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The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture
By Glen Weldon. 2016
A witty, intelligent cultural history from NPR book critic Glen Weldon explains Batman's rises and falls throughout the ages--and what…
his story tells us about ourselves.Since his creation, Batman has been many things: a two-fisted detective; a planet-hopping gadabout; a campy Pop-art sensation; a pointy-eared master spy; and a grim and gritty ninja of the urban night. For more than three quarters of a century, he has cycled from a figure of darkness to one of lightness and back again; he's a bat-shaped Rorschach inkblot who takes on the various meanings our changing culture projects onto him. How we perceive Batman's character, whether he's delivering dire threats in a raspy Christian Bale growl or trading blithely homoerotic double-entendres with partner Robin on the comics page, speaks to who we are and how we wish to be seen by the world. It's this endlessly mutable quality that has made him so enduring. And it's Batman's fundamental nerdiness--his gadgets, his obsession, his oath, even his lack of superpowers--that uniquely resonates with his fans who feel a fiercely protective love for the character. Today, fueled by the internet, that breed of passion for elements of popular culture is everywhere. Which is what makes Batman the perfect lens through which to understand geek culture, its current popularity, and social significance. In The Caped Crusade, with humor and insight, Glen Weldon, book critic for NPR and author of Superman: The Unauthorized Biography, lays out Batman's seventy-eight-year cultural history and shows how he has helped make us who we are today and why his legacy remains so strong.The Obese Christ
By Sheila Fischman, Larry Tremblay. 2014
The asocial, sexually repressed Edgar, kneeling in grief at his mother's graveside, turns abruptly to witness a terrifying and life-altering…
event: the brutal rape of a young woman. Compelled by muddled instinct (and ingrained religious conviction), our hero bears the unconscious victim home, solemnly pledging to care for her - and to act as her saviour. As winter closes in, the captor's neuroses are revealed and his behaviour becomes increasingly violent, allowing the victim only one escape.With The Obese Christ, Larry Tremblay squarely situates himself within the realm of Hitchcock, Polanski, and Stephen King. A brilliant exercise in unease and paranoia, The Obese Christ demonstrates Tremblay's powerful ability to evoke dead and fear, while immersing the reader in a wrapped and putrid world told from Edgar's sanctified point of view.Considering Watchmen: Poetics, Property, Politics
By Andrew Hoberek. 2014
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen has been widely hailed as a landmark in the development of the graphic novel.…
It was not only aesthetically groundbreaking but also anticipated future developments in politics, literature, and intellectual property. Demonstrating a keen eye for historical detail, Considering Watchmen gives readers a new appreciation of just how radical Moore and Gibbons's blend of gritty realism and formal experimentation was back in 1986. The book also considers Watchmen's place in the history of the comics industry, reading the graphic novel's playful critique of superhero marketing alongside Alan Moore's public statements about the rights to the franchise. Andrew Hoberek examines how Moore and Gibbons engaged with the emerging discourses of neoconservatism and neoliberal capitalism, ideologies that have only become more prominent in subsequent years. Watchmen's influences on the superhero comic and graphic novel are undeniable, but Hoberek reveals how it has also had profound effects on literature as a whole. He suggests that Watchmen not only proved that superhero comics could rise to the status of literature--it also helped to inspire a generation of writers who are redefining the boundaries of the literary, from Jonathan Lethem to Junot Díaz. Hoberek delivers insight and analysis worthy of satisfying serious readers of the genre while shedding new light on Watchmen as both an artistic accomplishment and a book of ideas.Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero
By Grant Morrison. 2011
From one of the most acclaimed and profound writers in the world of comics comes a thrilling and provocative exploration…
of humankind's great modern myth: the superhero. The first superhero comic ever published, Action Comics no. 1 in 1938, introduced the world to something both unprecedented and timeless: Superman, a caped god for the modern age. In a matter of years, the skies of the imaginary world were filled with strange mutants, aliens, and vigilantes: Batman, Wonder Woman, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the X-Men--the list of names as familiar as our own. In less than a century, they've gone from not existing at all to being everywhere we look: on our movie and television screens, in our videogames and dreams. But what are they trying to tell us? For Grant Morrison, arguably the greatest of contemporary chroniclers of the "superworld," these heroes are powerful archetypes whose ongoing, decades-spanning story arcs reflect and predict the course of human existence: Through them we tell the story of ourselves, our troubled history, and our starry aspirations. In this exhilarating work of a lifetime, Morrison draws on art, science, mythology, and his own astonishing journeys through this shadow universe to provide the first true history of the superhero--why they matter, why they will always be with us, and what they tell us about who we are . . . and what we may yet become.Our Hero
