Editorial Content for The Cardinals Way: How One Team Embraced Tradition and Moneyball at the Same Time
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
(Full disclosure: I’ve known Howard Megdal for several years, and I consider him a friend.) Read More
Teaser
Despite years of phenomenal achievements, including going to the World Series in 2004 and again in 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals reinvented themselves using the "Cardinal Way," a term that has come to represent many things to fans, media and other organizations --- from an ironclad code of conduct to the team's cutting-edge use of statistics and analytics, and a farm system that has transformed baseball. Howard Megdal takes fans behind the scenes and off the field, revealing how the players are assessed and groomed using an unrivaled player development system that has created a franchise that is the envy of the baseball world.
Promo
Despite years of phenomenal achievements, including going to the World Series in 2004 and again in 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals reinvented themselves using the "Cardinal Way," a term that has come to represent many things to fans, media and other organizations --- from an ironclad code of conduct to the team's cutting-edge use of statistics and analytics, and a farm system that has transformed baseball. Howard Megdal takes fans behind the scenes and off the field, revealing how the players are assessed and groomed using an unrivaled player development system that has created a franchise that is the envy of the baseball world.
About the Book
The St. Louis Cardinals have experienced the kind of success that is rare in baseball. Regarded by many as the premier organization in Major League Baseball, they not only win, but do so with an apparently bottomless pool of talent, one that is mostly homegrown.
Despite years of phenomenal achievements, including going to the World Series in 2004 and again in 2006, the Cardinals reinvented themselves using the "Cardinal Way," a term that has come to represent many things to fans, media and other organizations, from an ironclad code of conduct to the team's cutting-edge use of statistics and analytics, and a farm system that has transformed baseball.
Baseball journalist Howard Megdal takes fans behind the scenes and off the field, interviewing dozens of key players within the Cardinals organization, including owner Bill DeWitt and the general manager John Mozeliak. Megdal reveals how the players are assessed and groomed using an unrivaled player development system that has created a franchise that is the envy of the baseball world.
In the spirit of MONEYBALL, THE CARDINALS WAY tells an in-depth, fascinating story about a consistently good franchise, the business of sports in the 21st century and a team that has learned how to level the playing field, turning in season after successful season.
Editorial Content for We Love You, Charlie Freeman
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
With WE LOVE YOU, CHARLIE FREEMAN, Kaitlyn Greenidge has created one of the most prescient and powerful works of historical fiction to be crafted this decade. One African American family is hired by a prominent research facility with a sick and familiar past to endeavor to teach a chimpanzee fluent sign language. Multigenerational, with perspectives woven tightly to craft an encompassing narrative that reveals exactly as much as it intends, the book is an undeniable masterpiece. Read More
Teaser
The Freeman family has been invited to the Toneybee Institute to participate in a research experiment. They will live in an apartment on campus with Charlie, a young chimp abandoned by his mother. The Freemans were selected for the experiment because they know sign language; they are supposed to teach it to Charlie and welcome him as a member of their family. Isolated in their new, nearly all-white community not just by their race but by their strange living situation, the Freemans come undone. And when daughter Charlotte discovers the truth about the Institute’s history of questionable studies, the secrets of the past begin to invade the present.
Promo
The Freeman family has been invited to the Toneybee Institute to participate in a research experiment. They will live in an apartment on campus with Charlie, a young chimp abandoned by his mother. The Freemans were selected for the experiment because they know sign language; they are supposed to teach it to Charlie and welcome him as a member of their family. Isolated in their new, nearly all-white community not just by their race but by their strange living situation, the Freemans come undone. And when daughter Charlotte discovers the truth about the Institute’s history of questionable studies, the secrets of the past begin to invade the present.
About the Book
The Freeman family --- Charles, Laurel, and their daughters, teenage Charlotte and nine-year-old Callie --- have been invited to the Toneybee Institute in rural Massachusetts to participate in a research experiment. They will live in an apartment on campus with Charlie, a young chimp abandoned by his mother. The Freemans were selected for the experiment because they know sign language; they are supposed to teach it to Charlie and welcome him as a member of their family.
