Unlike the other Birthmothers in her utopian community, teenaged Claire forms an attachment to her baby, feeling a great loss when he is taken from their community

Ben Green is a troubled young man, losing his mind and hearing voices. Worse than that, his nightmare is just beginning… Detective Inspector Summers hates dealing with drug addicts, thieves, violent men and women, rapists, child molesters and murderers. She wants to be a doctor in a surgery, saving the lives of the sick. Instead, she deals with the sick and twisted. Finally, she gets handed the case she wants, the reason she joined the force… Her investigations lead Summers closer to Ben, and his involvement to the case slowly becomes clear… Psychological Thriller — Contains adult content — Sex & Violence — 18+ Copyright: James Ross

Magic is forbidden throughout the Four Realms. For decades, sorcerers and those associating with them were hunted to near extinction. But Seri, a Leiran noblewoman living in exile, is no stranger to defying the unjust laws of her land. She is sheltering a wanted fugitive who possesses unusual abilities-a fugitive with the fate of the realms in his hands

Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status… and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence, and embraced instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader. In Son of Hamas, Mosab Yousef—now called “Joseph”—reveals new information about the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role, his agonizing separation from family and homeland, the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public, and his belief that the Christian mandate to “love your enemies” is the only way to peace in the Middle East. “Son of Hamas, written by Mosab Hassan Yousef and journalist Ron Brackin, is… a must-read book and one can only hope it becomes the basis of a major Hollywood motion picture.” “…a fascinating book. I couldn’t put it down.” “…a book more incendiary than any roadside IED…” "…intriguingly detailed…” “…one of the most extraordinary spy stories in history…” “…a Le Carréesque thriller wrapped in a spiritual coming-of-age story…” “…reads with the page-turning ease of a great thriller.”

John Lescroart offers an engrossing historical mystery that takes us to a small French town in the dark days of World War I-where the rumor is that Auguste Lupa is the son of the greatest detective of all time. And his mysterious legacy may come to light as he attempts to solve the baffling murder of an intelligence agent…

Imagine growing up in the largest slum on the planet in the year 2080AD. Twenty million people are your neighbors, huddled together in an ocean of rusted dwellings made from whatever Sedonia City, the towering metropolis in the distance, decides to throw away. Gang members, known as the T99s, are the heads of your community: smuggling tech, trafficking drugs, and fighting a constant guerilla war with the City’s bio-augmented EXO police force. There is little hope for survival. None for escape to a better life beyond the half-mile high Border between city and slum. This is Matteo’s world. A bright kid, but sick and weak since childhood, he is painfully dependent on Jogun: loving older brother, and hardened soldier for the T99s. When a luxury transport from Sedonia’s aerial traffic crash-lands in Rasalla, it threatens to change Matteo and Jogun’s fate forever. And all fates are connected. The Dwellers of Rasalla, bound by family in the scrap, ashes, and dirt. The Citizens of Sedonia, oblivious to danger in the buzzing twilight of the Neuro-Social Revolution. The EXOs, placing themselves in harm’s way to perform their duty to protect their homes and fellow officers. And The Ruling Elite, whose long-buried secrets and desperate plans could spell the end of civilization… or a new beginning. Son of Sedonia is an action-filled science fiction epic with a soul and a clear message. Its characters live, breathe, suffer, and love in their different worlds, each brought to the brink as the Third-World collides with the First. Their future could well be ours

The Buffer Zone-that was what the seven kingdoms standing between mortal Earth and the realm of the immortal elves was called. When Gil Tyner planned to celebrate his 21st birthday with his parents, he didnt have any idea that he was about to spend not only his birthday but possibly the rest of his life in this zone

