Search results for ""Spark""

You now hold in your hands a book of great secrets, one that has been shut a long time. Within its pages are messages from magickal familiars, once the companions of shamans, witches, wizards, and wise ones-and now, they are here for you. These mystical allies possess the hidden knowledge of shapeshifting, camouflage, invisibility, and metamorphosis. They are ready to share their very honest, truly instinctual guidance for personal and planetary times of transition. These trustworthy companions will lend you their courage, point out new paths, help you make fresh discoveries, spark your creativity, inspire you with encouragement, and teach you to develop abilities to adapt and change not only for survival, but in order to thrive and find peace, joy, accomplishment, and satisfaction in a changing world. With a 176-page guidebook by Lucy Cavendish revealing the history, legends, lore, and magick of the shapeshifters-including practical spreads for accurate readings-and 45 colourful cards featuring stunning art by Jasmine Becket-Griffith, the Oracle of the Shapeshiftersis truly a unique and empowering deck.

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Playing with Matches is the ultimate collector’s edition by internationally best-selling poet, Michael Faudet. A beautiful hardcover gift book that has been personally curated by the author featuring a compilation of the best work from his five published books and thirty-five new pieces of poetry and prose for readers to discover. A wonderful addition to any bookshelf with a pretty ribbon marker and attractive cloth covered spine. To complement the exquisite and evocative poetry, prose, and short stories, this gorgeous book also gives readers a private glimpse into the author’s life. Comprising of black and white photographs taken by Michael Faudet that capture the inspiration behind the writing.Playing with Matches is a must-have for fans of Dirty Pretty Things, Bitter Sweet Love, Smoke & Mirrors, Winter of Summers, and Cult of Two. A poetry lover’s delight with an additional 35 new pieces never before published in any Michael Faudet collection. An intricate exploration of love, heartbreak, seduction, self-empowerment, and sex that will spark your imagination and ignite the flames of passion that burn inside all of us.

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As a parent, there are certain things that are guaranteed to push your buttons. You behave in ways you later regret, and your child learns to manipulate you. Rather than focusing on how you can change your child's behaviour, this deeply insightful and wonderfully wise book focuses on you, the parent. When Your Kids Push Your Buttons shows that it is your own attitudes and perceptions rather than your child's behaviour that spark your anger - and these are often based on your own relationship with your parents. Discover how to:· End the cycle of action and reaction between you and your child· See the hidden messages of both children and parents' anger· Understand why your own hidden agendas and standards as parents might push your child to act out· Address behaviour problems, not with anger, but with new solutions· Break free of the past and connect with your children. Filled with anecdotes from real parents and based on hundreds of real-life situations, this book is destined to become a parenting classic.

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These humorous and poignant tales of lovers, loneliness, and never-quite-belonging, delivered in her characteristically knowing, wry voice, confirm Lorrie Moore as a master of the short story form. Self-Help, Like Life, Birds of America and Bark, her four acclaimed collections, are all here, and for good measure so too are a handful of stories excerpted from the novels Anagrams, Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? and The Gate at the Stairs. But at the author's request, the order of play is gloriously random: 'I didn't want this Everyman's volume to be one that simply glued all the books together in the obvious sequential order,' she writes. 'I wanted instead to let the magical alphabet set individual stories side by side in an otherwise unexpected and unchronological way so that friction or frost might occur: they could jostle and rap and spark or repel .... It might all be like a playlist set to shuffle ...' So, a joyous new discovery for first-time readers and for Moore fans, a multitude of new angles from which to view her incomparable ouevre.

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From New York Times bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin comes an uplifting story about two old friends finding new love. Rennie Wallace has it all: a boyfriend, a good job, a best friend who lives a stone’s throw away…but something’s missing. She isn’t sure what until she returns to Cape Harbor, her favorite home away from home. There, she crosses paths with an old love, Graham. Rennie’s drawn to him but senses their paths in life have wandered too far apart. Graham Chamberlain has returned to Cape Harbor to care for his brother, the town alcoholic. Managing and serving drinks at his family’s bar, Graham can’t believe how mundane his life has become. He’s resigned himself to living for others, his own desires for adventure and romance taking a back seat to running the family business—until Rennie walks through his door. Graham feels the weight of his small-town life; Rennie has a boyfriend and a busy life in the city. But neither can deny the rekindled spark between them. Will they find their way back to one another?

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Discover the tarot with Wild Card, a friendly, funny and straightforward guide to the seventy-eight cards, their stories and meanings.‘A beautiful, playful, intriguing book.’ - Nina Stibbe, author of Reasons to Be Cheerful.Every time you draw a card, you open up possibilities. What will appear and what will you see? What lessons could the cards offer up? What aspects of yourself might they reveal?At its heart, the tarot is a storytelling device, a deck of symbols and narratives that can spark conversations, inspire ideas, and reveal new perspectives. And you don't need to be psychic to use it: it is a practice that is open to everyone. In this beautifully illustrated guide, tarot readers Jen Cownie and Fiona Lensvelt introduce each of the cards, drawing on literature, pop culture, and their own experiences, and encourage you to add your voice to this centuries-old tradition.Whether you are learning to read for yourself and others, refreshing your knowledge, or just curious, Wild Card will show you how the tarot can add a little bit of magic to your life.

