The Taming of the Shrew is perhaps one of Shakespeare's most controversial plays by modern standards. Hinging on the courtship between the arrogant Petruchio and the "shrew" of the title Katherina, it is unclear whether Shakespeare's blatantly misogynistic themes were in earnest or tongue in cheek. The charming and tender Bianca is forbidden to marry until her elder sister, Katherine is spoken for. Bianca's suitors enlist Petruchio to woo

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Millennia ago, Ginny's family ranch was all grass and rock and wild horses. A thousand years hence, it'll all be peacefully underwater. In the matter-of-fact here and now, though, it's a hotbed of lust and resentment, and about to turn ugly, because Ginny's just cheated on her husband Dan with the man who lives next door. Out on these prairies, word travels fast: everyone seems to know everyone's business. They know what Ginny did, and they know Ginny...

When Gage and Anna meet Lily, a pregnant, homeless teenager, it seems that fate has brought them together. Lily agrees to give the couple her baby in return for financial support, but something isn't right. Gage finds himself being sabotaged at home and work, and his attempts to uncover the truth only seem to make his life unravel faster.

"The inimitable--some might say incorrigible--Frank Widdicombe is suffering from a deep depression. Or so his wife, Carol, believes. But Carol is convinced that their new island home--Willowbrook Manor on the Puget Sound--is just the thing to cheer her husband up. And so begins a whirlwind summer as their house becomes the epicenter of multiple social dramas involving the family, their friends, and a host of new acquaintances"--Goodreads.com.

"Victoria is unhappily married to an ambitious and controlling lawyer consumed with his career. Burdened with overbearing in-laws, a boring dead-end job she can't seem to leave, and a best friend who doesn't seem to understand her, Victoria finds solace from the daily grind in her beloved books and the stories she makes up in her head. One day, in a favorite café, she notices an attractive man reading the same talked-about bestselling novel that...

In the fictional New England town of Starkfield, an unnamed narrator is forced to stay at the home of Ethan Frome during a winter storm. He relates his encounter with Frome, "the most striking figure in Starkfield, he was but the ruin of a man, with a careless powerful look - in spite of a lameness checking each step like the jerk of a chain". When the beautiful cousin of Frome's bitter wife comes to help with housekeeping, Frome's attraction to her...

Will returns to Dogwood intent on pursuing Karin, the only woman he has ever loved--only to find there is far more standing in his way than lost years in prison. The secrets of Will and Karin's past emerge through a young boy who wishes he hadn't survived the tragedy that knit those two together and then tore them apart.

Nathan Andrews, who at eight bought shoes for his dying mother (The Christmas Shoes) and as a medical student fell in love with a young heart patient (The Christmas Blessing), takes a backseat in Van Liere's latest Christmas confection. The focus this time is on Patti and Mark Addison. Patti is a devoted social worker, but she can't seem to feel anything for her handsome pilot husband (they sleep in separate bedrooms), and she can't understand why...

"Sutton and Ethan Montclair's idyllic life is not as it appears. They seem made for each other, but the truth is ugly. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her"--Dust jacket flap.

Muldoon’s Tea Rooms, beloved for the cozy atmosphere and luscious desserts, has started looking a bit outdated—and the same could be said about the proprietors, Penny and Daniel Stanley.After seventeen years, their marriage has started to fade and wear a little thin, even as their old shop bustles with the energy of the customers who seek refuge from their particular dilemmas: Housewife Sadie Smith comes to escape her diet and her husband’s...