Ashton, son of The Tank Man, and his sister were forced to move to the Port in 1989. He was contented with his life in the Port, but everything changed on that day when he was deprived of the right to vote against the dissolution of the government, a plebiscite initiated by a group of people who called themselves freedom-pursuers. His grudge against those freedom-pursuers, who he deemed as a bunch of hypocrites, prompted him to leave the country and start a new life in the place where he was born despite others’ objections, but it turned out to be a journey that he could never forget. And the chance of telling this story has only come to him after he passed away

Son of the Tree begins with the arrival of Joe Smith on the planet Kyril, so distant that Earth is but a myth. Kyril is dominated by a religious aristocracy called "Druids", who rule over the five billon commoner "Laity", and who control worship of the "Tree of Life" – a huge tree with a trunk five miles in diameter, and height of twelve miles. The Druids are xenophobic, and consider Joe to be a spy. For unknown reasons, he is befriended by Hableyat, a native of the world of Mangtse, self-admitted spy who finds him a job as a chauffer for Druid Princess Elfane. After witnessing a murder committed by Princess Elfane's lover Manaolo, Joe Smith flees Kyril on the spaceship Belsaurion bound for the world Ballenkarch, his original destination – only to find that his fellow passengers include Hableyat, Manaolo and Princess Elfane, and that he is caught up as a pawn in a complex three-way political plot between the opposing worlds. Surviving a couple of murder attempts and puzzling over the intentions of Hableyat and Princess Elfane, he arrives on Ballenkarch, where he finds to his surprise that the earthman he was seeking has made himself ruling prince, with the woman he left behind on Earth as his princess. However, his biggest surprise is yet to come, when he discovers the horrific true nature of the so-called "Tree of Life". © From Wiki

Ci sono utopie della speranza e utopie tecnologiche, utopie della ragione e utopie organizzative, ma qui c’è per l’umanità un mondo felice e perfettamente funzionante con mezzi che non sono solo senza precedenti ma positivamente spaventosi. La cosa che fa venire i brividi di questo nuovo concetto politico presentato qui da Orson Scott Card (uno dei più grossi talenti emersi negli ultimi anni in America) è che potrebbe funzionare sul serio

VILJAMS ŠEKSPĪRS KOPOTI RAKSTI Sešos sējumos KOPOTI RAKSTI VI SONETI Izdevniecība Liesma 1965 Noskannējis grāmatu un FB2 failu izveidojis Imants Ločmelis Redakcijas kolēģija: M. Ķempe, E. Smilģis, J. Sudrabkalns Kārla Egles sakārtojums Mākslinieki: A. Slankevičs un V. Ozoliņš

Ирина Денежкина – сверхновая звезда русской литературы. Книга, изданная немедленно после того, как Ирина стала финалистом премии `Национальный бестселлер`, завоевала русских читателей силой чувств, необузданностью энергии и мастерством исполнения. Сегодня `Дай мне!` – всемирный бестселлер. Книга вышла в Италии, где заняла место в Топ-10 между Паоло Коэльо и Исабель Альенде. Летом книга Денежкиной выходит в Голландии, Германии, Литве, осенью – в Англии, Швеции, Финляндии, Франции. В начале 2004 года – в США. `Дай мне!`, как ледокол, взломала лед недоверия к современной русской литературе. Герои повестей и рассказов Ирины Денежкиной переживают самый сложный период жизни, когда их главной заботой становится реализация сексуального влечения. Но наряду с ними такими же действующими лицами можно считать саму ювенильную реальность и скрытый механизм романтики любви

