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Leadbelly, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton-we are all familiar with the story of the Delta blues. Fierce, raw voices; tormented drifters; deals with the devil at the crossroads at midnight.
In this extraordinary reconstruction of the origins of the Delta blues, historian Marybeth Hamilton demonstrates that the story as we know it is largely a myth. The idea of something called Delta blues only emerged in the mid-twentieth century, the culmination of a longstanding white fascination with the exotic mysteries of black music.
Hamilton shows that the Delta blues was effectively invented by white pilgrims, seekers, and propagandists who headed deep into America’s south in search of an authentic black voice of rage and redemption. In their quest, and in the immense popularity of the music they championed, we confront America’s ongoing love affair with racial difference.
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IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE HEAT . . .
Callie Hayes is the hardworking manager of the Blue Flame, Arizona’s most remote, relaxing guest ranch. She’s given everything to the ranch, body, heart, and soul-three things that go haywire when her sexy employer suddenly shows up. Their intense, stormy past has taught Callie to never mix business with pleasure. But something about Jake is different now . . .
San Diego firefighter Jake Rawlings knows the ranch he inherited from his father is safe in Callie’s capable hands. After being injured in a high-profile rescue, Jake decides to recover in solitude at the Blue Flame. He may have left the fires behind, but he hasn’t escaped the heat; Callie is just as hot and irresistible as he remembers. Now coming home doesn’t seem like the best idea-as the sparks between Jake and Callie threaten to burn out of control . . .
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly, a short story featuring LAPD Detective Harry Bosch and FBI agent Rachel Walling.
Two women have gone missing, and LAPD Detective Harry Bosch has a strong suspicion that an avid fisherman named Denninger is the culprit. Bosch needs something stronger than a suspicion to bring Denninger in, but all he has are a handful of photos — prior mug shots and pictures of Denninger posing with his prize fish. It’s not much to go on, and Bosch is running out of time, which is why he calls in FBI agent Rachel Walling. What she sees in these photos could blow his case wide open.
“Blue on Black” by Michael Connelly is one of 20 short stories within Mulholland Books’s Strand Originals series, featuring thrilling stories by the biggest names in mystery from the Strand Magazine archives. View the full series list at mulhollandbooks.com and listen to them all!
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Experience the inspiration and joy of creation and performance in Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life , an intimate portrait of a unique artist and his audience. Set in the studio, on the stage, and in great cities and small towns across the country, this book captures life on the road for Marsalis and his musicians, evoking its ritual and renewal, energy and spirituality. Describing the art of improvisation, the book’s two voices mirror the interplay at the heart of jazz. “On the road and on the bandstand,” Marsalis writes, “something great may happen at any moment, something that might even change your life.” Alternately luminous and boisterous, often poignant, and always passionate, Marsalis and Vigeland’s extraordinary dialogue is a must for fans, musicians, and anyone curious about America’s only indigenous art form.
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Collected here for the first time is every piece of short fiction from New York Times Bestseller Mira Grant's acclaimed Newsflesh series, with two new never-before published novellas and all eight short works available for the first time in print.
We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, a man-made virus taking over bodies and minds, filling them with one, unstoppable command. . . FEED.
Mira Grant creates a chilling portrait of an America paralyzed with fear. No one leaves their houses and entire swaths of the country have been abandoned. And only the brave, the determined, or the very stupid, venture out into the wild.
Contents:
Countdown
Everglades
Sand Diego 2014
How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea
The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell
Please Do Not Taunt the Octopus
All the Pretty Little Horses
Coming to You Live
More from Mira Grant:
Newsflesh
Feed
Deadline
Blackout
Feedback
Rise
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A vibrant, family-friendly guide to the unexpected nature found in and around Miami.
Miami may be a bustling city with a vibrant nightlife, but its wildlife is just as wild, if you know where to look. Wild Miami reveals the amazing ecology of this tropical metropolis. Equal parts natural history, field guide, and trip planner, Wild Miami has something for everyone. This handy yet extensive guide looks at the factors that shape local nature and profiles over 100 local species, from beautiful flowers and towering palm trees to manatees and green treefrogs, spotted sunfish, and great blue heron. Also included are descriptions of day trips that help you explore natural wonders on hiking trails and beaches, in public parks, and in your own backyard.
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ONE MORE KISS . . .
Betty Lindholm doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The banner advertising the new shipment of satin at her fabric store finally arrived and now the entire town of White Pine is up in arms. How was she supposed to know there’d be a typo? Now the entire town thinks she’s proclaiming “Satan is here!” Even the gorgeous pastor with his steel-grey eyes and sexy smile . . .
