Four previously uncollected murder mysteries, two of which feature the young Adam Dalgliesh: The newly appointed Sgt. Dalgliesh is drawn into a case that is pure Agatha Christie; A pedantic, respectable, censorious clerk's secret taste for pornography is only the first reason he finds for not coming forward as a witness to a murder; A best selling crime novelist describes the crime she herself was involved in fifty years earlier; Dalgliesh's godfather...

A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

"I had been so engaged by Ann Patchett's multifaceted story, so lured in by her confiding voice, that I forgot I was on the job. [...] As the best personal essays often do, Patchett's is a two-way mirror, reflecting both the author and her readers." — New York Times Book Review

Blending literature and memoir, New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett,

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""Any story that starts will also end." As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores "what it means to be seen, to find someone...

"From the universally acclaimed, best-selling author of the National Book Award-winning The Year of Magical Thinking: ten pieces never before collected that offer an illuminating glimpse into the mind and process of a legendary writer. Here are six pieces written in 1968 from the "Points West" Saturday Evening Post column Joan Didion shared from 1964 to 1969 with her husband, John Gregory Dunne about: American newspapers; a session with Gamblers Anonymous;...

Introducing the powerful idea of striving for financial wholeness instead of early retirement or millionaire status: learn the ten short-term steps that lead to long-term security. From the simple (best practices for budgeting and saving) to the more sophisticated (investing, taking charge of your credit score, and calculating your insurance needs), use memorable stories, actionable lists and worksheets, and a you-got-this attitude, to build a solid...

"The extraordinary tale of how a mysterious immigrant "doctor" became the revolutionary innovator of saving premature babies-by placing them in incubators in World's Fair side shows and on Coney Island and Atlantic City. What kind of doctor puts his patients on display? As Dawn Raffel artfully recounts, Dr. Couney figured out he could use incubators and careful nursing to keep previously doomed infants alive, and at the same time make good money displaying...

Abdel Haleem's introduction offers a brief history of the revelation and compilation of the Qur'an, its structure and stylistic features, and considers issues of interpretation in relation to militancy, intolerance, and subjection of women. His notes explain geographical, historical, and personal allusions and cross-referencing within the Qur'an. The Qur'an, believed by Muslims to be the word of God, was revealed to Prophet Muhammad 1400 years ago....