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Fans of Chris Ferrie's Quantum Physics for Babies, ABCs of Science, and Organic Chemistry for Babies will love this introduction to evolutionary biology for babies and toddlers!Help your future genius become the smartest baby in the room! It only takes a small spark to ignite a child's mind.Written by an expert, Evolution for Babies is a colorfully simple introduction to evolutionary biology. Babies (and grownups!) will learn how organisms mutate, evolve, and survive. Co-written by Cara Florance, who has a PhD in Biochemistry and a BS in Chemistry with work experience in astrobiololgy and radiation decontamination. With a tongue-in-cheek approach that adults will love, this installment of the Baby University board book series is the perfect way to introduce basic concepts to even the youngest scientists. After all, it's never too early to become a scientist!If you're looking for the perfect science baby gifts, science for babies, or evolution for kids, look no further! Evolution for Babies offers fun early learning for your little scientist!

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Mary Stewart, one of the great British storytellers of the 20th century, transports her readers to rural Northumberland for this tale of romance, ambition, and deceit - a perfect fit for fans of Agatha Christie and Barbara Pym. 'There are few to equal Mary Stewart' Daily Telegraph'Mary Stewart is magic.' New York TimesWhitescar is a beautiful old house and farm situated in Roman Wall country. It will make a rich inheritance for its heirs, but in order to secure it, they enlist the help of a young woman named Mary who bears remarkable resemblance to missing Whitescar heiress, Annabel Winslow. Their deception will spark a powder-keg of ambition, obsession and long-dead love.The ivy had reached for the tree and only the tree's upper branches managed to thrust the young gold leaves of early summer through the strangling curtain. Eventually the ivy would kill it . . . 'One of the great British storytellers of the 20th century' Independent'The Ivy Tree has the ideal thriller blend of plot, suspense, character drawing and good writing' Daily Express

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Ignite your creativity with fiery Fiammetta. This sensuous Baroque-inspired cover comes from a 1725 binding of The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio, a masterpiece of Italian literature.Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375) was an Italian writer and poet who helped lay the foundations of Renaissance humanism. His defining work, The Decameron, is a collection of novellas, each narrated by one of ten main characters who find shelter from the Black Death in a secluded villa just outside Florence in 1348. There are tales of witty practical jokes, lustful romantic entanglements and tragic, real-life consequences. With its scope from humour to tragedy and its vivid narrative structure, The Decameron remains an affirmation of humanity and moral values even when read today.This 18th-century binding of The Decameron is now held at the Musée Condé in Chantilly, France. With golden flowers and arabesques bursting forth from a rich, red background, our Fiammetta design, named for one of the book’s main characters, is sure to spark your imagination and let your passions flow.

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Vegging Out, the new cook book from debut author and plant-based nutritionist Jasmine Cassells highlights and celebrates the plethora of plant-based options to phase into your diet. Showcasing 100 recipes to replace and add variety to the classic meat-filled meals we know and love, Vegging Out is a beginner's guide to this sometimes daunting process of transition into the plant-based lifestyle. From tasty plant-based burgers, pizzas and roast dinners to sweet treats, poke bowls and party food, there's pages filled with tasty recipes to spark your inspiration. Highlights include the Beet it with the Lot Burger, BBQ Chickpea Pizza, Tofu To-key Roast, Chocolate Cob with Banana & Strawberry Skewers, Big Veggie Brekkie Board, Potato Cake Bake and Homemade Hummus - showing you just how easy it is to have a wide and varied diet full of plant-based goodness. Vegging Out will help teach you how to be more in tune with nature and how there are a myriad of ways to have a diversified diet and go plant-based.

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The coloring book for anyone who loves scrolling through Zillow—now in a mini size perfect for travel and coloring on the go!Featuring cabins, A-frames, airstreams, and more, this book will spark your imagination as you peek inside some of America’s coolest homes, including ones you’ve seen on Instagram or Airbnb.From properties like the mid-century modern Belding Bliss in Palm Springs to the HoneyTree treehouse in Fredericksburg, TX, you’ll have fun bringing these unique properties to life with color and styles you love. Bestselling author and artist Alli Koch has also included two full pages of velvet stickers that you can use to decorate your artwork as well.Coolest Homes Ever features:• 40+ illustrations inspired by popular trendy homes on Instagram and Airbnb• High-quality paper and perforated, removable pages—frame your art after you've finished coloring!• Two pages of colorable velvet stickers that can be used to decorate pages• A gorgeous, hand-illustrated cover with shimmery artwork that will look stunning on your bookshelf or coffee table

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With carefully curated social media and news stories, it can be easy to forget that successful people have had their own hardships to overcome. But everyone faces obstacles and setbacks throughout their life, regardless of race, gender, faith, or social status. In OVER, UNDER, AROUND, AND THROUGH the authors craft biographies of fifty successful women, based on interviews and historical records. In the process, they uncover some of the secrets to how these women surmounted obstacles and used the lessons they learned through hardship to become stronger, smarter, and more resilient. The women featured in the book have all been inducted into halls of fame across the United States and the world, and each of their profiles discusses how they handled significant challenges in their lives. Throughout these biographies, readers are presented with ten key characteristics held by successful people: mental intelligence, emotional intelligence, social support, moral compass - spirituality, determination - perseverance - persistence, optimism, creativity, resilience, action-orientation, and passion. OVER, UNDER, AROUND, AND THROUGH will spark your curiosity about the amazing women featured throughout and is sure to ignite engaging conversations.

