Search results for ""Worth""

Art honours the world, and criticism honours art, even – perhaps especially – when the critic sets out to destroy. The bad review is hardly ever written out of mere spite. In most cases, the motivation is disappointed idealism. Critics are people who love art and who hate to see it traduced. Hence the critic’s sempiternal cry: You’re doing it wrong. What the critic wants is for you to do it better. Since 2008, acclaimed novelist Kevin Power has reviewed almost three hundred and fifty books. Power declares, ‘Even now, cracking open a brand-new hardback with my pencil in my hand, I feel the same pleasure, and the same hope. That’s the great secret: every critic is an optimist at heart.’ Art that thinks and feels at the same time – ‘good art’ – requires explication. The writing of criticism in response to such art is an activity that has taken place since Aristotle first sat down to figure out what made tragedy work. It is in the pursuit of this question – what makes good art ‘good’ – that Kevin Power found his vocation. During a ten-year stint as a regular freelance reviewer for the Sunday Business Post, Power fell in love with the writing of criticism, and with the reading of it, too, particularly by talented novelists who review books on the side. His conclusion is that criticism is absolutely an art. But it is never more so than when practiced by an actual artist. These pieces, ranging from reviews of Susan Sontag to the meaning of Greta Thunberg, apocalyptic politics, and literary theory, represent a decade’s worth of thinking about books; a record of the author’s attempts to honour art, and through art, the world. In The Written World, Power explains how he became a critic and what he thinks criticism is. It begins and ends with a long personal essays, ‘The Lost Decade’, written especially for this collection, about his mental and writing block after publishing Bad Day in Blackrock and his decade-long journey to White City. The pieces gathered by Power are connected by a theme – this is a book about writing, seen from various positions, and about growth as an artist and a critic.

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As this book cogently states this is an eclectic examination of current social problems using the lenses of literature, whether fiction or non-fiction, to open doors to understanding the potential for new and creative interventions that have the potential for transformative change. The beginning quote from Toni Morrison bringing light to those who don't always find themselves true ownership to the land to which they are rooted in is a climate system for readers of this book. James Agee and Walker Evans provide a clear and yet complex vision of how they came to study three families in Hale County, Alabama. Their work gives excellent details on how to enter cultures different from their own. Hillbilly Elegy, Appalachian Reckoning and Nickel Boys all written in the past three years yield description and rhetoric that inform social scientists of the human condition. Appalachian Reckoning disputes much of what J.D. Vance wrote. Furious Hours is an excellent source for data collection and analysis. Literature is not new to social commentary but these are contemporary works that can help scholar activists and public researchers who are doing research and publishing for the public. This is a major goal of this book. Educational issues and their intersection with crime and mental issues are key topics of this cogent book. Opportunity gaps, school to prison pipeline, anxiety and many more issues are fodder for scholar activists that are adumbrated in this forceful book. The community school is proffered as a hub of services for those thorny issues. The school is the place to offer services because so many are fractured in this country today and very likely to become more so. Systemic thinking is a key part of the interventions applied currently. A plus on this topic is that systems thinking is presented in a demystifying way. Vignettes are a strength of this book in that they are what happened and they give readers insight into what worked and what didn't. If you are a bridge player, one peak is worth two finesses. The people in these vignettes are as alive today as they were when these events took place.

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A Native of Nowhere: The Life of Nat Nakasa tells the story of how a quiet, serious African boy growing up in the sleepy coastal city of Durban in the 1940s became part of the generation of outspoken black South African journalists in the 1950s and 1960s who challenged state-sponsored segregation in that way that only writers can, simply by keeping a detailed record of its existence. In doing so, this story provides an alternative way of thinking about early resistance to apartheid, loosing it from the bonds of the organised opposition movement. For a man like Nat, freedom was not the end point of a long struggle arching toward justice. Rather it was something you took for yourself, day in and day out - one conversation, one interview, one multiracial party at a time. Born Nathaniel Ndazana Nakasa on May 12, 1937 like many South Africans of his generation, leaving his homeland was not simply a matter of deciding to go. It was also a matter of deciding never to come back. Not yet 30 years old, Nat had to look into his future and decide that being legally barred from his homeland was a price worth paying to see the world beyond its borders. This book tells the story of that short life. In doing so, it seeks in part to answer the troubling question of how Nat found himself in that New York City window in July 1965, desperate to the point of no return. But life, like history, cannot be read backwards, and so any biography of Nat Nakasa must begin with the acknowledgement that he was no simple martyr, no fallen hero of the anti-apartheid cause, but rather an ambitious, talented and flawed man whose life had the cold fortune of colliding with one of the most racially repressive regimes in the modern world. Attempts to bring Nakasa's body home bore no fruit, and he was buried at the Ferncliff cemetery in upstate New York. A headstone placed by the Nieman Foundation 30 years later simply reads: Nathaniel Nakasa May 12 1937 - July 14 1965. Journalist, Nieman Fellow, South African. 1038 (the tombstone number). Many await the repatriation of Nat Nakasa's body to South African.

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'Fast-paced, detailed and brilliantly written [for] fans of Bernard Cornwell, George R.R. Martin, and especially Theodore Brun' HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY When you can't protect everyone, who will you save? Iceland, AD 935 Einar Unnsson is destined to be great. When he fights, a frenzy comes upon him. It makes him lethal in battle – so lethal he just defeated the man his own father sent to kill him. Now, with Einar exiled from his kingdom, his father turns his vengeance on Einar's mother – his escaped former bedslave. Yet Einar is in no position to protect her. He's made an enemy of the powerful King Eirik and must fight for his own life before he can save her. Einar depends on the Wolf Coats, a band of fearsome, bloodthirsty warriors, but they're convinced the fates have cursed them. Will Einar's skill in battle be enough to save his mother? Or will the Wolf Coats' superstition destroy them all? PRAISE FOR TIM HODKINSON: 'A brilliantly written historical adventure which will appeal to fans of Bernard Cornwell, George R.R. Martin, and especially Theodore Brun' HISTORICAL NOVEL ASSOCIATION 'A gripping action adventure like the sagas of old; and once finished, you just want to go back and read it all over again' MELISENDE'S LIBRARY 'An excellently written page-turner, with a feel for the period which invites you into the era and keeps you there' HISTORICAL WRITERS ASSOCIATION READERS LOVE THE WOLF HUNT: 'Fantastically written! This book will have you hooked from the very first page!... 5 stars all the way, buy it, read it, love it, recommend it!' 5 stars -Paula Cwikla, Netgalley Reviewer 'Hodkinson weaves his spell so intricately that you are drawn in before you know it – and pages and hours have passed in no time at all... This is a series worth investing in!' 4 stars - Melisende d'Outremer, Netgalley Reviewer 'This is right down my street! I loved it, what a tale, excellent character depth, brilliantly written and full of action, what more could I want. Excellent work Tim!' 5 stars - Stephen Walker, Netgalley Reviewer

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A Davis’s Notes title!Your one-stop source for class, clinical, and practice! Access the clinically oriented content you need to deliver safe and effective health care in hospital and home settings for all of your patients. Its handy pocket size and waterproof pages are great for students and educators on the go, while NCLEX® tips, highlighted throughout, make it perfect for those preparing for the licensure exam.See what students and practitioners are saying online about the previous edition…Super great reference tool for nursing students. “This little guide is clear and concise. It is the perfect reference tool. It is easy to find what I want and small enough to toss into my purse or backpack. I LOVE it!!!! If you are a nursing student, I promise you won’t regret buying this book.”Excellent for both student and professional.“Great updated easy reference and excellent teaching aid for patients. Increases comprehension and satisfaction.”The best!“This is the best! I got all that I want! To all nurse and nursing students, this is what you need! Definitely worth the money!” Updated & Revised!! Thoroughly updated, reviewed, and revised throughout to reflect the art and science of nursing practice today. New! All laboratory values sourced from Van Leeuwen: Davis's Comprehensive Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests With Nursing Implications. New! 2020 AHA Guidelines Updated! ACLS content and reorganized to appear at the beginning of the Emergency section ‘Nursing Alerts’ that highlight critical safety information. HIPAA- and OSHA-compliant write-on/wipe-off pages and quick-access tabs Critical level laboratory values highlighted in bold, red type to correlate to potential diseases and disorders described in other sections. Interventions and patient education information for the most common conditions Coverage of life span considerations as well as complications and emergencies associated with pregnancy and delivery Tools for a thorough general assessment of the adult patient ACLS resuscitation procedures as well as pediatric and neonatal advanced life support information The basics of 12-lead interpretation tailored to nurses with little or no 12-lead experience An emphasis on symptom and patient presentation rather than medical diagnosis

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A year's worth of management wisdom, all in one place.We've reviewed the ideas, insights, and best practices from the past year of Harvard Business Review to keep you up-to-date on the most cutting-edge, influential thinking driving business today. With authors from Frances Frei to Morton T. Hansen and company examples from UPS to Apple, this volume brings the most current and important management conversations right to your fingertips.This book will inspire you to: Build trust—the most essential form of capital a leader has Adopt the best practices for hybrid work Navigate the challenges of workplace anxiety Reconsider your approach to innovation by challenging everyday notions of value Assess whether to team up with a rival and how to manage the relationship Break through the organizational barriers that impede gender and racial equity Lead with a commitment to sustainability This collection of articles includes "Begin with Trust," by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss; "Cultural Innovation," by Douglas Holt; "The Rules of Co-opetition," by Adam Brandenburger and Barry Nalebuff; "Negotiating Your Next Job," by Hannah Riley Bowles and Bobbi Thomason; "Leading Through Anxiety," by Morra Aarons-Mele; "When Machine Learning Goes Off the Rails," by Boris Babic, I. Glenn Cohen, Theodoros Evgeniou, and Sara Gerke; "Getting Serious About Diversity," by Robin J. Ely and David A. Thomas; "How to Promote Racial Equity in the Workplace," by Robert Livingston; "Our Work-from-Anywhere Future," by Prithwiraj Raj) Choudhury; "A More Sustainable Supply Chain," by Veronica H. Villena and Dennis A. Gioia; and "How Apple Is Organized for Innovation," by Joel M. Podolny and Morten T. Hansen.HBR's 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further. HBR's 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever‐changing business environment.

