The heroine, Sybylla Melvyn, is an imaginative, headstrong girl growing up in rural Australia in the 1890s. Drought and a series of poor business decisions reduce her family to subsistence level, her father begins to drink excessively, and Sybylla struggles to deal with the monotony of her life. To her relief, she is sent to live on her grandmother''s property, where life is more comfortable. There she meets wealthy young Harry Beecham, who loves her and proposes marriage; convinced of her ugliness and aware of her tomboyish ways, Sybylla is unable to believe that he could really love her. By this time, her father''s drinking has got the family into debt, and she is sent to work as governess/housekeeper for the family of an almost illiterate neighbour to whom her father owes money. She finds life there unbearable and eventually suffers a physical breakdown which leads to her return to the family home. When Harry Beecham returns to ask Sybylla to marry him, she concludes that she would only make him unhappy and sends him away, determined never to marry. The novel ends with no suggestion that she will ever have the "brilliant career" as a writer that she desires.

My Brilliant Career

It follows The Queen, The Prince of Wales and his new wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who, at the start of the novel, have been living for the last 13 years on the Flowers Estate, now called the Flowers Exclusion Zone or ''The Fez''. The Fez is the private fiefdom of scaffolding magnate Arthur Grice, Prince William''s employer. Grice fancies himself a grand-scale public benefactor; he often wonders why most Fez residents dismiss him as little more than the self-aggrandising businessman he is. He lobbies the Queen for a knighthood, which she cannot grant him, all honours having been abolished. The Exclusion Zones are the worst sign of the authoritarian country Britain has become, with almost lock-down security in the Fez. Jack Barker, Cromwell (formerly Peoples'' Republican) Party leader and Prime Minister, is exhausted after 13 years in office, and wants out. The New Conservative ("New Con") Party elects "Boy" English as its new leader; Boy promises to restore the monarchy. The Queen, now 80, does not want to return to public life; she tells her family she has decided to abdicate. One reason: The Duke of Edinburgh, her husband, suffered a debilitating stroke 2 years earlier, and is now being (badly) cared for in a residence just outside the Fez. With The Queen''s abdication, The Prince of Wales will now become King Charles III - but Camilla will only be his consort, not his Queen. Charles refuses to become King unless Camilla is his Queen. Prince William then offers, too eagerly for the Queen''s liking, to reign in his father''s place. Charles consults his friend, MP Nicholas Soames, who tells him there is no constitutional reason Camilla cannot become his Queen. Enter Graham Cracknall, who claims to be the son of Charles and Camilla, born in 1965. His adoptive parents revealed his biological parentage in a codicil to their will, opened only after both had died. Graham visits Charles and Camilla; the whole family takes an instant dislike to him - particularly after he claims that he, not Prince William, is second in line to the throne after Charles. Graham then attracts the online attention of a mysterious lady named Miranda - who, unknown to him, is a New Con operative in the General Election that is finally called. On learning of the New Con ruse, the enraged Graham goes to the Daily Telegraph with his story; he is not believed, causes a disturbance when thrown out, and ends up in Rampton Hospital. The New Cons win the election, restoring the monarchy as promised, but the Queen follows through on her decision to abdicate, and Charles becomes King. The other members of the Royal Family, including Queen Camilla, spend part of each day talking with tourists.

