The acclaimed author of Home Schooling returns with a timeless tale of friendship, romance, betrayal, and survival that spans two world wars. In 1927, as Natalia Faber travels from Berlin to Prague with her mother, their train is delayed in Saxon Switzerland. In the brief time the train is idle, Natalia learns the truth about her father—who she believed died during her infancy—and meets a remarkable woman named Dr. Magdalena Schaeffer, whose family will become a significant part of her future. Shaken by these events, Natalia arrives at a spa on the shore of Lake Hevíz in Hungary. Here, she meets Count Miklós Andorján, a journalist and adventurer. The following year, they will marry. Years later, Germany has invaded Russia. When Miklós fails to return from the eastern front, Natalia goes to Prague to wait for him. With a pack of tarot cards, she sets up shop as a fortune teller, and she meets Anna Schaeffer, the daughter of the woman she met decades earlier on that stalled train. The Nazis accuse Natalia of spying, and she is sent to a concentration camp. Though they are separated, her friendship with Anna grows as they fight to survive and to be reunited with their families. “An original and compelling story, told with vivid detail and a richness in setting that I absorbed in one sitting.”—Ellen Keith, bestselling author of The Dutch Wife Praise for Homeschooling “Carol Windley’s writing has a unique power, a perfect combination of delicacy, intensity, and fearless imagination.”—Alice Munro “Startlingly lovely.”—Seattle Times

For years Daniel Moss has been fascinated with Russia. Now, he's finally taking his dream vacation to St. Petersburg and Moscow. Just when he thinks his interesting but uneventful tourist trip has come to a safe end, Daniel's greatest fears about traveling to such a strange and exotic country on the other side of the world start to materialize. Dan and his Russian tour guide, Sasha, find themselves in the middle of a perilous journey as they are taken hostage by Separatist militants of Chechnya, the tiny country still bitterly struggling for independence from Russia. Along the way, Dan and Sasha become acquainted with smugglers and bandits, learn about a side of Russian history they never knew about, and fall in love. They soon discover the truth about the War on Terror and how it relates to the conflict between Chechnya and Russia-and the dark secret about the most dangerous and sought-after terrorist leaders in the world is revealed. Miraculously, Dan and Sasha get one chance to earn their freedom, but if they fail, they will die. If they succeed, they will accomplish one of the greatest missions of all time-and earn the ultimate victory in the War on Terror.

This anthology takes you to the escapade of short stories, poems, echo of quotes and real tales of time. Writers have beautifully quoted their content in the form of poetry ,short stories, articles. Pages of Diary is a memory of a childhood when we used to share each n every part of our day to dairy. Diary used to be our best friend and best listener. Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us Let's unfold the Folded pages of Diary.

Hilarious and heartfelt observations on aging from one of America's favorite comedians as he turns 65, and a look back at a remarkable career in this New York Times bestseller. Billy Crystal is turning 65, and he's not happy about it. With his trademark wit and heart, he outlines the absurdities and challenges that come with growing old, from insomnia to memory loss to leaving dinners with half your meal on your shirt. In humorous chapters like "Buying the Plot" and "Nodding Off," Crystal not only catalogues his physical gripes, but offers a road map to his 77 million fellow baby boomers who are arriving at this milestone age with him. He also looks back at the most powerful and memorable moments of his long and storied life, from entertaining his relatives as a kid in Long Beach, Long Island, his years doing stand-up in the Village, up through his legendary stint at Saturday Night Live, When Harry Met Sally, and his long run as host of the Academy Awards. Readers get a front-row seat to his one-day career with the New York Yankees (he was the first player to ever "test positive for Maalox"), his love affair with Sophia Loren, and his enduring friendships with several of his idols, including Mickey Mantle and Muhammad Ali. He lends a light touch to more serious topics like religion ("the aging friends I know have turned to the Holy Trinity: Advil, bourbon, and Prozac"), grandparenting, and, of course, dentistry. As wise and poignant as they are funny, Crystal's reflections are an unforgettable look at an extraordinary life well lived.

Volume One of No Matter What told of the authors childhood and of the many experiences that prepared him for a lifetime of work with troubled kids and adults. The author admitted to being a mountain man and a cowboy, and Volume One blended those two lifestyles into his work building the Bar D ranch for boys. Volume One closed with the hint of an approaching political storm with the state and a mad womans vengeful determination to close the Bar D. Volume Two of No Matter What picks up the authors story where the political storm grows into a full and fiery fury leaving little but ashes and desolation. The author says of the fury: The ornery blister won the battle, but she didnt win the war. After all, she did not have the power to take a life. Oh, she muddied the waters some but she couldnt stop the flow. Volume Two shares many traumatic and often humorous stories of a multitude of young people who have inhabited the authors life. He shares their stories and many of the secrets leading to their getting well. In 1998 during open heart surgery, the author moved in and out of a near death experience. He says it was not a near death experience because his medical records said he was dead. The author believes the experience taught him many things which he cannot share at this time. He did, however, recover enough to finish his long and distinguished career as a mental therapist. The author and his wife, Jenenne, now live in Angel Valley with their faithful dog, Pepper, and their many horses. This is the last word the author will write about the Bar D and the devastation that happened there. It is yet a horrific memory but a memory that needs to be forgotten - for that was then and this is now. Many of the Bar D kids, who grew to manhood there, still write, call, or come to visit. Those young men and woman who have filled the authors life with joyous times since the Bar D, continue to share their progress and affection with him. Those prophetic words, Never say Die, the flagship for No Matter What have well served the author and clients alike, it is now time to move on.