Search results for ""author dan"

'Breathtaking... vital and important. A wonderful read' PETER FRANKOPAN'Marvellous... escapes the inane, balance-sheet view of Empire and sees its full complexity' SATHNAM SANGHERA'Excellent... his mastery of detail is impeccable' DOMINIC SANDBROOK, Sunday Times'Extraordinary... [brings] the world of a century ago to fresh, vivid life' ALEX VON TUNZELMANNTHE STORY OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE AT ITS MAXIMUM TERRITORIAL EXTENTOn Saturday 29 September 1923, the Palestine Mandate became law and the British Empire now covered a scarcely credible quarter of the world's land mass, containing 460 million people. It was the largest empire the world had ever seen. But it was beset by debt and doubts. This book is a new way of looking at the British Empire. It immerses the reader in the contemporary moment, focusing on particular people and stories from that day, gleaned from newspapers, letters, diaries, official documents, magazines, films and novels: from a remote Pacific island facing the removal of its entire soil, across Australia, Burma, India and Kenya to London and the West Indies.In some ways, the issues of a hundred years ago are with us still: debates around cultural and ethnic identity in a globalised world; how to manage multi-ethnic political entities; racism; the divisive co-opting of religion for political purposes; the dangers of ignorance. In others, it is totally alien. What remains extraordinary is the Empire's ability to reveal the most compelling human stories. Never before has there been a book which contains such a wide spread of vivid experiences from both colonised and coloniser: from the grandest governors to the humblest migrants, policemen and nurses.

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While the myth of Soviet benevolence has now largely been discredited, the idea that Stalin's Soviet Union was a peaceful power that sought to prevent the war through all kinds of means - including an ill-fated non-aggression treaty with Hitler - remains popular to this day. Indeed, this narrative is not only promoted by Putin`s propaganda but also by a host of Western intellectuals and even historians who take public declarations at face value. Drawing on a host of internal Soviet Politburo discussions, memoranda and speeches, this book shows that the Soviet Union was a heavily militarized state that incessantly planned to unleash a great, ideologically motivated war against the rest of the world. In fact, its entire political life revolved around the question of war, especially following the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, which convinced Soviet leaders of the imminent collapse of the capitalist system abroad. Thus, both the collectivization as well as the terror that followed in its wake were done with the coming war in mind - even though there was no tangible danger of war. Slowed down by countless devastating setbacks, Stalin was nevertheless able to amass a gigantic army by the late 1930s. When Hitler approached Stalin in 1939 asking for Soviet neutrality in his planned invasion of Poland, Stalin sensed a golden opportunity: by supporting Hitler, he could turn the European powers against each another, allowing him to intervene once they were sufficiently weakened. However, Stalin miscalculated: Hitler beat both Poland and France in less than a year and then turned against Moscow in 1941, long before Stalin was ready for his own attack.

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'A warm and engaging read' Trisha Ashley'Lovely... Made me long for a long hot summer by the sea' Jo ThomasA sweeping story about family and buried secrets set in Devon, perfect for fans of Erica James and Veronica Henry.After the death of her father, El moves into his home just outside Tavistock in Devon. Fresh out of university and dangling on the precipice of adulthood she questions what it is she really wants from life. Although her childhood friend, Will, is there to help her through her grief she soon realises there were things her father was hiding from her...Jules is also mourning Martin, but they thought best to keep their relationship secret, she must now grieve entirely alone. All she has to remember her love are the memories of their time spent at a beautiful community garden and teashop nearby. The Garden House is where they met, fell in love and where their secret affair will inevitably be uncovered.As El and Will begin to piece together her father's secrets they are brought closer and closer to both Jules and a truth that is difficult to face.*****Praise for Marcia Willett:'A beautifully woven tale of families and their secrets...' Liz Fenwick'Riveting, moving and utterly feel-good' Daily Mail'Sweeping powers of description transport her readers to another time and place' Rosanna Ley*****Readers are loving The Garden House:'Oh Marcia, yet another wonderful book!''I have read all the books Marcia has written. She never disappoints''Like putting on a favourite old sweater or comfy pair of slippers... I try to ration when I read so I don't finish it all in one go'

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2022 Carol Award Winner Luke Delacroix has long had a reputation of being an impulsive adventurer, the wild son of one of Gilded Age Washington's most prominent families. In reality, he has been secretly carrying out an ambitious agenda in Congress. His current mission: to thwart the reelection of Congressman Clyde Magruder, his only real enemy in the world. Trouble begins when Luke meets Marianne Magruder, the congressman's only daughter. Luke is fascinated by the vibrant Marianne and her daring work as a government photographer, leading them into a forbidden romance. Now they must embark on a dangerous gamble to reconcile their growing feelings with Luke's driving passion for vital reforms in Congress. Can their newfound love survive a political firestorm, or will three generations of family rivalry drive them apart forever? "This is a well-written, captivating romance that is rich with history. . . . The characters are all superbly developed and interesting, and the reader will want to know more about this time period and this series. Highly recommended."--Historical Novels Review Praise for the Hope and Glory series "A Gilded Lady is filled with mystery, romance, richly drawn characters and fascinating American history. I would recommend it to anyone."--All About Romance "In this second installment of the Hope and Glory series Camden takes readers to the McKinley White House for a captivating romance. . . . This will be a hit with series fans."--Publishers Weekly "Christy Award winner Camden presents another fabulous love story wrapped around compelling historical events."--Booklist "An adventuresome, entertaining romance that blends themes of betrayal and forgiveness."-- Foreword Reviews

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Everyone keeps secrets in Vegas. Especially about murder...Detective Jonathan Stride discovers that there are only two ways to go in Las Vegas: you can hit the jackpot or you can get Stripped... Sure to enthral fans of Freeman's thrilling Thief River Falls, The Nightbird and The Voice Inside.'This guy can tell a story' Michael Connelly'A strong narrative, rife with sex and violence' Publishers Weekly Elonda's seen most things working the streets. But it's a first when her client is shot dead in the act. Detective Jonathan Stride quickly establishes that the victim is M.J. Lane, son of a reclusive millionaire film producer. Any number of people might have wanted to kill M.J. Another death is troubling the Vegas force - that of a little boy, killed in a hit-and-run incident involving a stolen car. Then the body of a woman is found in a remote farmhouse. Could the murders be linked? It seems the killer wants to send a message about the brutal slaying decades earlier of a nightclub dancer. That case was wrapped up quickly. Too quickly? Someone certainly thinks so - and he's set on murderous revenge for the sins of the past.What readers are saying about Stripped:'I couldn't put this down. Breath-taking, brilliant, talented''This story has everything: greed, power, corruption, murder, love, revenge, desire, family feuds dating back forty years. There are a lot of very good thrillers out there, but Stripped is in a class above''Full of twists and turns - it's an exciting read, gripping from the very first page'