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Katalina Winter was prepared for life to change when she turned eighteen—but she never expected to actually change. Learning that her birth parents were purebred wolf shifters is shocking enough. Now she’s expected to take her place in their unfamiliar world. Caught between two warring packs, Katalina must learn fast. One pack, led by the father she has only just met, wants to control her—and the other one wants her dead. However, there is one bright spot to shifting, and his name is Bass Evernight. Tall, dark, and oh-so-handsome, Bass is the wolf that Katalina craves. He’s also strictly forbidden: a member of Dark Shadow, Bass is the son of her father’s mortal enemy. Yet deep down inside, Katalina’s new primal instincts howl that Bass is her mate. Can their love bring an end to the brutal war that has raged for so long, or will it spark the fighting around them into an all-consuming fire? Revised edition: This edition of Winter Wolf includes editorial revisions.

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Can Wild Alan unite the Discard against the tyranny of the Pyramid?Idle Hands is an ancient disease that once tore through the Discard, and if Wild Alan doesn't find a way into the Black Pyramid to administer the cure to his son, Billy, it will soon be stalking Gleam once again. Even with Bloody Nora's help, there's only one way in - and that's through the Sump, which was sealed long ago to contain the horrors within.And for Alan, the Black Pyramid will be even more dangerous. Thanks to the disease, the Pyramidders' fear and loathing of the Discard is reaching fever-pitch - and Alan is the most well-known Discarder of all.Bloody Nora has her own agenda. All the information she needs to complete her people's Great Work is hidden in the Pyramid - but just by being there, she is violating a centuries-old treaty between the Pyramid and the Mapmakers, which could spark conflict between the two greatest powers that Gleam knows.'Gleam's combination of dystopia, mythic quest, music and squishy monsters is hugely entertaining' SFX

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A vivid portrait collection of past and present Americans speaking truth to power The first volume of Robert Shetterly's Americans Who Tell the Truth portrait series, Portraits of Racial Justice takes a multimedia, interdisciplinary approach, blending art and history with today’s issues concerning social, environmental, and economic fairness. Shetterly's paintings, as well as profiles of those portrayed, illuminate a community of people not only willing to recognize the shortcomings of America’s history, but most importantly, individuals who offer their visions of a better world moving forward. Starting with Michelle Alexander and ending with Dave Zirin, the diverse array of fifty full-color portraits spans multiple generations and struggles. This volume also includes four original opening essays on racial justice in the United States by Ai-jen Poo, Dave Zirin, Sherri Mitchell, and Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., which provide an intersectional response to the long-term goal of diversity and inclusion. As Shetterly says, “without activism, hope is merely sentimental.” Portraits of Racial Justice, Shetterly’s homage to transformative game-changers and status-quo fighters, provides the inspiration necessary to spark social change.

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The supreme challenge of our time is tackling climate change. We urgently need to curtail our use of fossil fuels – but how can we do so in a just and feasible way? In this compelling book, leading economist James Boyce shows that the key to solving this conundrum is to put a limit on carbon emissions, thereby raising the price of fossil fuels and generating strong incentives for clean energy. But there is a formidable hurdle: how do we secure broad public support for a policy that increases fuel costs for consumers? Boyce powerfully argues that carbon pricing can be made just and politically durable only if linked to returning the revenue to the public as carbon dividends. Founded on the principle that the gifts of nature belong to us all, not to corporations or governments, this bold reform could spark a twenty-first-century clean energy revolution. Essential reading for all concerned citizens, policy-makers, and students of public policy and environmental economics, this book will be a transformative contribution to one of the most important policy debates of our era.

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Divided by time, united by hope... can the past change their future?From the acclaimed author of Sadé and her Shadow Beasts comes a brand new story - about a boy and his dad dealing with the threat of eviction and a boy from the past who might be able to help ... perfect for fans of A Kind of Spark.Isaiah always has an easy smile and smart answer for his teachers. He's good at fixing things and making people happy. But ever since Mum left and Dad got ill, it's been getting harder to keep all that up. To not let his friends know they're struggling. To keep believing things will get better...Then Isaiah meets the boy in the smoke, a boy he connects with through a forgotten fireplace in his tower block. A boy from the past with a mystery to solve, who desperately needs Isaiah's help.Can Isaiah change Jacob's life for the better? And in doing so, maybe can he change his own?An uplifting story about friendship and resilience, courage and hope...

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The events that took place in Tunisia in January 2011 were the spark igniting the uprisings that swept across North Africa and the Middle East, toppling dictators and leading to violent conflict and tense stand-offs. What was it about this small country in North Africa that enabled it to play this exceptional role? This book is a deeply informed account of the exercise of power in Tunisia in the run-up to the revolt that forced its authoritarian ruler, Ben Ali, into exile. It analyses the practices of domination and repression that were pervasive features of everyday life in Tunisia, showing how the debt economy and the systems of social solidarity and welfare created forms of subjection and mutual dependence between rulers and ruled, enabling the reader to understand how a powerful protest movement could develop despite tight control by police and party. For those wishing to understand the extraordinary events unfolding across the Arab world, this rich, subtle and insightful book is the indispensable starting point.

