Two young criminals meet in a bar and later have contact with the police: one is confident, the other cautious. Who is right?This short story is for 'advanced beginner' to 'intermediate' English learners (CEFR A2/B1). A grammar section at the end uses the story to highlight some grammar points.A short story, with grammar notes, for less than the price of an espresso coffee.A short story for English learners. But not for children.Enjoy!(Warning: this ...

Dough-NUT$ is a book of poems that helps readers see things around them slightly different. Richard's love for diversity and donuts has led him to create a world where our similarities and differences can be acknowledged and embraced. *A long john is defined by his deliciousness, not his color of icing. *Why is it SO common for donuts to a have hole inside? What do we accept? What will I do next? *Choices, choices, choices

The Hugo Award–winning author's "most memorable short stories . . . a tribute from those who best knew his work—his friends, fellow writers, and editors" (SFRevu).George Alec Effinger was a true master of satirical Science Fiction. Before his death in 2002, he gained the highest esteem amongst his peers for his pitch-perfect stylistic mimicry and his great insight into the human condition. Despite a life filled with chronic illness and pain, Effinger was a prolific...

Poul Anderson was one of the seminal figures of twentieth-century science fiction. Named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1997, he produced an enormous body of standalone novels and series fiction and was equally at home in the fields of heroic fantasy and hard SF. He was a meticulous craftsman and a gifted storyteller, and the impact of his finest work continues, undiminished, to this day.Multiverse: Exploring Poul Anderson's Worlds is a rousing...

In this collection of mysteries, the greatest detectives of the Golden Age investigate the most puzzling crimes of the era.The investigators in these stories are from all walks of life – retired magicians to schoolteachers, Broadway producers to nuns. Whether professional or amateur, these keen-eyed detectives must get to the bottom of the most baffling cases of their careers.Edgar Award-winning Otto Penzler has hand-picked some of the most...

A collection of treasured stories by the unchallenged master of American fictionNobel Prize winner Saul Bellow has deservedly been celebrated as one of America’s greatest writers. For more than sixty years he stretched our minds, our imaginations, and our hearts with his exhilarating perceptions of life. Here, collected in one volume and chosen by the author himself, are favorites such as “What Kind of Day Did You Have?” “Leaving the Yellow House,” and a previously...

In the folklore of Eastern European Jewry, a dybbuk is a wandering soul that comes to rest in the body of a living person. In this case, the dybbuk is an impoverished student that possesses a young bride on her wedding day. She is taken to a great Chassidic rabbi for exorcism. But before he can expel the spirit, the sage must discover who the dybbuk was in life, why he has possessed the maiden, and most importantly, how to balance the scales of cosmic justice.Part folk tale, part l...

This dazzling anthology includes epic interstellar adventures, tales of space and wonder, from some of the brightest names in science fiction. Authors includeKage BakerStephen BaxterGregory BenfordTony DanielGreg EganPeter F. HamiltonGwyneth JonesJames Patrick KellyNancy KressKen MacleodPaul J. McAuleyIan McDonaldRobert ReedAlastair ReynoldsMary RosenblumRobert SilverbergDan SimmonsWalter Jon Williams

Following the success of their Locus Award–winning anthology The New Space Opera, editors Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan up the ante with The New Space Opera 2, in which more of the most beloved names in science fiction spin stunning tales of interstellar adventure and wonder. Authors include:Neal AsherJohn BarnesCory DoctorowJohn KesselJay LakeJohn MeaneyElizabeth MoonGarth NixMike ResnickJustina RobsonKristine Kathryn RuschJohn ScalziBruce SterlingPeter Wat...

A leading psychologist and philosopher challenge the shortcomings of rational choice theory—and propose a new framework for understanding decision-making.For many decision scientists, their starting point—drawn from economics—is a quantitative formula called rational choice theory, allowing people to calculate and choose the best options. The problem is that this framework assumes an overly simplistic picture of the world where different types of values can be quan...

This final collection in Orson Scott Card's five-volume anthology of short works features the "hidden stories", including his first published piece, some tales about Mormon family life and other stylistic departures, and several stories that were later developed into acclaimed novels such asEnder's Game,Songmaster,Invasive Procedures, and the Tales of Alvin Maker series. Listen as Card crafts a paranoid thriller, a spoof of "serious" contemporary literature, an e...

A new angle on Lincoln and his legacy, exploring the rich and suggestive dialogue between art, image, and politics at the time of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was one of the most photographed figures of his century. Richard Lowry explores Lincoln’s association with Alexander Gardner, the man who would create the most memorable and ultimately iconic images of the president, both in his studio and on the battlefields of the Civil War. Lowry’s book is an accessible and lively narrative of t...