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***THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES*** Whether you've read them all or whether you're discovering Alex Gray's bestselling series for the first time, ECHO OF THE DEAD will have you gripped until the final page.'Echo of the Dead will keep you guessing LIN ANDERSON 'Echo of the Dead is Alex Gray at her finest DOULGAS SKELTON 'An exciting procedural' SUNDAY TIMES 'Effortlessly charming, wholly engaging and cleverly plotted' IRISH INDEPENDENT 'A consistent delight, wonderful' ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH After a stressful winter, DSI William Lorimer is enjoying some time away from Glasgow. He and his new friend, Daniel Kohi, have retreated to the wilds of the Scottish Highlands to unwind. But what awaits them is far from a holiday.Despite its troubled history, the mountain village of Glencoe is now a popular resort, famed for its close-knit community, its breath-taking scenery and the warm welcome it offers weary travellers. So it's particularly shocking when two bodies are discovered in quick succession on the nearby peaks . . .With a potential serial killer on the loose, Lorimer's Major Incidents Team are drafted in from Glasgow. It's clear that a dark secret lurks beneath the wild beauty of this place. But will Lorimer manage to root it out before the killer strikes again? ____________WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT ALEX GRAY"I have read every book in the Lorimer series and each one has been a pleasure" *****"Alex Gray is a master storyteller" *****"She never disappoints" *****"I cannot wait for the next book" *****"Her writing always keeps me engrossed" *****

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First contact with extraordinary aliens, glittering technologies that could destroy the universe in a nanosecond, huge sweeping space operas: Alastair Reynolds is back!Some centuries from now, the exploration and exploitation of the Solar System is in full swing. On the cold edge of the system, Bella Lind, captain of the huge commercial spacecraft Rockhopper IV, helps fuel this new gold rush by attaching mass-driver motors to organic-rich water-ice comets to move them back to the inner worlds. Her crew are tough, blue-collar miners, engineers and demolition experts.Around Saturn, something inexplicable happens: one of the moons leaves its orbit and accelerates out of the Solar System. The icy mantle peels away to reveal that it was never a moon in the first place, just a parked spacecraft, millions of years old, that has now decided to move on.Rockhopper IV, trapped in the pull, is hurled across time and space into the deep, distant future, arriving in a vast, alien-constructed chamber. And the crew are not alone, for each chamber contains an alien culture dragged into this cosmic menagerie at the end of time.The crew of the Rockhopper IV know a lot about blowing up comets, but not much about first contact with ultra-advanced aliens. They have two things to worry about: can they (and their new alien allies) negotiate their way through each harrying contact? And can they assimilate the avalanche of knowledge about their own future - including all the glittering, dangerous technologies that are now theirs for the taking - without destroying themselves in the process?

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DAILY MAIL, GUARDIAN AND OBSERVER BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2017Winner of the 2018 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science WritingShortlisted for the 2018 Wellcome Book PrizeShortlisted for the 2018 Wolfson PrizeThe story of a visionary British surgeon whose quest to unite science and medicine delivered us into the modern world - the safest time to be alive in human historyIn The Butchering Art, historian Lindsey Fitzharris recreates a critical turning point in the history of medicine, when Joseph Lister transformed surgery from a brutal, harrowing practice to the safe, vaunted profession we know today. Victorian operating theatres were known as 'gateways of death', Fitzharris reminds us, since half of those who underwent surgery didn't survive the experience. This was an era when a broken leg could lead to amputation, when surgeons often lacked university degrees, and were still known to ransack cemeteries to find cadavers. While the discovery of anaesthesia somewhat lessened the misery for patients, ironically it led to more deaths, as surgeons took greater risks. In squalid, overcrowded hospitals, doctors remained baffled by the persistent infections that kept mortality rates stubbornly high. At a time when surgery couldn't have been more dangerous, an unlikely figure stepped forward: Joseph Lister, a young, melancholy Quaker surgeon. By making the audacious claim that germs were the source of all infection - and could be treated with antiseptics - he changed the history of medicine forever. With a novelist's eye for detail, Fitzharris brilliantly conjures up the grisly world of Victorian surgery, revealing how one of Britain's greatest medical minds finally brought centuries of savagery, sawing and gangrene to an end.

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Let multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent transport you right to the heart of the action in this high-octane, pacy and gripping naval adventure. Fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will not be disappointed.'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' - Sunday Times'As a former naval officer, Alexander Kent knows what it is like to be at sea' -- The Times'Engrossing' -- ***** Reader review'Great action, great characters, great adventure' -- ***** Reader review'Unexpected twists and turns, fascinating plot lines and gripping descriptions of naval battles' -- ***** Reader review'A difficult book to put down!' -- ***** Reader review*****************************************************************************************1792: A troubled peace with France means that the English royal fleet has been left to rot.Even a frigate captain as famous as Richard Bolitho is forced to swallow his pride and visit the Admiralty daily to plead for a ship. As the clouds of war begin to rise once more over the Channel, he has no choice but to accept an appointment to the Nore.With his small flotilla of three topsail cutters, Bolitho sets out to search the coast for seamen who have fled the harsh discipline of His Majesty's Navy for the more tempting rewards of smuggling. But the 'Brotherhood' he comes up against are brutal and dangerous with a secret, sinister trade in human misery.So when a King's ransom is in peril and Bolitho is ordered to proceed 'with all despatch' to recover it, he has no choice but to rely on the loyalty and courage of his three gallant cutters.If anyone fulfil this mission, it's Bolitho - but he'll need all his wits, wisdom, might and mettle to succeed...Bolitho's adventures continue in Form Line of Battle.

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'I am not a gangster,' I spat. 'I'm a businessman trying to make a hard-earned crust. Understood?'I didn't give him time to reply. I took the barrel out of his mouth and smashed him in the face with the butt. His lip split, but he wasn't a dead man. He seemed to appreciate that his life had been spared.He spluttered his thanks: 'Ok, you’re not a gangster. You are not a gangster.'This is the gripping true story of how one man ruled his north London manor with an iron fist – and a sawn-off shotgun called Kennedy. It’s a shocking insight into a society where the rules are made by gangland leaders and if anybody dare break them, they have to deal with the consequences. Bobby was sent to prison for the first time in 1967, aged 16, and over the next decade he established himself as a hardened criminal running protection rackets and robberies against a backdrop of all-out gang warfare, where doorstep slayings and bloody shoot-outs were common. Eventually Bobby was sentenced to 12 years in Britain’s most notorious prisons, along with the Krays, Charlie Richardson and the Yorkshire Ripper. Inside, he was introduced to the Open University and on his release he soon got down to business again. Only this time his efforts saw him go from custody of Her Majesty’s Prison Service to meeting with the Queen herself... I Am Not A Gangster is an explosive account of life in the criminal underworld by one of Britain’s most dangerous men, but above all it’s a remarkable tale of redemption with the biggest turnaround in gangland history.