Queen Camilla

Seduced by Moonlight begins shortly after the events of A Caress of Twilight. Kurag, Goblin King, is insisting upon proof that Kitto has become sidhe following sex with Merry. She offers an extra month of their alliance for every goblin hybrid she can bring into sidhe magic. During the discussions, Siun, Kitto''s nightmarish, spidery former mistress, appears and he is terrified. It is revealed that Rhys also swore blood price on her, as it was she that took his eye when he failed to "glow" for her during sex. In his fear, Kitto accidentally uses the Hand of Reaching to open a portal through the mirror. Siun falls through and is trapped half-way, and after some negotiation, Kurag allows the Ravens to do what they like. Kitto viciously wounds her, and Rhys kills her with a sword. It is revealed that Meredith is a vessel for the Goddess Danu when she inadvertently brings the pregnant Maeve Reed back into her god-head, and gives Frost newfound god status (which he is not comfortable with). The cup or cauldron also reappears after Merry has a dream about it, an effect that has significant impact upon the sidhe who believed it lost forever. During sex with Merry many of her lovers suffer unexpected side-effects: * Rhys is brought back into his god-head * Frost is brought into his god-head * Sage is turned into a full-sized sidhe * Nicca is possessed by Dian Cecht * Doyle regains his shape-shifting abilities (turning into a dog and a horse), plus ones he never had previously (an eagle). Merry and her lovers return to the Courts. Upon the flight back, Merry is presented with the Queen''s ring by Rhys. This is not only a symbol of her status as heir, but also a potent artifact in its own right. It was known as the happy ever after ring as it permitted sidhe to find their perfect mates. When they arrive at the airport they are greeted by several of the Queen''s Ravens as well as human policemen. The Queen has insisted that Merry take to her bed any of the sidhe that the ring recognises. A short while after their arrival, they attend a press conference. A policeman is bewitched and shooting breaks out. Merry is saved by Frost and others of the Ravens. Yet more Ravens await Merry at the sithen. The Queen insists that Merry beds two out of the four before she appears before her. The result is the appearance of a spring, from which Merry fills a cup. Andais, apparently insane with bloodlust, is attacking her men. The Ravens attempt to intervene and protect one another. Merry uses her Hand of Blood to draw wounds upon her aunt. The Green Man then gives Merry the ability to heal all those in the room. It is discovered that a spell was used to incite the Queen to murder. The plot was hatched by those amongst the court who feared that a mortal Queen, Merry, would result in the sidhe ceasing to exist. Merry is challenged by one, Miniver, and they duel before the court. Meredith is declared the winner.

Seduced by Moonlight

The novel begins by announcing that today will be the day that a young boy, Robert Caligari, dies. Robert is an extremely odd boy who cannot stop himself from kicking pigs. This begins as a private act of revenge against his sister, Nerys, who is always putting money in her own tin piggy bank. Robert is angry at Nerys constantly rattling the pig in front of him, and so takes great pleasure in kicking the pig across the room whenever he is alone. Robert''s obsession with kicking pigs gets worse, and one day, he kicks his sister''s piggy bank out of the window, causing chaos for his neighbours and a local police officer. The last straw for Robert''s mother is when he kicks a rather large woman''s bagged pork chops, which she had just bought at the local butcher''s shop. After a local man finally gets revenge on Robert by throwing him over a church wall, Robert realises that he hates people. While Robert''s neighbours soon come to the conclusion that he is a nice young boy, he is plotting revenge. After poisoning his sister''s food, he decides to trick an old blind man into crossing a road of busy traffic. Unfortunately for the old man this proves fatal, yet nobody suspects Robert''s involvement. Robert engineers another, far worse, road accident in the next step of his evil plan. However, in the process of doing so, he finds himself trapped in his secret hideaway, where he is about to face a truly terrible fate.