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The author of the heartwarming Craig and Fred tells the deeply emotional and inspiring story of the next phase of their lives together: working closely with prison inmates in Maine who raise and train puppies to become service dogs.Former US Marine Craig Grossi and his dog Fred appeared on the Today show and Rachael Ray, and in schools, bookstores, and military bases across America as they told the uplifting story of how Craig found Fred, a stray, while serving in Afghanistan—and brought him home. During their travels, Craig was invited to speak at Maine State Prison—the penitentiary that inspired Stephen King’s famous Shawshank. While there, he met a group of very special inmates, participants in a program run by the nonprofit America’s Vet Dogs.Craig discovered that many of the prisoners are veterans—former soldiers serving their country in an entirely different way: by transforming purebred Labrador Retrievers from floppy puppies into indispensable companions for disabled vets. These service dogs literally and figuratively open doors for men and women, offering hope and a renewed sense of freedom. Yet these disabled vets are not the only lives changed by these dogs. The inmates who train them “are given a purpose, they’re given experience, and most importantly they’re given a sense of self-worth,” Craig explains. “The men at Maine State are given a second chance—something that I believe everyone deserves.” For Craig, the visit had a profound impact. “There was something special going on inside its walls and it was calling out to me. I quickly realized that the program and its men had something to show the world.”In this emotionally powerful book, he introduces these men and challenges us to look deeper, to see them as human beings deserving of a new shot at life. “We’re quick to give second chances to celebrities, politicians and famous athletes when they screw up,” Craig reminds us, “but when it comes to those who’ve been convicted for their mistakes, we too often dismiss them as forever lost.” Second Chances poignantly shows that no life is irredeemable and that each of us can make a difference if given the opportunity.

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“Few, if any, public servants can match Sir Rodney Brooke’s 60-year record ... six decades of unbroken service across local government, the NHS, education, utilities and beyond surely give him a unique perspective...” – The Guardian Sir Rodney Brooke has had an eventful life at the sharp end – thanks to a career that led him from 15-year-old school-leaver in Yorkshire to the corridors of power at Westminster... and all points in between. In The Winding Stair, his sparkling collection of memoirs, he takes readers through its highs and lows – beginning as a reporter on his hometown Morley Observer newspaper and ending with a CBE, knighthood and honours from five more countries. In so doing, he reveals hitherto unknown details behind six decades’ worth of controversial headline moments and colourful personalities. As a former chief executive of West Yorkshire County Council, he shares fascinating background into the mysterious death of Helen Smith in Jeddah; the Bradford City fire, in which 56 people were killed; and the handling of the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. As Emergency Controller in the event of nuclear war, he was told to shelter in a Pennine underground lair – and restore order as Geiger counters said to emerge. Read how Halifax invented the guillotine; why dogs could bark at night in Otley but not Ossett; how the law told householders in Huddersfield to whiten their doorsteps before 8.00am or be fined five shillings; and why the press camped on his Ilkley lawn after he resigned over the notorious ‘Homes for Votes’ episode – when Dame Shirley Porter was surcharged £42.5m.Accounts of how he organised the final reading of the Riot Act and interviewed a talking dog with Mrs Thatcher’s press spokesman, Sir Bernard Ingham, are found among tales of Princess Diana’s underwear in Roundhay Park, Princess Margaret and the cakes at Leeds/Bradford airport, sex and the Poll Tax, the murky Dolphin Square scandals and how Trafalgar Square very nearly became Nelson Mandela Square. For anyone interested in current affairs and the reality behind politics, The Winding Stair – From Morley Boy to Westminster Knight is not to be missed.

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It’s 1915 in New York City and an intrepid young journalist is about to get her biggest story yet…The Lusitania has just been sunk, and headlines about a shooting at J.P. Morgan’s mansion and the Great War are splashed across the front page of every newspaper. Capability “Kitty” Weeks would love nothing more than to report on the news of the day, but she’s stuck writing about fashion and society gossip over on the Ladies’ Page – until a man is murdered at a high society picnic on her beat.Determined to prove her worth as a journalist, Kitty finds herself plunged into the midst of a wartime conspiracy that threatens to derail the United States’ attempt to remain neutral – and to disrupt the privileged life she has always known.The first book in a highly anticipated mystery series featuring rising journalism star Kitty Weeks packed full of historical detail, A Front Page Affair is perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Jacqueline WinspearPraise for A Front Page Affair‘A delightfully spunky heroine defies convention as an investigative reporter in this engaging historical mystery. The small factual details of New York life are gems’ Rhys Bowen‘This lively and well-researched debut introduces a charming historical series and an appealing fish-out-of-water sleuth who seeks independence and a career in an age when most women are bent on getting married, particularly to titled Englishmen. Devotees of Rhys Bowen’s mysteries will enjoy making the acquaintance of Miss Weeks.’ Library Journal ‘The fascinating historical details add flair to this thoroughly engaging mystery starring an intelligent amateur sleuth reminiscent of Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy. Vatsal’s debut will leave readers eager for Kitty’s next adventure.’ Booklist ‘The mystery plot was enthralling in and of itself, but it was the portrait of Old New York that provided the wow factor - there are very few writers who can conjure up this kind of authenticity. A fun, fascinating, feminist read – especially if you love New York!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘It is very rare to find a debut novel so well written and so engrossing’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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This is the first biography of an intrepid young French woman, Lily Sergueiew, who led an adventurous life and became famous as one of the five D-Day spies. In 1939, her bicycle ride from Paris to Saigon was interrupted by the outbreak of war. Disgusted by the Fall of France in 1940, she took the courageous decision to personally help the Allies drive the Nazis out of France: she would get the Abwehr to train her as a spy and have herself sent to England. Once there, she would betray the Nazis and place herself at the disposal of the Allies. It took three emotionally exhausting years to achieve this. She arrived in England just in time to become TREASURE, one of the five spies who misled the Nazis into believing that the Allies would land in the Pas de Calais. This disinformation operation saved countless lives. But Lily found the English cold and ungenerous towards her. They knew that she had a fatal medical condition. She had also risked her life - and her parents' lives - every day she worked for the Nazis, yet the English would not let her bring the dog who was such a comfort to her. They told her that her work was vital to their cause, but for Lily their behaviour meant that it was not worth a dog. So she hid from them that the Nazis had given her a control code to prove that her radio messages were genuine: it gave her a sense of power to know that she could destroy her work - and the whole D-Day deception - with a single keystroke. She did not intend to use it, but once she had revealed it, she was dismissed straight after D-Day. This meant that she could join the Free French Forces and be sent to France to care for Displaced Persons left in the wake of the retreating Nazis. Working with liberated prisoners from Buchenwald, she married the American Major in charge of the region who had fallen in love with her. He took her to America where he hoped that her condition could be cured. It could not, and she died (largely forgotten) with her husband at her side in 1950.

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Retreat, A Story of 1918 by Charles R. Benstead was first published by Methuen in 1930, as First World War fiction was moving from positive accounts of combat heroism towards narratives of disillusionment and loss. Retreat spans both phases through its tragic portrayal of an army chaplain driven to madness when his Christian values hold no sway against the bloody realities of war and through its heartening vision of how devotion to duty can fortify soldiers' sense of purpose and self-worth in the absence of spiritual faith. Retreat is based on the author's combat experiences as a Fifth Army artillery officer during the massive German advance in March 1918, adding historical depth to the literary value of the novel. The book centres heavily on the British retreat as experienced by Padre Elliot Warne, an egotistical churchman ill suited to the bitter realities of combat at the front. Warne shepherds a flock whose lack of interest in religion undermines his sense of significance to the war effort; and in the shadow of the overwhelming German army, he finds his faith gives way to fear. In Retreat, Benstead captures the cruel injustices of war as he knew it and demonstrates the inadequacies of religion as a balm to the harsh realities of war. In the introduction to this edition, war historian Hugh Cecil provides historical context for the novel's plot, a biography of the author and a survey of the book's critical and controversial reception. Charles R. Benstead (1896-1980) served with distinction as an artillery officer in the First World War and as a naval training officer in the Second World War. He wrote twelve books in all on topics ranging from naval combat to Cambridge history but none achieved the same critical success as Retreat. Hugh Cecil is an honorary lecturer at Leeds University and co-founder of the Second World War Experience Centre in Leeds. His many publications include The Flower of Battle; How Britain Wrote the Great War; Facing Armageddon: The First World War Experienced, and At the Eleventh Hour with Peter H. Liddle.

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'An instant classic' Guardian'Masterful, audacious storytelling'Tamsyn Muir, New York Times-bestselling author of Gideon the Ninth'An outstanding novel . . . one of the debuts of the year' Locus'Deserves a space on shelves alongside genre titans like Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia Butler'Publishers Weekly A thrillingly told space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and the path you must forge when every choice is stripped from you. Some Desperate Glory is the highly anticipated debut novel from Astounding Award and World Fantasy Award-Winner, Emily Tesh.All her life, Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the destruction of planet Earth. Raised on Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet.Then Command assigns her brother to certain death and relegates her to the nursery to bear sons, and she knows she must take humanity's revenge into her own hands. Alongside her brother's brilliant but seditious friend and a lonely, captive alien, Kyr must escape from everything she's ever known. If she succeeds, she will find a universe far more complicated than she was taught and far more wondrous than she could ever have imagined'A profoundly humane and brilliantly constructed space opera that will have you cheering, swearing, laughing, and ugly-crying. It's perfect' Alix E. Harrow, New York Times-bestselling author of The Once and Future Witches'This book is astoundingly good. An explosive and extraordinary story that I couldn't stop reading and will never forget' Everina Maxwell, author of Winter's OrbitFive star reader reviews:'Worth every page, every tear, every late night staying up to finish it. I hope you love this book as much as I do' 'For the life of me I could. not. put. it. down''As brilliantly plotted as Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice, with characters as vivid as Martha Wells' Murderbot''I am legitimately not exaggerating when I say this may be my favourite book I've read in the last ten years''HOLY MOTHER OF GOD I WAS NOT AT ALL PREPARED AND I AM ETERNALLY OBSESSED'