"Not since Jerzy Kosinski’s The Painted Bird or Agota Kristof’s Notebook Trilogy has there been such a harrowing novel about what it’s like to be a young person in a war. That Chris Abani is able to find humanity, mercy, and even, yes, forgiveness, amid such devastation is something of a miracle.”—Rebecca Brown, author of The End of Youth "The moment you enter these pages, you step into a beautiful and terrifying dream. You are in the hands of a master, a literary shaman. Abani casts his spell so completely — so devastatingly — you emerge cleansed, redeemed, and utterly haunted." — Brad Kessler, author of Birds in Fall Part Inferno, part Paradise Lost, and part Sunjiata epic, Song for Night is the story of a West African boy soldier’s lyrical, terrifying, yet beautiful journey through the nightmare landscape of a brutal war in search of his lost platoon. The reader is led by the voiceless protagonist who, as part of a land mine-clearing platoon, had his vocal chords cut, a move to keep these children from screaming when blown up, and thereby distracting the other minesweepers. The book is written in a ghostly voice, with each chapter headed by a line of the unique sign language these children invented. This book is unlike anything else ever written about an African war. Chris Abani is a Nigerian poet and novelist and the author of The Virgin of Flames, Becoming Abigail (a New York Times Editor’s Choice), and GraceLand (a selection of the Today Show Book Club and winner of the 2005 PEN/Hemingway Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award). His other prizes include a PEN Freedom to Write Award, a Prince Claus Award, and a Lannan Literary Fellowship. He lives and teaches in California

Lanen Kaelar has dreamed of dragons all her life. But not just dreaming, for Lanen believes in dragons. Her family mocks her that dragons are just a silly myth. A legend. But Lanen knows better. And she means to prove it. One day she sets out on a dangerous voyage to the remote West to find the land of the true Dragons. What she discovers is a land of real dragons more beautiful - and surprising- than any dream she could have imagined

When Song of Kali was published in 1985, Dan Simmons was virtually unknown, having published only a few short stories. But this sharp, vivid novel struck a raw nerve. A startled and amazed readership could only gasp in wonder and horror at the apparent ease with which the author made readers feel that they were living the nightmarish reality he so potently conveyed in the pages of this blood-curdling novel. Here is Calcutta, perhaps the foulest and most crime-ridden city in the world: filthy, stench-ridden, crawling with vermin both human and otherwise, possessed of evils so vile that they beggar description. In this steaming, fetid cradle of chaos, the ordeal of an American man and his family plays out, moment by moment, page by page, in a novel so truly frightening that otherwise jaded readers will quail in fear at its gut-wrenching finale. One of the great masterpieces of horror of this century, Song of Kali will leave an indelible imprint on your soul. Once you read it, you'll never forget it. . . . Never

Brutal imprisonment has broken Aidan McAllister. Once the most famous musician of his generation, celebrated as a man beloved of the gods, his voice is now silent, his hands ruined, his music that offered beauty and hope to war-torn Elyria destroyed. Even the god who nurtured his talent since boyhood has abandoned him. But no one ever told him his crime. To discover the truth, he must risk his hard-bought freedom to unlock the mind of his god and the heart of his enemy

Since they were kids, Elias Kline and Brayelle Bates have been inseparable. When Bray moves to South Carolina, separating the two for the first time, they both at last realize that their innocent childhood friendship has developed into something much more. So when Bray finally returns to Georgia—and to Elias—things between them couldn’t be more perfect…until one fateful night changes everything. Desperate not to go to prison for a terrible accident, Elias and Bray decide to run. As they try to make the most of their freedom, the two find themselves relying on a rebellious group of people who tempt the duo into a wild and daring new life. But they can’t run from their troubles forever. As the consequences of their past catch up to them, the couple must finally face reality. Even if they can make it through the unimaginable, Elias knows the truth about Bray’s painful history, and in the end he may not be able to save Bray from herself…

When the Harpers judged the Nameless Bard responsible for the death of his apprentices, they sentenced him to exile and obscurity. Now the Harpers are reconsidering their decision, but with the arrival of the monster Grypht, Nameless’s new trial dissolves in a string of disappearances and murder. It is up to the bard’s friends, Alias the swordswoman, Akabar the mage, Dragonbait the paladin, and Ruskettle the thief, to prove one enemy is behind all the chaos—the ancient evil god, Moander the Darkbringer. Unless Alias and her companions can find Nameless and convince him to sacrifice some of his precious power, Moander will return to claim the Realms

