Reproduction of the original: Two Strangers by Mrs. Oliphant

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City. To the Green-eyed Lovebird: We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House. You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more. We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other. Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding… I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello. After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half? M

The book recounts the awakening and journey of the Narrator who seeks to make sense of the questions and enigmas, which perplex us and cause more and more anxieties. The Narrator comes across a chance acquaintance. Compelled by what he hears, he embarks on discussions, which make up the fears, hopes, and aspirations of us all. These conversations are interspersed with dream sequences with another Stranger. The dreams often reinforce a conversation, with an alternative perspective. Each conversation/chapter focuses on a value, which is central to human living, some of which we all get wrong most of the time. These values are crucial to rebuilding human life post 2012.There is a mounting sense of new discovery as one Stranger, Jonathan, peels back the inner layers of the Narrator's hidden self to reveal the greatest adventure of all. In the future, we shall live according to renewed values, not based on greed, power and destruction, but based on love, understanding and co-existence. The diverse aspects of these three values form the storyline and subject matter of this book.

The international-bestselling Russian fantasy author continues the adventures of Sir Max, the lazy gumshoe of the enchanted city of Echo. The tales of Sir Max, who was a daydreaming loser before he discovered the parallel world of Echo, have become an international literary sensation. In the second novel of the Labyrinths of Echoes series, Max is still a hardened smoker, glutton, and all-around loafer. But once again, he finds himself travelling to an alternate universe where he must root out illegal magic as an agent of the Secret Investigative Force. This time, Sir Max is called upon to handle a peculiar political dispute, investigate strange happenings in the cemetery, and when Echo’s police captain is poisoned, he must lead a team of magicians in pursuit of magical outlaws. “Echo is a world of all sorts of plots, a sort of Krypton with tobacco and the counter-universe’s equivalent of vodka.” —Kirkus Reviews

As the title of the book “Journey of two strangers” suggests, we encounter many people every day. People who cross our path do so on purpose. There is no such thing as a coincidence. They were destined to cross our paths. Some of them teach us important life lessons, while others help us grow and become the source of our happiness. Some assist us in discovering who we are? When we first met them, we had no idea that a quick meeting would lead to something bigger. Meeting a stranger always serves a purpose in our lives. It's not about the number of hours they spend with you, but about the value they add to your lives and your thought process. Have you ever been curious as to why some people send you negative energy or simply shut you down? Their purpose in life may be to teach you the value of patience, or you may have unfinished business with them from a previous life.

Trapped in the rubble of a terrorist bomb blast, Annie, a devoted wife and mother, and Steve, a fast-track ladies' man, shared their most intimate secrets. And in the wake of their rescue, they discovered a passion that would change both their lives forever.