By Tom De Haven. 2010
Since his first appearance in Action Comics Number One, published in late spring of 1938, Superman has represented the essence…
of American heroism. "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound," the Man of Steel has thrilled audiences across the globe, yet as life-long "Superman Guy" Tom De Haven argues in this highly entertaining book, his story is uniquely American. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the midst of the Great Depression, Superman is both a transcendent figure and, when posing as his alter-ego, reporter Clark Kent, a humble working-class citizen. An orphan and an immigrant, he shares a personal history with the many Americans who came to this country in search of a better life, and his amazing feats represent the wildest realization of the American dream. As De Haven reveals through behind-the-scenes vignettes, personal anecdotes, and lively interpretations of more than 70 years of comic books, radio programs, TV shows, and Hollywood films, Superman's legacy seems, like the Man of Steel himself, to be utterly invincible.Empire of Wild: A Novel
By Cherie Dimaline. 2019
A #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLEROne of the most anticipated books of the summer for Time, Harper's Bazaar, Bustle and Publishers Weekly'Deftly…
written, gripping and informative. Empire of Wild is a rip-roaring read!' Margaret Atwood'Empire of Wild is doing everything I love in a contemporary novel and more. It is tough, funny, beautiful, honest and propulsive' Tommy Orange, author of There There 'Dimaline turns an old story into something newly haunting and resonant' New York Times'Close, tight, stark, beautiful - rich where richness is warranted, but spare where want and sorrow have sharpened every word. Dimaline has crafted something both current and timeless' NPR'Revelatory... Gritty and engaging, this story of a woman and her missing husband is one of candor, wit and tradition'Ms. Magazine Broken-hearted Joan has been searching for her husband, Victor, for almost a year - ever since he went missing on the night they had their first serious argument. One hung-over morning in a Walmart parking lot in a little town near Georgian Bay, she is drawn to a revival tent where the local Métis have been flocking to hear a charismatic preacher. By the time she staggers into the tent the service is over, but as she is about to leave, she hears an unmistakable voice.She turns, and there is Victor. Only he insists he is not Victor, but the Reverend Eugene Wolff, on a mission to bring his people to Jesus.With only two allies - her Johnny-Cash-loving, 12-year-old nephew Zeus, and Ajean, a foul-mouthed euchre shark with deep knowledge of the old Métis ways - Joan sets out to remind the Reverend Wolff of who he really is. If he really is Victor, his life and the life of everyone she loves, depends upon her success.Inspired by traditional Métis legends, Cherie Dimaline has created a propulsive, stunning and sensuous novel.True Story: this genre-defying novel marks the arrival of a powerful new literary voice
By Kate Reed Petty. 2020
Inventive, electrifying and daring, True Story is a novel like nothing you've ever read before.*One of Entertainment Weekly's top five…
reads of the summer*'A mind-blowing page-turning un-put-downable heartwarming empathetic formally inventive horror suspense thriller, with a life-affirming and timely feminist message' Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot'This debut novel unfolds like a mystery, flitting between genres to weave an inventive tale' Buzzfeed (29 Summer books you wont be able to put down)After a college party, two boys drive a girl home: drunk and passed out in the back seat. Rumours spread about what they did to her, but later they'll tell the police a different version of events. Alice will never remember what truly happened. Her fracture runs deep, hidden beneath cleverness and wry humour. Nick - a sensitive, misguided boy who stood by - will never forget.That's just the beginning of this extraordinary journey into memory, fear and self-portrayal. Through university applications, a terrifying abusive relationship, a fateful reckoning with addiction and a final mind-bending twist, Alice and Nick will take on different roles to each other - some real, some invented - until finally, brought face to face once again, the secret of that night is revealed. Startlingly relevant and enthralling in its brilliance, True Story is by turns a campus novel, psychological thriller, horror story and crime noir, each narrative frame stripping away the fictions we tell about women, men and the very nature of truth. It introduces Kate Reed Petty as a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction.Black Widows: An Observer Crime Pick of the Month
By Cate Quinn. 2020
The only thing the three women had in common was their husband. And, as of this morning, that they're each…
accused of his murder.Blake Nelson moved into a hidden stretch of land - a raw paradise in the wilds of Utah - where he lived with his three wives:Rachel, the chief wife, obedient and doting to a fault.Tina, the other wife, who's everything Rachel isn't.And Emily, the youngest wife, who knows almost nothing else.When their husband is found dead under the desert sun, the questions pile up. What are these women to each other now that their husband is dead? Will the police uncover the secrets each woman has spent her life hiding? And is one of them capable of murder...?True Story: this genre-defying novel marks the arrival of a powerful new literary voice