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The incredible new book in Louise Penny's #1 bestselling Chief Inspector Gamache series.When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is asked to provide crowd control at a statistics lecture given at the Université de l'Estrie in Quebec, he is dubious. Why ask the head of homicide to provide security for what sounds like a minor, even mundane lecture?But dangerous ideas about who deserves to live in order for society to thrive are rapidly gaining popularity, fuelled by the research of the eminent Professor Abigail Robinson. Yet for every person seduced by her theories there is another who is horrified by them. When a murder is committed days after the lecture, it's clear that within crowds can lie madness.To uncover the truth, Gamache must put his own feelings about the divisive Professor to one side. But with her ideas gaining ground, the line separating good and evil, right and wrong, is quickly blurring - especially when the case leads unexpectedly close to home ...PRAISE FOR LOUISE PENNY AND THE INSPECTOR GAMACHE SERIES:'Louise Penny is one of the greatest crime writers of our times' DENISE MINA'She makes most of her competitors seem like wannabes' THE TIMES'Gamache has become to Canada what Hercule Poirot is to Belgium' THE NEW YORK TIMES'Louise Penny twists and turns the plot expertly tripping the reader up just at the moment you think you might have solved the mystery' DAILY EXPRESS'The series is deep and grand and altogether extraordinary . . . Miraculous' WASHINGTON POST'No one does atmospheric quite like Louise Penny.' ELLY GRIFFITHS'An absolute joy' IRISH TIMES

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An island of secrets. A runaway. And a promise… A rebellious daughter1925. Among the ancient honey-coloured walls of the tiny island of Malta, strangers slip into the shadows and anyone can buy a new name. Rosalie Delacroix flees Paris for a dancer’s job in the bohemian clubs deep in its winding streets. A sister with a secret1944. Running from the brutality of war in France, Florence Baudin faces a new life. But her estranged mother makes a desperate request: to find her vanished sister, who went missing years before. A rift over generationsBetrayals and secrets, lies and silence hang between the sisters. A faded last letter from Rosalie is Florence’s only clue, the war an immovable barrier – and time is running out… Praise for The Hidden Palace ‘Completely swept me away to another place and time. Dinah is the queen of sumptuous settings, transporting the reader effortlessly from chocolate-box Devonshire to the cabaret clubs of 1920s Paris and war-torn Malta. A marvellous, multi-layered story, populated with characters to really care for’ HAZEL GAYNOR ‘Dinah Jefferies wields her storytelling magic on the island of Malta . . . It’s engrossing and sensual, full of the heat of the Mediterranean sun’ GILL PAUL ‘Powerful, passionate and profoundly moving . . . this compelling mix of love and tragedy vibrates with warmth and pain, and captures the intense dislocation of war’ KATE FURNIVALL ‘Sweeping and sumptuous with a gorgeous described sense of place. A marvellous adventure’ TRACY REES ‘A richly atmospheric tale of grief, determination and hope’ Woman’s Own ‘True escapism’ Best Daughters of War hit #5 in the Sunday Times bestselling charts on 26th September 2021.

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DO NOT SURRENDER CONTROL.'Mindwalker is a cinematic gut punch of action and espionage. Sharp-edged, tense and thrilling, you'll be holding your breath until the last page' Tasha SuriEighteen-year-old Sil Sarrah is determined to die a legend. But with only twelve months left before the supercomputer grafted to her brain kills her, Sil's time is quickly running out. In the ten years she's been rescuing field agents for the Syntex corporation - by commandeering their minds from afar and leading them to safety - Sil hasn't lost a single life. And she's not about to start now. But when a critical mission goes south, Sil is forced to flee the very company she once called home.Desperate to prove she's no traitor, Sil infiltrates the Analog Army, an activist faction working to bring Syntex down. Her plan: to win back her employer's trust by destroying the group from within. Instead, she and the Army's reckless leader, Ryder, uncover a horrifying truth that threatens to undo all the good she's ever done.With her tech rapidly degrading and her new ally keeping dangerous secrets of his own, Sil must find a way to stop Syntex in order to save her friends, her reputation - and maybe even herself.'The thrill ride of a lifetime' Kat Dunn'Pure adrenaline shot straight into your veins' Jesse Q. Sutanto 'Utterly enthralling' Saara El-Arifi 'This book will leave you breathless' Vaishnavi Patel'Ridiculously thrilling' Claire Winn 'A vibrant thrill ride from start to finish!' Meg Long

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Lying at the very heart of Libby Clegg's life and achievements is the relationship with her Labrador Retriever cross guide dog, Hatti. A relationship primarily based on trust, with a healthy dose of respect and adoration.Libby Clegg is one of the UK's most popular, recognisable and respected Paralympic athletes, having won ten major gold medals, including two at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. As a sprinter who has only peripheral vision in her left eye, Libby runs with a guide runner while wearing a blindfold and, in 2021, she will defend her 100m and 200m titles at the Tokyo Paralympics.Libby is also well-known to the public from her ground-breaking appearance in Dancing on Ice where, in addition to her being the first registered blind person ever appear on the show, she managed to reach the final, winning her millions of new fans and making her a national hero all over again.From the moment Libby wakes up until the moment she goes to bed, Hatti will either be lying at her feet, sitting by her side or guiding Libby to wherever she needs to be. Hatti is there for Libby through both the highs and the lows and they have shared countless adventures together, from spending the day in the Royal Box at Wimbledon where Hatti overdid it on strawberries and cream to Libby trying to overcome a severe bout depression after the Rio Paralympic Games.Theirs is a partnership that works on every single level and, while its circumstances may be unique, its story will be reassuring and familiar to any dog lover. Libby and Hatti are a devoted couple helping each other through life.

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Start right here! Discover the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries and become obsessed with one of the most popular crime series in Britain.'Galloway now seems as real as Marple and Morse' The Times'I've never before read a crime novel in which archaeology and detection blend as successfully as in The Crossing Places' ShotsDr Ruth Galloway is called in when a child's bones are discovered near a prehistoric site on the north Norfolk salt marshes. Are they the remains of a local girl who disappeared ten years earlier - or are the bones much older?DCI Harry Nelson refuses to give up the hunt for the missing girl. Since she vanished, someone has been sending him creepy anonymous notes about ritual sacrifice. He knows that Ruth's expertise and experience could help him finally to put this case to rest. But when a second child goes missing, Ruth finds herself in danger from a killer who knows she's getting ever closer to the truth.'Captivating! A quick, thrilling read that ends making you want to read Book 2 immediately!' 5* READER REVIEW'I really enjoyed this book, the story kept me gripped to the end! Would definitely recommend it' 5* READER REVIEW'Ruth is such an empathetic character, clever and warm yet she has human weaknesses' 5* READER REVIEW'I envy those coming of the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. They are in for a total treat' 5* READER REVIEW'Atmospheric and character-driven, I'd no sooner finished this first book in the Dr Ruth Galloway series than I was reaching for the second' 5* READER REVIEW

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Ragnvald Eysteinsson is now king of Sogn, but fighting battles for King Harald keeps him away from home, as he confronts treachery and navigates a political landscape that grows more dangerous the higher he rises.Ragnvald's sister Svanhild has found the freedom and adventure she craves at the side of the rebel explorer Solvi Hunthiofsson, though not without a cost. She longs for a home where her quiet son can grow strong, and a place where she can put down roots, even as Solvi's ambition draws him back to Norway's battles again and keeps her divided from her brother.As a growing rebellion unites King Harald's enemies, Ragnvald suspects that some Norse nobles are not loyal to Harald's dream of a unified Norway. He sets a plan in motion to defeat all of his enemies, and bring his sister back to his side, while Svanhild finds herself with no easy decisions, and no choices that will leave her truly free. Their actions will hold irrevocable repercussions for the fates of those they love and for Norway itself.The Sea Queen returns to the fjords and halls of Viking-Age Scandinavia, a world of violence and prophecy, where honor is challenged by shifting alliances, and vengeance is always a threat to peace.Praise for The Half-Drowned King: 'Suspenseful, intriguing, gripping' New York Journal of Books'An unusual Viking saga... creates a more nuanced and richer portrait of Viking society, with its complex web of rituals, laws and debts of honour, than the genre usually provides' Sunday Times 'Like Game of Thrones, only more unscrupulous' Wall St Journal