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*The perfect gift for the incurably curious* 'The best trivia book of the season.' THE SPECTATOR'Mind-blowing.' DAILY MAIL'Genuinely interesting.' POPULAR SCIENCEWhich lottery numbers should I pick?Is it true that we are made entirely of stardust?Can dogs tell the time?Why do songs get stuck in my head?If Rome wasn't built in a day, how long did it take?Do plants make noises?Where is last Wednesday?These are just a few of the questions put to the QI Elves by the listeners of BBC Radio 2's The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. This book is a collection of their cracking, unexpected and frequently hilarious answers. Chock full with extra facts and illustrations from the Elves, 222 QI Answers to Your Quite Ingenious Questions will spark wonder and joy.Includes a foreword from Zoe Ball.***For more from the team behind QI's hit TV show check out the QI FACTS series of books, @qikipedia and listen to their weekly podcast at nosuchthingasafish.com or visit qi.com

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Every English teacher has experienced it: students staring at an empty page, seemingly paralyzed by a writing assignment. When this happens, it may be time to back off from the Big Idea approach to the art of reading and writing, and zero in on a single sentence. In this book, a master teacher offers a complete guide to a sentence-level approach. Helping students recognize the techniques that make sentences great is the first step, and there are plenty of examples here from YA novels, TV shows, and song lyrics as well as the novels, poetry, and nonfiction pieces that form the canon of middle and high school reading lists. Lesson plans include activities to introduce the featured element of style; questions to guide students in their analysis; and writing prompts and activities to spark students’ interest and creativity. With this Little-to-Big strategy, students move quickly from analysis of the words between two periods to the universe of ideas of which that sentence is a part. They may even be eager to write their own

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In 2003, in the face of errors and accidents caused by medical and surgical trainees, the American Council of Graduate Medical Education mandated a reduction in resident work hours to eighty per week. Over the course of two and a half years spent observing residents and staff surgeons trying to implement this new regulation, Katherine C. Kellogg discovered that resistance to it was both strong and successful - in fact, two of the three hospitals she studied failed to make the change. "Challenging Operations" takes up the apparent paradox of medical professionals resisting reforms designed to help them and their patients. Through vivid anecdotes, interviews, and incisive observation and analysis, Kellogg shows the complex ways that institutional reforms spark resistance when they challenge long-standing beliefs, roles, and systems of authority. At a time when numerous policies have been enacted to address the nation's soaring medical costs, uneven access to care, and shortage of primary-care physicians, "Challenging Operations" sheds new light on the difficulty of implementing reforms and offers concrete recommendations for effectively meeting that challenge.

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As the end of the 20th century approaches, many predict that it will mirror the 19th-century decline into decadence. The author of this text finds a closer analogy with the culture wars of France in the 1690s - the time of a battle of the books known as the Quarrel between the Ancients and Moderns. The book reassesses current culture wars from perspective of that earlier fin de siecle, and re-reads the 17th century Quarrel from the vantage of 20th-century warring "ancients" and "moderns". In so doing, DeJean shows that a fin de siecle taking place in the shadow of culture wars can be more a source of constructive cultural revolution than of apocalyptic gloom and doom. Just as the first fin de siecle's battle of the books served as the spark which set off the Enlightenment, introducing radically new sexual and social politics which laid the groundwork for modernity, so current culture wars can result in radical, liberating changes, if we take an active stand against our own "ancients" who seek to stifle such reforms.

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The irresistible companion to I Was Born a Baby—a hilarious read-aloud with catchy rhymes and bold, silly art about animals and the places they call home! I live in a tree trunk. I live in a barn. I live in a shoebox. I’m down on the farm…Soon all the other animals can’t help but share what their homes are called, too. Readers will learn about porcupines, salamanders, groundhogs, and more. But when the rabbit, platypus, and meerkat realize their homes share the same name, they can’t believe it. “Are you for SURE? I had NO clue!” becomes a catchy, energetic refrain readers will love chanting. ?The text invites readers to predict what the animal is by using context clues and checking the endpapers to see if they guessed right.The strong rhythm and unexpected discoveries of the animal kingdom, plus deadpan humor and wonderfully expressive art will spark a conversation about habitats and nature and leave readers wanting to read it aloud again and again.

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Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Levelled for guided and independent reading, each book includes ideas to support reading. Teaching and assessment support and eBooks are also available. September 1666.Grace and her brother Simon are on their way to London to claim their inheritance. As a great fire breaks out, Simon is kidnapped. Can Grace rescue her brother and escape the flames? Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. Text type: A story with a historical setting Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities. On Sunday 2nd September 1666, a spark in a baker’s shop ignited one of the most famous fires in history, the Great Fire of London. David Macphail wrote this story because he loves history and is interested in how people used to live and how children would experience such an important historical event.