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After butting heads, an event planner and a wedding officiant begin an enemies with benefits arrangement as wedding bells chime around them in the newest rom-com from acclaimed author Denise Williams.Divorce lawyer RJ would never describe herself as romantic. But when she ends up officiating an unplanned wedding for a newly engaged couple in a park, her life is turned upside down. The video of the ceremony goes viral, and she finds herself in the unlikely position of being a sought-after local wedding officiant. Spending her free time overseeing 'I dos' isn't her most strategic career move, but she enjoys it, except for the type A dude-bro wedding planner she's forced to work with.Lear is a people person, but after his longtime girlfriend betrayed him, he isn't looking for love. He knows how to execute events and likes being in control, so working with an opinionated and inflexible officiant who can't stand him is not high on his list. He's never had trouble winning people over, but RJ seems immune to his charms.Surrounded by love at every turn, their physical attraction pulls them together despite their best efforts to stay an arm's length apart. Lear refuses to get hurt again. RJ refuses to let herself be vulnerable to anyone. But when it comes to happily ever after, their clients might not be the only ones saying 'I do'.Praise for Denise Williams'Funny, flirtatious, and full of heart, The Fastest Way to Fall is an absolute winner!' Libby Hubscher'An addictive romance filled with hilarious banter, sharp and engaging dialogue, heartfelt moments, and a real and empowering heroine worth cheering for' Jane Igharo, author of Ties That Tether'Absolutely SPECTACULAR!!' Priscilla Oliveras, USA Today bestselling author'A charming, romantic love story' Andie J. Christopher, USA Today bestselling author'A powerhouse romance . . . funny and charming and steamy' Sarah Smith, author of Faker'Funny, sexy, heartwarming and emotional . . . I did not want to put it down!' Samantha Young, New York Times bestselling author'Jake is just the type of hero I love - sexy, smart, sweet, and smitten' Olivia Dade, author of Spoiler Alert'Charming and compelling . . . as moving as it romantic' Jen DeLuca, author of Well Matched

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'A dizzyingly talented writer' Entertainment Weekly 'Joyfully queer, absurdly funny and swoonily romantic' K J Charles'Brilliance on every single page' Christina Lauren LGBTQ Reads: Most Anticipated Adult LGBTQAP Fiction 2021We Are Bookish: Spring Releases to Have on Your Radar_____________A delicious romantic comedy by the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material, perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston, Christina Lauren, and Abby Jimenez.As an expert baker, Rosaline Palmer is a big believer in always following the recipe. She's lived her life by that rule - well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Now, with a paycheck as useful as greaseproof paper and a house crumbling faster than biscuits in tea, she's teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But where there's a whisk there's a way . . . and Rosaline has just landed a spot on the nation's most beloved baking show. Winning the prize money would give her daughter the life she deserves, but more than collapsing trifles stand between Rosaline and sweet, sweet victory. Suave, well-educated, and parent-approved Alain Pope knows all the right moves to sweep her off her feet, but it's shy electrician Harry Dobson who makes Rosaline question her long-held beliefs - about herself, her family, and her desires.Rosaline fears falling for Harry is a recipe for disaster. Yet as the competition - and the ovens - heat up, Rosaline starts to realize the best quality bakes come from the heart . . . Find out why readers are raving about Alexis Hall . . . 'The undisputed master of romantic comedy' Jenny Holiday'Every once in a while you read a book that you want to SCREAM FROM ROOFTOPS about. I'm screaming, people!' Sonali Dev'The writing is witty, and [the] chemistry is irresistible, but it's Hall's insights about trust and self-worth that set the story apart. This is a triumph' Publishers Weekly 'Hall does it again with this scrumptious, quietly subversive rom-com again . . . Hilarious, heartwarming, and grounded, Rosaline's story proves that happy endings look different from person to person' Publishers Weekly 'A tasty tale that most Bake Off fans could get their teeth into...' Sunday Post

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In November 1955, Nasser Ali Khan, one of Iran's most celebrated tar players, is in search of a new instrument. His beloved tar has been broken. But no matter what tar he tries, none of them sound right. Brokenhearted, Nasser Ali Khan decides that life is no longer worth living. He takes to his bed, renouncing the world and all of its pleasures. This is the story of the eight days he spends preparing to surrender his soul. As the days pass and Nasser Ali Khan grows weaker, those who love him - his wife, his children, his siblings - gather round, incredulous, to try to comfort him. Every visitor stirs up a memory, and in the course of this week Nasser Ali Khan revisits his entire life, a life defined by three relationships in particular. He remembers his late mother, who sacrificed everything for his revolutionary brother, but who also, in the last week of her life, found solace only in smoking and listening to him play his tar; his angry wife, who can't forgive him his melancholy and irresponsibility; and Irane, his first love, whose father forbade her to marry a poor musician and inflicted the wound that fuelled his music. The pieces of Nasser Ali Khan's story slowly fall into place, and as they do, we begin to understand him. By the time the eighth day dawns, having witnessed Nasser Ali Khan communing with Sufi mystics, Sophia Loren, the spirit of his late mother, his own demons and, bravely, with Azrael, the angel of death - we feel privileged to have known him. Brilliantly weaving together the past, present and future to explore the successes and joys, failures and disappointments of Nasser Ali Khan's life and through his story, the meaning of any of our lives - Marjane Satrapi has also once again presented us with a complex and deeply human portrait of the men and women of her country, and of pre-revolution Iran itself. She delivers this tremendous story about life and death, and the fear and courage both require, with her trademark humour and insight. Chicken With Plums is Marjane Satrapi's finest achievement to date.

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A gripping mystery about a woman trying to find out the truth behind the death of her best friend and introducing a brilliant detective duo - perfect for fans of Peter James, Angela Marsons and James Oswald. A DEAD GIRLA vulnerable young woman, fresh out of the care system, is trying to discover the truth behind the sudden death of her best friend.A MURDERED POLICE OFFICERThe charred body of a policeman - currently the subject of an internal investigation - is found in the burnt-out-shell of his car on the Southend seafront.A CRIME WORTH KILLING FOR?To DS Frank Pearson and DC Catherine Russell of the Essex Police Major Investigation Team, the two events seem unconnected. But as they dig deeper into their colleague's murder, dark secrets begin to emerge.Can Pearson and Russell solve both cases, before more lives are destroyed?A twisty, gripping novel that introduces a brilliant new detective duo. If you like Peter James, Angela Marsons and James Oswald, then you'll love this crime debut. TRULY EVIL, the gripping second book in the series is out now. ****Praise for Burned and Broken:'Immensely impressive' The Times'The investigation into a copper's dramatic death in downbeat Southend scoops a cast of equally downbeat characters into its net, and tensions rise as their stories fold around each other. An accomplished debut' Sunday Times'Emotional, intelligent, sensual and with such a strong voice, Burned and Broken by Mark Hardie is a crime debut that deserves huge success' Harry Illingworth (Goldsboro Books)'I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book and I would recommend it to anybody. I can't wait to read more investigations led by DS Frank Pearson and DC Cat Russell' Amanda Oughton (Ginger Book Geek)'The story is easy to follow without being too simple, and the novel really manages to evoke a sense of atmosphere and reality within its pages. I didn't find myself becoming distracted whilst reading at all, and raced through it in hours. I will certainly be reading any future novels, particularly in this series which I wholeheartedly enjoyed' Laura Naz (Snazzy Books)

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‘A beautiful and unique retelling of Medea. I loved it!’ Sunday Times bestselling author Sophie Irwin ‘Absorbing and thoughtful…full of page-turning drama and vibrantly drawn characters. Bold and illuminating’ Claire Heywood, author of Daughters of Sparta A propulsive retelling inspired by the Greek myth of Medea Calcutta, 1757. Bengal is on the brink of war. The East India Company, led by the fearsome Sir Peter Chilcott, are advancing and nobody is safe. Meena, the Nawab’s neglected and abused daughter, finds herself falling under the spell of James Chilcott, nephew of Sir Peter, who claims he wants to betray the company . . . for a price. Caught between friend and foe, Meena and James escape Calcutta, their hands stained in blood and pockets filled with gold. In Ceylon, they’re cleansed of their sins by Meena’s beloved aunt Kiran, before the young lovers set sail for the Dutch controlled Cape of Good Hope, with the promise of a new life. Yet past resentments and present betrayals begin to pile up as they struggle to overcome their differences. And as Meena yet again finds herself in a foreign land without anyone to turn to, she is forced to find out what she is willing to sacrifice when love turns to hate. The perfect read for fans of The Song of Achilles, Ariadne and Pandora ‘Extraordinary… Selvarajah skillfully interweaves the familiar story of Medea with something vivd, vibrant and brand new’ Sarah Underwood, author of New York Times bestseller Lies We Sing to the Sea ‘A clever and compassionate retelling of the Medea myth . . . an ending worth of the great Greek playwrights’ Laura Shepperson, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Heroines ‘Mythic, rageful and timely… a devastating must read’ Tasha Suri, author of TikTok sensation, The Jasmine Throne ‘A beautiful and unique retelling of Medea’ Sunday Times bestselling author Sophie Irwin ‘Powerful and entrancing’ USA Today bestseller, Andie Newton ‘A vivid picture of a dark and difficult world… an emotional journey of a woman’s strength and determination despite all the odds’ Siya Turabi, author of The Last Beekeeper

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With an ear tuned to the most delicate musical effects, an eye for exact and heterogeneous details, and a mind bent on experiment, Louis Zukofsky was preeminent among the radical Objectivist poets of the 1930s. This is the first collection to draw on the full range of Zukofsky’s poetry——containing short lyrics, versions of Catullus, and generous selections from “A”, his 24-part “poem of a life”—and provides a superb introduction to a modern master of whom the critic Guy Davenport has written: “Every living American poet worth a hoot has stood aghast before the steel of his integrity.”The most formally radical poet to emerge among the second wave of American modernists, Louis Zukofsky continues to influence younger poets attracted to the rigor, inventiveness, and formal clarity of his work. Born on New York’s Lower East Side in 1904 to emigrant parents, Zukofsky achieved early recognition when he edited an issue of Poetry devoted to the Objectivist poets, including George Oppen and Charles Reznikoff. In addition to an abundance of short lyrics and a sound-based version of the complete poems of Catullus, he worked for most of his adult life on the long poem “A” of which he said: “In a sense the poem is an autobiography: the words are my life.”Zukofsky’s work has been described as difficult although he himself said: “I try to be as simple as possible.” In the words of editor Charles Bernstein, “This poetry leads with sound and you can never go wrong following the sound sense. . . . Zukofsky loved to create patterns, some of which are apparent and some of which operate subliminally. . . . Each word, like a stone dropped in a pond, creates a ripple around it. The intersecting ripples on the surface of the pond are the pattern of the poem.” Here for the first time is a selection designed to introduce the full range of Zukofsky’s extraordinary poetry.About the American Poets ProjectElegantly designed in compact editions, printed on acid-free paper, and textually authoritative, the American Poets Project makes available the full range of the American poetic accomplishment, selected and introduced by today’s most discerning poets and critics.

