Short Family

John Updike reads six stories he has selected from the 100-odd he has published. Mr. Updike, when asked to described his method of reading aloud, said "I try to picture the things described and to speak the words distinctly, and to let the emotion come through on its own." The method works beautifully.

In this moving collection of short stories, James Lee Burke elegantly marries his flair for gripping storytelling with his urbane writing style and complex, fascinating character portraits. The backdrop of the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast proves to be a versatile setting for Burke's stories, which cover the scope of the human experience, from love and sex to domestic abuse, to war and death and friendship.

What if Cinderella's fairy godmother was actually the town's billionaire playboy? When Poppy finds herself wandering the streets with a “Hungry” sign around her neck, she never imagined life could get any worse. But it does. A tragic misfortune forces Poppy and her brothers to take refuge in the home of Tucker Bentley - the enigmatic, wealthy playboy who isn’t quite what everyone represents him to be. Yet as Poppy and Tucker adapt to one another, they discover not everyone supports their growing connection. How far will this playboy go for the girl he's falling for? And will their ...

A betrayal...a secret baby….an unknown imposter…will Tess survive the wagon train journey to Sunset Hills, Oregon after her life is threatened? And if so, what will she do once she gets there? 1855. Tess Findlay can’t wait to be reunited with her beau who went out west three months ago to mine for gold, saying he’d send for her soon. Even though she hasn’t heard from him, she’s discovered she’s with child and decides to join a wagon train to travel to Oregon to surprise him with the news. When a band of robbers holds up the caravan, Tess is shocked to recognize her beau as one...

Thakur Vijay Singh Rathod was one of the richest political businessmen in Mumbai. He was revered by his wife, Savitri, who wanted to give him a son, the heir to his inheritance. But fate decreed otherwise. This is a story of Thakur Vijay Singh Rathod, a proud and ruthless man, his wife Savitri - religious and completed devoted to him, his offspring, and his abandoned child.

After years of emotional abuse, Patricia has learned to accept herself and live her life the way she wants. Her sister Linda is not happy about that, relentlessly pointing out her faults and mistakes. Patricia could have shut her up by revealing a secret she’s been keeping for many years, one that would put a big question mark on Linda’s perfect marriage… But the secret is too devastating. Less Than Perfect is a part of the Mothers, Sisters, Husbands, Secrets series of short stories. The stories are unrelated and can be read out of order.

The first thing every listener will want to know is whether Anne Shirley appears in these stories of Avonlea and Spencervale. She certainly does. As a matter of fact, page one starts off in this manner: "Anne Shirley was curled up on the window seat of Theodora Dix's sitting room one Saturday evening, looking dreamily afar at some fair starland beyond the hills of sunset. Anne was visiting for a fortnight of her vacation."

When a mysterious, invisible menace from Earth suddenly threatens the peaceful planet of Gupzinia, only Caelin realizes the great danger. Can he save his family and community in time as he confronts the powerful "big box" influences of his own world?

Anatoly I’m a man set on revenge, even if it stains my soul black. I didn’t count on the sweet girl that got caught in the middle. She’s my new obsession. So beware. No one touches her ever again but me. This lovely Bratva princess is all mine now. Polina I’m no prize, I’m just a pawn. My father’s dirty money and filthy secrets are what I’m really valued for. If I get hurt along the way, there’s no one to care for or protect me. Except him. The fierce warrior unlike any man I ever knew. He’s caught me. And all I want is more of him. I’m willing to surrender everything. I...

A Haunted Collection of Scary Stories by R. Saint Claire Experience the thrill of haunted bike trails, mysterious midnight parties, vengeful siblings, hexes gone wrong, and more! These five chilling tales and a suspenseful time-travel novella guarantee sleepless nights this Halloween and throughout the year. Includes: The Trails: Jimmy never refused a dare, not even on Halloween at midnight. Party in the Pines: A stranger invites you to a Halloween party in the middle of nowhere. What could possibly go wrong? The Mummy's Tomb: An annoying little brother gets the best of a lovesick teen. ...