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Hand lettering is making a comeback, spurred by platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. And not just adults are getting into hand lettering and calligraphy. Kids, too, can find relaxation as well as inspiration in using hand lettering and calligraphy to create handmade projects for themselves, their families, or gifts. The Kids' Book of Hand Lettering will introduce young crafters to the joys of hand lettering through 20 fun and inspired hand-lettered projects that are easy to create at home. Nicole Miyuki Santo will walk children through the basics of hand lettering and calligraphy, including different lettering styles and tools (gel pens, permanent markers, and brush pens) before they begin their projects, which include room signs, bookmarks, party balloons, picture frames, tote bags, pillowcases, and more. With full-color instructional and inspired photos, practice pages to try out various hand lettering styles, and pep talks throughout to help spark the creative juices, The Kids' Book of Hand Lettering is sure to become a modern-day hand-lettering staple for crafty kids (and their parents).

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“What are we if not our stories?” – Enda Walsh, PlaywrightStories. Life stories. Stories of love and loss. Success and failure. Stories about people and place. Stories about the magical spark of creativity. Life stories that make us feel and that make us think. Stories that are stirring and inspirational.With a particular emphasis on the role of landscape and environs, The Art of Place brings together 30 captivating personal stories by some of the most creative people in Ireland, who all live in or come from County Clare.Featured contributors include writers and visual artists, musicians and composers, sculptors and crafts people, photographers and filmmakers. Their compelling and deeply personal stories will resonate not only with people from the West of Ireland, but with people worldwide who are enthralled by the creative process.Beautifully designed and including 30 specially commissioned photographic interpretations by award-winning photographer John Kelly, The Art of Place is a work of art itself, and a magnificent testament to the artistic spirit for which Ireland is justifiably famous.

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Machine learning applications autonomously reason about data at massive scale. It’s important that they remain responsive in the face of failure and changes in load. But machine learning systems are different than other applications when it comes to testing, building, deploying, and monitoring. Reactive Machine Learning Systems teaches readers how to implement reactive design solutions in their machine learning systems to make them as reliable as a well-built web app. Using Scala and powerful frameworks such as Spark, MLlib, and Akka, they’ll learn to quickly and reliably move from a single machine to a massive cluster. Key Features: · Example-rich guide · Step-by-step guide · Move from single-machine to massive cluster Readers should have intermediate skills in Java or Scala. No previous machine learning experience is required. About the Technology: Machine learning systems are different than other applications when it comes to testing, building, deploying, and monitoring. To make machine learning systems reactive, you need to understand both reactive design patterns and modern data architecture patterns.

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Eliete is forty (-something) Eliete has been married to Jorge for twenty years Eliete has an average career as an average estate agent Eliete has a completely normal life Eliete has reached breaking-point Eliete is stuck in both a dead-end job, and a dead-end marriage. She''s never had many grand dreams or ambitions, but now she is starting to wonder if life might have passed her by, and if it''s too late to do anything about it. So, Eliete decides to join Tinder. She sets up some fake dating profiles, and embarks on a number of liaisons with various men around suburban Lisbon. Will this ignite her marriage with the spark it so desperately needs? Unlikely. It is the summer of 2016: Jorge has become hooked on Pokémon Go!, there''s football on the telly, he''s got opinions on Brexit, and he remains completely oblivious to his wife''s new exploits. And then, in the middle of all of this, Eliete''s grandmo

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Increase joy, reduce stress, and learn how to live more authentically with this charmingly illustrated guide to the popular (and keenly accurate) Enneagram personality profiling system. If you love taking personality quizzes and are interested in self-development, don’t miss this easy and accessible guide to the Enneagram. Take the quiz provided to find out which type best describes you: • Type 1: The Idealist • Type 2: The Giver • Type 3: The Performer • Type 4: The Romantic • Type 5: The Observer • Type 6: The Supporter • Type 7: The Adventurer • Type 8: The Protector • Type 9: The Mediator In this book: • Get tailored tips for living your best life by learning what motivates your behavior • Learn about the nine Enneagram personality profiles through charming illustrations • Learn how to communicate with others effectively • Get to the root of what you need to live more authentically • BONUS: Spark joy in everyday life with 16 mini pull-out postcards Once you’ve learned about yourself, be sure to share the book with friends and family to improve the important relationships in your life!

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The new edition of the Great Writing series provides clear explanations, extensive models of academic writing and practice to help learners write great sentences, paragraphs, and essays. With expanded vocabulary instruction, sentence-level practice, and National Geographic content to spark ideas, students have the tools they need to become confident writers. Updated in this Edition: Clearly organized units offer the practice students need to become effective independent writers. Each unit includes: Part 1: Elements of Great Writing teaches the fundamentals of organized writing, accurate grammar, and precise mechanics. Part 2: Building Better Vocabulary provides practice with carefully-selected, level-appropriate academic words. Part 3: Building Better Sentences helps writers develop longer and more complex sentences. Part 4: Writing activities allow students to apply what they have learned by guiding them through writing, editing, and revising. Part 5: New Test Prep section gives a test-taking tip and timed task to prepare for high-stakes standardized tests, including IELTs and TOEFL. The new guided online writing activity takes students through the entire writing process with clear models for reference each step of the way.

