Lightning Rods

Lightning Rods
Author: Helen DeWitt
Publisher: New Directions Publishing
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2011-10-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0811219526
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The long-awaited second novel by the author of “arguably the most exciting debut novel of the decade: The Last Samurai.” (Sam Anderson, New York). “All I want is to be a success. That’s all I ask.” Joe fails to sell a single set of the Encyclopedia Britannica in six months. Then fails to sell a single Electrolux and must eat 126 pieces of homemade pie, served up by his would-be customers who feel sorry for him. Holed up in his trailer, Joe finds an outlet for his frustrations in a series of ingenious sexual fantasies, and at last strikes gold. His brainstorm, Lightning Rods, Inc., will take Joe to the very top — and to the very heart of corporate insanity — with an outrageous solution to the spectre of sexual harassment in the modern office. An uproarious, hard-boiled modern fable of corporate life, sex, and race in America, Helen DeWitt’s Lightning Rods brims with the satiric energy of Nathanael West and the philosophic import of an Aristophanic comedy of ideas. Her wild yarn is second cousin to the spirit of Mel Brooks and the hilarious reality-blurring of Being John Malkovich. Dewitt continues to take the novel into new realms of storytelling — as the timeliness of Lightning Rods crosses over into timelessness.

Stealing God's Thunder

Stealing God's Thunder
Author: Philip Dray
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2005-12-27
Genre: History
ISBN: 0812968107
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“Dray captures the genius and ingenuity of Franklin’s scientific thinking and then does something even more fascinating: He shows how science shaped his diplomacy, politics, and Enlightenment philosophy.” –Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life Today we think of Benjamin Franklin as a founder of American independence who also dabbled in science. But in Franklin’s day, the era of Enlightenment, long before he was an eminent statesman, he was famous for his revolutionary scientific work. Pulitzer Prize finalist Philip Dray uses the evolution of Franklin’s scientific curiosity and empirical thinking as a metaphor for America’s struggle to establish its fundamental values. He recounts how Franklin unlocked one of the greatest natural mysteries of his day, the seemingly unknowable powers of lightning and electricity. Rich in historical detail and based on numerous primary sources, Stealing God’s Thunder is a fascinating original look at one of our most beloved and complex founding fathers.

The Lightning-Rod Man

The Lightning-Rod Man
Author: Herman Melville
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 16
Release: 2014-04-22
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1443435074
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When an unnamed narrator opens his door to a lightning-rod salesman, the two become involved in a philosophical discussion about faith and the will of God. The salesman claims that the copper rod will protect its owner from the very lightning that the narrator believes to be an act of God. As they argue, and the narrator laughs off the explanations, the salesman becomes increasingly and violently angry. The allegorical nature of Herman Melville’s tale explores the ideas of good and evil, and faith in God before faith in fear. This story was included as part of Melville’s collection The Piazza Tales. HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

The Lightning Rod

The Lightning Rod
Author: Ged Gillmore
Publisher: deGrevilo
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2022-03-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 064818904X
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All she wanted was an Uber – instead she got a corpse. When gunshots ring out on a respectable Sydney street, Anna Moore finds herself sharing an Uber with a dead man. To make matters worse, the dead man was part of the feared Mendoza drug cartel, and now Anna's the only one who knows his whispered last words. Ruthless undercover cop, Charlie Hall, sees a perfect opportunity when she interviews Anna. Charlie has a secret agenda, and Anna might just be the perfect pawn for her to use to bring down Mendoza's operation. Meanwhile, the Uber driver, Bassam, still has the dead man's bags in his trunk. He should tell the cops. But what harm will it do to take a look first? The cops want results. The drug cartel wants no loose ends. As Anna, Bassam and Charlie descend into the murky depths of the criminal underworld they'll have to trust each other to outwit Mendoza. But when pressure mounts and morality blurs, the three will face a desperate fight that only two of them will survive... THE LIGHTNING ROD is a gripping crime thriller set in Sydney and the Philippines. A tightly woven story with razor-sharp dialogue and flawed characters you can root for, this is a smart page-turner that will hook you until the last line. ---- PRAISE FOR THE LIGHTNING ROD ---- "Gillmore made his characters come alive and kept the pace swift… With plot twists happening at lightning speed, there is little time for anything but to keep turning the pages of The Lightning Rod" - READERS' FAVORITE ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Gillmore takes the plot to surprising places... suspense fans will get their money’s worth." - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY "Crime readers will be entertained by this fast-paced thriller with well-rounded and intriguing characters. Gillmore sets his scenes up well and demonstrates a sure hand for depicting the world of crime and the police working to stop it. Between his even pacing and twisting plot, it’s obvious that Gillmore has done his homework. This story’s characters, particularly Anna, will stick with readers long after the last page." - BOOKLIFE For fans of riveting crime thrillers and hard-boiled Australian crime fiction - THE LIGHTNING ROD is perfect for fans of Garry Disher, Alan Carter, Chris Hammer, Dave Warner, Jane Harper, Harlan Coben and Peter Temple. Get it now. Search terms: Australia, Australian, Australian crime fiction, crime, crime fiction, crime thriller, detective, drugs, drug cartel, drug syndicate, female cop, hard-boiled, international, kriminalromane, krimis, lad lit, men’s adventure, mob, mysteries, mystery, mystery & detective, mystery and detective, Mystery & Thrillers, Mystery and Thrillers, Mystery and thrillers hard- boiled, Mystery and thrillers noir, Mystery & Thrillers suspense, organised crime, organized crime, police procedural, suspense, syndicate, thriller, thrillers