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'Hugely entertaining' Telegraph'She's such a skilful storyteller who vividly dramatises our lives with wit, wisdom and compassion'BERNARDINE EVARISTO'I revelled in The Three Graces - such an intriguing cast, so convincingly presented, and a narrative that continually surprises' PENELOPE LIVELY'A brilliant piece of storytelling... it should be the book everybody's reading this summer'ANDREW O'HAGAN'Gorgeous and generous... rich with characters and suffused with sunlight' LISSA EVANS When Enzo shoots an illegal migrant from his bedroom one night, it triggers a series of events that embroil old and young, rich and poor, native and foreign. His elderly neighbours Ruth, Diana and Marta are three friends who have retired to Tuscany. Ruth's favourite grandson Olly is about to get married from her idyllic hillside farmhouse; however, the bride, Tania, seems curiously unengaged by anything but vlogging as a social media influencer. Marta, preparing to give the annual music recital sponsored by a Russian oligarch in hiding from Putin, is increasingly unwell, and her grandson, Xan, is full of resentment at the inequalities he encounters. Diana is nursing her husband, Lord Evenlode, who is living with dementia, and looking back over a long and troubled marriage. Over two weeks in May, all these characters will face challenging choices as they grapple with their own past and with present dangers. For although the Tuscan spring looks as ravishing as a Renaissance painting, the realities of modern life make it harder and harder to believe that there is more that unites us than what keeps us apart. Brilliant, enthralling, funny and generous, this is an exploration of the indomitable human heart.

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A gripping heart-in-your-mouth adventure told by Eve, a Tudor girl who sets out on a dangerous journey to change her life for the better. Voices: Diver's Daughter - A Tudor Story brings Eve and her mother, who was stolen from her family in Mozambique as a child, from the Southwark slums of Elizabethan London to England's southern coast. When they hear from a Mary Rose survivor that one of the African free-divers who was sent to salvage its treasures is alive and well and living in Southampton, mother and daughter agree to try to find him and attempt to dive the wreck of another ship, rumoured to be rich with treasures. But will the pair survive when the man arrives to claim his 'share'? Will Eve overcome her fear of the water to help rescue her mother? In this thrilling adventure based on real events, Patrice Lawrence shows us a fascinating and rarely seen world that's sure to hook young readers. ABOUT THE SERIES VOICES: A thrilling series showcasing some of the UK's finest writers for young people. Voices reflects the authentic, unsung stories of our past. Each shows that, even in times of great upheaval, a myriad of people have arrived on this island and made a home for themselves - from Roman times to the present day. Praise for Diver's Daughter "a thrilling tale, with the expertly described Tudor world brought to hideous, harsh life" BookTrust "a uniquely fascinating perspective into life in Tudor times." Books For Topics "engaging and insightful" Aisha, Historical Association UK "exciting and full of tension" Damian, Historical Association UK

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'Quick's ambitious novel, set during the golden age of Hollywood, sparkles with wit and clever plotting' Publishers WeeklyEscape into a glittering bygone world, where beauty and glamour meet deception and revenge . . . Investigative apprentice Lyra Brazier, the newest resident of Burning Cove, is unsettled when her boss suddenly goes on a health retreat at an exclusive spa and disappears without another word. Lyra knows something has happened to Raina Kirk, and she is the only one who can track her down. The health spa is known for its luxurious offerings and prestigious clientele, and the wealthy, socialite background Lyra desperately wanted to leave behind is perfect for this undercover job. The agency brings in a partner and bodyguard for her, but she doesn't get the suave, pistol-packing private eye she expected. Simon Cage is a mild-mannered antiquarian book dealer with a quiet, academic air, and Lyra can't figure out why he was chosen as her partner. But it soon becomes clear when they arrive at the spa and pose as a couple: Simon has a unique gift that allows him to detect secrets, a skill that is crucial in finding Raina. The unlikely duo falls down a rabbit hole of twisted rumours and missing socialites, discovering that the health spa is a facade for something far darker. With a murderer in their midst, Raina isn't the only one in grave danger - Lyra is next . . . Praise for Amanda Quick 'A master storyteller' The Huffington Post 'Sparkles with wit and clever plotting' Publishers Weekly 'Sexy . . . clever, fun' Kirkus Reviews

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The story of the Titanic in the words of the hero whose swift action saved the lives of 710 survivors. The Carpathia was on its regular voyage to New York City, when early on 15 April 1912 it received a distress signal from the White Star Line ocean liner Titanic, which had struck an iceberg and was sinking. Rostron was asleep when his wireless operator, Harold Cottam, by chance left his headset on while undressing for bed and so heard the signal. Cottam ran to Rostron's cabin to alert him. Rostron immediately ordered the ship to race towards the Titanic's reported position, posting extra lookouts to help spot and manoeuvre around the ice he knew to be in the area and extracted every bit of speed the ship's engines could muster. Even so, Carpathia, travelling through dangerous ice floes, took about 3A hours to reach the Titanic's radioed position. During this time Rostron turned off heating to ensure the maximum amount of steam for the ship's engines and had the ship prepared for the survivors; including getting blankets, food and drinks ready, and ordering his medical crew to stand by to receive the possibly injured survivors. Altogether, a list of 23 orders from Rostron to his crew was successfully implemented before Carpathia had even arrived at the scene of the disaster. Carpathia began picking up survivors about an hour after the first starburst was seen by those in the lifeboats. The Carpathia would end up rescuing 710 survivors out of the 2,228 passengers and crew on board the Titanic; at least one survivor is said to have died after reaching the ship. Later, Rostron testified about the events the night Titanic sank at both the U.S. Senate inquiry and the British Board of Trade's inquiry into the disaster.

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Hind, newly arrived in New York with her eight-year-old son, several suitcases of unfinished manuscripts, and hardly any English, finds a room in a Brooklyn teeming with people like her who dream of becoming writers. As she discovers the various corners of her new home, they conjure up parallel memories from her childhood and her small Bedouin village in the Nile Delta: Emilia who sells used shoes at the flea market smells like Zeinab, the old woman who worked for Hind's grandfather; the reflection of her own body as she dances tango awakens the awkwardness of her relationship to that body across the years; the story of Lilette, the Egyptian bourgeoise who has lost her memory, prompts Hind to safeguard her own. Through this kaleidoscopic spectrum of disadvantaged characters we encounter unique but familiar life histories in this award-winning and intensely moving novel of displacement and exile. It was the winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature, and was shortlisted for the 2011 Arabic Booker prize.