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Two queens, two concubines, six princes. Innumerable secret agendas.A single hidden blade.The imperial palace -- full of ambitious royals, sly gossip and unforeseen perils -- is perhaps the most dangerous place in the Empire of Zhaon. Komor Yala, lady-in-waiting to the princess of the vanquished kingdom of Khir, has only her wits and her hidden blade to protect herself and her charge, who was sacrificed in marriage to the enemy as a hostage for her conquered people's good behaviour, to secure a tenuous peace.But the Emperor is ageing and the Khir princess and her lady-in-waiting soon find themselves pawns in the six princes' deadly schemes for the throne -- and a single spark could ignite fresh rebellion in Khir.Then, the Emperor falls ill -- and a far bloodier game begins...The Throne of the Five Winds is the first instalment of the Hostage of Empire series, an intricate and ruthless East Asia-inspired epic fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of George R. R. Martin, Ken Liu, Kate Elliott, and K. Arsenault Rivera.

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Who will we meet on the farm today? Have fun spotting clues to the delightful animals, then find them hiding under peek-through flaps.Toddlers will love exploring a farm through the day, and learning all about adult and baby animals in this beautifully illustrated, read-aloud board book. The intriguing cover has a cutaway sun to feel, and inside there large flaps with peek-through holes revealing adorable animals. There are lots more exciting things to spot around the farm on every page, from insects and flowers to a big-wheeled tractor and a scarecrow.The playful, rhyming text encourages little ones to guess who's hiding. And when they lift the big flaps, they find cows in the field, a family of goats playing in their pen, pigs and piglets ready for lunch, chickens in the coop, and more!Flip Flap Find! Farm is a captivating picture book to share. A perfect gift for little animal lovers, it will spark a toddler's curiosity, stimulate their imagination, language, and literacy, and build their knowledge of the natural world.

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The Art of Soul presents the story behind this thrilling feature film from Pixar. This companion book features stunning artwork from the film's creation, along with character explorations, storyboards, color scripts, and much more from the creative team. • A comprehensive volume to accompany Pixar's feature film, Soul • Reveals the behind-the-scenes story of this unique film • Filled with exclusive interviews from the creative team behind it all The Art of Soul showcases concept art details that bring this epic story to life in a brand new way. • Part of the fan-favorite, collectible Art of series—books that explore production art and exclusive making-of details • A perfect gift for Pixar fans, animation and filmmaking students, film buffs, and more • Add it to the shelf with other books like The Art of Zootopia by Jessica Julius, The Art of Pixar: The Complete Color Scripts from 25 Years of Feature Films (Revised and Expanded), and Find Your Spark: A Journal of Gratitude and Self-Discovery Inspired by Disney and Pixar’s Soul. Copyright © 2020 Disney Enterprises, Inc. and Pixar. All rights reserved.

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'A powerful corrective' Guardian 'This should be compulsory reading' Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads ‘For anyone interested in the future of Islam, both in Britain and the Islamic world, this is an important book’ The Times The gulf between Islam and the West is widening. A faith rich with strong values and traditions, observed by nearly two billion people is seen by the West as something to be feared rather than understood. Sensational headlines and hard-line policies spark enmity, while ignoring the feelings, narratives and perceptions that preoccupy Muslims today. The House of Islam seeks to provide entry to the minds and hearts of Muslims the world over. It introduces us to the kindness of Mohammed, the beauty of Islamic art and the permeation of the divine in public spaces; and the tension between mysticism and literalism that still threatens the religion. Ed Husain expertly and compassionately guides us through the nuances of Islam and its people, contending that the Muslim world need not be a stranger to the West, nor its enemy, but a peaceable ally.

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Moon Knight''s nemesis from the smash hit Disney+ series makes her comics debut! When a young runaway is attacked by a gang of death cultists, he is left barely alive outside Moon Knight''s HQ, the Midnight Mission. But Marc Spector made a vow long ago to defend the travelers of the dark as Moon Knight... and as long as a spark of life remains, his mission isn''t over yet. Follow Moon Knight on his most harrowing adventure yet, as he journeys far beyond the land of the living - and battles across the mind-bending underworld known as the City of the Dead! There, he must grapple with his past when he turns to an unlikely source for aid - Layla El-Fouly, A.K.A. the Scarlet Scarab! But when Marc is faced with a murderers'' row of dead super villains whom he helped put in the ground, can even the Fist of Khonshu defy the odds long enough to survive? Collecting: Moon Knight: City of the Dead (2023) 1-5

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It's the early 1990s, and in the Irish village of Crossmore, Lucy feels out of place. Despite her fierce friendships, she's always felt this way, and the conventional path of marriage and motherhood doesn't appeal to her at all. Not even with handsome and doting Martin, her closest childhood friend. Lucy begins to make sense of herself during a long hot summer, when a spark with her school friend Susannah escalates to an all-consuming infatuation, and, very quickly, to a desperate and devastating love. Fearful of rejection from her small and conservative community, Lucy begins living a double life, hiding the most honest parts of herself in stolen moments with Susannah. But with the end of school and the opportunity to leave Crossmore looming, Lucy must choose between two places, two people and two futures, each as terrifying as the other. But only one can offer her real happiness. Sunburn is an astute and tender portrayal of first love, adolescent anxiety and the realities of growing up in a small town where tradition holds people tightly in its grasp.