The Boy Who Kicked Pigs

Kyle Kingsbury has good looks. He truly has it all. He is very arrogant and rude. One day in class, a witch, Kendra, who has ugly features, appears and challenges his royal status. At the dance, Kyle uses a chance to humiliate Kendra in front of schoolmates. Kendra reveals herself to be a witch and punishes him for his cruelty by condemning him to live as a beast. However, because of his one act of kindness (he gave a rose to the girl who was working the ticket booth) she gives him two years to find somebody who he loves and who loves him back, and when he does, the girl must prove her love with a kiss. She gives to him a mirror with which he can see whomever he''d like, then vanishes. Kyle''s shallow father, a famous news reporter, is ashamed of his son''s new appearance (He is said to look like a dog and a bear, with fur all over). He purchases Kyle his own apartment where he proceeds to live with their housekeeper, Magda. His father also sends Kyle a blind tutor, Will. The two later become friends. Will and Magda suggest that he takes up gardening, and Kyle builds a greenhouse where he plants many roses that become dear to him. After one year has gone by, he decides to change his name from ''Kyle'', which means handsome, to ''Adrian'', which means ''the dark one''. When he is about to lose all hope of ever returning to his human form, a drug addict stumbles upon his green house rose garden. Angered, Adrian hollowly threatens to drop him out the window. Desperate for his life, the cruel man offers his daughter - Lindy - to take his place. They make a deal and Adrian prepares Lindy a room filled with books and new clothing. Despite his efforts, Lindy (who is the girl that had been working the ticket booth at the dance) is still very upset that she is to be forced to live in the house, calling Adrian ''Kidnapper'' and ''Jailer''. Hearing her call him this Adrian gets upset. After several days of solitude, Lindy finally comes out of her bedroom in the middle of the night and bumps into Adrian. Adrian explains how he is her age, and that he was just lonely and offers to let Will tutor her. One night there is a thunderstorm, which she is terrified of, and they stay up and watch The Princess Bride and eat popcorn. In doing so, he showed his tenderness and things begin to change between them. They begin studying together under Will''s supervision, and spending more time with each other. Adrian makes a deal with Kendra that if he is able to get Lindy to kiss him before the last year is up, she will also return Will''s sight to him and allow Magda to go home to her family (Her family does not live in the U.S due to not having green cards). Adrian then invites Lindy up to a cabin he has during Christmas break, with Will and Magda along. They have enormous fun with snowball fights and sledding. But Lindy misses her father and realizes he is in trouble when she sees him through the magic mirror. Understanding her feelings, Adrian allows her to go, because of his love he can''t have her captive. Lindy leaves. Adrian is heartbroken when she doesn''t return to him and misses her incredibly. He soon realizes that Lindy was again sold for drugs and soon would be raped. Adrian rushes to her aid, even revealing his beastly looks on a subway train. He breaks down the door and is injured by the-would-be rapist, who is terrified by his appearance. He scatters away and Lindy rushes to Adrian''s side. Adrian professes his love for her as she does in return. He is mortally wounded and asks for a kiss from Lindy. Lindy does so. Adrian then transforms back to his original self. Confused, Lindy tries to find Adrian for she didn''t see his transformation. Kyle then tells her of their memories together to assure her he is Adrian. Lindy is overjoyed and hugs and kisses him. Will gets his vision back and gets a job as an English teacher at Kyle''s and Lindy''s school. He also goes back to college in order to become a university English professor. As for Magda, she is revealed to actually be Kendra in disguise and that because of the spells she cast when she was younger, she was told she must stay and care for Kyle for the rest of her life. It was Kyle''s wish for her to be reunited with her family that frees her from her obligation. Kyle returns to school with Lindy and they date. People are confused by his new personality and his dating Lindy, who has red hair and crooked teeth. But Kyle reassures Lindy that he loves her despite what everyone says. Lindy and Kyle go to prom together, and they live happily ever after.

Beastly

The novel ends with a surprise twist, when Nikolai''s worst fears are realized. The Mongol hordes that the Tsar kept at bay for hundreds of years are finally unleashed on the weakened empire of Russia via a complex labyrinth of tunnels. The inhabitants of Petersburg, unable to defend themselves from the ravaging horde of Tartars, quickly capitulate to the rule of the Khan. Appolon Appolonovich is beheaded by the tyrannical Khan and his son Nikolai assumes his rightful place as guardian of the Russian people. This was intended to be the first in an epic trilogy detailing the resistance movement of the intelligentsia against the alien invaders. However, with the onset of post-revolutionary censorship, the series was deemed to be too monarchist and was therefore abandoned. Bely presents the idea of the entire world being connected by a series of tunnels. As a symbolist he saw tunnels as a gateway to the soul. By having the Mongols use these tunnels to breach Russia''s defenses, he expresses the widely held fear of Orientalism defiling the Russian soul.

Petersburg

Eight months into their stay on Mars, the life-sciences specialist discovers a microbial fossil. Subsequent to this, the crew begin to suffer various mishaps, including damage to mission property and direct attacks upon themselves. Complicating the situation is the apparent psychiatric breakdown of the mission commander and his definite attempts to injure or kill his fellow crewmembers. On Earth, the Mars Mission Director, working with an agent of the FBI, races to discover who sabotaged the mission before the crew even arrived on Mars—and who might be trying to strand the crew on Mars now that they''re on it. He is shocked to discover that his own Flight Director committed the initial sabotage—he was trying to seed Mars with a bacterium that would be taken as evidence of life on Mars, thus ensuring continued funding of Project Ares, the official name for the program. But when the life-sciences specialist falls ill from an actual microbial infection—from live bacteria which she has subsequently discovered—the mishaps multiply, with a corresponding increase in the physical danger to the crew. Someone other than the Flight Director is responsible for this. At the very end, that someone is revealed to be a NASA engineer who fears that the crew, now on their way back to Earth, are bringing back a germ that could potentially kill millions of people—this although the crew clearly showed that the germ was sensitive to the antibiotics they had carried with them. The mission ends with the psychiatrically challenged commander sacrificing his own life to save the rest of the crew—and the marriage of the two mission specialists aboard their Earth Return Vehicle.