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In this inventive and intensely personal cookbook, the blogger behind the award-winning ladyandpups.com reveals how she cooked her way out of an untenable living situation, with more than eighty delicious Asian-inspired dishes with influences from around the world.For Mandy Lee, moving from New York to Beijing for her husband’s work wasn’t an exotic adventure—it was an ordeal. Growing increasingly exasperated with China’s stifling political climate, its infuriating bureaucracy, and its choking pollution, she began “an unapologetically angry food blog,” LadyandPups.com, to keep herself from going mad.Mandy cooked because it channeled her focus, helping her cope with the difficult circumstances of her new life. She filled her kitchen with warming spices and sticky sauces while she shared recipes and observations about life, food, and cooking in her blog posts. Born in Taiwan and raised in Vancouver, she came of age food-wise in New York City and now lives in Hong Kong; her food reflects the many places she’s lived. This entertaining and unusual cookbook is the story of how “escapism cooking”—using the kitchen as a refuge and ultimately creating delicious and satisfying meals—helped her crawl out of her expat limbo.Illustrated with her own gorgeous photography, The Art of Escapism Cooking provides that comforting feeling a good meal provides. Here are dozens of innovative and often Asian-influenced recipes, divided into categories by mood and occasion, such as:For Getting Out of BedPoached Eggs with Miso-Browned Butter HollandaiseCrackling Pancake with Caramel-Clustered Blueberries and Balsamic HoneyFor SlurpingBuffalo Fried Chicken RamenCrab Bisque Tsukemen For a CrowdCumin Lamb Rib BurgerItalian Meatballs in Taiwanese Rouzao SauceFor SnackingWontons with Shrimp and Chili Coconut Oil and Herbed YogurtSpicy Chickpea Poppers For SweetsMochi with Peanut Brown Sugar and Ice CreamRecycled Nuts and Caramel Apple CakeEvery dish is sublimely delicious and worth the time and attention required. Mandy also demystifies unfamiliar ingredients and where to find them, shares her favorite tools, and provides instructions for essential condiments for the pantry and fridge, such as Ramen Seasoning, Fried Chili Verde Sauce, Caramelized Onion Powder Paste, and her Ultimate Sichuan Chile Oil.

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This book puts forward a new angle of understanding the society of states in the milieu of the contemporary world. The absence of a regulatory mechanism, i.e., anarchy, has been the fundamental issue of international relations. This book explains how the normative imperatives, information and communication technology (ICT) and nuclear deterrence generated ambiance have poised the states in a society where they are bound to follow certain normative imperatives that dilute the color and meaning of anarchy and obliges the states to act in a certain way. It develops a theoretical proposition with regard to state power defined in terms of the capability of determining the outcomes. The proposition first elaborates how international institutions foster normative imperatives; then, in line with this ontology, it narrows down the focus solely on the power of the states in the contemporary world. It explains how the power that can determine the outcome today is holistic in nature, comprising both materialistic and normative factors. In the next step, it tailors the proposition in a way so as to employ it for a specific empirical work. The book does not end just positing the theoretical proposition; the proposition is testified through some case studies with regard to climate negotiations under the UNFCCC. The empirical part not only serves to examine the plausibility of the theoretical proposition, but it also presents the logic of the major actors and the politics with respect to some of the major issues of climate change, i.e., mitigation, funding policy and mechanism and adaptation. The scholars in this arena, climate activists and climate-conscious people in general would find this book worth reading as it kindles a different angle to understand the issues in the context of the contemporary world and as it elaborates the logic, framing process, and mechanism of reaching outcomes through complex negotiation process. No other work has so far analyzed the issues covering the entire period of 21 apex UNFCCC negotiations that led to the Paris Agreement. Apart from university libraries, this book, thus, has the prospect to be sold in the markets targeting the academicians, climate change experts, bureaucrats, negotiators and the common readers.

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This is not a book about theory, it is a book about life. This volume is in the excellent Practical Theology Series published by Jessica Kingsley and under the general editorship of John Swinton of Aberdeen University who writes the Foreword. Ray Anderson is an American pastor and academic of many years standing. His starting point is (pre) theoretical, arguing vigorously that practical theology has a particular end in view and therefore differs from the empirical (social) sciences. It is well worth sticking with his argument to see how it works out in practice. Early chapters with phrases in their titles such as "Spiritual Praxis of Practical Theology", "Integrative Gestalt of the Human Self", "Ecological Matrix of the Human Person" and "Social Ecology of Human Spirituality" might seem heavy going at times. Don't be put off! The reader is rewarded with highly relevant contemporary understandings of spirituality illuminating and illuminated by both Scripture and modern theologians and therapists. This book comes highly recommended for anyone involved in the field of mental health care.'- Leveson Newsletter'This is a book that deserves to be read, and perhaps re-read, by those who deliver spiritual care and wish to reflect on what they do.'- Scottish Journal of Healthcare ChaplaincyBridging the gap between clinical and religious professionals, this book examines how both can understand the spiritual needs of the individual, and the importance of this spirituality in bringing about health and wholeness.With an emphasis on mental health, the author explores spirituality in the context of the individual and of society, and discusses how those practicing pastoral or health care can deal with the issues raised outside of any specific religious ideas or practice. Taking an ecological approach to understanding the needs of the individual, Ray S. Anderson shows how professionals can help people move towards a more positive state in the face of pain, distress and illness.Moving religious professionals away from the pursuit of simple edification, and those in health from purely medicalized approaches, Spiritual Caregiving as Secular Sacrament brings together professionals' roles in the context of spirituality to enable them to bring the greatest benefit to those in their care.

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AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 _______________ 'A blade-sharp coming-of-age novel' SPECTATOR 'Confirms Flattery as a bracingly original writer' IRISH INDEPENDENT 'In enviably elegant prose, she manages to be both arch and deadly serious' LOUISE KENNEDY _______________ A wildly original debut novel about two young women navigating the complex worlds of Andy Warhol's Factory, and coming of age in 1960s New York New York City, 1966. Seventeen-year-old Mae lives in a run-down apartment with her alcoholic mother and her mother's sometimes-boyfriend, Mikey. She is turned off by the petty girls at her high school, and the sleazy men she typically meets. When she drops out, she is presented with a job offer that will remake her world entirely: she is hired as a typist for the artist Andy Warhol. Warhol is composing an unconventional novel by recording the conversations and experiences of his many famous and alluring friends. Tasked with transcribing these tapes alongside several other girls, Mae quickly befriends Shelley and the two of them embark on a surreal adventure at the fringes of the countercultural movement. Going to parties together, exploring their womanhood and sexuality, this should be the most enlivening experience of Mae's life. But as she grows increasingly obsessed with the tapes and numb to her own reality, Mae must grapple with the thin line between art and voyeurism and determine how she can remain her own person as the tide of the sixties sweeps over her. Nothing Special is a whip-smart coming-of-age story about friendship, independence and the construction of art and identity, bringing to life the experience of young women in this iconic and turbulent moment. _______________ PRAISE FOR SHOW THEM A GOOD TIME: 'A masterclass . . . Bold, irreverent and agonisingly funny' Sally Rooney 'Announces the arrival of a brilliant talent' Financial Times 'Explores difficult questions about self-worth, agency and intimacy with thrilling sharpness' Sunday Times 'Demands repeated reading' Jon McGregor A 2023 HIGHLIGHT FOR: THE TIMES * TELEGRAPH * STYLIST * GQ * GUARDIAN * HARPER'S BAZAAR * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING * WATERSTONES * i-D * IRISH TIMES * HUFFINGTON POST UK

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In twenty-first-century American cities, policy makers increasingly celebrate university-sponsored innovation districts as engines of inclusive growth. But the story is not so simple. In University City, Laura Wolf-Powers chronicles five decades of planning in and around the communities of West Philadelphia’s University City to illuminate how the dynamics of innovation district development in the present both depart from and connect to the politics of mid-twentieth-century urban renewal. Drawing on archival and ethnographic research, Wolf-Powers concludes that even as university and government leaders vow to develop without displacement, what existing residents value is imperiled when innovation-driven redevelopment remains accountable to the property market. The book first traces the municipal and institutional politics that empowered officials to demolish a predominantly Black neighborhood near the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University in the late 1960s to make way for the University City Science Center and University City High School. It also provides new insight into organizations whose members experimented during that same period with alternative conceptions of economic advancement. The book then shifts to the present, documenting contemporary efforts to position university-adjacent neighborhoods as locations for prosperity built on scientific knowledge. Wolf-Powers examines the work of mobilized civic groups to push cultural preservation concerns into the public arena and to win policies to help economically insecure families keep a foothold in changing neighborhoods. Placing Philadelphia’s innovation districts in the context of similar development taking place around the United States, University City advocates a reorientation of redevelopment practice around the recognition that despite their negligible worth in real estate terms, the time, care, and energy people invest in their local environments—and in one another—are precious urban resources. *** Pictured on the book's cover is a luncheon on Melon Street between 37th and 38th Streets in West Philadelphia, May 31, 2014. The community meal was part of Funeral for a Home, a project that honored the life and passing of a house at 3711 Melon Street in Mantua. Photo by Jeffrey Stockbridge. Funeral for a Home was commissioned by Temple Contemporary, Temple University. Original support for Funeral for a Home was provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Philadelphia.