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Find your creativity and relax as you draw, doodle, and design over beautiful watercolor artwork.Color in Reverse: Watercolor Florals comes from Heinke Nied, a one-line artist and illustrator who considers it her mission to make art accessible to everyone through simple instruction and approachable one-line drawings. With her helpful instruction, you can draw your own lines over her artwork. It’s satisfying, relaxing, and fun! Filled with inspiring artwork featuring flowers, plants, abstract designs, and more, Color in Reverse: Watercolor Florals features: Sturdy paper and one-sided pages to cut out and display Pen and watercolor tips and techniques Short primers on tools and color theory Patterns, tracings, and designs that you may want to use in your own artwork within the book Simply find relaxation and creative inspiration as you draw over the watercolor artwork with the drawing tool of your choice, or cut out the pages and use them as gifts, home decor, cards for loved ones, and more. With colorful watercolor designs to spark your creativity, your own creations will flow with ease and joy.

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Your Magical Kitchen is a refreshingly down-to-earth guide to making the most of your kitchen and becoming a more confident and adventurous cook. In nine steps, author Kate Marshall’s debut book helps you create dishes packed with taste, flavour and aromas, based on the foods that you love. Her easy-to-follow approach introduces you to the art of cooking, exploring cuisines around the world and designing your own ‘magical kitchen’. The chapters cover food families, taste pairings and flavour combinations; how to weave herbs, spices and condiments into your dishes; and how to make your creations look stunning. Combining practical tips and pointers with fun anecdotes from Kate’s own culinary journey, the book also features an array of recipes to spark inspiration from cuisines across the world, including Californian Lamb Fajitas and Sea Bass with Turmeric and Coconut Sauce alongside desserts like Toffee Blackberry Pavlova and Pina Colada Popsicles. A deep well of knowledge for practiced cooks and beginners alike, Your Magical Kitchen will show you how to make the most of the foods you love.

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It is 48 BC.For years now the rival Roman generals Caesar and Pompey have engaged in a contest for world domination. Both now turn to Egypt, Pompey planning a last stand on the banks of the Nile, while Caesar's legendary encounter with the Egyptian queen will spark a romance that reverberates down the centuries. But Egyptitself is torn apart by the murderous rivalry between the goddess-queen and her brother King Ptolemy.Into this hothouse atmosphere of intrigue and deception comes Gordianus the Finder, innocently seeking a cure for his wife Bethesda in the sacred waters of the Nile. But soon he finds himself engaged in an even more desperate pursuit - to prove the innocence of his son, who stands accused of murder. The judgement of Caesar will determine the fate of Gordianus's son; the choice Caesar makes between Cleopatra and Ptolemy will determine the future of the world. Saylor presents a bold new vision of Caesar and Cleopatra, amid bloodshed and battle, in a setting of Egyptian mystery.

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From A to Z, this hardcover storybook shows young children how they can make the world a kinder place. Through vibrant illustrations and age-appropriate language, this 26-page book will encourage kids 2-5 to be their best selves wherever they go.Showcasing a diverse cast of children, the ABCs of Kindness book demonstrates everyday acts of kindness, inclusion and generosity—whether it be donating blankets to the animal shelter, helping with chores or standing up for what's right. It’s the perfect book to spark conversations at home or in the classroom about the concepts of empathy and compassion.Featuring durable cardstock pages and approachable, kid-friendly language, this book offers a thoughtful and fun read-aloud experience that young children will love. This book is crafted by childhood experts to promote strong social and emotional skills and build positive associations with reading.For over 75 years, Highlights has inspired children to become Curious, Creative, Caring and Confident individuals. With products that encourage thinking, creativity and self-expression, Highlights helps kids build essential skills, all while having fun.

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Never in a million years did I think it would be Ian Parker who saved me... I know I should stay away from Ian Parker. But when my drug-dealing stepdad kicks me out, I have nowhere to go. Squatting in an abandoned shed on Ian’s grandpa’s farm seems like as good a plan as any. Ian finds me there, of course, and he insists on me moving into his spare room. I should say no, but the appeal of a roof and a warm bed is too much. Not to mention Ian’s brown eyes and strong arms. We’re nothing alike, but the spark between us is undeniable. My life is finally looking up. Until I call the cops on my stepdad and unintentionally get my pregnant mom arrested. Now I have to sacrifice my dreams to take care of my mom’s baby. She’s the only family I have left. Meanwhile, Ian’s band is taking off; his dreams are coming true. Ian is my one chance at love. I just hope he doesn’t become the one chance that got away.

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‘A beautiful, playful, intriguing book.’ Nina StibbeEvery time you draw a card, you open up possibilities. What will appear and what will you see? What lessons could the cards offer up? What aspects of yourself might they reveal?Discover the tarot with Wild Card, a friendly, funny and straightforward guide to the seventy-eight cards, their stories and meanings.At its heart, the tarot is a storytelling device, a deck of symbols and narratives that can spark conversations, inspire ideas, and reveal new perspectives. And you don't need to be psychic to use it: it is a practice that is open to everyone. In this beautifully illustrated guide, tarot readers Jen Cownie and Fiona Lensvelt introduce each of the cards, drawing on literature, pop culture, and their own experiences, and encourage you to add your voice to this centuries-old tradition. Whether you are learning to read for yourself and others, refreshing your knowledge, or just curious, Wild Card will show you how the tarot can add a little bit of magic to your life.

