Manfred, Prince of Otranto, had one son and one daughter: the latter, a most beautiful virgin, aged eighteen, was called Matilda. Conrad, the son, was three years younger, a homely youth, sickly, and of no promising disposition; yet he was the darling of his father, who never showed any symptoms of affection to Matilda. Manfred had contracted a marriage for his son with the Marquis of Vicenzaâ€â€¦
Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe. One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered in front of them. The fearsome assassin abducts all three girls and brings them to the world of Faerie. Mocked …
'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.' A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and clas…
I'm standing on the red railway car that sits abandoned next to the barn. The wind soars, whipping my hair across my face and pushing a chill down the open neck of my shirt. The gales are strong this close to the mountain, as if the peak itself is exhaling. Down below, the valley is peaceful, undisturbed. Meanwhile our farm dances: the heavy conifer trees sway slowly, while the sagebrush and t…
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeus is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born, a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of…
Gimana rasanya diputusin setelah berpacaran selama tiga belas tahun? Hidup Gala yang mendadak jomblo semakin runyam ketika adiknya kebelet nikah! Gala bertekad pantang lajang menjelang umur kepala tiga. Bersama ketiga sahabatnya, Nandi, Sydney, dan Detira, strategi pencarian jodoh pun disusun. Darat, udara, bahkan laut "disisir" demi menemukan pria idaman. Akankah Gala berhasil menemukan pasan…
Dan akhirnya tubuhku berdebam melekat ke dasar laut, di antara kerang dan rumput laut disaksikan serombongan ikan-ikan kecil yang tampaknya iba melihatku. Aku menyadari: aku telah mati. Tubuhku akan berada di dasar laut ini selama-selamanya, dan jiwaku telah melayang entah ke mana. Sementara ikan-ikan biru, kuning, ungu, jingga mencium pipiku; seekor kuda laut melayang-layang di hadapanku, aku …
Kisah ini sudah tertinggal puluhan tahun lebih. Maka ibarat seseorang yang ketinggalan kereta, bukan cuma kilau lampu dan getar rel yang telah hilang di tikungan sana, bahkan gerbong dan lokomotifnya sudah karatan dipensiunkan. Cerita ini sudah menguap puluhan tahun lebih. Maka ibarat embun menggelayut malas di daun rumput, rerumputan itu sudah menjadi hutan, tidak tersisa lagi kenangannya. Tet…
Delapan tahun berlalu. Ping telah berhasil menjadi penyanyi terkenal yang merajai percaturan musik Indonesia. Pada puncak kariernya, bayangan kelam mengintai kesuksesan Ping dan menggerogotinya dari dalam. Di titik terendahnya, Ping menemukan secercah kehidupan lama yang ia rindukan, termasuk kawan lamanya, Oding. Namun, segala sesuatunya tidak lagi sama. Sementara itu, reuni akbar sekolah Pra…
Jakarta tidak lagi menjadi penjara. Di Ibu Kota, Ping justru mulai mendapatkan gambaran tentang hidup yang ia inginkan. Ia memiliki sahabat-sahabat baru. Namun, tantangan lebih besar turut menyingsing. Ajang Band Idola Indonesia menuntut Ping bekerja keras, termasuk menciptakan lagu. Band Rapijali yang menjadi sumber kebahagiaannya ikut menerbitkan beragam konflik. Popularitas mereka mulai tera…
Magi Diela diculik dan dijinakkan seperti binatang. Sirna sudah impiannya membangun Sumba. Kini dia harus melawan orang tua, seisi kampung, dan adat yang ingin merenggut kemerdekaannya sebagai perempuan. Ketika budaya memenjarakan hati Magi yang meronta, dia harus memilih sendiri nerakanya: meninggalkan orang tua dan tanah kelahirannya, menyerahkan diri kepada si mata keranjang, atau mencurangi…
Theala bersembunyi di balik keheningan sebagai perempuan mandiri yang benci punya angan-angan. Dirga bersembunyi di balik keramaian laki-laki bersinar yang hanya tahu caranya mencari kesenangan. Di balik trauma masa kecil, selalu ada hati yang dibungkam. Dirga adalah bibir, Theala adalah suara. Dan dengan berbicara, mereka bisa mendengar semuanya.