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'An electrifying account of gambling addiction ... compelling' The Times 'Mesmerising, superbly written story of despair, decline and redemption ... should be in the hands of anyone who has eyed a bet' Daily Mail 'An extraordinary story ... vital stuff' Adrian Chiles 'Gripping and harrowing ... enough to make any gambling enthusiast think carefully' The Spectator 'I don't think any book has gripped me like Might Bite' Chris Evans The unputdownable story of a life shattered by a secret gambling addiction – and an uplifting tale of recovery – with a foreword by Marcus Trescothick. For more than 12 years, Patrick Foster lived a double life. Turning 31, a popular and sociable young teacher and former professional cricketer, he had a lovely girlfriend and a supportive family. But he was hiding a secret and debilitating gambling addiction from even those closest to him. Huge bets had led to huge debts, thousands of lies, and consequences for his mental health that pushed him to the edge of the platform at Slough station, where he was moments from taking his own life in March 2018. That month Patrick had turned a £30 bet into £28,000, then lost £50,000 on a single horse, Might Bite, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, watching the race in a silent classroom as his students undertook a mock exam in front of him. In his desperation, he had taken out every possible loan, and borrowed money from family, friends and even the parents of children he taught. Although his life was unravelling around him, he could not stop. You might think that this is just one man’s story. But problem gambling affects 1 in 200 people in the UK alone. Hundreds lose their lives annually as a result. The industry is worth more than £14 billion. Might Bite is a shocking, cautionary tale of just how easy it is to fall victim to the insidious lure of ‘winning big’. And of how recovery is possible from the depths of addiction, no matter how inescapable it seems. ‘As a society, we are only just getting to grips with gambling addiction. Patrick Foster is a trailblazer. His work will help many’ Marcus Trescothick

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*A Sunday Times Book of the Year* The remarkable and inspirational story of Oksana Masters, who was born with radiation-induced birth defects and suffered appalling abuse as an orphan, before being adopted and moving to the US, where she went on to triumph over her challenges to win seventeen Paralympic medals in four different sports. Oksana Masters was born in the shadow of Chernobyl, with one kidney, a partial stomach, six toes on each foot, webbed fingers, no right bicep and no thumbs. Her left leg was six inches shorter than her right, and she was missing both tibias. Relinquished to the orphanage system by birth parents daunted by the staggering cost of their child’s medical care, Oksana encountered numerous abuses, some horrifying. Salvation came at the age of seven when Gay Masters, an unmarried American professor who saw a photo of the little girl and became haunted by her eyes, waged a two-year war against stubborn adoption authorities to rescue Oksana from her circumstances. In America, Oksana endured years of operations that included a double leg amputation. Still, how could she hope to fit in when there were so many things making her different? As it turned out, she would do much more than fit in. Determined to prove herself and fuelled by a drive to succeed that still smouldered from childhood, Oksana triumphed in not just one sport but four - winning against the world’s best in rowing, biathlon, cross-country skiing and road cycling competitions. This is Oksana’s astonishing story of journeying through a series of dark tunnels - and how, with her mother’s love, she finally found her way into the light. Her message to anyone who doesn’t fit in: you can find a place where you excel and where you have worth. 'Gripping, powerful and inspiring' - TONY HAWK 'Heart-wrenching and extraordinary' - ARIANA NEUMANN 'Riveting' - DONALD MCRAE'It’s a story of horror and heroism, of hate and love, of piercing pain and immense, euphoric joy - IRISH INDEPENDENT'The book is by turns difficult to read and to put down; "triumph over adversity’ barely covers it" - TELEGRAPH

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Dignity is humanity�s most prized possession. We experience the loss of dignity as a terrible humiliation: when we lose our dignity we feel deprived of something without which life no longer seems worth living. But what exactly is this trait that we value so highly? In this important new book, distinguished philosopher Peter Bieri looks afresh at the notion of human dignity. In contrast to most traditional views, he argues that dignity is not an innate quality of human beings or a right that we possess by virtue of being human. Rather, dignity is a certain way to lead one�s life. It is a pattern of thought, experience and action – in other words, a way of living. In Bieri�s account, there are three key dimensions to dignity as a way of living. The first is the way I am treated by others: they can treat me in a way that leaves my dignity intact or they can destroy my dignity. The second dimension concerns the way that I treat other people: do I treat them in a way that allows me to live a dignified life? The third dimension concerns the view that I have of myself: which ways of seeing and treating myself allow me to maintain a sense of dignity? In the actual flow of day-to-day life these three dimensions of dignity are often interwoven, and this accounts in part for the complexity of the situations and experiences in which our dignity is at stake. So, why did we invent dignity and what role does it play in our lives? As thinking and acting beings, our lives are fragile and constantly under threat. A dignified way of living, argues Bieri, is humanity�s way of coping with this threat. In our constantly endangered lives, it is important to stand our ground with confidence. Thus a dignified way of living is not any way of living: it is a particular way of responding to the existential experience of being under threat. It is also a particular way of answering the question: What kind of life do we wish to live? This beautifully written reflection on our most cherished human value will be of interest to a wide readership.

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Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the most important figures in the history of American thought, religion, and literature. The vitality of his writings and the unsettling power of his example continue to influence us more than a hundred years after his death. Now Robert D. Richardson Jr. brings to life an Emerson very different from the old stereotype of the passionless Sage of Concord. Drawing on a vast amount of new material, including correspondence among the Emerson brothers, Richardson gives us a rewarding intellectual biography that is also a portrait of the whole man. These pages present a young suitor, a grief-stricken widower, an affectionate father, and a man with an abiding genius for friendship. The great spokesman for individualism and self-reliance turns out to have been a good neighbor, an activist citizen, a loyal brother. Here is an Emerson who knew how to laugh, who was self-doubting as well as self-reliant, and who became the greatest intellectual adventurer of his age. Richardson has, as much as possible, let Emerson speak for himself through his published works, his many journals and notebooks, his letters, his reported conversations. This is not merely a study of Emerson's writing and his influence on others; it is Emerson's life as he experienced it. We see the failed minister, the struggling writer, the political reformer, the poetic liberator. The Emerson of this book not only influenced Thoreau, Fuller, Whitman, Dickinson, and Frost, he also inspired Nietzsche, William James, Baudelaire, Marcel Proust, Virginia Woolf, and Jorge Luis Borges. Emerson's timeliness is persistent and striking: his insistence that literature and science are not separate cultures, his emphasis on the worth of every individual, his respect for nature. Richardson gives careful attention to the enormous range of Emerson's readings - from Persian poets to George Sand - and to his many friendships and personal encounters - from Mary Moody Emerson to the Cherokee chiefs in Boston - evoking both the man and the times in which he lived. Throughout this book, Emerson's unquenchable vitality reaches across the decades, and his hold on us endures.

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As the philosopher Martin Buber wrote, "All real living is meeting." People like to get together. That?s why special events can often work so much better for nonprofit organizations than other, less social types of fundraising programs. From red-carpet galas to Saturday afternoon street fairs, special events offer nonprofits an unparalleled opportunity to both raise money and make friends. Yet for all the benefits—and they are great—inexperience and bad planning can make these events more trouble—and a greater financial drain—than they are worth. Special Events: Proven Strategies for Nonprofit Fundraising, Second Edition is the complete guide to making your next nonprofit event the rousing success it can be. Packed with author and development professional Alan Wendroff's realistic insights and pointers, this text provides a logical and comprehensive outline of event planning, with a special emphasis on fitting these events into the larger framework of the nonprofit?s organizational goals. Inside you?ll find such helpful tools as: Seven goals for a successful event The Master Event Timetable (METT), a proven organizational tool that provides step-by-step guidance through the entire event process A case study explaining in understandable detail how to implement the advice and methods outlined An accompanying CD that includes sample timelines, worksheets, checklists, budgets, writing examples, decision tables, and contracts From choosing the right event to the best way of expressing thanks afterwards, Special Events covers all aspects of producing a winning fundraiser for your organization. In addition to the brass tacks of managing logistics, the coverage includes thoughtful discussions on how to take full advantage of the networking, volunteer recruitment, public relations, and motivational opportunities your special event can provide. This updated Second Edition features new information in these areas, plus an entirely new chapter on using the Internet for event planning. With the needs of nonprofit organizations only growing as donations shrink, special events become more and more vital in sustaining the life of these organizations. Nonprofit lay leaders, professionals, and staff, as well as marketing professionals and event planners who work with nonprofits, will all find in Special Events, Second Edition a clearly drawn road map leading to fundraising success.

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‘Wait just one minute while I catch my breath and pick my heart up off the floor. Wow! This book grabbed onto me and would not let go… Five stars’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ You thought she was safe. You were wrong… Alex knows her daughter would never wander off in a strange place. So when her three-year-old vanishes from an idyllic beach wedding, Alex immediately believes the worst. The hunt for Lottie quickly becomes a world-wide search, but it’s not long before suspicion falls on her mother. Why wasn’t she watching Lottie? Alex knows she’s not perfect, but she loves her child. And with all eyes on her, Alex fears they’ll never uncover the truth unless she takes matters into her own hands. Who took Lottie Martini? And will she ever come home? A totally addictive thriller, with a twist you just won’t see coming. Fans of Lisa Jewell, Louise Candlish and T.M. Logan will be totally gripped from the very first page. Readers are gripped by Stolen: ‘TEN STARS!… Utterly fabulous… You won't be able to put it down’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Made my jaw drop!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Omg, wow… just wow, this book is absolutely bloody brilliant…. Worth all the stars and more’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Crikey, reading this book has taken up my days and nights for 3 days! I couldn't stop reading it… I loved it!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Absolutely unputdownable’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Boy was I gripped… I stayed up all night reading… So many twists and turns’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Twist, twist, twist – I loved it… Brilliant!’ Jackie Kabler, author of The Perfect Couple ‘Gripped me from the very first page… The twists and turns will have you at the edge of your seat!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow… The twists really blew me away!!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I went through so many emotions reading this… Hits you right in the gut… Such a powerful and emotional read. Grab the tissues’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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This first biography of Pamela Hansford Johnson (1912-1981) has been written with the full co-operation of her three children, who allowed Wendy Pollard access to previously unexamined diaries, letters and much other material, illuminating their mother's eventful and often entertaining life. Pamela Hansford Johnson's achievements were all the more remarkable because of her lack of formal education after the age of 16. With no literary contacts to ease her path, she nevertheless quickly established herself first as a poet, then as a prolific short story writer, and, after the publication of her first novel, she was able to support herself and her mother on her income from writing and reviewing. In addition to their aesthetic worth, her novels are remarkable for the portraits they paint of almost forgotten, yet comparatively recent, worlds. Her 1930s novels are not set in the privileged surroundings featured in the novels of the majority of her contemporaries, but in the down-to-earth milieu of lower middle-class Londoners. Her novels of the 1940s and 1950s graphically portray the period of social adjustment during, and immediately after, the Second World War.Later, several of her novels focused on moral dilemmas, and she also varied her range with a group of well-received satirical novels. She frequently broadcast on the Third Programme, and was a regular panel member on the acclaimed radio programme, 'The Critics' and BBC TV's 'The Brains Trust'. Her non-fiction works include literary monographs on Thomas Wolfe and Ivy Compton-Burnett, a published series of broadcasts entitled 'Six Proust Reconstructions', and On Iniquity, a book-length meditation on the Moors Murder Trial, on which she reported for the Sunday Telegraph. Her private life was full of incident, the earliest being her youthful romance with Dylan Thomas. Her first marriage was to an Australian journalist, and she subsequently married the novelist and scientist, C.P. (later Lord) Snow. The Snows formed a celebrated literary partnership, travelling widely, and being feted in academic circles in the USA and the USSR as well as in the UK. The biography also recounts the many intrigues in literary circles in the post-war years when the Snows later became targets for the emerging satire movement.