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El Padre Pío de Pietrelcina (1897-1968), fraile capuchino durante 61 años, es mundialmente conocido porque llevó los estigmas de Cristo durante cincuenta años exactos, siendo el único sacerdote estigmatizado de la historia de la Iglesia. En su vida se conjugan de forma admirable los carismas sobrenaturales con la perfección de las virtudes cristianas: además de los estigmas, fue portador de otros muchos dones místicos (éxtasis, visiones, clarividencia, bilocaciones, olor de santidad y sanaciones milagrosas). Sin embargo, nunca salió de su convento, ni escribió libros, sino que era un simple sacerdote que decía Misa y confesaba.El carisma de santidad del P. Pío se basa en un amor ?devorador? por Cristo, que le lleva a compartir sus sufrimientos en el Calvario, ya que ?Jesús no está nunca sin la Cruz?. Abrazando esta Cruz, desarrolló su vocación de salvar almas, dando un sentido al sufrimiento que inexorablemente forma parte de toda vida humana, en la creencia de que, cuando se acepta

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The sequel to Bound in Blood and exciting sixth entry in the Godstalker Chronicles by epic fantasy world-builder extraordinaire, P.C. Hodgell. Jame is one of the last of the Kencyrath line, born to battle a world-destroying Lord of Darkness and resuscitate her ancestral heritage. Jame’s youth was spent hard and low in a desert wasteland. Now she has discovered her past and her heritage as Highborn — and, with it, the power to call souls out of their bodies and slay the occasional god or two (as well as to resurrect them). First, though, Jame must survive the politics and dangers of haunted Tentir College, a school for warriors where she’s a student. Then, just as graduation approaches, Jame’s exemption from the sacred laws of the tribe of her youth expires and she is expected to wed immediately, plus take on a family. To make matters worse, she’s challenged to a mounted combat duel to decide who is Tentir's “top gun” — a competition she must win to graduation. It’s trial by fire, as Jame moves closer to a magnificent destiny she both fears — and knows she must face.

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Most of the Bible's verses that occur in Aramaic are in Ezra and Daniel, a linguistic occurrence that developed as a result of Israel's exile in Babylon. Totaling 269 verses, Aramaic is key language students of the Old Testament will need to master.Basics of Biblical Aramaic, Second Edition by Miles V. Van Pelt is designed for students who are already familiar with biblical Hebrew and now want to obtain a working knowledge of biblical Aramaic in a single semester. Thus, the grammar is designed for scholars or comparative linguistic analysis, but for all students who wish to faithfully study, teach, and preach the Old Testament.Modeled on Miles Van Pelt's bestselling Basics of Biblical Hebrew, Basics of Biblical Aramaic, Second Edition includes: Thorough explanation of Aramaic's grammatical conventions Chapter exercises A complete lexicon of Aramaic words found in the Bible An annotated text of all 269 Bible verses originally written in Aramaic In the second edition the grammar features: Two-color scheme for the Aramaic text A complete update to secondary sources Expanded and revised annotations of the biblical texts in Aramaic

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THE MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON IS A PAST SCORNED Thomas Quinn is a sorcerer haunted by the memories of the things he's done over centuries of service to the Arcanum. From battling djinn to killing demigods and dragons, the scars and nightmares have left him a broken man. He has long retired from that life, running an occult shop in Philadelphia for the past several decades, wanting nothing more than to be left alone with his books and his whiskey and his shame. But when two detectives come to his door asking about a brutal ritual murder in his city, Quinn must reluctantly take up the mantle of a Sorcerer of the Arcanum once more, and face down those who would threaten the fragile peace between the human and magical worlds. His investigation takes him from the streets of Philadelphia to the court of a Faerie King as he races to stop the apocalypse. Thomas Quinn was prepared to fight rogue sorcerers and Fae monsters. But the greatest threat he faces may be his own inner demons. . . .

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GRIPPING, MOVING AND INSPIRING: the remarkable life of a world-leading expert in chemical weapons defence."Unlike any account of warfare I've read" - Billy BillinghamFor thirty years, Hamish has served and volunteered in conflict zones around the world. As the army's foremost chemical weapons expert, he built a unique first-hand understanding of how to prevent attacks and train doctors on the frontline - saving countless lives in the process.After suffering near-death experiences time and again, Hamish discovered he had a ticking time bomb in his own chest: a heart condition called Sudden Death Syndrome that could kill him at any time. But with a new awareness for the fragility of life, he fought harder to make his count.Despite facing extraordinary personal danger, Hamish has unearthed evidence of multiple chemical attacks in Syria and continues to advise the government at the highest level, including after the 2018 Novichok poisoning in Salisbury. Lifting the lid on Hamish's unique world of battlefield expertise and humanitarian work, Chemical Warrior is a thrilling story of bravery and compassion.

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An exquisite collection of artifacts, sculptures, and historically significant treasures from across India. If the captivating bronze dancing girl of Harappa denoted sophisticated early civilization, the stunning Sanchi Stupa symbolized the peak of Buddhist religion in India. If the world-renowned Taj Mahal was a testament to the wealth of the Mughal empire, Tipu’s Tiger, an intricate, almost life-sized mechanical toy, represented the king of Mysore’s resistance against the East India Company. Whether it is the striking sculptures of the famed city of Hampi, the beautiful folios from religious texts, the breathtaking Konark wheel, the famous Koh-i-Noor, or the elegant paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, these artifacts, monuments and artworks are intimately woven into the history and culture of India and revered for their beauty and artistry. Dive deep into the culturally rich history of India to explore:- A curated showcase of more than 100 of India’s treasures, from the very popular ones that are housed in museums across the world to those hidden away in different corners of India.- Timelines take the reader through the various eras and dynasties.- Something new on every page and features a wide range of artifacts, from paintings and sculptures, to jewelery and sacred objects.- Key events, people, and dynasties from the ancient and medieval age to the colonial period and independent, contemporary India.- Themed double page features to give the reader a broader context of the object and its place in Indian history.- A selection of gallery pages to give readers an idea of the treasure troves that exist in India.Ranging from the extraordinary to the ordinary, from the remarkable to the traditional, these objects capture moments, reflect changes, and remain grounded in the many lived realities of India. The richly illustrated Treasures of India navigates the history of India, through the early civilizations, formation of kingdoms, religious movements, the establishment of empires, the struggle for Independence, and the emergence of a democracy and republic through more than 100 objects and monuments, exploring the fascinating and unique stories behind each of them.

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From dinosaurs and Vikings to the history of robots and espionage, discover incredible world history in this lavish collection of timelines.Jam-packed with surprising facts and amazing details, such as the most bloodthirsty pirate of all time and the first crime to be solved by studying fingerprints, Timelines of Everything will take you on a whirlwind journey through an illustrated history of time, from the Big Bang to the modern world.More than 120 timelines will provide children with all the general knowledge they need – and even some surprising trivia they don’t! Must-know topics and alternative history are showcased with beautiful, detailed illustrations and straightforward, easy-to-read text. With timelines on a diverse range of subjects, Timelines of Everything is the ultimate guide to history for kids.This educational book for children aged 9-12 features: - The entirety of prehistory and history, from the creation of the universe to the modern day.- A chronological structure, with six chapters covering Prehistory, the Ancient World, the Medieval World, the Age of Exploration, the Age of Revolution, and the Modern World.- Big, bright, bold timelines bring history to life and entice children to dive in and discover the past.- More than 130 separate timelines on a diverse range of subjects.- Pages on events and eras are scattered between pages on themes, such as medicine, dance, and trains.The first edition of Timelines of Everything has sold more than 280,000 copies worldwide since its publication in 2018. Now the book has been fully updated, with new information and images to cover recent events, all checked by experts, to ensure it continues to be an essential reference for kids. Whether you want to know key breakthroughs that set the Industrial Revolution in motion or defining moments in the history of fashion, you’ll find it all here! Explore the series!If you like Timelines of Everything, why not check out other our exciting titles in the Timelines series? Explore the unique collection of visual timelines which bring big topics to life. Discover leaders, legends and legacies in Timelines of Black History, uncover the natural world with Timelines of Nature and explore key milestones and breakthroughs with Timelines of Science.