But that I may know with certainty how far we agree or differ, will you give me leave,for once, to be a saucy girl, and catechise my adopted papa? Though indeed I do notmean to do it saucily, but really and truly for my information. For when you left itto me to make the applications, inferences, and conclusions, from all the quotations,stories, and observations you produced, you left me a task …
Dan suatu wajah itu muncul di malamku, diam di sela-sela berlian yang bertaburan di lautan angkasa. Dari kejauhan dapat kulihat ia tersenyum, mengatakan bahwa ia akan selalu menungguku pulang untuk mengecup keningnya. Membuatku sadar: cintanya yang seluas samudra telah menuntunku pada ujung pengasingan. - Lelaki Jingga
TIDAK DIANJURKAN UNTUK IBU HAMIL! ... Beberapa menit kemudian, kelas dimulai. Kayaknya, ngajar kelas 1 SMP bakalan jadi living hell. Baru masuk aja udah berisik banget. "Selamat siang, saya Dika," gue bilang ke para siswa kelas 1 SMP yang baru gue ajar ini. "Saya guru untuk pelajaran ini." "Siang, Pak!" kata anak cewek yang duduk di depan. "Jangan, Pak. Kakak aja," kata gue sok imut. G…
"'There are other things deep in the jungle, my lord, that no man may look upon and live.' "'What, for example?' demanded King. "'The ghosts of my ancestors,' answered the Cambodian, 'the Khmers who dwelt here in great cities ages ago. Within the dark shadows of the jungle the ruins of their cities still stand, and down the dark aisles of the forest pass the ancient kings and warriors and lit…
Tentang seekor monyet yang ingin menikah dengan kaisar dangdut.
The patron saint of this story is St Francis of Assisi (1181–1226 ), because it all sort of started with a robbery and the first saintish thing he ever did was a robbery. He stole some cloth from his father and gave it to the poor. There is a patron saint of actual robbers – Dismas (1st century) – but I’m not an actual robber. I was only trying to be good. It was our first day at Great …
Good thing the plane had seat belts and we’d been strapped in tight before takeoff. Without them, that last jolt would have been enough to throw Vonetta into orbit and Fern across the aisle. Still, I anchored myself and my sisters best as I could to brace us for whatever came next. Those clouds weren’t through with us yet and dealt another Cassius Clay–left–and–a–right jab to the bo…
In the town of VladĂmir lived a young merchant named Iván DmĂtritch AksyĂłnof. He had two shops and a house of his own. AksyĂłnof was a handsome, fair-haired, curly-headed fellow, full of fun, and very fond of singing. When quite a young man he had been given to drink, and was riotous when he had had too much, but after he married he gave up drinking, except now and then. One summer AksyĂłno…
A beginning. Where are my manners? I could introduce myself properly, but it’s not really necessary. You will know me well enough and soon enough, depending on a diverse range of variables. It suffices to say that at some point in time, I will be standing over you, as genially as possible. Your soul will be in my arms. A color will be perched on my shoulder. I will carry you gently away. At t…
Although Pierrot Fischer’s father didn’t die in the Great War, his mother Émilie always maintained it was the war that killed him. Pierrot wasn’t the only seven-year-old in Paris to live with just one parent. The boy who sat in front of him at school hadn’t laid eyes on his mother in the four years since she’d run off with an encyclopaedia salesman, while the classroom bully, who cal…
There’s something haunting about a body touched by magic. Most people first noticed the smell: not the rot of decay, but a cloying sweetness in their noses, a sharp taste on their tongues. Rare individuals also sensed a tingle in the air. A lingering aura on the corpse’s skin. As if the magic itself was still present somehow, watching and waiting. Alive. Of course, those stupid enough to ta…
Riose looked after his host’s departing figure, and his studied urbanity grew a bit uncertain at the edges. His education had been purely military; his experience likewise. He had, as the cliché has it, faced death many times; but always death of a very familiar and tangible nature. Consequently, there is no inconsistency in the fact that the idolized lion of the Twentieth Fleet felt chilled…
No, children, you are mistaken. Once upon a time there was a piece of wood. It was not an expensive piece of wood. Far from it. Just a common block of firewood, one of those thick, solid logs that are put on the fire in winter to make cold rooms cozy and warm. I do not know how this really happened, yet the fact remains that one fine day this piece of wood found itself in the shop of an old car…