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**Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) Winner**Bushido: The Samurai Code of Japan is the most influential book ever written on the Japanese "Way of the Warrior." A classic study of Japanese culture, the book outlines the moral code of the Samurai way of living and the virtues every Samurai warrior holds dear. It is widely read today in Japan and around the world. There are seven core precepts of Bushido: Rectitude: "The power of deciding upon a certain course of conduct in accordance with reason, without wavering." Courage: "Doing what is right." Benevolence: "Love, magnanimity, affection for others, sympathy and pity." Civility: "Courtesy and urbanity of manners." Sincerity: "The end and the beginning of all things." Honor: "A vivid conscious of personal dignity and worth." Loyalty: "Homage and fealty to a superior." Together, these seven values create a system of beliefs unique to Japanese philosophy and culture that is widely followed today. Inazo Nitobe, one of Japan's foremost scholars, thoroughly explores each of these values and explains how they differ from their Western counterparts. Until you understand the philosophy behind the ethics, you will never fully grasp what it meant to be a Samurai—what it meant to have Bushido. In Bushido, Nitobe points out similarities between Western and Japanese history and culture. He argues that "no matter how different any two cultures may appear to be on the surface, they are still created by human beings, and as such have deep similarities." Nitobe believed that connecting Bushido with greater teachings could make an important contribution to all humanity—that the way of the Samurai is not something peculiarly Japanese, but of value to the entire human race. With an extensive new introduction and notes by Alex Bennett, a respected scholar of Japanese history, culture and martial arts with a firsthand knowledge of the Japanese warrior code, Bushido: The Samurai Code of Japan is an essential guide to the essence of Japanese culture. Bennett's views on this subject are revolutionizing our understanding of Bushido, as expressed in his Japanese bestseller The Bushido the Japanese Don't Know About.

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Two lonely bookworms. An unexpected friendship. A library that needs their help 'A touching story of a friendship between a troubled teenager, a yoga-practising farming woman in her seventies and a local library. A delight!' – Sunday Times bestselling author Katie Fforde Teenager Tom has always blended into the background of life. After a row with his dad and facing an unhappy future at the dog food factory, he escapes to the library. Pensioner Maggie has been happily alone with her beloved novels for ten years – at least, that's what she tells herself. When they meet, they recognise something in each other that will change both their lives for ever. Then the library comes under threat of closure, and they must join forces to prove that it's not just about books – it's the heart of their community. They are determined to save it – because some things are worth fighting for. EVEN MORE PRAISE FOR THE LIBRARY! 'Such a heart-warming and thought-provoking novel! A touching tale of true friendship, overcoming adversity and the genuine joy books can bring to our lives' – Jill Mansell 'A touching tale that will warm your heart and put a smile on your face' – Hazel Prior 'A story that was deeply moving, and ultimately uplifting... Definitely recommended – it was one of my best reads this year' – Janet Gover 'Heart-rending and inspiring in equal measures. A wonderful story. I adored it!' – Celia Anderson 'Beautifully and sensitively written, the characterisation is superb!' – Sue Moorcroft 'Absolutely LOVED IT! It's Bella's best book yet! A glorious heartfelt novel' – Christie Barlow 'The Library is a beautifully uplifting story full of wit, warmth and tender moments, with community at its heart and characters you truly care about' – Cressida McLaughlin 'I absolutely loved this book. Heart-warming with genuine characters, the plot pulled me in and I was rooting for the library every step of the way. A great tonic for the times and highly recommended!' – Talli Roland 'A truly special book, brimming with charm, heartwrenching moments and inspiring characters. The Library is one of those feel-good books that is sure to delight readers' – Carmel Harrington, author of The Moon Over Kilmore Quay

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In this evocative and poignant novel from the USA TODAY bestselling author of Blind Kiss and Wish You Were Here, a young widow in the midst of grieving her late husband through Facebook posts learns to heal and fall in love again. “See you on the other side.” Laya Marston’s husband, Cameron, a daredevil enthusiast, always said this before heading off on his next adventure. He was the complete opposite of her, ready and willing to dive off a cliff-face, or parachute across a canyon—and Laya loved him for it. But she was different: pragmatic, regimented, devoted to her career and to supporting Cameron from the sidelines of his death-defying feats. Opposites attract, right? But when Cameron dies suddenly and tragically, all the stages of grief go out the window. Laya becomes lost in denial, living in the delusion that Cameron will come back to her. She begins posting on his Facebook page, reminiscing about their life together, and imagining new adventures for the two of them. Micah Evans, a young and handsome architect at Laya’s father’s firm, is also stuck––paralyzed by the banal details of his career, his friendships, and his love life. He doesn’t know what he’s looking for, only that there is someone out there who can bring energy and spirit to the humdrum of his life. When Micah discovers Laya’s tragic and bizarre Facebook posts, he’s determined to show Laya her life is still worth living. Leaving her anonymous gifts and notes, trying to recreate the sense of adventure she once shared with her late husband, Micah finds a new passion watching Laya come out of the darkness. And Laya finds a new joy in the experiences Micah has created for her. But for Laya, letting another man in still feels like a betrayal to her late husband. Even though Micah may be everything she could wish for, she wonders if she deserves to find happiness again. Written with Renée Carlino’s signature “tender and satisfying” (Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Maybe in Another Life) prose, this warm and compassionate novel shows us how powerful the courage to love and live again truly is.

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Take the guesswork out of keto meal prep planning with over 60 low-carb recipes and 8 easy-to-follow weekly meal plans! Eating keto can be challenging, and cooking keto recipes that are satisfying can be even more challenging! You need to make sure you're eating enough fat to stay in ketosis, while still eating food that is satisfying. Weekly meal prep can help ensure that you stay in ketosis while still enjoying fresh, delicious, keto-friendly recipes that aren't the same every week. With Easy Keto Meal Prep, planning and preparing your weekly keto meals has never been easier! Dive straight in to discover:- 8 weekly meal plans, each with a detailed step-by-step prep plan, shopping list, and equipment list, and each with four main recipes and four alternative recipes that can be swapped in - Over 60 delicious recipes, each with specific macros and detailed nutrition information to ensure you're always eating the right ratios to stay in ketosis- Beautiful photography and visual meal grids that show you exactly what you'll be eating each day, along with the macros ratios for each day's meals - Helpful guidance for eating keto, sticking with the diet, meal prepping like a pro, and safely storing your prepped meals Each recipe in this low-carb cookbook includes specific macro ratios and detailed nutrition information to ensure you're always eating the right ratios to stay in ketosis. With over 60 delicious recipes, you'll enjoy a large variety of keto meals sure to burn fat and give you a metabolism boost like never before! Featuring 8 weekly meal plans to offer a broad range of recipe combinations, this keto cookbook will ensure you'll never have to eat the same week of meals twice, and each prep plan includes detailed shopping lists, step-by-step prep day instructions, and handy equipment lists to help you prepare a week’s worth of meals in just a few hours! Also included in this ketogenic diet book is helpful guidance for eating keto and sticking with your diet, tips on how to meal prep like a pro, and safely store your prepped meals. Fancy adopting a keto diet this New Year? Then this is definitely the book for you!

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‘OMG THAT ENDING!!!!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review ‘Oh my! I thought The Serial Killer's Wife was good but Alice Hunter has really turned up the heat for The Serial Killer's Daughter. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review Is murder in the blood? In a sleepy Devon village, a woman is taken from the streets. Local vet Jenny is horrified. This kind of thing doesn’t happen here. But it’s not the first time she’s been so close to a crime scene. The daughter of a prolific serial killer, she’s spent her whole life running from who she really is. And the crime is harrowingly similar to those her father committed all those years ago… But she’s not her father’s daughter. Is she? Readers are LOVING The Serial Killer’s Daughter! ‘A gripping, fast-paced plot that drew me in and propelled me on a twisty, white-knuckle ride. Utterly compelling with an ending that chilled me to the bone.’ Anne Wyn Clark ‘A tense, taut thriller…pulls you along with it right to the last page.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I loved this book. Once I picked this novel up, I didn’t put it down.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The twist at the end is so clever that I was left thinking about it for days after.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Such an addictive read!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I was completely hooked, I even took it to the toilet with me!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Intense, gripping, twisty and unpredictable, I loved it.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Totally gripped from the first page to the last, suspicious of everyone and everything. A tense, faced paced thriller that will keep you up at night.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A fast-paced book with a great storyline. I tore through the pages and thoroughly enjoyed it.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The world could’ve ended when I was reading this book and I wouldn’t have noticed.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Brilliant book. So worth the read. Absolutely kept me rapt right to the end. I loved it.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Really pacey and suspenseful – I devoured it!’ NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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From internationally syndicated fitness columnist and author, James Fell, comes a no-nonsense guide on how to get in shape, fix your finances, alleviate depression and change your life for good. We’ve all been there. Wanting to change your life forever, but only doing it in fits and starts. Feeling inspired to be disciplined one day, then falling back into old habits on the next. Or changing for a few weeks or even months, but then slipping back into familiar behaviours. Bad habits are hard to break for a reason. But you still try because the goal is worth it: slowly and painfully forming new habits to the point where you are able to adhere to a new lifestyle, long-term. Not only do we struggle with all of it but the failure rates of these models are staggering. What if there was a different way? What if sudden moment, which happens to be a surprisingly common occurrence among those who succeed would allow you to skip the struggle of behaviour change and just become a different person in a moment? What if all the motivation they would ever need to change could arrive unbidden because of a life-altering flash of insight? It is the power of epiphany – a triggering event when drive and clarity of purpose for changing one’s life is instantly attained. James Fell’s THE HOLY SHIT MOMENT is about that who have sustained change. The stories outlined in this book examine an abrupt awakening, where a person’s purpose switches course in the space of a few seconds; their life is partitioned into the time before that moment occurred, and what comes after. In an instant, the gradual steps of behavior change are bypassed and life transformation takes hold for good. But is an epiphany something that can be generated? Yes. THE HOLY SHIT MOMENT is a self-help book written in a brash, audacious and informal, your-good-friend-giving-you-the-scoop style, but with the knowledge, research, wisdom and personal anecdotes to back up James’ words in the vein of Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass.