The Last Samurai

The Last Samurai
Author: Helen DeWitt
Publisher: New Directions Publishing
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2016-05-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0811225518
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Called “remarkable” (The Wall Street Journal) and “an ambitious, colossal debut novel” (Publishers Weekly), Helen DeWitt’s The Last Samurai is back in print at last Helen DeWitt’s 2000 debut, The Last Samurai, was “destined to become a cult classic” (Miramax). The enterprising publisher sold the rights in twenty countries, so “Why not just, ‘destined to become a classic?’” (Garth Risk Hallberg) And why must cultists tell the uninitiated it has nothing to do with Tom Cruise? Sibylla, an American-at-Oxford turned loose on London, finds herself trapped as a single mother after a misguided one-night stand. High-minded principles of child-rearing work disastrously well. J. S. Mill (taught Greek at three) and Yo Yo Ma (Bach at two) claimed the methods would work with any child; when these succeed with the boy Ludo, he causes havoc at school and is home again in a month. (Is he a prodigy, a genius? Readers looking over Ludo’s shoulder find themselves easily reading Greek and more.) Lacking male role models for a fatherless boy, Sibylla turns to endless replays of Kurosawa’s masterpiece Seven Samurai. But Ludo is obsessed with the one thing he wants and doesn’t know: his father’s name. At eleven, inspired by his own take on the classic film, he sets out on a secret quest for the father he never knew. He’ll be punched, sliced, and threatened with retribution. He may not live to see twelve. Or he may find a real samurai and save a mother who thinks boredom a fate worse than death.

The Escape Artist

The Escape Artist
Author: Brad Meltzer
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Total Pages: 405
Release: 2018-03-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1455559512
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Nola Brown, the U.S. Army's artist-in-residence--a painter and trained soldier--sees something nobody was supposed to see and earns a dangerous enemy in this novel as powerful as "a launched torpedo slashing through 400 pages of deep water before reaching impact...one of the best thrill rides ever" (David Baldacci). Who is Nola Brown? Nola is a mystery Nola is trouble. And Nola is supposed to be dead. Her body was found on a plane that mysteriously fell from the sky as it left a secret military base in the Alaskan wilderness. Her commanding officer verifies she's dead. The US government confirms it. But Jim "Zig" Zigarowski has just found out the truth: Nola is still alive. And on the run. Zig works at Dover Air Force Base, helping put to rest the bodies of those who die on top-secret missions. Nola was a childhood friend of Zig's daughter and someone who once saved his daughter's life. So when Zig realizes Nola is still alive, he's determined to find her. Yet as Zig digs into Nola's past, he learns that trouble follows Nola everywhere she goes. Together, Nola and Zig will either reveal a sleight of hand being played at the highest levels of power or die trying to uncover the US Army's most mysterious secret--a centuries-old conspiracy that traces back through history to the greatest escape artist of all: Harry Houdini. "Meltzer is a master and this is his best. Not since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo have you seen a character like this. Get ready to meet Nola. If you've never tried Meltzer, this is the one." -- Harlan Coben

How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning

How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning
Author: Rosalyn Schanzer
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 42
Release: 2002-12-24
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0688169937
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Ben Franklin was the most famous American in the entire world during colonial times. No wonder! After all, the man could do just about anything. Why, he was an author and an athlete and a patriot and a scientist and an inventor to boot. He even found a way to steal the lightning right out of the sky. Is such a thing possible? Is it. Take a look inside and find Ben busy at work on every spread. Then find out how he used his discovery about lightning to make people's lives safer. In an inventive way, Rosalyn Schanzer brings us a brilliant and ever-curious American original.

Lightning Rod Faces the Cyclops Queen

Lightning Rod Faces the Cyclops Queen
Author: Onk Beakman
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014
Genre: JUVENILE FICTION
ISBN: 9780448480381
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"He's the chiseled hero of the clouds... but even Storm Titans need a little help from their friends sometimes. Join Lightning Rod on his most electric adventure yet, as he travels beyond the Sea of Storms for an appointment with royalty. Cyclops royalty! Based on the characters from the smash-hit Skylanders video games, Lightning Rod faces the Cyclops Queen is the third novel in the incredible Mask of Power series."-- From back cover.

The Piazza Tales

The Piazza Tales
Author: Herman Melville
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 448
Release: 1856
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:
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"With fairest flowers, Whilst summer lasts, and I live here, Fidele-" When I removed into the country, it was to occupy an old-fashioned farm-house, which had no piazza-a deficiency the more regretted, because not only did I like piazzas, as somehow combining the coziness of in-doors with the freedom of out-doors, and it is so pleasant to inspect your thermometer there, but the country round about was such a picture, that in berry time no boy climbs hill or crosses vale without coming upon easels planted in every nook, and sun-burnt painters painting there. A very paradise of painters. The circle of the stars cut by the circle of the mountains. At least, so looks it from the house; though, once upon the mountains, no circle of them can you see. Had the site been chosen five rods off, this charmed ring would not have been. The house is old. Seventy years since, from the heart of the Hearth Stone Hills, they quarried the Kaaba, or Holy Stone, to which, each Thanksgiving, the social pilgrims used to come. So long ago, that, in digging for the foundation, the workmen used both spade and axe, fighting the Troglodytes of those subterranean parts-sturdy roots of a sturdy wood, encamped upon what is now a long land-slide of sleeping meadow, sloping away off from my poppy-bed. Of that knit wood, but one survivor stands-an elm, lonely through steadfastness.