A contemporary American masterpiece about music, race, an unforgettable man, and an unreal America during the Civil War era. At the heart of this remarkable novel is Thomas Greene Wiggins, a nineteenth-century slave and improbable musical genius who performed under the name Blind Tom. Song of the Shank opens in 1866 as Tom and his guardian, Eliza Bethune, struggle to adjust to their fashionable apartment in the city in the aftermath of riots that had driven them away a few years before. But soon a stranger arrives from the mysterious island of Edgemere — inhabited solely by African settlers and black refugees from the war and riots — who intends to reunite Tom with his now-liberated mother. As the novel ranges from Tom’s boyhood to the heights of his performing career, the inscrutable savant is buffeted by opportunistic teachers and crooked managers, crackpot healers and militant prophets. In his symphonic novel, Jeffery Renard Allen blends history and fantastical invention to bring to life a radical cipher, a man who profoundly changes all who encounter him

In this richly imaginative novel, Mingmei Yip—author of Peach Blossom Pavilion and Petals from the Sky—follows one woman's daunting journey along China’s fabled Silk Road. As a girl growing up in Hong Kong, Lily Lin was captivated by photographs of the desert—its long, lonely vistas and shifting sand dunes. Now living in New York, Lily is struggling to finish her graduate degree when she receives an astonishing offer. An aunt she never knew existed will pay Lily a huge sum to travel across China's desolate Taklamakan Desert—and carry out a series of tasks along the way. Intrigued, Lily accepts. Her assignments range from the dangerous to the bizarre. Lily must seduce a monk. She must scrape a piece of clay from the famous Terracotta Warriors, and climb the Mountains of Heaven to gather a rare herb. At Xian, her first stop, Lily meets Alex, a young American with whom she forms a powerful connection. And soon, she faces revelations that will redefine her past, her destiny, and the shocking truth behind her aunt's motivations… Powerful and eloquent, Song of the Silk Road is a captivating story of self-discovery, resonant with the mysteries of its haunting, exotic landscape. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm5QyMsylXQ

All alone now, with no audience and no wickedness waiting for her, she danced in the twilight, lost herself in the song, and for a while she was incredibly free. But always in the wings, he was there watching, waiting. In the riverside town of Bedford, four students can hear the haunting voice of a woman singing. The beautiful melody is coming from their neighbour – a reculsive creature who never opens the door to anyone or leaves her home in daylight. They have no way of knowing that the woman next door, Madeleine Delaney is driven by a dangerous memory that for over twenty years has controlled her meagre existence… Madeleine’s angelic voice and striking looks may capture the hearts of many. But she only has eyes for club owner, Steve Drayton – a devastatingly handsome but terrifying man. Then one night she witnesses a horrific crime, and her life is irrevocably changed forever. The kindness and friendship of one girl – Ellen, rescues Madeleine from utter devastation. But in order to survive, they must flee London, leaving behind those they dearly love, and danger is following them wherever they go…

With unreliable memories and scraps of photographs as his only clues, Conor Lyons follows in the tracks of his father, a rootless photographer, as he moved from war-torn Spain, to the barren plains of Mexico, where he met and married Conor's mother, to the American West, and finally back to Ireland, where the marriage and the story reach their heartrending climax. As the narratives of Conor's quest and his parents' lives twine and untwine, Collum McCann creates a mesmerizing evocation of the gulf between memory and imagination, love and loss, past and present

(Анотація станом на рік виходу — 1994-й) Молодий поет із Чернігівщини яскраво заявив про себе талановитими творами у другій половині 80-х. Нова його збірка — переконливе свідчення творчого зростання автора, плідного осмислення традицій і модерної поезії, й національного фольклорного набутку