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One of the most iconic characters in children’s literature Hergé’s classic comic book creation Tintin is one of the most recognisable characters in children’s books. These highly collectible editions of the original 24 adventures will delight Tintin fans old and new. Perfect for lovers of graphic novels, mysteries and historical adventures. The world’s most famous travelling reporter is on the trail of the Blue Lotus. In India, Tintin gets drawn into a dangerous mystery revolving around a madness-inducing poison. He traces its origins to Shanghai and a nefarious web of opium traffickers. But can he outwit the crooks? Join the most iconic character in comics as he embarks on an extraordinary adventure spanning historical and political events, and thrilling mysteries. Still selling over 100,000 copies every year in the UK and having been adapted for the silver screen by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson in 2011. The Adventures of Tintin continue to charm more than 90 years after they first found their way into publication. Since then more than 230 million copies have been sold, proving that comic books have the same power to entertain children and adults in the 21st century as they did in the early 20th. Hergé (Georges Remi) was born in Brussels in 1907. Over the course of 54 years he completed over 20 titles in The Adventures of Tintin series, which is now considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, comics series of all time. Have you collected all the graphic novel adventures? Tintin in the Land of the SovietsTintin in AmericaTintin: Cigars of the PharaohTintin: The Blue LotusTintin: The Broken EarTintin: The Black IslandTintin: King Ottakar’s SceptreTintin: The Crab with the Golden ClawsTintin: The Shooting StarTintin: The Secret of the UnicornTintin: Red Rackham’s TreasureTintin: The Seven Crystal BallsTintin: Prisoners of the SunTintin: Land of Black GoldTintin: Destination MoonTintin: Explorers of the MoonTintin: The Calculus AffairTintin: The Red Sea SharksTintin in TibetTintin: The Castafiore EmeraldTintin: Flight 714 to SydneyThe Adventures of Tintin and the PicarosTintin and Alph-Art

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The Foremost Reference to World Bank Notes! Employing a worldwide network of numismatics experts, the 23rd edition of the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, Modern Issues, provides the most comprehensive and complete reference to world bank notes issued since 1961. This industry-leading catalog features: Nearly 24,000 listings 14,000 illustrations for easy identification of notes and signature varieties Bank note values in two popularly available conditions Country signature charts for specific and accurate variety identification Hundreds of new bank note issues Updates of Bulgaria, Denmark and Fiji varieties and pricing With contributions from an international team of collectors, dealers, researchers and national bank officials working to ensure accuracy, the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, Modern Issues, is the most informed and global resource on the market for the proper identification, description and valuation of modern world bank notes. HOW TO DRAW THE BAD GUYS OF ANIME AND MANGA If you love to draw anime and manga, you know that every great story needs a great villain. Luckily, inspiration is all around you and the possibilities are limitless! From plant to animal to mineral, all you need to do is borrow from the natural (or supernatural) world--from insects and plants to animals, and even elements. You will see how to incorporate their parts into your character drawings for completely original (and sinister!) results. Blurring the line between reality and fantasy, creatures inspired by bears, jellyfish, spiders, trees, smoke and more make really good bad guys! Inside you'll find: 50 original characters, including the evil Whispy Witch, a flame-inspired villain who can make herself invisible and who possesses shapeshifting abilities Front, back and action-pose views of all 50 characters with close-ups of important details, like the Conniving Cutie, a mischievous villain whose yellow eyes are reminiscent of a snake and whose hair and clothing emulate snake-like imagery and movement Advice for developing personality and coloring your creatures, like the dangerous Crusading Crustacean; you'll want to color him red and include details like an impenetrable shell and spiky hair to symbolize his toughness Be inspired to create your own dastardly manga characters!

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Learn about the delightful wagging-tail world in this exciting guide to dogs and puppies.Every young dog and puppy fan will be drooling over the pages of this wonderful dog treasury for hours of delight! Learn everything there is to know about our furry friends in this adorable book of dogs for children, including their body language, what they are dreaming about, and what they are trying to say to you.Children aged 5-7 can learn about the profiles of over 50 different dog breeds, including well-loved favourites, such as the Labrador Retriever, Poodle, Dachshund, French Bulldog, Great Dane, and more! This book for canine lovers is arranged into the different dog groups based on the jobs that they do, and is filled with colourful photos, fur-tastic facts, and bite-sized information. This adorable dog book for children includes:- Fact files on over 50 breeds and features many more throughout the book, revealing their individual characteristics.- A science-focused and fact-packed route into learning about dogs.- Fact files for each featured breed providing key information, such as origin, size, character, and colour.- A fantastic first introduction to the lives of these increasingly popular pets, as well as pet care, such as how often dogs eat and how to groom them.My Book of Dogs is a delightful children's book about playful and loving pooches and is sure to be a hit with young dog enthusiasts. Children can find out about their favourite breeds, from pugs to golden retrievers from around the globe, how to take the best care of them, and be amazed by their heightened senses and clever antics. This book is a must-have for children who love animals, especially those who have a pet dog at home or whose families are thinking of getting one.Complete the seriesThis delightful book about dogs is part of the My Book of series of educational books for children, and also includes My Book of Cats and Kittens, My Book of Rocks and Minerals, My Book of Stars and Planets and My Book of Fossils.

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From dinosaurs and Vikings to the history of robots and espionage, discover incredible world history in this lavish collection of timelines.Jam-packed with surprising facts and amazing details, such as the most bloodthirsty pirate of all time and the first crime to be solved by studying fingerprints, Timelines of Everything will take you on a whirlwind journey through an illustrated history of time, from the Big Bang to the modern world.More than 120 timelines will provide children with all the general knowledge they need - and even some surprising trivia they don't! Must-know topics and alternative history are showcased with beautiful, detailed illustrations and straightforward, easy-to-read text. With timelines on a diverse range of subjects, Timelines of Everything is the ultimate guide to history for kids.This educational book for children aged 9-12 features: - The entirety of prehistory and history, from the creation of the universe to the modern day.- A chronological structure, with six chapters covering Prehistory, the Ancient World, the Medieval World, the Age of Exploration, the Age of Revolution, and the Modern World.- Big, bright, bold timelines bring history to life and entice children to dive in and discover the past.- More than 130 separate timelines on a diverse range of subjects.- Pages on events and eras are scattered between pages on themes, such as medicine, dance, and trains.The first edition of Timelines of Everything has sold more than 280,000 copies worldwide since its publication in 2018. Now the book has been fully updated, with new information and images to cover recent events, all checked by experts, to ensure it continues to be an essential reference for kids.Whether you want to know key breakthroughs that set the Industrial Revolution in motion or defining moments in the history of fashion, you'll find it all here!Explore the series!If you like Timelines of Everything, why not check out other our exciting titles in the Timelines series? Explore the unique collection of visual timelines which bring big topics to life. Discover leaders, legends and legacies in Timelines of Black History, uncover the natural world with Timelines of Nature and explore key milestones and breakthroughs with Timelines of Science.