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'Alluringly gritty' TIME 'An extraordinary thriller' Lee Child #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns with the second thrilling instalment in her Gunnie Rose series . . .When Lizbeth Rose is hired onto a new crew to transport a crate into Dixie, she sees it as an easy protection gig. Dixie, the self-exiled southeast territory of the former United States, might be just about the last place she wants to visit, but the job itself is straightforward . . . until their cargo is stolen and her journey turns into a massacre.Up against a wall in Dixie, Lizbeth has to go undercover with an old friend to retrieve the crate. Forces across three territories will be racing her, for what the crate contains is something powerful enough to spark a rebellion, if she can get it back in time . . .Internationally bestselling Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse mysteries and Midnight, Texas trilogy) is at her best here, building a compelling world of this alternate history of the United States, where magic is an acknowledged but despised power.

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Is America the new world empire? Presidents from Lincoln to Bush may have denied it but, as Niall Ferguson's brilliant and provocative book shows, the US is in many ways the greatest imperial power of all time. What's more, it always has been an empire, expanding westwards throughout the nineteenth century and rising to global dominance in the twentieth. But is today's American colossus really equipped to play Atlas, bearing the weight of the world on its shoulders? The United States, Ferguson reveals, is an empire running on empty, weakened by chronic defecits of money, manpower and political will. When the New Rome falls, he warns, its collapse may come from within.'One of the timeliest and most topical books to have appeared in recent years' Literary Review'Yet another tour de force from a writer who displays all his usual gifts of forceful polemic, unconventional intelligence and elegant prose ... guaranteed to spark fierce debate' Irish Times'A bravura exploration of why Americans are not cut out to be imperialists but nonetheless have an empire. Vigorous, substantive, and worrying' Timothy Garton Ash

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Behind every great writer there is a beloved pet, providing inspiration in life and in death, and companionship in what is often a lonely working existence. They also offer practical services, such as personal protection, although they may sometimes eat first drafts, or bite visitors. This book salutes all of the cats and dogs, ravens and budgerigars, monkeys and guinea pigs, wombats, turtles, and two laughing jackasses, who enriched the lives of their masters and mistresses, sat on their keyboards, slept in their beds, and occasionally provided the creative spark for their stories and poems. Gathered here are the tales of Beatrix Potter's rabbit, Benjamin Bouncer; Lord Byron's bear; the six cats of T S Eliot; Camus' cat, Cigarette; Arthur C Clarke's dog, Sputnik; and George Orwell's goat, Muriel. Enid Blyton's fox terrier, Bobs, `wrote' her columns in Teacher's World magazine, while John Steinbeck's poodle accompanied him on his 1960 US road trip, their exploits published as Travels with Charley. Agatha Christie dedicated her 1937 novel Dumb Witness to her favourite dog, Peter - the ultimate tribute.

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As her stultifying marriage is unravelling, and in the midst of mourning the loss of her creative self, Caro Tanner has a nightmare about Peter, an old love whom she hasn’t seen in twenty years. She takes this as a sign he still needs her. With her three children safely off to summer camp, Caro embarks on a pre-Facebook, pre-cell phone road trip to recapture who she once was and what she thinks she once had. Set in the rock ‘n roll ‘60s of Tucson, Arizona—when Caro and Peter were kooky, colorful, and inseparable drama students—and in the suburban ‘80s, when Caro’s creative spark has been quenched to serve the needs of her husband and children, So Happy Together explores the conundrum of love and physical attraction, creativity and family responsibilities, and what happens when they are out of sync. It is a story of missed opportunities, the alluring possibility of second chances, and what we leave behind, carry forward, and settle for when we choose. It sits in that complicated, confounding, beautiful place where love resides.

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Pact Press brings you Changing Tides, the fourth anthology in a series designed to spark conversation, promote awareness, and generate funds to advance social and environmental justice and amplify the voices of the marginalized. The poems, essays, and personal reflections in Changing Tides detail moving accounts of the human impact on our ocean environment and demonstrate the heightened need for individual, community, and global action in addressing what has become a collective crisis for life on this blue planet. Pact Press is proud, through the sale of this anthology, to support the work of the Coral Restoration Foundation™, a 501 3 (c) non-profit organization that was founded in 2007 in response to the widespread loss of the dominant coral species on the Florida Reef Tract. Coral Restoration Foundation™ (CRF) now manages the largest coral restoration program in the world. The contributors include Jared Benjamin, Susan Bruce, Kersten Christianson, Lorraine Jeffrey, Olivia Kingery, Liberty Lawson, Jayne Marek, Anthony Panegyres, Gerard Sarnat, Christina Stefan, Franciszka Voeltz, Tonya Wiley, Juliet Wilson, Sheree Winslow, and Mandy-Suzanne Wong.

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There has been an ongoing shadow war between the West and Iran, one that could explode and plunge the world into a third world war. The Biden Administration's move to make peace at any cost with the mad mullahs of Iran may be the very spark for a regional war that turns into a global conflict. Thankfully, there is a path forward for the United States and the solution can be found in the policies outlined by the previous Trump Administration; in the form of the Abraham Accords and daring "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran. Should President Biden continue down the destructive, illusory path to "peace" with Iran, he will not only have abandoned America's long-standing allies, but he will have also helped to trigger the very conflict he seeks to avoid. In The Shadow War: Iran's Quest for Supremacy, author Brandon Weichert explores how the next world war is unfolding right before our eyes and explains how the American government can avoid it while maintaining its position of strength and support for its allies.

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