A man sees a girl living alone in a vacant home, presuming she’s a runaway or abandoned, he attempts an intervention and discovers she’s a ghost, then continues his intervention by solving the puzzle of her.

Blended families are weird, am I right? None more so than when horny fifty-year-old Rachel calls her favorite escort service for a date and is surprised when she arrives—it’s Melanie, her stepdaughter. Not interested in Melanie’s proposal that she render services, Rachel’s resistance is quickly worn down. Will she succumb to Melanie’s dirty fantasy and have a sexual tryst with her stepdaughter? And if she does, what happens when Billy, her stepson from a previous marriage, comes home? Find out in this second multi-generational, bisexual step-family taboo ménage à trois tale that...

That summer - more than 10 years ago, while they were still in high school - Noelle McDowell and Thomas Sutton fell secretly in love. Secretly because their mothers had been locked in a bitter feud for decades. But despite the animosity between Sarah McDowell and Mary Sutton, Noelle planned to elope with Thom. Until he jilted her.

One night four lives entered the world by the hands of an Amish midwife just outside North Star, Pennsylvania. Rebekah's babies, as they are called, are now grown adults, and in four heartwarming novellas each young person experiences a journey of discovery, love, and the wonder of Christmas.

What happens when there’s a new member to the Wilkes family? Little Aurora is asking that very same question as she’s faced with the impending arrival of a new baby between her mother and her stepfather. Will she be replaced? Will they love her as much? *** This is a short story set in the Healing Hearts Sweet Romance series and does not stand alone. It should be read after Remember Love and is a little bit of emotional tenderness dealing with relationships, childbirth, and that precious time that follows for the Wilkes family.

The Christmas holidays are over and it's the first Monday morning back to work. Everyone around seems tired and depressed about this fact...everyone except her, Pauline Barton. She is truly an extraordinary sort of girl. It's rare to ever see her without a smile on her face. She works in the drive-up pharmacy window of the Cedar City hospital and loves greeting the customers as they drive through to pick up their prescriptions. She has many reasons not to smile due to the fact that she had to drop out of college in order to help with her family's finances when her father became disabled due...

For fans of the series, splash on some blue eyeshadow and back-comb your hair ..the Singh sisters are back! When will the UK government open the pubs and will Christmas be cancelled? It's September 2020 and the Singh sisters are back at work with the super spreaders. Can Bachittar and his new cocktail book bring some excitement to the lives of the young Accountants ? Will Mother finally see one of her daughters happily married? What is Sheryl, the ex-caravan dweller keeping from the others? Now married to the only decent bloke on the block, but why is Sheryl secretly visiting 'The Gods of ...

One conversation changes everything. HANNAH I've been happily married to Eric for eight years, living our perfectly organized suburban life. But when my neighbor Jessica starts glowing about her unconventional arrangement with two men, I can't stop thinking about what we might be missing. So I do what any curious librarian would do: I research. And when our gorgeous new neighbor Caleb moves in across the circle, I start wondering if research might become reality. ERIC I've always been the analytical one, the planner who color-codes everything including our meal schedule. But when Hannah ...

*** Amazon #1 Best Selling Author *** He’s Amish. She’s not. Each is looking for a change. What happens when God brings them together? Elijah Troyer is eighteen years old when he decides to go on a delayed Rumspringa, an Amish tradition when adolescents venture out into the world to decide whether they want to continue their life in the Amish culture or leave for the ways of the world. He has only been in the city for a month when his life suddenly takes a strange twist. Eve Campbell is a young woman in trouble with crime lords, and they will do anything to stop her from talking. ...

Hace mucho, mucho tiempo, en un lugar muy muy lejano Un gran barco pirata salió a navegar un día temprano, Llevaba sacos de plata y oro que valían mucho dinero, Y tres piratas malvados, fuertes y de carácter aventurero.