. It's all bullshit. In his business autobiography Do. Fail. Learn. Repeat. Nicholas Haralambous discusses the truth about the last 15 years of his entrepreneurial journey. ANYONE CAN START SOMETHING. Nic openly discusses his failures and sacrifices over the past decade and a half spent building businesses. There is advice all over the place about the rules to follow if you want to succeed, the do's and don'ts of running a company, the how-to of how-to do this, that or the next thing. There are also many personalities out there telling young entrepreneurs to hustle non-stop, risk everything and never sleep if they want success. YOUR CHANCE OF FAILURE IS ALMOST GUARANTEED. No one talks about how hard it is, how lonely it is and how difficult it is to build a business. No one is willing to forgo their ego and be honest. If nothing else, Nic Haralambous is honest about his journey. MOST PEOPLE WON'T LEARN. Nic has lived the hustle; he has pushed through physical pain, mental suffering, business failures, personal torment and relationship strife all in the name of building businesses. ALMOST NO ONE DOES IT AGAIN. Nic decided to write a big book of his failures so that entrepreneurs around the world can begin to understand that it is not always glamorous, easy or fun to build a business. If entrepreneurship is calling you then you absolutely cannot miss out on the truth, behind the business, written by Nic Haralambous.



The Parcel

Author : Anosh Irani

Publisher : Knopf Canada

Page : 259 pages

File Size : 35,5 MB

Release : 2016-09-06

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0345816765

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Book Description

Finalist for the Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and for the Governor General's Literary Award, this powerful new work, about a transgender sex worker in the red-light district of Bombay who is given an unexpected task, is a gripping literary page-turner--difficult and moving, surprising and tender. Anosh Irani's best novel yet, and his first with Knopf Canada. The Parcel's astonishing heart, soul and unforgettable voice is Madhu--born a boy, but a eunuch by choice--who has spent most of her life in a close-knit clan of transgender sex workers in Kamathipura, the notorious red-light district of Bombay. Madhu identifies herself as a "hijra"--a person belonging to the third sex, neither here nor there, man nor woman. Now, at 40, she has moved away from prostitution, her trade since her teens, and is forced to beg to support the charismatic head of the hijra clan, Gurumai. One day Madhu receives a call from Padma Madam, the most feared brothel owner in the district: a "parcel" has arrived--a young girl from the provinces, betrayed and trafficked by her aunt--and Madhu must prepare it for its fate. Despite Madhu's reluctance, she is forced to take the job by Gurumai. As Madhu's emotions spiral out of control, her past comes back to haunt her, threatening to unravel a lifetime's work and identity. This is a dark, devastating but ultimately redemptive novel that promises to be one of the most talked-about publications of the year.



The Phantom Tollbooth

Author : Norton Juster

Publisher : Yearling

Page : 274 pages

File Size : 24,44 MB

Release : 1988-10-12

Category : Juvenile Fiction

ISBN : 0394820371

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Book Description

With almost 5 million copies sold 60 years after its original publication, generations of readers have now journeyed with Milo to the Lands Beyond in this beloved classic. Enriched by Jules Feiffer’s splendid illustrations, the wit, wisdom, and wordplay of Norton Juster’s offbeat fantasy are as beguiling as ever. “Comes up bright and new every time I read it . . . it will continue to charm and delight for a very long time yet. And teach us some wisdom, too.” --Phillip Pullman For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he’s got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason. Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it’s exciting beyond his wildest dreams!



How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read

Author : Pierre Bayard

Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Page : 129 pages

File Size : 13,65 MB

Release : 2010-08-10

Category : Literary Criticism

ISBN : 1596917148

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Book Description

In this delightfully witty, provocative book, literature professor and psychoanalyst Pierre Bayard argues that not having read a book need not be an impediment to having an interesting conversation about it. (In fact, he says, in certain situations reading the book is the worst thing you could do.) Using examples from such writers as Graham Greene, Oscar Wilde, Montaigne, and Umberto Eco, he describes the varieties of "non-reading"-from books that you've never heard of to books that you've read and forgotten-and offers advice on how to turn a sticky social situation into an occasion for creative brilliance. Practical, funny, and thought-provoking, How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read-which became a favorite of readers everywhere in the hardcover edition-is in the end a love letter to books, offering a whole new perspective on how we read and absorb them.



Song of Blood & Stone

Author : L. Penelope

Publisher : St. Martin's Griffin

Page : 383 pages

File Size : 27,8 MB

Release : 2019-07-16

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 1250258383

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Book Description

A TIME 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time A Time Magazine Best Fantasy Book of 2018 L. Penelope's Song of Blood & Stone is a treacherous, thrilling, epic fantasy about an outcast drawn into a war between two powerful rulers. The kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar have been separated for centuries by the Mantle, a magical veil that has enforced a tremulous peace between the two lands. But now, the Mantle is cracking and the True Father, ruler of Lagrimar and the most powerful Earthsinger in the world, finally sees a way into Elsira to seize power. All Jasminda ever wanted was to live quietly on her farm, away from the prying eyes of those in the nearby town. Branded an outcast by the color of her skin and her gift of Earthsong, she’s been shunned all her life and has learned to steer clear from the townsfolk...until a group of Lagrimari soldiers wander into her valley with an Elsiran spy, believing they are still in Lagrimar. Through Jack, the spy, Jasminda learns that the Mantle is weakening, allowing people to slip through without notice. And even more troubling: Lagrimar is mobilizing, and if no one finds a way to restore the Mantle, it might be too late for Elsira. Their only hope lies in uncovering the secrets of the Queen Who Sleeps and Jasminda’s Earthsong is the key to unravel them. Thrust into a hostile society and a world she doesn’t know, Jasminda and Jack race to unveil an ancient mystery that might offer salvation.



The Descendants

Author : Kaui Hart Hemmings

Publisher : Random House Trade Paperbacks

Page : 321 pages

File Size : 33,17 MB

Release : 2011-10-04

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0812982959

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Book Description

Now a major motion picture starring George Clooney and directed by Alexander Payne Fortunes have changed for the King family, descendants of Hawaiian royalty and one of the state’s largest landowners. Matthew King’s daughters—Scottie, a feisty ten-year-old, and Alex, a seventeen-year-old recovering drug addict—are out of control, and their charismatic, thrill-seeking mother, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident. She will soon be taken off life support. As Matt gathers his wife’s friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation is made worse by the sudden discovery that there’s one person who hasn’t been told: the man with whom Joanie had been having an affair. Forced to examine what they owe not only to the living but to the dead, Matt, Scottie, and Alex take to the road to find Joanie’s lover, on a memorable journey that leads to unforeseen humor, growth, and profound revelations.



The Complete Talking Heads

Author : Alan Bennett

Publisher : Macmillan

Page : 212 pages

File Size : 47,46 MB

Release : 2003-05-23

Category : Drama

ISBN : 9780312423087

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Book Description

Two series of monologues written for BBC television and broadcast in 1988 and 1998, along with 'A woman of no importance', an earlier monologue first televised in 1982.