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A beautifully illustrated field guide to the 60 deadliest plants on Earth.This intriguing guide puts a spotlight on Mother Nature's most lethal plants, from those that can harm wild animals to the ones that can kill even humans. Some of these plants may be lurking in your own backyard. This illustrated compendium features full profiles of each plant, including interesting facts, important identifying characteristics, toxicity level, physiology, the biochemistry of toxins, how to spot each plant, and more. This is a beautiful but practical guide for botanists, foragers, gardeners, survivalists, and nature lovers alike. With this guide, you can learn what to avoid and what to do if you come into contact with these dangerous plants. With this field guide, you will: Learn the natural history of each plant. View humanity's fascinating relationship with these plants over the centuries--from medicinal purposes and cosmetics to rituals and murder. Discover the fatal effects and how these plants target the body, from organ failure and seizures to skin rashes and nausea. Understand poisonous plants' evolution, and how they developed toxicity to deter herbivores and other predators. Explore these stunning but deadly works of nature that can poison, maim, and intoxicate. From nightshade and hemlock to monkshood, oleander, and castor bean, this is your fascinating guide to 60 of the world's most life-threatening plants.

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An NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2015Martha Gellhorn jumped at the chance to fly from Hong Kong to Lashio to report firsthand for Collier’s Weekly on the conflict between China and Japan. When she boarded the “small tatty plane” she was handed “a rough brown blanket and a brown paper bag for throwing up.” The flight took 16 hours, stopping to refuel twice, and was forced to dip and bob through Japanese occupied airspace.Reporting Under Fire tells readers about women who, like Gellhorn, risked their lives to bring back scoops from the front lines. Margaret Bourke-White rode with Patton’s Third Army and brought back the first horrific photos of the Buchenwald concentration camp. Marguerite Higgins typed stories while riding in the front seat of an American jeep that was fleeing the North Korean Army. And during the Guatemalan civil war, Georgie Anne Geyer had to evade an assassin sent by the rightwing Mano Blanco, seeking revenge for her reports of their activities.These 16 remarkable profiles illuminate not only the inherent danger in these reporters’ jobs, but also their struggle to have these jobs at all. Without exception, these war correspondents share a singular ambition: to answer an inner call driving them to witness war firsthand, and to share what they learn via words or images.

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When does the student become the master? At what cost? Grieving the loss of his sensei, the master swordsman Yamashita, Connor Burke struggles with the challenges of recovery from the wounds received struggling to defend Yamashita as well as the heavy burden of assuming leadership of Yamashita’s dojo. Embroiled in controversy with a wealthy donor over control of the dojo, Burke welcomes the distraction of an investigation into a noted yoga guru’s unexplained death. Winston Tambor is a charismatic yoga teacher who died under mysterious circumstances. Some believe that Win’s death was caused by the unleashing of mysterious yogic power from the discipline of Kundalini, but some investigators think differently. They need someone with an insider’s knowledge of the esoteric aspects of Asian disciplines, with the research skills needed to separate mystic hype from reality, who also has had some experience with criminal investigations. Mickey Burke, watching his brother Connor struggle with rehabilitation in the aftermath of Yamashita’s death, thinks Connor will be perfect for the project. Connor Burke welcomes the distraction of Montoya’s investigation of Tambor’s death. He soon discovers that solving this mystery is as dangerous as it is difficult. Burke is plunged once again into the world of esoteric Asian disciplines. Where the relations between master and disciple, and the conflict of perpetuating ancient codes of honor can generate very lethal consequences. Especially when driven by money and celebrity.

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Brother detectives Frank and Joe face the dangers of Black Bear Mountain once again in the twentieth book in the thrilling Hardy Boys Adventures series.Frank and Joe are back on Black Bear Mountain, the scene of a previous wilderness adventure and mind-bending mystery. This time, the brothers are checking in on Dr. K, a friend they made during their first trip. Dr. K is a fan of living off the grid, but he’s been MIA long enough to cause worry in the small mountain town. And so the teenage detectives Black Bear Mountain relied on before have been called in to help once again. It’s not a good start to the investigation when Frank and Joe’s ATV is put out of commission by a falling tree. Then their camp, including their radio—their only way to contact the outside world—is destroyed by wildlife searching for food. And when they finally reach Dr. K’s research station, they find his cabin has been cleaned out and abandoned—the only current resident is an angry skunk. Frank and Joe may have been better prepared for their second Black Bear Mountain adventure, but they’re not having any more luck this time around. In fact, they’ve been downright unlucky. Is someone trying to sabotage their mission? And if they are, how can the brothers stop this invisible foe?

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Told in alternating tales at once haunting and redemptive, A Tangled Mercy is a quintessentially American epic rooted in heartbreaking true events examining the harrowing depths of human brutality and betrayal, and our enduring hope for freedom and forgiveness. After the sudden death of her troubled mother, struggling Harvard grad student Kate Drayton walks out on her lecture—and her entire New England life. Haunted by unanswered questions and her own uncertain future, she flees to Charleston, South Carolina, the place where her parents met, convinced it holds the key to understanding her fractured family and saving her career in academics. Kate is determined to unearth groundbreaking information on a failed 1822 slave revolt—the subject of her mother’s own research. Nearly two centuries earlier, Tom Russell, a gifted blacksmith and slave, grappled with a terrible choice: arm the uprising spearheaded by members of the fiercely independent African Methodist Episcopal Church or keep his own neck out of the noose and protect the woman he loves. Kate’s attempts to discover what drove her mother’s dangerous obsession with Charleston’s tumultuous history are derailed by a horrific massacre in the very same landmark church. In the unimaginable aftermath, Kate discovers a family she never knew existed as the city unites with a powerful message of hope and forgiveness for the world.

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More than 150 years after the end of the Civil War, scores of websites, articles, and organizations repeat claims that anywhere between 500 and 100,000 free and enslaved African Americans fought willingly as soldiers in the Confederate army. But as Kevin M. Levin argues in this carefully researched book, such claims would have shocked anyone who served in the army during the war itself. Levin explains that imprecise contemporary accounts, poorly understood primary-source material, and other misrepresentations helped fuel the rise of the black Confederate myth. Moreover, Levin shows that belief in the existence of black Confederate soldiers largely originated in the 1970s, a period that witnessed both a significant shift in how Americans remembered the Civil War and a rising backlash against African Americans' gains in civil rights and other realms.Levin also investigates the roles that African Americans actually performed in the Confederate army, including personal body servants and forced laborers. He demonstrates that regardless of the dangers these men faced in camp, on the march, and on the battlefield, their legal status remained unchanged. Even long after the guns fell silent, Confederate veterans and other writers remembered these men as former slaves and not as soldiers, an important reminder that how the war is remembered often runs counter to history.

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Despite the lack of medical consensus regarding alcoholism as a disease, many people readily accept the concept of addiction as a clinical as well as a social disorder. An alcoholic is a victim of social circumstance and genetic destiny. Although one might imagine that this dual approach is a reflection of today's enlightened and sympathetic society, historian Sarah Tracy discovers that efforts to medicalize alcoholism are anything but new. Alcoholism in America tells the story of physicians, politicians, court officials, and families struggling to address the danger of excessive alcohol consumption at the turn of the century. Beginning with the formation of the American Association for the Cure of Inebriates in 1870 and concluding with the enactment of Prohibition in 1920, this study examines the effect of the disease concept on individual drinkers and their families and friends, as well as the ongoing battle between policymakers and the professional medical community for jurisdiction over alcohol problems. Tracy captures the complexity of the political, professional, and social negotiations that have characterized the alcoholism field both yesterday and today. Tracy weaves American medical history, social history, and the sociology of knowledge into a narrative that probes the connections among reform movements, social welfare policy, the specialization of medicine, and the social construction of disease. Her insights will engage all those interested in America's historic and current battles with addiction.

