Full of unforgettable figures and an unrelenting spirit of adventure, Strange Stones is a far-ranging, thought-provoking collection of Peter Hessler’s best reportage—a dazzling display of the powerful storytelling, shrewd cultural insight, and warm sense of humor that are the trademarks of his work. Over the last decade, as a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of three books, Peter Hessler has lived in Asia and the United States, writing as both native and knowledgeable outsider in these two very different regions. This unusual perspective distinguishes Strange Stones, which showcases Hessler’s unmatched range as a storyteller. “Wild Flavor” invites readers along on a taste test between two rat restaurants in South China. One story profiles Yao Ming, basketball star and China’s most beloved export, another David Spindler, an obsessive and passionate historian of the Great Wall. In “Dr. Don,” Hessler writes movingly about a small-town pharmacist and his relationship with the people he serves. While Hessler’s subjects and locations vary, subtle but deeply important thematic links bind these pieces—the strength of local traditions, the surprising overlap between apparently opposing cultures, and the powerful lessons drawn from individuals who straddle different worlds.

Lisuland. J.O. Fraser and Isobel Kuhn told us of it, but what is it like now, 100 years later? Did the Lisu church survive? This amazing, true story will transport you to 21st century Lisuland, and move you to pray for it's revival! While working among the Buyi [Bouyei] people, in southern China, we read J.O. Fraser's story, "Behind the Ranges." We were astounded at the similarities between his situation and struggles in Lisuland, a century ago, and our life in "Buyiland," so we bought copies of the book to send to praying friends. We never dreamed that God would soon move us to Lisuland, and keep us there for ten years! About the author: Christie Taylor was raised in a small town in northern Canada. While studying nursing in Edmonton she met and, eventually, married David Lietz. They moved to China and have worked and raised a family there, mostly in remote locations where foreigners are rarely seen, sharing a life that neither of them could have imagined. {from the back cover} "One morning after breakfast, the kids came running in and said, "Mom, there's a crazy lady out there!" They were right, there was. She was young -- maybe in her early twenties -- and quite pretty, except for her matted hair and filthy face and clothes. She was perched on a couple of cinder blocks, watching the children with evident interest, interspersed with loud, perturbed streams of gibberish aimed at an invisible audience. What might she do? Was it safe to let the kids play out there? ....." This is a true story, and the realities of life in the developing world (especially regarding childbirth) are perhaps inappropriate for younger children, therefore the age rating for this book is set to 14. Parents are aware of the maturity level of their own children, and, at their own discretion, may allow younger children to read this, or read it to them. After all, even the Bible has scenes and situations which are inappropriate for younger children.

In this collection of urban fantasy stories, editors George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois explore the places where mystery waits at the end of every alley and where the things that go bump in the night have something to fear... In “Death by Dahlia,” #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris takes vampire Dahlia Lynley-Chivers to a lavish party that turns deadly. And with so many creatures of the night in attendance, Dahlia will have a hard time identifying the most likely suspect! #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs thrills in “In Red, with Pearls,” as a werewolf PI races to crack a case involving zombies, witches, and the most horrifying creatures of them all—lawyers. In “Lord John and the Plague of Zombies,” New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon follows Lord John as he journeys to the beautiful but faintly sinister island paradise of Jamaica, where he’s soon investigating a mystery with no shortage of spiders, snakes, revolutionaries, and, of course, zombies. With these and thirteen more original tales, Down These Strange Streets takes you to the cities where fantasy and mystery collide and where private eyes who have seen it all find something lurking that is stranger still...

Since the creation of the hit Broadway musical Beatlemania tribute bands have become an indelible part of the musical landscape, playing local bars, biker rallies, banquet halls, town fairs, and, occasionally, even stadiums. In an age when famous rock groups charge $100 or more for a concert ticket, their tribute band imitators offer an accessible, intimate, and surprisingly authentic outlet for fans. The Grateful Dead have Dark Star Orchestra; Led Zeppelin Zoso, Hammer of the Gods, and the all-girl Lez Zeppelin; Van Halen have twenty-five tribute bands, including Hot for Teacher and Van Heineken; and KISS have not one but two tribute bands peopled by dwarves--Mini Kiss and Tiny Kiss. In this droll and entertaining expedition to the heart of tribute world, Steven Kurutz chronicles the ups and downs of one of the oldest and best-established acts, Sticky Fingers, who bill themselves as the leading international Rolling Stones tribute show. The narrative follows Sticky Fingers as they shadow the real Rolling Stones 2005-06 tour like a remora trailing a shark. When the Stones perform at an arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sticky Fingers plays a preconcert bash at nearby Dixie's Tavern. More gigs follow: a trip to Las Vegas, bookings on the southern fraternity circuit, a spectacular sold-out stadium show in the Netherlands. The band's frontman, Glen Carroll, is a roguish and colorful Mick Jagger look-alike, and we see him onstage and off, navigating the peculiar life of a tribute performer. As Carroll says, I know what it's like to walk in Mick's shoes--with lift supports, mind you. The band's guitarist, meanwhile, is so committed to his role as Keith Richards, he's always in costume. Along the way, the writer travels with the members of Sticky Fingers' archrivals, the Blushing Brides; profiles a group of Deadheads who re-create entire, highly specific Grateful Dead concerts, and examines an occupational hazard one musician calls tributitis: identifying too closely with the rock star one portrays, with resulting swelling of the ego. As the book unfolds, what emerges is an honest and sympathetic portrait of the musicians as they juggle work and band obligations and come to terms with middle age and their fading dreams of rock stardom. Like a Rolling Stone is a superbly reported, affectionately told, hilarious account of life at the lower altitudes of the music industry. In its own sly way, it is also a critique of the Rolling Stones' stadium juggernaut and the baby boomer nostalgia pervading modern culture. Above all, it is a testament to the timeless appeal of rock and roll, even in a culture of perpetual rewind.

Articles, interviews and photographs published in Rolling Stone. Authors, artists, and subjects included are Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson, Richard Avedon, Annie Leibovitz, Ralph Steadman, The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Pete Townshend, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Woodstock, Kent State, Vietnam, Patty Hearst, Charles Manson, Karen Silkwood, and John Lennon.

I want to be direct, my name is Greg. I go by “Onision” online. This book is made up of events that occurred in my own life mixed with fiction from the made up life of James. James is essentially a better version of myself. His home, his school & his life all resemble my own at his age. The people James analyzes and is surrounded by are not so unlike those I’ve known as well. I have experienced much of the loss James has however his happier moments are more often than not also mine. I want to share my story without it being purely non-fiction. I simply felt this approach would make for a far better book. Stones to Abbigale is not just my book, it is a piece of who I am.