In this star-studded cross-genre anthology, seventeen of the greatest modern authors of fantasy, science fiction, and romance explore the borderlands of their genres with brand-new tales of ill-fated love. From zombie-infested woods in a postapocalyptic America to faery-haunted rural fields in eighteenth- century England, from the kingdoms of high fantasy to the alien world of a galaxy-spanning empire, these are stories of lovers who must struggle against the forces of magic and fate. Award-winning, bestselling author Neil Gaiman demonstrates why he’s one of the hottest stars in literature today with “The Thing About Cassandra,” a subtle but chilling story of a man who meets an old girlfriend he had never expected to see. International blockbuster bestselling author Diana Gabaldon sends a World War II RAF pilot through a stone circle to the time of her Outlander series in “A Leaf on the Winds of All Hallows.” Torn from all he knows, Jerry MacKenzie determinedly survives hardship and danger, intent on his goal of returning home to his wife and baby—no matter the cost. New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher presents “Love Hurts,” in which Harry Dresden takes on one of his deadliest adversaries and in the process is forced to confront the secret desires of his own heart. Just the smallest sampling promises unearthly delights, but look also for stories by New York Times bestselling romance authors Jo Beverley and Mary Jo Putney, and by such legends of the fantasy genre as Peter S. Beagle and Tanith Lee, as well as many other popular and beloved writers, including Marjorie M. Liu, Jacqueline Carey, Carrie Vaughn, and Robin Hobb. This exquisite anthology, crafted by the peerless editing team of George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, is sure to leave you under its spell. Discover the many realms of the heart with this extraordinary cast of acclaimed authors: PETER S. BEAGLE JO BEVERLEY JIM BUTCHER JACQUELINE CAREY DIANA GABALDON NEIL GAIMAN YASMINE GALENORN M.L.N. HANOVER ROBIN HOBB CECELIA HOLLAND TANITH LEE MARJORIE M. LIU MARY JO PUTNEY LINNEA SINCLAIR MELINDA SNODGRASS LISA TUTTLE CARRIE VAUGHN

The evil Dark Baron has escaped and joined forces in the far North with the Master of the Dead to theaten all of Husaquahr with enslavement. Only Joe can stop them—but Joe is no longer quite himself. In fact, he’s not sure who he is!

Today, in order to honor the magnificent career of Jack Vance, one unparalleled in achievement and impact, GEORGE R.R. MARTIN and GARDNER DOZOIS, with the full cooperation of Jack Vance, his family, and his agents, suggest a Jack Vance tribute anthology called Songs of the Dying Earth, to encourage the best of today's fantasy writers to return to the unique and evocative milieu of The Dying Earth, from which they and so many others have drawn so much inspiration, to create their own brand-new adventures in the world of Jack Vance s greatest novel. Half a century ago, Jack Vance created the world of the Dying Earth, and fantasy has never been the same. Now, for the first time ever, Jack has agreed to open this bizarre and darkly beautiful world to other fantasists, to play in as their very own. To say that other fantasy writers are excited by this prospect is a gross understatement; one has told us that he'd crawl through broken glass for the chance to write for the anthology, another that he'd gladly give up his right arm for the privilege that's the kind of regard in which Jack Vance and The Dying Earth are held by generations of his peers

Back in print by popular demand, national bestselling author Jodi Picoult's acclaimed debut novel treats fans old and new to a beautiful, poignant story of family, friendship and love. Jodi Picoult's powerful novel portrays an emotionaly charged marriage that changes course in one explosive moment. For years, Jane Jones has lived in the shadow of her husband, renowned San Diego oceanographer Oliver Jones. But during an escalating argument, Janes turns to him with an alarming volatility. In anger and fear, Jane leaves with her teenage daughter, Rebecca, for a cross-country odyssey. Charted by letters from her borther Joley, they are guided to his Massachusetts apple farm, where surprising self-discoveries await. Now Oliver, an expert at tracking humpback whales across vast oceans, will search for his wife across a continent, and find a new way to see the world, his family, and himself: through her eyes