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THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER!What if winning means losing everything?‘A gripping story of greed, lies and dark family secrets’ Lisa Jewell‘Utterly engrossing and brilliant’ Lucy Foley‘Addictive, provocative… brilliantly crafted’ TM Logan It’s the stuff dreams are made of – a lottery win so big, it changes everything. For fifteen years, Lexi and Jake have played the same six numbers with their friends, the Pearsons and the Heathcotes. Over dinner parties, fish & chip suppers and summer barbecues, they’ve discussed the important stuff – the kids, marriages, jobs and houses – and they’ve laughed off their disappointment when they failed to win anything more than a tenner. But then, one Saturday night, the unthinkable happens. There’s a rift in the group. Someone doesn’t tell the truth. And soon after, six numbers come up which change everything forever. Lexi and Jake have a ticket worth £18 million. And their friends are determined to claim a share of it. Sunday Times Number One bestseller Adele Parks returns with a riveting look at the dark side of wealth in this gripping take on friendship, money and betrayal, and good luck gone bad… Praise for Just My Luck: ‘Adele Parks never takes her foot off the gas, every book is tighter, faster, better than the last. Just My Luck is a gripping story of greed, lies and dark family secrets. I read it in a two-day frenzy’ Lisa Jewell ‘Utterly engrossing and brilliant’ Lucy Foley ‘A compelling take on one of those “what if” scenarios that we’ve all wondered about. Addictive, provocative and thoroughly relatable – a brilliantly crafted reminder to be careful what you wish for’ TM Logan ‘An absolute joy: gripping, shocking and surprising. A cautionary tale about what one couple’s sudden wealth can do to old friendships’ Jane Fallon ‘Fabulous… her best yet’ Daily Mail ‘Stupendous! I read this totally compelling modern-day morality tale over a weekend – I couldn’t put it down. As ever, Adele Parks does not disappoint – you’ll love it’ Ruth Jones ‘Like a deft magician, this book reveals its twists only at the very end, I was completely astonished’ Rosamund Lupton

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Presented from the viewpoint of the history of mathematics, this book explores both epistemological aspects of Chinese traditional mathematical astronomy and lunisolar calendrical calculations. The following issues are addressed: (1) connections with non-Chinese cultural areas; (2) the possibility or impossibility of using mathematics to predict astronomical phenomena, a question that was constantly raised by the Chinese from antiquity through medieval times; (3) the modes of representation of numbers, and in particular the zero, found in the context of Chinese calendrical calculations; and (4) a detailed analysis of lunisolar calendrical calculations. Fully worked-out examples and comparisons between the results of calculations and the content of Chinese historical calendars from various periods are provided.Traditional Chinese calendrical and mathematical astronomy consists of permanently reformed mathematical procedures designed to predict, but not explain, phenomena pertaining to astronomy and related areas. Yet, despite appearances, models of the mathematical techniques hidden behind this voluminous corpus reveal that they depend on a limited number of clear-cut mathematical structures. Although only a small fraction of these techniques have been fully studied, what is known surprisingly broadens our knowledge of the history of Chinese mathematics.Sinologists interested in the history of Chinese science, and anyone interested in the history of Chinese mathematics, the Chinese calendar, and the history of Chinese mathematical astronomy from its origin (104 BC) to its European reform (AD 1644) will find this book very useful. The present English language edition is a fully revised and updated version of the French original. Even though this is a research monograph in sinology, no particular sinological background is required, although a basic understanding of ‘concrete mathematics’ is needed.From the reviews of the French edition: This is a demanding, rigorous book to read … worth the concentrated study it requires. The rewards are not only in the details but in the general overview that …[it] provides. Joseph Dauben, EASTM, 2011...first Work in a Western language to turn to for anyone interested in the details of Chinese calendrical computations. Benno Van Dalen, ISIS, 2011 Martzloff’s careful scholarship and his overall look at the calendar beyond astronomical calculations, …, make this book a most valuable contributions to a field of increasing interest. U. D’Ambrosio, Mathematical Reviews, 2013

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The world’s foremost expert on pricing strategy shows how this mysterious process works and how to maximize value through pricing to company and customer.In all walks of life, we constantly make decisions about whether something is worth our money or our time, or try to convince others to part with their money or their time. Price is the place where value and money meet. From the global release of the latest electronic gadget to the bewildering gyrations of oil futures to markdowns at the bargain store, price is the most powerful and pervasive economic force in our day-to-day lives and one of the least understood.The recipe for successful pricing often sounds like an exotic cocktail, with equal parts psychology, economics, strategy, tools and incentives stirred up together, usually with just enough math to sour the taste. That leads managers to water down the drink with hunches and rules of thumb, or leave out the parts with which they don’t feel comfortable. While this makes for a sweeter drink, it often lacks the punch to have an impact on the customer or on the business.It doesn’t have to be that way, though, as Hermann Simon illustrates through dozens of stories collected over four decades in the trenches and behind the scenes. A world-renowned speaker on pricing and a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 executives, Simon’s lifelong journey has taken him from rural farmers’ markets, to a distinguished academic career, to a long second career as an entrepreneur and management consultant to companies large and small throughout the world. Along the way, he has learned from Nobel Prize winners and leading management gurus, and helped countless managers and executives use pricing as a way to create new markets, grow their businesses and gain a sustained competitive advantage. He also learned some tough personal lessons about value, how people perceive it, and how people profit from it.In this engaging and practical narrative, Simon leaves nothing out of the pricing cocktail, but still makes it go down smoothly and leaves you wanting to learn more and do more—as a consumer or as a business person. You will never look at pricing the same way again.

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'Yes, yes, yes! This was the book that I have been waiting for all year! I absolutely loved it! Had me hooked from the first page . . . Worth far more than five stars!!' Stardust Book Reviews, 5 starsIF YOU ONLY READ ONE BOOK THIS SUMMER, MAKE IT SUMMER AT THE CASTLE CAFÉ . . . When Alice Appleton's boyfriend dumps her out of the blue, just after she has lost her mother, she's knocked sideways. Escaping to the stunning Dorset coast, she takes a job at the crumbling Castle Café. It's a million miles away from her busy London lifestyle, and she knows her mum would approve. Surrounded by cream teas and welcoming faces, could the quirky seaside village be the perfect place for Alice to heal her broken heart this summer?Mysterious and handsome Jay O'Donnell has lived in picturesque Castle Cove since he was a child. Haunted by a tragedy from his past, he's on a mission to save as many people as possible as a lifeboat volunteer. When newcomer Alice catches his eye, Jay he has to remind himself he can have no distractions. But he begins to realise that it might just be his turn to be rescued...As Alice and Jay find in each other someone they can really talk to, will they learn the importance of letting go to make way for second chances?A heart-warming and gorgeously uplifting story about second chances, finding yourself and embracing the summer. Perfect for fans of Holly Martin, Jenny Colgan and Heidi Swain. Readers are falling in love with Summer at the Castle Café:'This book is like a great big hug . . . I absolutely loved it . . . If I could give this more than 5/5 I totally would' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'Perfect! . . . Once I started reading it was very hard to put down . . . Pure escapism . . . A delicious summer feast!' Chells and Books, 5 stars'Amazing . . . A joy to read . . . I was instantly transported to the cafe and to the beautiful seaside town of Castle Cove . . . The perfect summer novel' The Cosiest Corner, 5 stars

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The second novel in the sensational Bow Street series from New York Times bestselling historical romance author Lisa Kleypas - perfect for fans of Sarah MacLean, Julia Quinn and Eloisa James. 'Lisa Kleypas is the best' Sarah MacLean Can Lady Sophie seduce the most eligible man in London? Lady Sophia Sydney would do anything to ensnare the unattainable Sir Ross Cannon. Her goal is to ruin his reputation and cause a scandal that would be the talk of all London. So, she charms her way into his life by gaining his trust and living in his house. Every morning, her lush presence tempts him beyond all reason and every night she promises with her eyes - and her body - that the hours before dawn could be spent in unbridled passion instead of restless sleep - if only he'd let her share his bed. She knows he is falling more in love with her each day. But she never counted on falling in love with him. And she never dreamed he might, very respectably, ask for her hand in marriage . . . 'Kleypas can make you laugh and cry - on the same page' Julia Quinn Bow Street Runners series: Someone to Watch Over Me Lady Sophia's Lover Worth Any Price Praise for Lisa Kleypas: 'Intricately and elegantly crafted, intensely romantic . . . a not-to-be-missed romance author' Kirkus Reviews 'Is it possible to give a book 6 stars? [This] story has all of the forbidden romance, witty banter, and sigh-inducing declarations of love that you deserve' That's Normal 'Kleypas is an amazing writer. In my opinion, she might be the most technically skilled historical romance author out there' Smart Bitches, Trashy Books 'Unforgettable, beautifully etched characters; a flawless sense of pacing; and a perfectly executed plot imbued with an abundance of desire and danger' Booklist 'Witty, often hilarious, and delightfully passionate, this compelling, thrill-laced Victorian romance is another superb series entry' Library Journal, starred review 'Readers are introduced to the unforgettable characters and their original personalities through a delightful storyline peppered with sharp repartee and steamy sensuality' RT Book Reviews (top pick) 'Reading Kleypas' long-awaited return to historical is akin to walking into the arms of an old friend' Heroes and Heartbreakers

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In this book, Ann Laura Stoler navigates the shadows and shatterzones of democratic policies, considering how imperial features are folded through (il)liberal orders, where racial inequities thicken in the borderlands of interior frontiers. Sometimes those frontiers, or the lines that define the contours of belonging and not belonging, are porous--often fixed and firm. For those on the "wrong side" of the fabulated division between inside and out, entry requirements can be opaque, neither verbal nor visible. Illegibilities are secured in code. The sites of inequity are disparate, the sensibilities that produce and sustain those inequities are as well. Borrowing Ralph Ellison's phrase, Stoler exposes unexpected sites and scenes that register the "lower frequencies" of denigration. Seemingly benign sites are laid bare as toxic, as in her essay eviscerating the warped criteria assigned to taste and who can have it, and in her study of the seared lives that longing, envy, and humiliation inscribe. In so doing, she hews close to the "soft" violences of sentiments that ascribe, distribute, and assess human kinds. But the project of these essays turns as much to those who reject those violences, who distil refusal in "poetic rage"--the phrase Stoler invokes to describe the anti-colonial avant-garde. Stoler casts this aesthetic of dissent through a surge of multi-media archiving ventures among Palestinians bent on creating and conjuring landscapes beyond Israeli violences-for the future and today. Stoler hugs close to the dark corridors where racial inequalities thrive. These inequities may be blatant but "unnoticed," others are neither muted nor unseen. Each essay iterates a "(sub)metric of inequality" as a fictive measure of human worth. With an optic, ever bold and subtle, she turns the reader to the social ecologies and racial logics targeting the body and the senses. These are hazardous zones for the instruments and infrastructures in which (il)liberalisms invest. Increasingly unsettled and challenged by a more radically just demos, these sites of contest may be the emergent political scenes of racial sovereignty's unmaking and where the weapons of that unmaking are readied, and stored.