All states, all powers, that have held and hold rule over men have been and are either republics or principalities. Principalities are either hereditary, in which the family has been long established; or they are new. The new are either entirely new, as was Milan to Francesco Sforza, or they are, as it were, members annexed to the hereditary state of the prince who has acquired them, as was the…
Semua orang terkejut ketika Rin berhasil masuk Sinegard, akademi militer elite di Kekaisaran Nikan. Tetapi, kejutan tidaklah selalu menyenangkan. Karena dianggap anak kampung miskin, Rin jadi bulan-bulanan. Apalagi karena ia perempuan. Dalam keadaan putus asa, Rin mendapati dirinya ternyata memiliki kekuatan supernatural yang mematikan - syamanisme. Di bawah bimbingan guru yang dianggap gila, …
Once upon a time in midwinter, when the snowflakes were falling like feathers from heaven, a queen sat sewing at her window, which had a frame of black ebony wood. As she sewed she looked up at the snow and pricked her finger with her needle. Three drops of blood fell into the snow. The red on the white looked so beautiful that she thought to herself, “If only I had a child as white as snow, …
Once upon a time there was a gentleman who married, for his second wife, the proudest and most haughty woman that ever was seen. She had two daughters of her own, who were, indeed, exactly like her in all things. The gentleman had also a young daughter, of rare goodness and sweetness of temper, which she took from her mother, who was the best creature in the world. The wedding was scarcely over…
Angesti adalah seorang program director di sebuah televisi swasta. Ia dikelilingi lingkungan yang super konyol, kalau tak mau disebut gesrek. Bahkan keluarganya sendiri seperti itu. Untuk itu, di usianya yang sudah 28 yahun, ia bertekad bisa mendapatkan lelaki serius agar hidupnya bisa lebih tertata. Ia lalu dikenalkan oleh Bima, sahabatnya kepada Adam. Berharap, mungkin saja Adam adalah tipe …
Ping tinggal di sekitar Pantai Batu Karas. Dirinya merasa sudah memiliki segala hal yang ia butuhkan. Sahabat yang baik, kakek yang penyayang dan rumah yang penuh dengan alat musik. Kakek Ping adalah mantan anggota grup band ternama. Namun dirinya memiliki kekhawatiran mengenai masa depannya jika dirinya tetap berada di Cijulang. Ia merasa bahwa bakat musik yang dimilikinya tidak memiliki te…
Vira menghilang! Kabar itu cukup mengejutkan penghuni SMA 299. Tidak ada yang aneh di hari-hari sebelum hilangnya Vira. Dia dikenal sebagai gadis ceria yang sesekali berurusan dengan guru BK karena melanggar peraturan sekolah. Selain itu, tidak ada yang aneh. Kecuali... tentang cerita Vira pagi itu. Vira bilang menerima telepon dari orang misterius. Entah orang iseng mana yang menelpon tengah …
Zach thought he had a pretty ordinary life. That was until his hidden power was suddenly awakened one day when he was playing a video game with his sister and cousins. Apparently, their parents weren't ordinary human beings. They were in fact the kings and queens from another dimension called the Hero World. Now that their powers were awakened, Zach, his sister, and their three cousins were t…
Private detective Cormoran Strike is visiting his family in Cornwall when he is approached by a woman asking for help finding her mother, Margot Bamborough, who went missing under mysterious circumstances in 1974. Strike has never tackled a cold case before, let alone one forty years old. But despite the slim chance of success, he is intrigued and takes it on, adding to the long list of cases …
When Nicholas Young hears that his grandmother, Su Yi, is on her deathbed, he rushes to be by her side - but he's not alone. The entire Shang-Young clan has convened from all corners of the globe to stake claim to their matriarch's massive fortune. With each family member vying to inherit Tyersall Park - a trophy estate on sixty-four prime acres in the heart of Singapore - Nicholas's childhood …
What would happen to America if the extremists won? Seattle, 2040. The Space Needle lies crumpled. Veiled women hurry through the streets. Alcohol is outlawed, replaced by Jihad Cola, and mosques dot the skyline. New York and Washington, D.C., are nuclear wastelands. At the edges of the empire, Islamic and Christian forces fight for control, and rebels plot to regain free will. Courageous reb…
In this seductive, wistful masterpiece, Truman Capote created a woman whose name has entered the American idiom and whose style is a part of the literary landscape. Holly Golightly knows that nothing bad can ever happen to you at Tiffany's; her poignancy, wit, and naivete continue to charm. This volume also includes three of Capote's best-known stories, "House of Flowers," "A Diamond Guitar," …