By Kate Reed Petty. 2020
Inventive, electrifying and daring, True Story is a novel like nothing you've ever read before.*One of Entertainment Weekly's top five…
reads of the summer*'A mind-blowing page-turning un-put-downable heartwarming empathetic formally inventive horror suspense thriller, with a life-affirming and timely feminist message' Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot'This debut novel unfolds like a mystery, flitting between genres to weave an inventive tale' Buzzfeed (29 Summer books you wont be able to put down)After a college party, two boys drive a girl home: drunk and passed out in the back seat. Rumours spread about what they did to her, but later they'll tell the police a different version of events. Alice will never remember what truly happened. Her fracture runs deep, hidden beneath cleverness and wry humour. Nick - a sensitive, misguided boy who stood by - will never forget.That's just the beginning of this extraordinary journey into memory, fear and self-portrayal. Through university applications, a terrifying abusive relationship, a fateful reckoning with addiction and a final mind-bending twist, Alice and Nick will take on different roles to each other - some real, some invented - until finally, brought face to face once again, the secret of that night is revealed. Startlingly relevant and enthralling in its brilliance, True Story is by turns a campus novel, psychological thriller, horror story and crime noir, each narrative frame stripping away the fictions we tell about women, men and the very nature of truth. It introduces Kate Reed Petty as a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction.Black Widows: An Observer Crime Pick of the Month
By Cate Quinn. 2020
The only thing the three women had in common was their husband. And, as of this morning, that they're each…
accused of his murder.Blake Nelson moved into a hidden stretch of land - a raw paradise in the wilds of Utah - where he lived with his three wives:Rachel, the chief wife, obedient and doting to a fault.Tina, the other wife, who's everything Rachel isn't.And Emily, the youngest wife, who knows almost nothing else.When their husband is found dead under the desert sun, the questions pile up. What are these women to each other now that their husband is dead? Will the police uncover the secrets each woman has spent her life hiding? And is one of them capable of murder...?Saving Meghan: the chilling thriller about Munchausen's by proxy syndrome...
By D. J. Palmer. 2019
Can a mother love her daughter to death?Some would say Becky Gerard is a devoted mother. Others, including her husband,…
would say she's obsessed with her daughter. Fifteen-year-old Meghan is constantly, inexplicably ill. Her doctors are starting to suspect Munchausen syndrome by proxy - they believe Meghan's mother is seeking medical help for symptoms that don't exist. But when Meghan's illness takes a sharp turn, it is no longer clear whether her mother is lying, or if something even more sinister is at hand...Becky must race against time to prove her daughter is in danger. But first, she must confront secrets that threaten to not only upend her life... but destroy it.Praise for Saving Meghan: 'Plenty of twists...will keep you turning the pages as you guess...and guess again.' -Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of After Anna'An acute, sensitive portrayal of family love under extreme stress...[with] a touch of Hitchcock.' -William Landay, New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob'Palmer's take on a dark and fascinating topic will keep the reader wondering to the very end.' Publishers WeeklyFirefly: A story of the power of true love (Redemption Series)
By Molly McAdams. 2017
Firefly is the new novel from New York Times bestselling author, Molly McAdams, a dark, twisting story of redemption and…
true love against the odds, perfect for fans of J. B. Salsbury, Jamie McGuire, Sophie Jackson and Lisa Renee Jones.As the Princess of the Irish-American Mob, there's no shortage of men ready to help guard and protect me. Kieran Hayes has been saving me for as long as I can remember. It's in his blood, and one of the many reasons I fell in love with him. Until my favourite trait became his biggest flaw, making me resent the man I love. What I wasn't prepared for was Dare - the man who set my world on fire with just one touch. He saw straight through to my soul and silently demanded my heart from the beginning. And I didn't expect Dare to be Demitri Borello - the reason for so many deaths in my family. A man who will take my life the moment he finds out who I am. Despite it all, I'll love him until that moment comes.Don't miss Blackbird, another powerful romance of love in the darkness from Molly McAdams.Blood Wedding
By Pierre Lemaitre. 2016
Sophie is haunted by the things she can't remember - and visions from the past she will never forget.One morning,…
she wakes to find that the little boy in her care is dead. She has no memory of what happened. And whatever the truth, her side of the story is no match for the evidence piled against her. Her only hiding place is in a new identity. A new life, with a man she has met online. But Sophie is not the only one keeping secrets . . .For fans of Gone Girl and Lemaitre's own internationally bestselling Alex, Blood Wedding is a compelling psychological thriller with a formidable female protagonist.Translated from the French by Frank WynneSplit: A powerful, addictive love story with a twist...