. . . IS NEVER ENOUGH
Pastor Randall Sondheim is always on the lookout for excuses to drop by Betty’s shop and gaze into her lovely blue eyes. The latest is her crazy sign-could that be a sign of something more? Sweet Betty brings out the best in him but it’s the worst in him, his dark secret tragedy, that worries Randall. Can this man of God conquer his own demons to win a match made in heaven?
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A breathtaking novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the This Man trilogy.
ONE NIGHT WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH . . .
Livy notices him the moment he walks into the coffee shop. He's heart-stoppingly stunning, with a blue-eyed gaze so piercing she's almost too distracted to take his order. When he walks out the door, she thinks she'll never see him again. Then she finds the note he left on his napkin . . . signed M.
All he wants is one night to worship her. No feelings, no commitment, nothing but pleasure. Every defense mechanism Livy has adopted during her solitary life is at risk of being obliterated by this confounding man. He's obnoxious but well-mannered. He's a gentleman but aloof. He's passionate but emotionless. Yet the fascination is so powerful, Livy can't deny him . . . or herself.
M awakens something in Livy, something deep and addictive that she never knew existed-and that she fears only he can satisfy. But she senses that behind the fast cars, fancy suits, and posh apartment, he's aching inside. To have him, body and soul, she'll have to brave his dark secrets. Delving into his world and breaking down his defenses become her obsession-an obsession that could shatter her heart beyond repair . .
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An "important" (New York Times Book Review), "extraordinary" (Booklist, starred review) novel of conviction, friendship, and betrayal, from Monica Hesse, the bestselling and award-winning author of Girl in the Blue Coat
"A must-read for fans of historical fiction." –Ruta Sepetys, #1 New York Times bestselling author
It's 1944, and World War II is raging across Europe and the Pacific. The war seemed far away from Margot in Iowa and Haruko in Colorado–until they were uprooted to dusty Texas, all because of the places their parents once called home: Germany and Japan.
Haruko and Margot meet at the high school in Crystal City, a "family internment camp" for those accused of colluding with the enemy. The teens discover that they are polar opposites in so many ways, except for one that seems to override all the others: the camp is changing them, day by day and piece by piece. Haruko finds herself consumed by fear for her soldier brother and distrust of her father, who she knows is keeping something from her. And Margot is doing everything she can to keep her family whole as her mother's health deteriorates and her rational, patriotic father becomes a man who distrusts America and fraternizes with Nazis.
With everything around them falling apart, Margot and Haruko find solace in their growing, secret friendship. But in a prison the government has deemed full of spies, can they trust anyone–even each other?
*Don't miss Monica Hesse's New York Times bestselling historical mysteries, Girl in the Blue Coat and They Went Left*
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Griffins lounged all around them, inscrutable as cats, brazen as summer. They turned their heads to look at Kes out of fierce, inhuman eyes. Their feathers, ruffled by the wind that came down the mountain, looked like they had been poured out of light; their lion haunches like they had been fashioned out of gold. A white griffin, close at hand, looked like it had been made of alabaster and white marble and then lit from within by white fire. Its eyes were the pitiless blue-white of the desert sky.
Little ever happens in the quiet villages of peaceful Feierabiand. The course of Kes’ life seems set: she’ll grow up to be an herb-woman and healer for the village of Minas Ford, never quite fitting in but always more or less accepted. And she’s content with that path — or she thinks she is. Until the day the griffins come down from the mountains, bringing with them the fiery wind of their desert and a desperate need for a healer. But what the griffins need is a healer who is not quite human . . . or a healer who can be made into something not quite human.
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Gems from the life of one of the most influential figures in American music!
Pete Seeger: The Storm King audio collection presents Pete Seeger’s spoken words as he captivatingly recounts his most engaging stories, narratives, and poems-set to new music created by nearly 50 musicians from traditions as diverse as African Music, Blues, Bluegrass, Classical Guitar, Folk, Jazz, and Native American Music, Pete’s wisdom and stories out to new audiences and into a new technological age.
Each piece is unique in sound and emotion and also in how it came together. Jeff Haynes, world-renowned percussionist and producer, has worked closely with Pete to create something spectacular — weaving Pete’s words to the music of artists from around the world who would not otherwise have shared a stage with Pete but who have been deeply influenced by him.
The result is astounding.
“It brings out things in my words that I never knew before.” — Pete Seeger
“Pete’s still finding the hope and planting the seeds . . . and keeping us invigorated in our own best intentions.” — Dar Williams