Eydrth is a Master Songsmith... who has no magic. She will do anything to save her father from the evil that has stolen his mind. But the paths to the magic of the Witch World are many—and to save the ones you love, the truest magic must come from the heart

Second in the trilogy that began with The Good Earth, Buck's classic and starkly real tale of sons rising against their honored fathers tells of the bitter struggle to the death between the old and the new in China. Revolutions sweep the vast nation, leaving destruction and death in their wake, yet also promising emancipation to China's oppressed millions who are groping for a way to survive in a modern age

This is a novel about three generations of men in an American family — a grandfather, a father, and a son — focusing on those crucial years when each was between the ages of seventeen and twenty. War, and its effects on those who survive, is the common element in the lives of these men and their women — World Wars I and II and the Vietnam War, wars that are profoundly the same yet compellingly different. And it is in the difference that the core of this extraordinary novel lies, for Evan Hunter has succeeded in portraying nothing less than the vast, changing heart and mind of America over the last fifty years, an America at once the same and radically altered. In this dramatic saga of the Tyler men and women, the reader discovers, with an immediacy more apparent than in any history, many of the ideas and feelings that took shape at the beginning of the century and grew with the passing years into the attitudes of today about ourselves, the world, prejudice, violence, justice, sex. love the family and personal commitment. Sons tells a dramatic story about loving, hating, struggling, and dying; in short, about the endlessly fascinating adventure of life. It is the most ambitious and exciting novel Evan Hunter has ever written

From the award-winning author of No One Is Here Except All of Us, an imaginative novel about a wealthy New England family in the 1960s and '70s that suddenly loses its fortune — and its bearings. Labor Day, 1976, Martha's Vineyard. Summering at the family beach house along this moneyed coast of New England, Fern and Edgar — married with three children — are happily preparing for a family birthday celebration when they learn that the unimaginable has occurred: There is no more money. More specifically, there's no more money in the estate of Fern's recently deceased parents, which, as the sole source of Fern and Edgar's income, had allowed them to live this beautiful, comfortable life despite their professed anti-money ideals. Quickly, the once-charmed family unravels. In distress and confusion, Fern and Edgar are each tempted away on separate adventures: she on a road trip with a stranger, he on an ill-advised sailing voyage with another woman. The three children are left for days with no guardian whatsoever, in an improvised Neverland helmed by the tender, witty, and resourceful Cricket, age nine. Brimming with humanity and wisdom, humor and bite, and imbued with both the whimsical and the profound, Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty is a story of American wealth, class, family, and mobility, approached by award-winner Ramona Ausubel with a breadth of imagination and understanding that is fresh, surprising, and exciting

Set after the fourth season of the groundbreaking television drama Sons of Anarchy, from the mind of Executive Producer Kurt Sutter… With half of the club recently released from Stockton State Penitentiary, and the Galindo drug cartel bringing down heat at every turn, the MC already has its hands full. Yet Jax Teller the V.P. of SAMCRO has another problem to deal with. He just learned that his Irish half-sister Trinity has been in the U.S. for months entangled with Russian BRATVA gangsters. Now that she’s abruptly gone missing, he’s sure the brewing mafia war is connected to her disappearance. Jax heads to Nevada with Chibs and Opie to search for her and seek revenge. Trinity may be half-Irish, but she’s also half-Teller and where Teller’s go, trouble follows

Lord of the Shadows 'Stephen King for kids! Darren Shan has brought his own brand of vampire mythology into the heads and hearts of thousands of children with his vivid and compelling series The Saga of Darren Shan, about one boy's journey from ordinary lad to vampire prince. Once they're hooked, kids tend to rip into the flesh of these books, quickly draining them of their life blood. The covers, with images of ghouls, creeping hands and dripping fangs are terrifying alone. ' Metro Life, Evening Standard Cirque Du Freak "!fast-paced and compelling book which leaves the reader hungry for more." JK Rowling "I read Cirque Du Freak last week. I loved it. I love the way you manage to juggle the funny with the unpleasant, the affection with the hurt. It's great story-telling." Roddy Doyle The Vampire's Assistant "The Vampire's Assistant blazes a thrilling, gruesome trail through a fascinating plot." The Good Book Guide Vampire Mountain "Get your teeth into it!" Funday Times

