Books with author Mary K. Porter

Here he is, husband and father, scruffy romantic, a shambolic scholar--a man adrift in the wake of his wife's sudden, accidental death. And there are his two sons who like him struggle in their London apartment to face the unbearable sadness that has engulfed them. The father imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness, while the boys wander, savage and unsupervised.In this moment of violent despair they are visited by Crow--antagonist, trickster, goad, protector, therapist, and babysitter. This self-described "sentimental bird," at once wild and tender, who "finds humans dull except in grief," threatens to stay with the wounded family until they no longer need him. As weeks turn to months and the pain of loss lessens with the balm of memories, Crow's efforts are rewarded and the little unit of three begins to recover: Dad resumes his book about the poet Ted Hughes; the boys get on with it, grow up.Part novella, part polyphonic fable, part essay on grief, Max Porter's extraordinary debut combines compassion and bravura style to dazzling effect. Full of angular wit and profound truths, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers is a startlingly original and haunting debut by a significant new talent.

a novella Book 1 of 5Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is the fairest prince of all?The evil queen’s stepdaughter is alright, but everyone knows Prince Guy has the best looks in all the kingdoms. At least, Guy knows it. He also knows he has more important things than a sorceress on his tail to care about… er, or not care about.Princess Gabriella has no choice but to kidnap Guy and drag him off to a chateau full of dwarves. It’s the only place he’ll be safe. Even if he doesn’t care whether he lives or dies, she does. After all, he’s her true love. Depressed or not, they have to stick this out together.When the evil sorceress manages to find them, Gabriella knows better than to fall for something as obvious as poison apples. But, Guy still doesn’t care about anything. She has to do something to snap him out of it. If he doesn’t face the queen, their kingdoms could fall.And after all, a legitimate curse is more potent than depression. Isn’t it?

In a London flat, two young boys face the unbearable sadness of their mother's sudden death. Their father, a Ted Hughes scholar and scruffy romantic, imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness.In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow - antagonist, trickster, healer, babysitter. This self-described sentimental bird is attracted to the grieving family and threatens to stay until they no longer need him. As weeks turn to months and physical pain of loss gives way to memories, this little unit of three begin to heal.In this extraordinary debut - part novella, part polyphonic fable, part essay on grief, Max Porter's compassion and bravura style combine to dazzling effect. Full of unexpected humour and profound emotional truth, Grief is the Thing with Feathers marks the arrival of a thrilling new talent.

What if Beauty was also the Beast? Princess Cailyn already has everything she could possibly want. Everything, that is, except romance. When the old man seeking shelter at her castle turns out to be Jadon, the young and whimsically charming enchanter, Cailyn should be thrilled. There's just one problem: Jadon thinks it's his job to 'rescue' her. Jadon has met his true love at last, and it's supposed to be all downhill from here. But between an evil sorcerer, Cailyn's mood swings, and the spells he must complete on the castle, he quickly finds himself in over his head. For the first time ever, Jadon may not be able to save everyone he cares about. See, true love and the enchanted rose are supposed to protect Cailyn, but they could also be her undoing. And if they are, it will be all Jadon's fault.

What if Cinderella didn’t care about the shoes?Princess Dianne only wants to be left alone with her cats, but then an obnoxious enchanter named Jadon intrudes. Attending his honorary ball and socializing is the last thing she wants to do. When a mysterious stranger seeks Dianne out on the dance floor, a mostly pleasant distraction turns into a dangerous adventure that holds the answers her family has been searching for.Salvador goes to the ball to ask Jadon to join a rescue mission, but meeting Dianne is an unexpected perk. Their promise to help him may be short-lived once they discover the truth about who he's working for. When Jadon and the princess push for answers he can’t give, Salvador unwittingly flirts with Dianne and disaster at the same time. And as it turns out, not even Jadon can save everyone.Does an oversensitive princess stand a chance at evening the odds when the clock is nearing midnight?

What if Beauty was also the Beast?Princess Cailyn already has everything she could possibly want. Everything, that is, except romance. When the old man seeking shelter at her castle turns out to be Jadon, the young and whimsically charming enchanter, Cailyn should be thrilled. There's just one problem: Jadon thinks it's his job to 'rescue' her. Jadon has met his true love at last, and it's supposed to be all downhill from here. But between an evil sorcerer, Cailyn's mood swings, and the spells he must complete on the castle, he quickly finds himself in over his head. For the first time ever, Jadon may not be able to save everyone he cares about.See, true love and the enchanted rose are supposed to protect Cailyn, but they could also be her undoing. And if they are, it will be all Jadon's fault.

a novella Book 1 of 5 Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is the fairest prince of all? The evil queen’s stepdaughter is alright, but everyone knows Prince Guy has the best looks in all the kingdoms. At least, Guy knows it. He also knows he has more important things than a sorceress on his tail to care about… er, or not care about. Princess Gabriella has no choice but to kidnap Guy and drag him off to a chateau full of dwarves. It’s the only place he’ll be safe. Even if he doesn’t care whether he lives or dies, she does. After all, he’s her true love. Depressed or not, they have to stick this out together. When the evil sorceress manages to find them, Gabriella knows better than to fall for something as obvious as poison apples. But, Guy still doesn’t care about anything. She has to do something to snap him out of it. If he doesn’t face the queen, their kingdoms could fall. And after all, a legitimate curse is more potent than depression. Isn’t it?

What if Cinderella didn’t care about the shoes? Princess Dianne only wants to be left alone with her cats, but then an obnoxious enchanter named Jadon intrudes. Attending his honorary ball and socializing is the last thing she wants to do. When a mysterious stranger seeks Dianne out on the dance floor, a mostly pleasant distraction turns into a dangerous adventure that holds the answers her family has been searching for. Salvador goes to the ball to ask Jadon to join a rescue mission, but meeting Dianne is an unexpected perk. Their promise to help him may be short-lived once they discover the truth about who he's working for. When Jadon and the princess push for answers he can’t give, Salvador unwittingly flirts with Dianne and disaster at the same time. And as it turns out, not even Jadon can save everyone. Does an oversensitive princess stand a chance at evening the odds when the clock is nearing midnight?

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