The Fifth Man

Arthur Burdon, a renowned English surgeon, is visiting Paris to see his fiancée, Margaret Dauncey. Margaret is studying art in Parisian school, along with her friend Susie Boyd. On his first evening in Paris, Burdon meets Oliver Haddo, who claims to be a magician and is an acquaintance of Burdon''s mentor, the retired doctor and occult scholar Dr Porhoët. While none of the company initially believe Haddo''s claims, Haddo performs several feats of magic for them over the following days. Arthur eventually fights with Haddo, after the magician kicks Margaret''s dog. In revenge, Haddo uses both his personality and his magic to seduce Margaret, despite her initial revulsion towards him. They get married and run away from Paris, leaving merely a note to inform Arthur, Susie and Porhoët. Arthur is distraught at the abandonment and promptly returns to England to immerse himself in his work. By this time Susie has fallen in love with Arthur, although she realizes that this love will never be returned, and she goes away to Italy with a friend. During her travels, Susie hears much about the new Mr. and Mrs. Haddo, including a rumour that their marriage has not been consummated. When she eventually returns to England, she meets up with Arthur and they go to a dinner party held by a mutual acquaintance. To their horror, the Haddos are at this dinner party, and Oliver takes great delight in gloating at Arthur''s distress. The next day, Arthur goes to the hotel at which Margaret is staying, and whisks her away to a house in the country. Although she files for divorce from Haddo, his influence on her proves too strong, and she ends up returning to him. Feeling that this influence must be supernatural, Susie returns to France to consult with Dr Porhoët on a possible solution. Several weeks later, Arthur joins them in Paris and reveals that he visited Margaret at Haddo''s home and that she suggested her life was threatened by her new husband. She implies that Haddo is only waiting for the right time to perform a magical ritual, which will involve the sacrifice of her life. Arthur travels to Paris to ask for Dr Porhoët''s advice. A week later, Arthur has an overwhelming feeling that Margaret''s life is in danger, and all three rush back to England. When they arrive at Skene, Haddo''s ancestral home in the village of Venning, they are told by the local innkeeper that Margaret has died of a heart attack. Believing that Haddo has murdered her, Arthur confronts first the local doctor and then Haddo himself with his suspicions. Searching for proof of foul play, Arthur persuades Dr Porhoët to raise Margaret''s ghost from the dead, which proves to them that she was murdered. Eventually, Haddo uses his magic to appear in their room at the local inn, where Arthur kills him. However, when the light is turned on Haddo''s body has disappeared. The trio visit Haddo''s abandoned home to find that he has used his magic to create life - hideous creatures living in tubes - and that this is the purpose for which he sacrificed Margaret''s life. After finding the magician''s dead body in his attic, Arthur sets fire to the manor to destroy all evidence of Haddo''s occult experiments.

The Magician

The novel opens with Brown, wounded and dying, on Resolution Island. The story is then told in flashback. The first part of the story tells of Brown''s birth, as a result of a liaison between his mother, Agatha Brown, and a Royal Navy officer, Lt Cdr Richard Saville-Samarez. It describes his upbringing, with Agatha as a single mother in Edwardian England, and her instilling into him of a sense of duty to the Navy and to his country. As soon as he is old enough, Brown joins the Navy, and on the eve of World War I is serving on the (fictitious) cruiser HMS Charybdis in the Pacific. In the second half of the story Charybdis is sunk by the German cruiser Ziethen on a raiding mission in the central Pacific, and Brown, with 2 or 3 wounded men, is picked up by the raider. As the Ziethen was damaged in the exchange, her captain plans to pull into an isolated Pacific anchorage to try to repair his vessel. In the novel, he chooses (fictitious) Resolution Island, in the Galápagos Islands. The resourceful Brown escapes, steals a rifle and a small amount of ammunition, and makes his way ashore. Her captain having already careened his vessel, the vessel''s main battery could not be brought to bear on Brown, and he was able to pick off exposed crew-members who are trying to repair her punctured hull plates. In Forester''s description Resolution is an impenetrable tangle of scrub and thorn bushes, making it difficult for shore parties to run the hero to ground. Brown is eventually mortally wounded by a lucky German shot. He never learns that his actions delayed the repairs long enough to ensure that the German vessel fails to escape her British pursuers. Ironically, the senior British naval officer of the force which sinks Ziethen and benefits from Brown''s action, is none other than now Captain Saville-Samarez, Brown''s father, although they do not know of each other.