It is Hartford, Connecticut, in the late 1940’s, and a set of twins is separated at birth by a desperate nurse. Nat Cartwright goes home with his parents, a schoolteacher and an insurance salesman. But his twin brother is to begin his days as Fletcher Andrew Davenport, son of a wealthy CEO and his society wife. During the years that follow, the two brothers grow up unaware of each other’s existence. Nat leaves college at the University of Connecticut to serve in Vietnam. Returning a war hero, he finishes school and goes on to become a successful bank executive. Fletcher, meanwhile, has graduated from Yale University and distinguishes himself as a criminal defence lawyer before he is elected a senator. As their lives unfold, both men are confronted with tragedy and betrayal, loss and hardship, all the time overcoming life’s obstacles to become the men they are destined to be. In the tradition of Jeffrey Archer’s most popular books, SONS OF FORTUNE is as much a chronicle of a nation in transition as it is the story of the making of these two men — and how, eventually, they come to find each other

Für ihre großen und kleinen Fans hat Elke Heidenreich ihre neueste Erzählung Sonst noch was auf CD gelesen. Als Zugabe kommt nach dem Duetto buffo di due gatti von Rossini (auf deutsch Katzenduett, was sonst bei einer Katzenliebhaberin) Liebe Klara. Brief an eine Katze. Wenn Elke Heidenreich von ihrem Ferienaufenthalt bei Onkel Hans erzählt und von ihrer Mutter berichtet, deren Lieblingssatz Sonst noch was ist, kann man sich die ewig skeptische Gertrud, die ihre Hände an der Schürze abtrocknet, richtig gut vorstellen. Komisch wird es, wenn die Autorin wie ein rheumatischer Hund bellt, das behagliche Schnurren der Katze imitiert oder wie die ewig unzufriedene Ziege Gertrud meckert: Sonst noch was. Elke Heidenreich lebt seit Jahren mit Tieren zusammen, doch der überaus ehrliche Brief an ihre Katze Klara, als sie ihren Urlaub auf Martinique verbringt, verlockt jeden Katzenliebhaber zum Schmunzeln. Wer kennt sie nicht, die eingebildeten, arroganten unumschränkten Herrscherinnen ihrer Refugien, die chronisch schlecht gelaunt sind und mit ihren Grillen ganze Familien tyrannisieren. Klara kam schon als ältere Katze in den Haushalt und ihr strenger Blick hat ihr ihren Namen eingebracht. Mit genau diesem Blick hat früher die Mutter Klara schon ihre Kinder gemustert, wenn es wieder einmal viel zu laut herging. Und auch wenn Klara mit ihren Zicken und unberechenbaren Launen manchmal die Geduld ihrer menschlichen "Büchsenöffner" bis an den Rand des Nervenzusammenbruchs strapaziert, ist sie ihnen halt doch die liebste Katze der Welt. -- Manuela Haselberger

Сегодня трудно представить мировой рынок бытовой радиоэлектроники без техники производства Sony. Автор, один из основателей корпорации Sony, рассказывает об истории компании, о разработке плеера Walkman, видеомагнитофона Betamax, компакт-диска и других уникальных изобретениях. В книге подробно рассказано о взаимоотношениях крупного бизнеса с государством, профсоюзами, конкурентами, о характерных чертах японского менеджмента, в частности о восприятии корпорации как родной семьи и т. п. В условиях послевоенной Японии практически все, даже управленческие подходы, Морите пришлось создавать «с нуля», формируя новую предпринимательскую культуру и традиции. Книга рассчитана на широкий круг читателей. Общая редакция и вступительная статья кандидата экономических наук А. Ю. Юданова