By J. B. Salsbury. 2016
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Fighting Series, comes Split, a dark, deeply emotional story of love…
against the odds with a suspenseful twist, perfect for fans of Katy Evans, Jamie McGuire and Sophie Jackson.When her career takes a hit, Shyann abruptly finds herself jobless, penniless and packing for her hometown - where memories of her late mother and a reunion with her distant father await. Lucas needs a quiet life, and that's exactly what he's found in Payson, Arizona. He finally feels like he fits...and is starting to keep his mind in check. Having suffered blackouts since he was a child, Lucas knows he's not like other guys. The minute he meets his boss's strong-willed, sexy-as-sin daughter, her probing eyes and personal questions pick away at his barriers. Shyann is everything Lucas wants - and everything he should never have. When the blackouts return, the last thing he wants is to expose how dangerous he can be...When you can't trust yourself, how can you ask anyone else to? Don't miss J. B. Salsbury's powerfully emotional romance, Wrecked, coming soon.Fire Me Up: Deacons of Bourbon Street 2 (Deacons of Bourbon Street #3)
By Rachael Johns. 2015
Meet the Deacons of Bourbon Street, bad boy bikers who are hell on wheels and heaven between the sheets. Fans…
of Madeline Sheehan, Katie Ashley, Joanna Wylde and Kristen Ashley, buckle up - you're in for a wild ride. Prepare for Fire Me Up by Rachael Johns.Travis 'Cash' Sinclair's biker days are behind him. The only thing he still values from that life is his Harley Davidson and the man who gave it to him. But Priest Lombard is dead, and Cash has inherited the Deacons' old clubhouse and its new tenant. All incense and art, she's exactly the kind of woman he avoids - but he can't deny that he wants this bohemian beauty.Billie Taylor fled her dark past to start over in New Orleans. She refuses to let a man distract her from her dreams - especially a biker outlaw who's trying to evict her. Just one look at Cash and you know he's deadly. But Billie might just discover she's got a taste for danger... For more badass bikers, don't miss the rest of the Deacons of Bourbon Street series: Make You Burn by Megan Crane, Hold Me Down by Jackie Ashenden, and Strip You Bare by Maisey Yates.Strip You Bare: Deacons of Bourbon Street 4 (Deacons of Bourbon Street #1)
By Maisey Yates. 2016
Meet the Deacons of Bourbon Street, bad boy bikers who are hell on wheels and heaven between the sheets. Fans…
of Madeline Sheehan, Katie Ashley, Joanna Wylde and Kristen Ashley, buckle up - you're in for a wild ride. The final thrilling destination is Strip You Bare by Maisey Yates.Micah Carpenter was done with the Deacons of Bourbon Street ten years ago. But when tragedy calls, Micah returns to his brotherhood. Joining the hunt for their mentor's killer, he crosses paths with a Southern belle who exudes class - and sex appeal. Micah knows better than to turn the heat up with an ice queen, but he can't resist offering her a taste of the wrong side of the tracks.For Sarah Delacroix, reputation is everything. From an established family rocked by scandal, she longs to restore their good name. Micah is exactly the kind of man she should avoid: his sleek exterior hides the heart of a predator and his body is dripping in tattoos. All too soon he's getting under her skin - and she's learning she might have a wild side after all.For more badass bikers, don't miss the rest of the Deacons of Bourbon Street series: Make You Burn by Megan Crane, Fire Me Up by Rachael Johns, and Hold Me Down by Jackie Ashenden.Hold Me Down: Deacons of Bourbon Street 3 (Deacons of Bourbon Street #2)
By Jackie Ashenden. 2015
Meet the Deacons of Bourbon Street, bad boy bikers who are hell on wheels and heaven between the sheets. Fans…
of Madeline Sheehan, Katie Ashley, Joanna Wylde and Kristen Ashley, buckle up - you're in for a wild ride. It's time for Hold Me Down by Jackie Ashenden.Leonidas 'Blue' Delacroix might be New Orleans aristocracy but the Deacons of Bourbon Street are his real family. And with their leader murdered he vows to unleash hell on the club's rivals - even if it means making an enemy of the girl that was once his best friend. But after all these years their chemistry is red-hot, and ruthless revenge turns into sweet seduction.For Alice Ray, loyalty is everything. When Blue skipped town she was forced to adopt a new MC family: The Graveyard Ministry. She never forgot Blue's betrayal but seeing him again has awakened old feelings and fiery fantasies. Torn between the motorcycle club that took her in, and the biker who holds the key to her soul, Alice must trust her heart with the deadliest choice of her life.For more badass bikers, don't miss the rest of the Deacons of Bourbon Street series: Make You Burn by Megan Crane, Fire Me Up by Rachael Johns, and Strip You Bare by Maisey Yates.Dirty Promises: Dirty Angels 3 (Dirty Angels #3)
