A hardboiled novel about life in the American underground, from the pool halls of Portland to the cells of San Quentin. Simply one of the finest books ever written about being down on your luck. Don Carpenter’s Hard Rain Falling is a tough-as-nails account of being down and out, but never down for good—a Dostoyevskian tale of crime, punishment, and the pursuit of an ever-elusive redemption. The novel follows the adventures of Jack Levitt, an orphaned teenager living off his wits in the fleabag hotels and seedy pool halls of Portland, Oregon. Jack befriends Billy Lancing, a young black runaway and pool hustler extraordinaire. A heist gone wrong gets Jack sent to reform school, from which he emerges embittered by abuse and solitary confinement. In the meantime Billy has joined the middle class—married, fathered a son, acquired a business and a mistress. But neither Jack nor Billy can escape their troubled pasts, and they will meet again in San Quentin before their strange double drama comes to a violent and revelatory end.

A founding editor of The First Post recounts his impulsive decision to take up judo when he turned fifty, an activity he came to love and admire in spite of grueling training sessions, in an account that also describes his research into judo history and his attendance at matches between famous competitors. Original.

Annie struggles to fit in when she moves from London to the midwest. Will Roller Derby help?

Dr. Jordan Williams devotes her life to saving patients in the OR and pleasuring women in the bedroom. Jordan's new neighbor, single mom Emma, is the polar opposite. Family and fidelity mean everything to her. When Emma helps Jordan recover after a bad fall, they quickly grow closer. But neither counted on falling hard-for each other.

In Falling Hard: A Rookie's Year in Boxing, Chris Jones recounts his first year at ringside. He gets dressed down by Don King, gambles his way through Vegas, meets the troubled guy who found Evander Holyfield's ear, goes to Muhammad Ali's birthday party, and witnesses Prince Naseem Hamed explode while Mike Tyson implodes. Like the sport itself, Falling Hard is equal measures of victory and defeat — an intoxicating combination that leaves Jones down for the count more than once. Determined to stay objective, he instead becomes addicted to boxing's special brand of pain, and what begins as a simple curiosity soon escalates into an unhealthy obsession. Jones writes with the rhythm of the sport he covers: hard and fast, with the drama of fiction but the truth of journalism. Sometimes humorous, always suspenseful, Falling Hard is a travelogue for the fight game, boxing distilled to its essence by sportswriting's newest star.

A collection of one hundred love poems written by teens.

Danger is closing in. Kerrigan Whitaker has spent the past two years reinventing herself into the strong, independent woman she’s always wanted to be, and running her first ultra marathon is the chance to prove to herself and everyone else how far she’s come. Her failed marriage made her wary of relationships, so she’s not ready to get involved with anyone else. Not even the man she secretly fantasizes about—who also happens to be her brother’s best friend. But when people she works closely with are murdered, she goes to the only place she feels safe—Crimson Point, and the man who tempts her like no other. And the killer is closer than they realize. Air National Guard Pararescueman Travis Masterson loves his career and has dedicated his life to saving and protecting others. There’s only one thing missing. Kerrigan—but she’s determined to keep walls up between them. He understands why she’s gun shy, but he can’t let her go. Not when every instinct is screaming that she’s it for him. After a shocking attack leaves her in the crosshairs of a cold-blooded killer, Travis is the only one who can save her. With her life in his hands, he’ll risk it all to stop the killer and protect the woman he can’t live without. For fans of: alpha male heroes, military heroes, athletes, small town romance, Crimson Point Series, friends to lovers, best friend's sister romance