the good life prevents her from realizing that secrets and mysteries come with the package. Ava's love for Paul convinces her to ignore warning signs that he is not who he professes to be. Whenever she is close to making a discovery, Paul is there with a new piece of jewelry, giving her an excuse to hold tight to the fantasy. But one man's attempt to break the strong-willed and determined Ava fails. Not willing to sell herself short, she chooses the best of two very different worlds: reformed thug and college student Carlos Matthews and third-year law student Vaughn Simmons. Finding true romance is no easy task for Ava, but her poor choices may cause her to sacrifice the love she's always wanted .  (less)

the good life prevents her from realizing that secrets and mysteries come with the package. Ava's love for Paul convinces her to ignore warning signs that he is not who he professes to be. Whenever she is close to making a discovery, Paul is there with a new piece of jewelry, giving her an excuse to hold tight to the fantasy. But one man's attempt to break the strong-willed and determined Ava fails. Not willing to sell herself short, she chooses the best of two very different worlds: reformed thug and college student Carlos Matthews and third-year law student Vaughn Simmons. Finding true romance is no easy task for Ava, but her poor choices may cause her to sacrifice the love she's always wanted .  (less)

boyfriend, but, shh, don't tell the Thwarter, aka her dad, who's trying to keep her under permanent lockdown). Simple. Straightforward. But catastrophe is lurking. First Jas stumbles upon a schoolmate's lost purse. Then there's the jewelry store heist, the wrongly accused man, the clueless cops, the seven words that destroy her relationship, and . . . well, before she knows it, Jas has got a lot more than brunch on her plate. Now it's up to her and her mega-cool crew, Roxy, Polly, and Tom, to catch the thief. It won't be easy - not with Jas's cousin Alyson and her Evil Hench Twin Veronique tagging along for the ride and having to elude the Thwarter with his All-Seeing Eye. Oh, and her heart breaking into a million tiny pieces. Trying to right wrongs and have brunch with a hot guy shouldn't be this taxing, should it?  (less)

Fifth Avenue, not far from Madison Square.  (less)

Fifth Avenue, not far from Madison Square.  (less)

earthquake a while before, and now things were starting to crack and fall ... On the surface, everything seems wonderful in Jill's life. She has a lot of friends, a great family, and she's a shoo-in for treasurer in the eighth-grade student council elections. But when a local paper prints a story about her father's indictment in a jewelry-smuggling ring, Jill's perfect life starts to come apart at the seams. As she endures the whispers at school and her father's absence, Jill struggles to face the reality that he may not be the man she thought he was.  (less)

Yet between 1890 and the outbreak of World War II, as ready-to-wear came into its own, the clothes of ordinary Americans claimed the nation's attention. Allied with civic virtue, fashion now played an increasingly important role in shaping the national character.brbrDrawing on a wealth of sources -- from advertisements, trade journals, and health manuals to sermons, science, and songs -- acclaimed historian Jenna Weissman Joselit shows how the length of a woman's skirt, the shape of a man's hat, and the height of a pair of heels enabled Americans of every faith, color, and class to feel part of the modern nation. As moral arbiters warned that extravagant attire might undermine equality, and gentlemen worried that wearing colored shirts rered them less manly, the newly arrived and newly emancipated -- immigrants and African-Americans -- wondered just how much jewelry was appropriate to their new status as citizens. Engaging, imaginative, and original, A Perfect Fit uncovers a time in American history when getting dressed was more about fitting in than standing out and vividly shows how clothes expressed the spirit of democracy and the promise of America.br/divDIVbJenna Weissman Joselit/bis currently visiting professor of American studies at Princeton University and the author of numerous works of cultural history, includingiThe Wonders of America: Reinventing Jewish Culture 1880-1950/i(winner of the Jewish Book Award in History). Joselit has also curated and consulted on more than thirty exhibitions throughout the country. She lives in New York City.br/div  (less)

Quinn disappears from her Miami bedroom sometime after midnight. Her backpack, $160 stashed in her jewelry box, and her favorite clothes are also missing. The police conclude she ran away. Her wealthy father quickly posts a million-dollar reward for her safe return. But the beautiful teen has not been found.brbrThen Pulitzer Prize-winning true crime writer Lydia Strong gets an audio tape in the mail. Becoming a celebrity has made Lydia a magnet for requests from psychotics, prisoners, and the desperate families of murder victims. Cautiously she plays the tape and hears a girl calling herself Tatiana pleading for help. Now Lydia and her lover P.I. Jeffrey Mark, an ex-FBI agent, rush to Florida...and enter into a nightmare. Something seems fishy about the Quinn household. Something seems strange about the original investigation. And someone very powerful wants to kill the case. Simplest method? Make sure a nosy writer is good...and dead.br/divDIVOnce in a while, a mystery appears that has everything and more: gutsy, complicated characters, a rocket-paced story that hardly gives you time to catch your breath, and twists and turns you never see coming. This is that novel. It's flat-out terrific.br--Margaret Coel, author of The Shadow DancerbrbrTough but tender-a harrowing ride in the company of Lydia Strong, one of my favorite new characters, by one of my favorite new writers.br-Lee Child, author of Without FailbrbrAn exciting story enriched by a glamorous writer-heroine who carries a Glock and knows how to use it.-Booklistbr/divDIVOriginally from New York,bLisa Miscione/bworked in the book publishing industry for several years before moving to Clearwater, Flor?Ó333333ÿ¾Û€  (less)

is stunned by its exceptionally high cost. He knows that his pitiful salary will never be enough to afford such a luxury. Soon after, he and Ali are refused entry to an uptown jewelry store because of their scruffy appearances; his rage over this slight sets off a series of events. But Hussein will taste the luxurious like for one night before his deep feelings for his humiliation push him over he edge.  (less)

lose her friends or go through with something she knows is wrong?brbrbriMy Father's Ghost/ibrbrbrA glimpse of a stranger through a restaurant window is the start of an exciting adventure for 12-year-old Nicky Vozis. Who was this man who looked so much like his father? Nicky had to find out. And finding the answer becomes a real tale of mystery and suspense.  (less)

will leave the group with a devastating secret.; It's not the first 'man problem' these ladies have had to deal with. Mary Sue's husband left her for a trophy wife. Gretchen's spouse replaced her wtih his 25-year-old secretary. And Dixie's husband ran after a Sharon Stone look-alike. Pamela is still wed to an attorney who keeps her in jewelry and furs--but she's paying a dear price.; The four friends have always managed, clinging to the one constant in their lives: their friendship. But just as their lives--and loves--start taking a turn for the better, the dark secret from that terrible night returns to haunt them. Will it be the one thing that tears the girlfriends apart?  (less)

and overproduced. Electronic beeps and loops swirl through songs like a U2 record gone bad. Guitar solos squeal in overarching metal-band style, and front man Ed Kowalczyk's vocals are so overdramatically pained, you can almost feel the veins popping off his neck for the most mundane subject matter. Even the band's use of Eastern influences feels slapped on, as in the intro to the nu-metal disaster "Like a Soldier." The guest appearance by Tricky--a partnership that only Kowalczyk's appearance on the last Tricky album can match in oddity--feels like nothing but a gimmick. What started out as a college rock act has sadly become just another attempt at grandiose sound with invisible substance. --Jennifer Maerz  (less)