The Last Petal Falling

In 2011, a minor news story made headlines and turned Lori Arnold McFarlane's comfortable life upside down. Residing in Scotland, her life seemed pretty close to perfect - a beautiful family, wonderful friends, a breath-taking view of the Clyde, and a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. An evangelical Christian and a Calvinist, McFarlane's deepest desire was to glorify and enjoy her God forever. But when a tiny group of religious fanatics began preaching doom and gloom and the End of Days, she found herself suddenly and unwillingly questioning everything she'd ever believed. Her memoir takes us through the next three years as she struggled deeply with her faith, grappling with feelings of abandonment and the soul-crushing silence of the heavenly Father she'd always trusted. Depressed and desperate, she tried everything she could to hold on to her hope in Christ, but as her faith flatlined and her resolve weakened, she began to wonder how much longer she could go on like this - or if she even wanted to. McFarlane tells her story with sensitivity and honesty, providing witty and touching accounts of her most formative childhood and adolescent moments of faith, and provides fascinating insight into many different sects of Christianity she'd encountered as an adult, from speaking in tongues to wearing head coverings. She deals with both the anger and the longing she felt when faced with the question that would ultimately make or break her faith: Do all saints really persevere until the end?

Caroline and Jason White check out the rustic log cabin theyd rented on the pristine shores of Georgian Bay. This was to be the Canadian vacation of their dreams. For the next three weeks they were planning on enjoy the three Rsrest, relaxation, and romance away from the hectic pace of their New York lifestyles. Exploring alone, Caroline finds herself fleeing a fierce thunderstorm. Backtracking to the cabin, she takes a wrong path and gets helplessly lost. While seeking temporary shelter in an old, decrepit shed she discovers the kidnap victim shed read about in the local paper. The woman, bound and gagged was imprisoned in a root cellar. Carolines thwarted attempt at a rescue finds her with the end of a cold steel shotgun pressed against her back. Back at the cabin, Jason, a private detective, paces the floor. He cant imagine where his wife could be during the ferocious storm, or why she doesnt return after the storm subsides. Caroline and the woman lay side by side in the darkness, now victims of a crazed madman. The two young women must find a way to save themselves before their captor returns and digs graves for two.

In early 2008, the author AVIS Viswanathan and Vaani - his soul-mate, friend, wife and business partner - were staring at a bankruptcy of their Firm. A series of business decisions had literally brought them to the brink of penury. This book is their story. It captures learnings from this excruciatingly painful, Life-changing, phase that they are still going through.It also explores the nature and continuum of Life. There is no beginning to the story. There is no end either. There are simply experiences. Of hopelessness. Of fear. Of insolvency. Of pennilessness. And also of faith, patience, love, companionship, abundance and soul. Of integrity and of leading a principled Life, despite temptations to take the 'easy way' out of painful or messy situations.This book has been written to share how AVIS and his family have learned to be happy despite their circumstances. You too can benefit from their learning, and experience, and discover the right way of thinking, living, working and winning in Life - for yourself

The book deals with variety of themes. The most appreciable thing about the themes is that the themes are quite new and make the readers feel that they are connected to their lives. The ideas are put in such way that it makes the reader feel that whatever happens in the lives of the characters resemble somewhere to his life. Most of the stories are tragic in nature and on reading the tragedies of the characters, the readers are bound to be moved. The book provides new reading experience to the readers. Emotions dealt with are so powerful that they compel the reader to read the book from the beginning till the end. Some stories carry suspense and to understand it, the reader has to wait till the end of the stories. Unexpected happenings, games of destiny, human errors committed unknowingly, failure and final demolition of the characters and sudden rise in the lives of the characters attract the readers towards the book. The stories are so novel that every reader who has a feel for reading and whose favorite genre is short stories would read this book without fail.

Final yearly issue includes index of special articles. December through March issues contain reports of snow and ice conditions.

Final yearly issue includes index of special articles. December through March issues contain reports of snow and ice conditions.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of The House of the Spirits, this epic novel spanning decades and crossing continents follows two young people as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a place to call home. “One of the most richly imagined portrayals of the Spanish Civil War to date, and one of the strongest and most affecting works in [Isabel Allende’s] long career.”—The New York Times Book Review NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Esquire • Good Housekeeping • Parade In the late 1930s, civil war grips Spain. When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them desires. Together with two thousand other refugees, Roser and Victor embark for Chile on the SS Winnipeg, a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda: “the long petal of sea and wine and snow.” As unlikely partners, the couple embraces exile as the rest of Europe erupts in world war. Starting over on a new continent, they face trial after trial, but they will also find joy as they patiently await the day when they might go home. Through it all, their hope of returning to Spain keeps them going. Destined to witness the battle between freedom and repression as it plays out across the world, Roser and Victor will find that home might have been closer than they thought all along. A masterful work of historical fiction about hope, exile, and belonging, A Long Petal of the Sea shows Isabel Allende at the height of her powers. Praise for A Long Petal of the Sea “Both an intimate look at the relationship between one man and one woman and an epic story of love, war, family, and the search for home, this gorgeous novel, like all the best novels, transports the reader to another time and place, and also sheds light on the way we live now.”—J. Courtney Sullivan, author of Saints for All Occasions “This is a novel not just for those of us who have been Allende fans for decades, but also for those who are brand-new to her work: What a joy it must be to come upon Allende for the first time. She knows that all stories are love stories, and the greatest love stories are told by time.”—Colum McCann, National Book Award–winning author of Let the Great World Spin

Award-winning author Robin McKinley tells an enthralling story of magic, love, and redemption, based on the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast. Once upon a time, a wealthy merchant had three daughters. When his business failed, he moved his daughters to the countryside. The youngest daughter, Beauty, is fascinated by the thorny stems of a mysterious plant that overwhelms their neglected cottage. She tends the plant until it blossoms with the most beautiful flowers the sisters have ever seen—roses. Admiring the roses, an old woman tells Beauty, “Roses are for love.” And she speaks of a sorcerers’ battle many years ago that left a beast in an enchanted palace, and a curse concerning a family of three sisters . . . The Newbery Medal–winning author’s charming retelling of the classic fairy tale weaves a tangled story of sorcery, loyalty, and love that is sure to cast a spell on readers.