Isolated in their new, nearly all-white community not just by their race but by their strange living situation, the Freemans come undone. And when Charlotte discovers the truth about the Institute’s history of questionable studies, the secrets of the past begin to invade the present.
The power of this novel resides in Kaitlyn Greenidge’s undeniable storytelling talents. What appears to be a story of mothers and daughters, of sisterhood put to the test, of adolescent love and grown-up misconduct, and of history’s long reach, becomes a provocative and compelling exploration of America’s failure to find a language to talk about race.
Audiobook available, narrated by Cherise Boothe, Karole Foreman and Myra Lucretia Taylor
Editorial Content for Spill Simmer Falter Wither
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Ray describes himself as a giant, lumbering man who is not able to do things, has no knack for destruction, and stoops, weighted down by his own lump of fear. He has always lived in his father’s house in a small Irish town by the sea. One Tuesday (his normal day for going into town), he sees a notice for a dog that’s available at the local shelter. Ray has never had a dog before, but he adopts this scarred, snarling animal, despite the discouraging remarks of the kennel keeper. Read More
Teaser
It is springtime, and two outcasts --- a man ignored, even shunned by his village, and the one-eyed dog he takes into his quiet, tightly shuttered life --- find each other, by accident or fate, and forge an unlikely connection. As their friendship grows, their small, seaside town suddenly takes note of them, falsely perceiving menace where there is only mishap; the unlikely duo must take to the road.
Promo
It is springtime, and two outcasts --- a man ignored, even shunned by his village, and the one-eyed dog he takes into his quiet, tightly shuttered life --- find each other, by accident or fate, and forge an unlikely connection. As their friendship grows, their small, seaside town suddenly takes note of them, falsely perceiving menace where there is only mishap; the unlikely duo must take to the road.
About the Book
It is springtime, and two outcasts --- a man ignored, even shunned by his village, and the one-eyed dog he takes into his quiet, tightly shuttered life --- find each other, by accident or fate, and forge an unlikely connection. As their friendship grows, their small, seaside town falsely perceives menace where there is only mishap --- and the duo must take to the road.
Gorgeously written in poetic and mesmerizing prose, SPILL SIMMER FALTER WITHER is one of those rare stories that utterly and completely imagines its way into a life most of us would never see. It transforms us in our understanding not only of the world, but also of ourselves.
Audiobook available, narrated by John Keating
Editorial Content for The Two-Family House
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Families can be great sources of strength and support, but they can also create a firestorm of controversy that rocks the foundation of its members’ world. Lynda Cohen Loigman has decided to tackle the ways that families grow together and apart, and why, in her thoughtful and provocative debut novel, THE TWO-FAMILY HOUSE. Read More
Teaser
Brooklyn, 1947: In the midst of a blizzard, in a two-family brownstone, two babies are born minutes apart to two women. They are sisters by marriage with an impenetrable bond forged before and during that dramatic night. But as the years progress, small cracks start to appear, and their once-deep friendship begins to unravel. No one knows why, and no one can stop it. One misguided choice; one moment of tragedy. Heartbreak wars with happiness and almost --- but not quite --- wins.
Promo
Brooklyn, 1947: In the midst of a blizzard, in a two-family brownstone, two babies are born minutes apart to two women. They are sisters by marriage with an impenetrable bond forged before and during that dramatic night. But as the years progress, small cracks start to appear, and their once-deep friendship begins to unravel. No one knows why, and no one can stop it. One misguided choice; one moment of tragedy. Heartbreak wars with happiness and almost --- but not quite --- wins.