By Karina Halle. 2015
The third addictive, raw and sizzling Dirty Angels book from the author of The Pact, The Artists Trilogy and Love,…
in English. Set in the wild, heated world of Mexico, fans of Joanna Wylde, Kristen Proby and Tarryn Fisher will thrill to this series.Blood. Sex. Revenge. Being king comes at a brutal price.Drug lord Javier Bernal has sliced and diced his way to the top of the Mexican drug trade, presiding over the country's largest cartel. But his rise to power comes at a ruthless price: the death of his sister, Alana.Devastated and wracked with guilt, Javier shuns his new wife, Luisa, forcing their marriage into a steady decline. When she's pushed into the waiting arms of Esteban Mendoza, his right-hand man, it seems Javier has lost everything. Only by piecing together the truth about Alana does he realise just what he has to gain.Blood will spill. Cities will burn. Heads will roll. Because Javier will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants. And he wants raw, ruthless revenge.Addicted to Karina's wild Dirty Angels world? Don't miss Books One and Two in the series, Dirty Angels and Dirty Deeds. And for more of her deliciously dark romance, check out The Artists Trilogy...A Lady Undone: A Mad Passions Novella 2.5 (Mad Passions)
By Maire Claremont. 2014
In this dazzling novella from the award-winning author of The Dark Lady and Lady In Red, comes a story of…
fatal plots, seductive spies, and irresistible passions... Perfect for fans of Sherry Thomas, Lisa Kleypas and Stephanie Laurens.Duchess Clare Ederly is lucky to be alive. Having outlived her violent, abusive husband, she decides to put her significant inheritance to good use helping other battered women by opening a refuge for those seeking to escape. But not everyone is pleased with her work. Someone wants to see her sanctuary torn down - at any cost. Her only hope of protecting her home and tenants is a former spy, whose skill at tracking deadly men is matched only by his dangerous charm...The Earl of Wyndham has done his part for Queen and country; he has had his fill of plotting and politics and simply wants to retire to the pleasant life of his club. But Duchess Clare's razor-sharp wit and fierce determination awaken new purpose and admiration in him. To protect her, he will once again delve into the treacherous world of espionage. To win her love, he will do almost anything...For more deliciously dark Victorian romance, try all the titles in the Mad Passions series: The Dark Lady, Lady In Red, A Lady Undone and The Dark Affair, and check out Maire's alter-ego Eva Devon for sexy and laugh-out-loud funny Regencies.Make You Burn: Deacons of Bourbon Street 1 (Deacons of Bourbon Street #4)
By Megan Crane. 2015
Meet the Deacons of Bourbon Street, bad boy bikers who are hell on wheels and heaven between the sheets. Fans…
of Madeline Sheehan, Katie Ashley, Joanna Wylde and Kristen Ashley, buckle up - you're in for a wild ride. First stop: Make You Burn by Megan Crane.Sean 'Ajax' Harding's oaths are inked into his skin. Once second-in-command of the Deacons of Bourbon Street motorcycle club, he left New Orleans to protect his brotherhood. But the death of his beloved mentor, Priest Lombard, has lured him back. Heading straight to the club's hangout, he's welcomed by the delectable new owner. A wild ride with her is just what he needs - until he finds out she's Priest's daughter, all grown up and off limits.Sophie Lombard loved her father, but she's done with bikers. Then Ajax roars into town and changes everything. Sophie knows better than to get close to an outlaw but Ajax is impossible to resist. Their chemistry is steamier than the Louisiana bayou - and with heat like this, it might just be worth getting burned.For more badass bikers, don't miss the rest of the Deacons of Bourbon Street series: Fire Me Up by Rachael Johns, Hold Me Down by Jackie Ashenden, and Strip You Bare by Maisey Yates.