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Ancient and enduring, rich and wide-ranging, the tradition of Confucianism offers profound insights into how we can lead good lives--lives built on understanding that we are deeply connected to one another. For thousands of years, Confucian thinkers have carefully honed a philosophy for living fully, passing that knowledge along to their students over generations. Kongzi, also known as Confucius (551-479 BCE), is the most famous of the 2500-year-long tradition's philosophers. Though Kongzi lived more than two millennia ago and on the other side of the earth from many picking up this book, his teachings about how to live reverberate everywhere there are parents, children, and families; everywhere people feel stirrings of compassion for others, but sometimes selfishly ignore them; everywhere people wonder how they should interact with their environment. In Growing Moral, philosopher Stephen C. Angle engages readers to reflect on and to practice the teachings of Confucianism in the contemporary world. Angle draws on the whole history of Confucianism, focusing on three thinkers from the classical era (Kongzi, Mengzi, and Xunzi) and two from the Neo-Confucian era (Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming). While laying out the fundamental teachings of Confucianism, the book highlights the enduring lessons that the philosophy offers contemporary readers. Although the book reveals the many helpful ways we can engage Confucian philosophy in our modern lives, it also scrutinizes those elements of Confucianism that may not align with 21st-century standpoints. Angle questions whether Confucianism, historically affiliated with patriarchal societies and monarchical governments, genuinely can be attractive to those committed to gender equality and democratic politics, and points the way towards a progressive, evolving version of Confucianism that is nonetheless consistent with the principles it has upheld over the centuries. At its core, Confucianism describes a way for humans to live and grow together in our world--a way characterized at its best by joy, beauty, and harmony. This book builds a case for modern Confucianism as a way of life well worth the attention of reflective modern readers no matter their age, where they live, or the paths they've taken so far.

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'An important book and a pleasure to read.' - Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path'You will never look at a tree in the same way again after reading this mesmerising book. Gooley drops learning as lightly as blossom falls in spring.' - John Lewis-Stempel'Tristan Gooley has done trees the greatest service.' - Isabella Tree'It was a lightbulb moment! I thought I knew my local woods - I walk there almost every day. But it's a thrill to see it through fresh eyes, to develop a much deeper understanding.' - Peter Gibbs, Chair of BBC Gardeners' Question Time'Wherever you are - city or wilderness - if you want to understand the secrets of trees you pass, this is the book to read...Tristan has the rare gift of explaining the most complex ideas with humour and deep insight.' - Peter Thomas, Emeritus Reader in Plant Ecology at Keele University, author of Trees'Will undoubtedly leave you with a deeper appreciation of trees...your country walks will never be quite the same again' - Daily Mail'This book will add a new dimension to your countryside stroll.' WanderlustDo two trees ever appear identical? No, but why? Every small difference is a clue.Each tree we meet is filled with signs that reveal secrets about the life of that tree and the landscape we stand in. The clues are easy to spot when you know what to look for, but remain invisible to most people.In How to Read a Tree, you'll discover the simple principles that explain the shapes and patterns you can see in trees and what they mean. And you'll learn rare skills that can be applied every time you pass a tree, whether you are in a town or a wilder spot.As the author of the international bestsellers The Walker's Guide and How to Read Water, Tristan Gooley knows how to uncover the phenomena worth looking for. He has been instructing people in the art of reading trees for two decades and this book includes signs that will not be found in any other book in the world.Once you have learned to see these things it is impossible to unsee them. We will never look at a tree the same way again.

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The perfect uplifting romcom for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Beth O’Leary and Lindsey Kelk! Jess is falling for Sam. Sam is falling for Jess. But it seems life will do whatever it takes to make them fall apart. When Jess and Sam lock eyes at a party, a spark ignites. The spark. But love at first sight isn’t like the movies, especially when Sam’s ex, Victoria, is determined to make their honeymoon period a living hell. Is love at first sight enough? Readers can’t get enough of The Spark: ‘If I could give this book more stars I would…My number 1 read so far this year’ Lisa-Marie ‘Aw man aw man aw man…This book is the best feel good contemporary romance I've read in a while…Had me screaming at the plot twist’ Tyler ‘The perfect romantic comedy…Uplifting and makes you warm and fuzzy’ Zoe ‘I loved this book! I couldn't put it down until I had finished it and that doesn't happen very often…a romance you will be rooting for from start to finish’ Pamela ‘I absolutely loved this!! Definitely a book for fans of Sophie Kinsella and also for fans of The Flat Share and The Switch’ Nicola ‘My first book by this author and won't be my last…A fab romcom read and the perfect pick me up in the current times’ Helen ‘I finished this adorable romance in a single day…a great escapist read that has lots of chemistry and a strong, independent, female lead’ Raven ‘This book drew me in from the very first page and I couldn't put it down…Thoughtful, truthful, heartbreaking, and heartwarming’ Sandra ‘This is my first Jules Wake read and certainly will not be my last, what a breath of fresh air this was!’ Lucy ‘This uplifting book had me up all night turning those pages, and boy was it worth the bags under my eyes this morning’ Margaret ‘This author is becoming one of my favourite authors!…I was genuinely sad to finish this book and could have started it all over again! ’ Sharon

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Seventeen-year-old RJ always gets what she wants. So when her soul is accidentally collected by a distracted Grim Reaper, somebody in the afterlife better figure out a way to send her back from the dead or heads will roll. But in her quest for mortality, she becomes a pawn in a power struggle between an overzealous archangel and Death Himself. The tribunal presents her with two options: she can remain in the lobby, where souls wait to be processed, until her original lifeline expires, or she can replay three moments in her life in an effort to make choices that will result in a future deemed worthy of being saved. It sounds like a no-brainer. She’ll take a walk down memory lane. How hard can changing her future be?But with each changing moment, RJ’s life begins to unravel, until this self-proclaimed queen bee is a social pariah. She begins to wonder if walking among the living is worth it if she has to spend the next sixty years as an outcast. Too quickly, RJ finds herself back in limbo, her time on Earth once again up for debate.RJ is a snarky, unapologetic, almost unredeemable, very real girl. Her story is funny and moving, and teens will easily connect with her plight. Prepare to meet the Grim Reaper, who’s cuter than you’d expect; Hawaiian shirt–wearing Death Himself; Saint Peter (who likes to play Cornhole); and Al, the handler for the three-headed hound that guards the gates of Hell. This cast of characters accompanies RJ through her time in the afterlife and will do their best to gently shove her in the right direction.Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

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Journey through the biblical stories of the early Christian movement, and see what kind of wild adventures await those who truly believe Jesus. Throughout the book of Acts, believing Jesus and what he said is the core value that marked every believer in the first church. Because they believed Jesus, the early Christians were willing to risk everything—their comfort, their homes, even their lives.In this eight-session video Bible study (streaming included), Lisa Harper launches into the book of Acts to discover how Jesus' command to spread the gospel changed the lives of those who believed and shaped the culture that surrounded the growing church. At the end of this journey together, not only will you have studied this wild, adventurous, risk-taking book of the Bible; but you'll see how God supernaturally orchestrated the events in Scripture to bring about the message of salvation that the early believers preached.Today, we are faced with the same risks. Will we truly believe the words of Jesus and allow them to transform every part of our lives?This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide itself—with discussion questions, conversation starters, video notes, and a leader's guide. An individual access code to stream all eight video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!). Sessions and video run times: The Declarations that Define Us (21:30) – The book of Acts, an extension of Luke's gospel Earth, Wind, and Celestial Fire (19:00) – The Holy Spirit's dramatic entrance Checkered Pasts Can Make Incredible Preachers (21:00) – The powerful preaching of Peter and Paul What’s Mine Is Yours (20:00) – Finding freedom in freely giving Loving More People, More (16:00) – A challenge to welcome everyone The Need to Be ReGospeled (19:30) – Even Peter and Paul made mistakes along the way Turning Your World Upside Down (20:00) – A closer look at THIS Jesus: the one we're following Bearing the Chain Because (24:00) – Anything is worth seeing the gospel suddenly click for someone Watch on any device!Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

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Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a key technique in the medical imaging area, which allows to diagnose the organism functions and to track the tumor changes. In PET measurement the patient is injected with radiotracer, containing a large number of metastable atoms of radionuclide, that emmits positrons. As the result of positron annihilation, the two photons travelling off with nearly opposite directions are produced and registered by detection system positioned so that it surrounds the patient body. State-of-the-art PET scanners use scintillation crystals which are characterized by high detection efficiency of annihilation photons. In this context, it is worth to mention that the Jagiellonian PET (J-PET) Collaboration developed a novel whole-body PET scanner based on plastic scintillators. They are much cheaper than crystal scintillators, which gives the opportunity to reduce the high cost of PET scanners and make them more affordable. However, plastic scintillators have much lower detection efficiency of gamma quanta compared to inorganic scintillation crystals. This can be compensated by increasing the scanner field of view and improving the time resolution in the measurement of the time of flight of gamma quanta. The J-PET scanner consists of plastic scintillator strips read out at both ends by a pair of photomultipliers and arranged axially around a cylindrical tomograph tunnel. The axial coordinate of the annihilation photon interaction point in the scintillator strip is derived from the difference of the light propagation time measured with the pair of photomultipliers. The operational principles of the J-PET scanner are similar to conventional tomographs, except that the highly accurate time information is of paramount importance. Therefore, the J-PET scanner demands a preparation of novel methods on each step of the data processing. The goal of the work presented in this dissertation is a development of the signal and image processing algorithms taking into account uniqueness of the J-PET detector. The proposed methods include: signal recovery based on samples of a waveform registered on photomultiplier output, reconstruction of position and time of interaction of annihilation photon in the scintillator strip, classification of PET events types and image reconstruction that operates exclusively in the image space. Due to the dissimilarity from the conventional PET scanners, majority of the methods presented in this dissertation are innovative solutions in digital signal and image processing in tomography.

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