About the Book
Brooklyn, 1947: In the midst of a blizzard, in a two-family brownstone, two babies are born, minutes apart. The mothers are sisters by marriage: dutiful, quiet Rose, who wants nothing more than to please her difficult husband; and warm, generous Helen, the exhausted mother of four rambunctious boys who seem to need her less and less each day. Raising their families side by side, supporting one another, Rose and Helen share an impenetrable bond forged before and during that dramatic winter night.
When the storm passes, life seems to return to normal; but as the years progress, small cracks start to appear and the once deep friendship between the two women begins to unravel. No one knows why, and no one can stop it. One misguided choice; one moment of tragedy. Heartbreak wars with happiness and almost, but not quite, wins. Moving and evocative, Lynda Cohen Loigman's debut novel THE TWO-FAMILY HOUSE is a heart-wrenching, gripping multigenerational story, woven around the deepest of secrets.
Audiobook available, narrated by Barrie Kreinik
Editorial Content for Version Control
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Rebecca Wright is trying to get her life under control. She and her husband, Philip, suffered a great tragedy a few years ago. Philip has his job at the lab to occupy his time and mind, while Rebecca works remotely from home on the internet dating site where she met him. But things are out of whack for her; everything seems just a bit off.
"I’m a fan of science fiction, and I also enjoy stories about time travel. This one, though, is different from any other books on the subject."
Teaser
Rebecca Wright has found her way out of grief and depression following a personal tragedy years ago. She spends her days working in customer support for the Internet dating site where she first met her husband. However, she has a persistent, strange sense that everything around her is somewhat off-kilter. Her husband Philip's decade-long dedication to the causality violation device (which he would greatly prefer you do not call a "time machine") has effectively stalled his career and made him a laughingstock in the physics community. But he may be closer to success than either of them knows or imagines.
Promo
Rebecca Wright has found her way out of grief and depression following a personal tragedy years ago. She spends her days working in customer support for the Internet dating site where she first met her husband. However, she has a persistent, strange sense that everything around her is somewhat off-kilter. Her husband Philip's decade-long dedication to the causality violation device (which he would greatly prefer you do not call a "time machine") has effectively stalled his career and made him a laughingstock in the physics community. But he may be closer to success than either of them knows or imagines.
About the Book
Although Rebecca Wright has pieced her life back together after a major tragedy, she can’t shake a sense that the world around her feels off-kilter. Meanwhile, her husband’s dedication to his invention, “the causality violation device” (which he would greatly prefer you not call a time machine) has effectively stalled his career --- but he may be closer to success than either of them can possibly imagine. Emotionally powerful and wickedly intelligent, VERSION CONTROL is a stunningly prescient novel about the effects of science and technology on our lives, our friendships and our sense of self that will alter the way you see the future --- and the present.
Audiobook available, narrated by January LaVoy
Editorial Content for Peacekeeping
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Mischa Berlinski’s second novel, PEACEKEEPING, opens with an explanation of the Reid technique of interrogation. Terry White, an American who lost money in the 2007-2008 financial crisis, has come to Haiti as a United Nations trainer and is a model interrogator, working the suspect Antwan with a combination of scientific labels, choices between the lesser of two evils, and common sense. He waits for Antwan’s confession and --- in a great moment of intimacy between the two men --- the second, honest justification for the crime. Sometimes simply boredom, sometimes desperate need. Read More
Teaser
When Terry White, a former deputy sheriff and a failed politician, goes broke in the 2007–2008 financial crisis, he takes a job working for the UN, helping to train the Haitian police. He is sent to the remote town of Jérémie, where he is swept up in their complex politics when he befriends an earnest, reforming American-educated judge. Soon he convinces the judge to oppose the corrupt but charismatic Sénateur Maxim Bayard in an upcoming election. But when Terry falls in love with the judge’s wife, the electoral drama threatens to become a disaster.