Brown on Resolution

In the beginning, Adam has to move to Honolulu because his father is relocated to Pearl Harbor as a military officer. It is really hard just like any kid moving and having to go to a different high school, but it is especially hard for Adam because in the book it mentions how people at Honolulu High School hate military kids. The book never really explained why. But Adam did manage to make two friends. Their names are Davi Mori and Martin Kahahawai. Davi is a Japanese American, while Martin is a Hawaiian. One day the boys decide to go fishing early in the morning. As they are fishing on the land at Pearl Harbor, they find a rowboat and decide to take it out into the water. As they are fishing, they hear airplanes flying overhead. Davi cheers because he thinks these are American planes, but Adam realizes that they are Japanese planes and thinks that Davi is a spy signaling the airplanes. They then see the Japanese bomber planes bomb the naval ships at Pearl Harbor. When the first bombs are dropped, part of their rowboat explodes, and a piece of wood flies into Martin’s chest. He is wounded, but doesn’t die. Adam watches as his father''s ship, the Arizona, goes down. Once the Japanese leave the harbor in the morning, Adam runs home with a rifle and makes sure his Mom and sister, Bea, are okay. They let Adam in the house, and he tells them what happened and that he doesn’t know if his Dad, Lt. Emory Pelko, is dead or alive. About a week after Adam arrives back home, the family gets a telegram saying the Lt. Emory Pelko is missing. So the family then moves back to the mainland of America.

A Boy at War

The Children of Zion, published in January 1998, is considered as a documentary that was based on a collection of fragments of records compiled in Palestine in 1943 by the Eastern Center for Information, a Polish government group. The book was a source of the testimonies of Jewish children who were evacuated from the Soviet Union to Palestine. Grynberg arranged the “collection of interviews” to serve as a reminder about the Holocaust experience. The Polish children’s experiences during World War II also provided a recollection of their lives before the war. Memories of when the war broke out were also discussed, apart from the “arrival of the Germans and the Russians”, the children’s journeys and life while in exile, and their condition after the so-called Sikorsky Agreement allowed them to leave the work camps. Many of the children had to cope as orphaned émigrés. The original document that had become the basis for Grynberg’s Children of Zion is at the Hoover Institution of Leland Stanford Junior University.

Children of Zion

In the third installment of the Mysterious Benedict Society series, Reynie, Sticky, Kate, Constance, and various loved ones find themselves holed up in Mr. Benedict''s house, which is teeming with security. The evil Mr. Curtain is at large and hunting for the Whisperer—now in Mr. Benedict''s possession—so he can try again to control minds from afar. When a shady businessman shows up with false records claiming that he is Constance''s father, Mr. Benedict is compelled to use the Whisperer to uncover her short past. Distraught and confused after all is revealed, Constance runs away, with the whole household after her—just the distraction Mr. Curtain and his men need to steal the Whisperer and set his evil plans in motion. Of course, the rest of the Mysterious Benedict Society soon find themselves on his trail.http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/mysterious-benedict-society-and-prisoners-dilemma Soon, Reynie receives messages telling him a code number. He realizes it is a library code number, and Sticky tells them that that book''s only copy is located in a library. They find Constance and an apparent clue to where the Whisperer is, but it turns out to be a trap. They are captured by Mr. Curtain. Kate makes several aptempts to escape but none prevail. Finally, their various loved ones come to the rescue, particually Milligan, who throws himself at McCracken, leader of Mr. Curtain''s team of "Ten Men". Mr. Curtain and S.Q. escape but S.Q. prevents him out of love. In the end Mr. Curtain is arrested and sent to prison. Milligan retires, Constance is adopted by Mr. Benedict, and the families settle in the second floor of Mr. Benedict''s bedroom (Or in Sticky''s case, across the street. The Whisperer was disabled by Mr. Benedict. His narcolepsy is cured by Constance.

Over 8000 Takeaways For Your Brain!

Read - Listen - Learn

My Brilliant Career

By Miles Franklin

Queen Camilla

By Sue Townsend

Seduced by Moonlight

By Laurell K. Hamilton

The Boy Who Kicked Pigs

By Tom Baker

Beastly

By Alex Flinn

Petersburg

By Andrei Bely

The Fifth Man

By Randall Ingermanson

The Magician

By W. Somerset Maugham

Brown on Resolution

By C. S. Forester

A Boy at War

By Harry Mazer

Children of Zion

No Author Listed

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma

By Trenton Lee Stewart