Francis Urquhart is a ruthless politician determined to cling to his new status as Prime Minister. His power plays, however, are frustrated at every turn by a caring, idealistic new King. As the stage is set for a showdown between Downing Street and the Palace, Urquhart threatens to expose Royal secrets. But the new Prime Minister sets out to destroy not only the King's family and friends - bu…
Fueled with gripping suspense and surprise, Michael Crichton's The Great Train Robbery is a breathtaking thrill-ride that races along tracks at breakneck speed. Lavish wealth and appalling poverty live side-by-side in Victorian London - and Edward Pierce easily navigates both worlds. Rich, handsome, and ingenious, he charms the city's most prominent citizens even as he plots the crime of his c…
In the beginning, there was a question. "Will you do my eulogy?" As is often the case with faith, I thought I was being asked a favor. Actually, I was being given one...
Strange things always seem to happen when Harry Potter is around. Things that unsettle his guardians, the Dursleys. They strongly disapprove of strangeness. It's only when a letter arrives, delivered by a shaggy giant of a man called Hagrid, that Harry learns the truth that will transform his entire future: his parents were killed by the evil Lord Voldemort, and he, Harry, is a wizard. Whisked…
When a blizzard strands them in Salt Lake City, two strangers agree to charter a plane together, hoping to return home; Ben Payne is a gifted surgeon returning from a conference, and Ashley Knox, a magazine writer, is a route to her wedding. But when unthinkable tragedy strikes, the pair find themselves stranded in Utah's most remote wilderness in the dead of winter, badly injured and miles fro…
From its first publication in 1817 Rob Roy has been recognised as containing some of Scott's finest writing and most engaging, fully realised characters. The outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor was already a legendary, disputed figure by the time Scott wrote - a heroic Scottish Robin Hood to some, an over-glamorised, unprincipled predator to others. Scott approaches Rob Roy indirectly, through the adventu…
At the end of Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian-born Australian citizen. Resettling in America, they swore eternal fidelity, but also (each a survivor of a divorce, Enough said) swore never, ever, to get married. But when providence intervened in the form of the US government, they faced a stark choice: either marry, or Felipe could never return to the US. …
From Edward Rutherfurd, the grand master of the historical novel, comes a dazzling epic about the magnificent city of Paris. Moving back and forth in time, the story unfolds through intimate and thrilling tales of self-discovery, divided loyalty, and long-kept secrets. As various characters come of age, seek their fortunes, and fall in and out of love, the novel follows nobles who claim descent…
"I seen a kid killed... He strangled it, up by the horse." When Billy, a troubled young man, comes to private eye Cormoran Strike's office to ask for his help investigating a crime he thinks he witnessed as a child, Strike is left deeply unsettled. While Billy is obviously mentally distressed, and cannot remember many concrete details, there is something sincere about him and his story. But be…
Otto was once many things, but now, sitting in his caravan, drinking what is left of his coffee (dust), listening to the Allies rain their bombs on his city, he is simply scared. And so he's decided to write the story of his life. It is an extraordinary story, a story about how, with the help of his friends (and a camel), an acrobat of Hamburg became the King of Albania, and fell in love along…
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is a story about a mother, two daughters, and two dogs. It was supposed to be a story of how Chinese parents are better at raising kids than Western ones. But instead, it's about a bitter clash of cultures, a fleeting taste of glory, and how you can be humbled by a thirteen-year-old.
High-class call girls billed to Mastercard. A psychic 13-year-old dropout with a passion for Talking Heads. A hunky matinee idol doomed to play dentists and teachers. A one-armed beach-combing poet, an uptight hotel clerk and one very bermused narrator caught in the web of advanced capitalist mayhem. Combine this offbeat cast of characters with Murakami's idiosyncratic prose and out comes Dance…