The aim of the Watching series is to draw attention to some of the very interesting items around us, things that perhaps we don't notice as much as we might. The first was Bridge Watching, and when this was put ''on the Net'' it produced, to the surprise of the author, such a pleasant flood of e-mail that another was written, called Water Watching. This, too, was kindly received. So it was tempting to continue with the theme. Many people know very little about bells, and some, sadly, know nothing at all. This is a pity for, large or little, they can be engaging objects. You might think that ''Bell Hearing'' might be a better title; but looking at bells has its own attraction, too. In England, church bells are well known, because of the sounds they make, though many people have not seen the bells themselves. Doorbells, too, are familiar items in many houses, but are rarely regarded with any particular interest. Some of these are not what is popularly imagined as bell-shaped, and are more properly chimes. Then there are bicycle bells, cowbells, and many other kinds, too, all well worth a thought. Things that are free are doubly attractive. It costs nothing to enjoy the pleasures of getting to know these interesting objects. Learning a little about the fascinating qualities of bells in general can be an enjoyable occupation, and can start a lively curiosity about them. The more you know about them, the more interesting they become.

A 2015 Newbery Honor Book & New York Times bestseller! Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful—and very awkward—hearing aid. The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear—sometimes things she shouldn’t—but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become “El Deafo, Listener for All.” And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she’s longed for.

Detective Isaac Bell returns in the extraordinary new adventure in the #1 New York Times–bestselling series. It is 1920, and both Prohibition and bootlegging are in full swing. When Isaac Bell’s boss and lifelong friend Joseph Van Dorn is shot and nearly killed leading the high-speed chase of a rum-running vessel, Bell swears to him that he will hunt down the lawbreakers, but he doesn’t know what he is getting into. When a witness to Van Dorn’s shooting is executed in a ruthlessly efficient manner invented by the Russian secret police, it becomes clear that these are no ordinary criminals. Bell is up against a team of Bolshevik assassins and saboteurs—and they are intent on overthrowing the government of the United States.

After leaving Elk Horn with his hard-earned poker winnings, Jack Bell, a legendary gunslinger, soon finds his life in grave danger when his opponent, Early Philpot, sends his ruthless gang of thugs after Jack to retrieve his money, but Jack has a special surprise in store for Early and his men. *Preview of Ralph Cotton's Trouble Creek and Powder River at the end of this book.

Prime Ambition: A Novel By: P.J. Ralls Ruth Tarlson Pointer, born into poverty, becomes one of the wealthiest women in the Ozarks. Blessed with four beautiful children and a husband, Charles, madly in love with her. What will she do to keep her wealth and position in the community? In the end, will her fortune be enough? Sibling rivalry and buried secrets begin to be threatened by fate. Shattered realities that could lead one to madness. Hard realities that force her youngest daughter Cassandra and youngest son Robert to learn how to survive in the underground of the entertainment business. Will the latest scandal unite the family, or destroy them? Riveting dynamic family values that lead to mental anguish and emotional abuse. A twisted ambition that could lead not only Ruth to ruin but take the very lives of her own children. What is the value of one's soul to an atheist, and will Ruth be able to find her way between the value of money and the love of her family? Will pride, greed, and selfishness finally be defeated and the life that Cassandra and Robert have longed for finally be theirs?

Take a journey, into the darkness of a Dynasty, set in a world of unknown terrors, lift to feed on the living. Creepily things strangely lurk around a helpless village, with a young warrior banished from the training chambers of her Master's Temple. For her sudden enraged impulses, to spiral her instincts, to go out of control. She's cast out to face her undead enemies alone. Encountering through her many questioned thoughts, to slowly unlock the truth's of her Mother's death and perhaps, a chance to live once more.

James Tobin, award-winning author of Ernie Pyle's War and The Man He Became, has penned the definitive account of the inspiring and impassioned race between the Wright brothers and their primary rival Samuel Langley across ten years and two continents to conquer the air. For years, Wilbur Wright and his younger brother, Orville, experimented in obscurity, supported only by their exceptional family. Meanwhile, the world watched as Samuel Langley, armed with a contract from the US War Department and all the resources of the Smithsonian Institution, sought to create the first manned flying machine. But while Langley saw flight as a problem of power, the Wrights saw a problem of balance. Thus their machines took two very different paths—Langley’s toward oblivion, the Wrights’ toward the heavens—though not before facing countless other obstacles. With a historian’s accuracy and a novelist’s eye, Tobin has captured an extraordinary moment in history. To Conquer the Air is itself a heroic achievement.