Classic Book Hall of Frame

Night fell. The red waters of the swamp grew sinister and sullen. The tall pines lost their slimness and stood in wide blurred blotches all across the way, and a great shadowy bird arose, wheeled and melted, murmuring, into the black-green sky. The boy wearily dropped his heavy bundle and stood still, listening as the voice of crickets split the shadows and made the silence audible. A tear wandered down his brown cheek. They were at supper now, he whispered—the father and old mother, away back yonder beyond the night. They were far away; they would never be as near as once they had been, for he had stepped into the world. And the cat and Old Billy—ah, but the world was a lonely thing, so wide and tall and empty! And so bare, so bitter bare! Somehow he had never dreamed of the world as lonely before; he had fared forth to beckoning hands and luring, and to the eager hum of human voices, as of some great, swelling music.

Maurice Traherne is wrongly accused of fraud and gambling and must play a careful hand if he is to win his love, Octavia, from the grasp of other, less honorable men and retain the trust of those who had faith in him. Traherne is temporarily crippled saving the life of his well-born friend, Jaspar. Thus, Jaspar is assured of inheriting his father's estate, but it is expected that Traherne will inherit great wealth as gratitude for saving the heir. But--surprise!--on the death of Jaspar's father all are shocked to learn that Traherne has been disinherited: the will has been changed at the last minute and only the suffering Traherne knows why but won't tell and then he falls in love with Jaspar's sister, the fair Octavia. However, Octavia is forbidden to marry, as Traherne is penniless.

New York Times bestselling author John Connolly masterfully intertwines mystery, emotion, violence, and the supernatural in this raw and gripping thriller. He has been told the girl's last words, and he feels unaccountably afraid. The dead ones. They were dead, but they had lights. Why do the dead need light? Three hundred years ago, the settlers on the small Maine island of Sanctuary were betrayed to their enemies and slaughtered. Since then, the island has known peace. Until now. A gang of four men are descending on Sanctuary, intent on committing a brutal and relentless massacre. All that stands in their way are rookie police officer Sharon Macie and the strange, troubled officer Joe Dupree. But Joe is no ordinary policeman. He knows the island has been steeped in blood once and that it will never again tolerate the shedding of innocent blood. The band of killers who are set to desecrate Sanctuary will unleash the fury of its ghosts upon themselves and all who stand by them. On Sanctuary, all hell is about to break loose ...

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Alison Weir's Mary Boleyn. In this vibrant biography, acclaimed author Alison Weir reexamines the life of Isabella of England, one of history’s most notorious and charismatic queens. Isabella arrived in London in 1308, the spirited twelve-year-old daughter of King Philip IV of France. Her marriage to the heir to England’s throne was designed to heal old political wounds between the two countries, and in the years that followed she became an important figure, a determined and clever woman whose influence would come to last centuries. Many myths and legends have been woven around Isabella’s story, but in this first full biography in more than 150 years, Alison Weir gives a groundbreaking new perspective. Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more. RandomHouseReadersCircle.com

This direct sequel to The Lawmen sees Deputy United States Marshal Jesse Bronson sent north of the line into Canada, to assist with the capture of two highly dangerous American outlaws. Brin Carson and Vern Hatcher have joined up with a gang of ruthless Metis half-breeds led by Gabriel Dumont. Their joint aim is to lucratively target the Canadian Pacific Railroad, who have not experienced any train robberies before. To his surprise, Bronson discovers that he is again to be partnered with Samuel Bairstow of the Northwest Mounted Police. And thanks to Dumont's brutality, Bairstow has a personal score to settle that could jeopardise the whole mission.

The Adventures Of Joel Pepper By Margaret Sidney

Elise Hanover feels the pull of the moon--even in its dark phase. She is a werewolf who feels nothing but disgust for the bloodlust and violent tendencies inside her. Nick Franklin is the man she met and fell in love with in college, and the man whose touch first awakened her beast. When she realized that her lust for him inspired the wolf inside her, she ran as far and as fast as she could. To defeat her furry side, she has spent the last five years in a secret location in Montana, trying to find a cure for lycanthropy. Just as she feels she's at the edge of a breakthrough, her research is interrupted. Nick is now an FBI agent--and he's standing in her lab. Minutes after they leave the building, it explodes, destroying all of Elise's research and the serum she needs to fight her bloodlust. Together, Nick and Elise must race to find a cure for before the next full moon rises. Dark Moon is full of dry wit, steamy chemistry, and truly scary villians.

A must-have for the fans of the #1 bestselling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris, a collection of his favorite short fiction from Flannery O'Connor to Tobias Wolff. A bestseller in its own right and a must-have for fans of the #1 bestselling author David Sedaris, a collection of his favorite short fiction. David Sedaris is an exceptional reader. Alone in his apartment, he reads stories aloud to the point he has them memorized. Sometimes he fantasizes that he wrote them. Sometimes, when they’re his very favorite stories, he’ll fantasize about reading them in front of an audience and taking credit for them. The audience in these fantasies always loves him and gives him the respect he deserves. David Sedaris didn’t write the stories in Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules . But he did read them. And he liked them enough to hand pick them for this collection of short fiction. Featuring such notable writers as Lorrie Moore, Alice Munro, Joyce Carol Oates, Jean Thompson, and Tobias Wolff, Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules includes some of the most influential and talented short story writers, contemporary and classic. Perfect for fans who suffer from Sedaris fever, Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules will tide them over and provide relief. 2 hrs 56 mins

A man-made secret location designed to host tests of classified experiments, Hell Island doesn't appear on any maps. But when all contact is lost with this mystery island, four crack special force units are brought in - can anything prepare them for the horror of what they will find there?

Dimly, like the daybreak glimmer of a sky long wrapped in fogs, a sign of consciousness began to dawn in the face of the tranced girl. Once more the breath of life began to stir in that full bosom, to which again a vital warmth had on this day of days crept slowly back. And as she lay there, prone upon the dusty floor, her beautiful face buried and shielded in the hollow of her arm, a sigh welled from her lips.

Army officer Crystal Anderson can't help the draw she has to vampires, although she's supposed to be drawn to them to kill those who are renegades since she's a born huntress. But something about her is different. Ostracized from her family, she lives precariously on her own. That is until a local vampire targets her. Then she meets a fellow Army officer Robert Parker—who she believes is one of them—a vampire or blood host, or something. Suddenly, nothing is the same.Army officer Robert Parker is on assignment at Fort Hood, Texas, trying to track down the vampire who murdered his sister after hours. When he spies Crystal coming out of a vampire house, he assumes she's a human host, and that she can lead him to his murderer. Except he's drawn to her like a hunter would be to a huntress, until he learns she's not quite right. She's fighting alone without a family of hunters' support, and he's bound to do something about...

A daughter's future and her father's past converge in Emily Raboteau's explosive first novel exploring identity, assimilation, and the legacy of race"My father is black and my mother is white and my brother is a vegetable." When Emma Boudreaux's older brother, Bernie, winds up in a coma after a freak accident, it's as if she loses a part of herself. All their lives, he has served as her compass, her stronger, better half: Bernie was brilliant when Emma was smart, charismatic when she was awkward, and confident when she was shy. Only Bernie was able to navigate-if not always diplomatically-the terrain of their biracial identity. Now, as the chronic rash that's flared up throughout her life returns with a vengeance, Emma is sleepwalking through her first year at college, left alone to grow into herself.The key to Emma's self-discovery lies in her father's past. Esteemed Princeton professor Bernard Boudreaux is emotionally absent and secretive about his family...