Promo
When Terry White, a former deputy sheriff and a failed politician, goes broke in the 2007–2008 financial crisis, he takes a job working for the UN, helping to train the Haitian police. He is sent to the remote town of Jérémie, where he is swept up in their complex politics when he befriends an earnest, reforming American-educated judge. Soon he convinces the judge to oppose the corrupt but charismatic Sénateur Maxim Bayard in an upcoming election. But when Terry falls in love with the judge’s wife, the electoral drama threatens to become a disaster.
About the Book
When Terry White, a former deputy sheriff and a failed politician, goes broke during the Great Recession, he takes a job training the Haitian police for the United Nations. He’s sent to the remote town of Jérémie, where there are more coffin makers than restaurants, more donkeys than cars, and the dirt roads all slope down sooner or later to the postcard sea. Terry is swept up in the town’s complex politics when he befriends an earnest, reforming American-educated judge. But when Terry falls in love with the judge's wife, the electoral drama threatens to become a disaster.
Edgy, daring, tightly plotted and surprisingly funny, PEACEKEEPING confirms Berlinski's far-reaching gifts as a novelist. Like FIELDWORK, it explores a part of the world that is as fascinating as it is misunderstood --- and takes us into the depths of the human soul, where the thirst for power and the need for love can overrun judgment and morality.
Audiobook available, narrated by Ben Williams
Editorial Content for Son of the Morning: A Novel of the Hundred Years War
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
For his latest novel --- and first venture into historical fantasy --- British journalist Mark Barrowcliffe has assumed the moniker of Mark Alder. His SON OF THE MORNING tells the story of the Hundred Years War between the kings of England and France from a plethora of points of view, but with an intriguing twist: angels and devils exist and can take sides in the conflict. In this first volume of a trilogy, Alder manages to reinvent the historical wheel, yet adds unnecessary secondary and tertiary characters to create an ultimately weighty story redeemed by its fascinating mythology. Read More
Teaser
England, 1337: Edward III is beset on all sides, plagued by debt and surrounded by doubters. He refuses to pay homage to the newly crowned Philip Valois of France and seeks to secure his French holdings, but he is outmanned. Philip can put 50,000 men in the field, but he is having his own problems: he has summoned the angels themselves to fight for France, but the angels refuse to fight. Both kings send priests far and wide, seeking holy relics and heavenly beings to take up the cause of their country, but God remains stubbornly silent, refusing to grant favor to either side.
Promo
England, 1337: Edward III is beset on all sides, plagued by debt and surrounded by doubters. He refuses to pay homage to the newly crowned Philip Valois of France and seeks to secure his French holdings, but he is outmanned. Philip can put 50,000 men in the field, but he is having his own problems: he has summoned the angels themselves to fight for France, but the angels refuse to fight. Both kings send priests far and wide, seeking holy relics and heavenly beings to take up the cause of their country, but God remains stubbornly silent, refusing to grant favor to either side.
About the Book
In an epic novel that reimagines the Hundred Years War --- in a world where angels and demons choose sides on the battlefield --- England and France find themselves locked in a holy war, but which country has God's favor?
England, 1337: Edward III is beset on all sides, plagued by debt and surrounded by doubters. He refuses to pay homage to the newly crowned Philip Valois of France and seeks to secure his French holdings, but he's outmanned. Philip can put 50,000 men in the field, but he is having his own problems: he has summoned the angels themselves to fight for France, but the angels refuse to fight. Both kings send priests far and wide, seeking holy relics and heavenly beings to take up the cause of their country, but God remains stubbornly silent, refusing to grant favor to either side.
Meanwhile, among the poor and downtrodden, heretical whispers are taking hold: what if God --- who has never been seen to do anything for them --- is not the rightful leader of the heavens after all? And as Edward’s situation becomes increasingly desperate, even his counselors begin to believe that if God won’t listen, perhaps they can find a savior not from Heaven, but from Hell.
In a sweeping tale packed with courtiers and kings, knights and priests, and devils and angels, Mark Alder breathes fresh and imaginative life into the Hundred Years War in this unique historical epic.