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Ever wished there was a book about some of the weirdest and most disturbing stories in the Bible that was also hilarious to read? You've found it. It turns out, there's a lot of strange stuff in the Bible, and this book takes a tongue-in-cheek look at all of it.Approximately 80 percent of Americans admit they haven't read the Bible. If they did, they'd be pleasantly surprised by its impressive quantity of sex and poop jokes.David danced naked. Noah was basically a moonshining hillbilly. Ezekiel baked poop bread. Herod was eaten by worms. Jesus cursed a fig tree, just to prove he could. Mark went streaking. Hosea married a prostitute. Lot was date-raped by his own daughters. This unique book: Combines humor and education to give better insight into some of the strangest parts of the Bible Organized by topic (poop, genitalia, weird violence, prostitution, gratuitous nudity, seemingly pointless miracles, and other fun stuff) Is a thoroughly researched (really!), reverent, and insightful look at the best-selling book in history Makes a perfect gift for pastors and white elephant parties From Elisha, who loosed homicidal bears on some kids because they called him bald (it's a long story), to the story of Ehud, who gets away with assassinating a tyrannical king because his servants think said king is taking a dump (also a long story), this book examines and casts new light on some of the Bible's stranger moments.

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This fantasy novel follows a scholar's quest to choose the next ruler of her nation amidst lies, conspiracy, and assassinationWhen the death of Iron Queen Sarelin Brey fractures the realm of Elira, Lysande Prior, the palace scholar and the queen’s closest friend, is appointed Councillor. Publically, Lysande must choose the next monarch from amongst the city-rulers vying for the throne. Privately, she seeks to discover which ruler murdered the queen, suspecting the use of magic. Resourceful, analytical, and quiet, Lysande appears to embody the motto she was raised with: everything in its place. Yet while she hides her drug addiction from her new associates, she cannot hide her growing interest in power. She becomes locked in a game of strategy with the city-rulers – especially the erudite prince Luca Fontaine, who seems to shift between ally and rival. Further from home, an old enemy is stirring: the magic-wielding White Queen is on the move again, and her alliance with a traitor among the royal milieu poses a danger not just to the peace of the realm, but to the survival of everything that Lysande cares about. In a world where the low-born keep their heads down, Lysande must learn to fight an enemy who wears many guises… even as she wages her own battle between ambition and restraint.

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An eerie and absorbing novel following a criminal psychologist who has discovered shocking and possibly dangerous connections between a serial killer and her stepdaughter Criminal psychologist Seonkyeong receives an unexpected call one day. Yi Byeongdo, a serial killer whose gruesome murders shook the world, wants to be interviewed. Yi Byeongdo, who has refused to speak to anyone until now, asks specifically for her. Seonkyeong agrees out of curiosity. That same day Hayeong, her husband’s eleven-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, shows up at their door after her grandparents, with whom she lived after her mother passed away, die in a sudden fire. Seonkyeong wants her to feel at home, but is gradually unnerved as the young girl says very little and acts strangely. At work and at home, Seonkyeong starts to unravel the pasts of the two new arrivals in her life and begins to see startling similarities. Hayeong looks at her the same way Yi Byeongdo does when he recounts the abuse he experienced as a child; Hayeong’s serene expression masks a temper that she can’t control. Plus, the story she tells about her grandparents’ death, and her mother’s before that, deeply troubles Seonkyeong. So much so that Yi Byeongdo picks up on it and starts giving her advice. Written with exquisite precision and persistent creepiness, The Only Child is psychological suspense at its very best.

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Every year, ten men from Ness, at the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis, sail north-east for some forty miles to a remote rock called Sulasgeir. Their mission is to catch and harvest the guga; the almost fully grown gannet chicks nesting on the two hundred foot high cliffs that circle the tiny island, which is barely half a mile long. After spending a fortnight in the arduous conditions that often prevail there, they return home with around two thousand of the birds, pickled and salted and ready for the tables of Nessmen and women both at home and abroad. The Guga Hunters tells the story of the men who voyage to Sulasgeir each year and the district they hail from, bringing out the full colour of their lives, the humour and drama of their exploits. They speak of the laughter that seasons their time together on Sulasgeir, of the risks and dangers they have faced. It also provides a fascinating insight into the social history of Ness, the culture and way-of-life that lies behind the world of the Guga Hunters, the timeless nature of the hunt, and reveals the hunt's connections to the traditions of other North Atlantic countries. Told in his district's poetry and prose, English and - occasionally - Gaelic, Donald S. Murray shows how the spirit of a community is preserved in this most unique of exploits.

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'Powerful' Sunday Times 'Electric' Danya Kukafka 'Vital' Katie Gutierrez 'A triumph' Alice Ryan 'A powerful read' Heat 'Read this book!' Angie Cruz 'An instant classic' Morning Star 'Deserves all the hype' Glamour 'Crackles with life' Xochitl Gonzalez 'The book of the year' Rene Denfeld Carmen and Grace have been inseparable since they were little girls – more like sisters than cousins, survivors of a childhood marked by neglect and addiction. For too long, all they had was each other. That is, until Doña Durka swept into their lives and changed everything, taking Grace into her home and playing an outsize role in Carmen’s upbringing too. But Durka is more than a beneficent force in their Bronx neighbourhood. She’s also the leader of an underground drug empire, a larger-than-life matriarch who understands the importance of taking what power she can in a world too often ruled by violent men. So when Durka dies suddenly, Carmen and Grace’s lives are thrown into chaos. Grace has been primed to take over and has grand plans to expand the business, but Carmen is ready to move on – from Durka’s shadow, and from always looking over her shoulder in fear. As tough and tender as its main characters, Carmen and Grace is a devastatingly wise and intimate story about the bonds of female friendship, ambition and found family.

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Think of the Renaissance and you might only picture the work of fine artists such as Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Van Eyck. Or architecture could spring to mind and you might think of St Peter’s in Rome and the Doge’s Palace in Venice. Or you might consider scientists like Galileo and Copernicus. But then let’s not forget the contribution of thinkers like Machiavelli, Thomas More or Erasmus. Someone else, though, might plump for music or poets and dramatists – after all, there was Dante and Shakespeare. Because when it comes to the Renaissance, there’s an embarrassment of riches to choose from. From art to architecture, music to literature, science to medicine, political thought to religion, The Renaissance expertly guides the reader through the cultural and intellectual flowering that Europe witnessed from the 14th to the 17th centuries. Ranging from the origins of the Renaissance in medieval Florence to the Counter- Reformation, the book explains how a revival in the study in Antiquity was able to flourish across the Italian states, before spreading to Iberia and north across Europe. Nimbly moving from perspective in paintings to Copernicus’s understanding of the Universe, from Martin Luther’s challenge to the Roman Catholic Church to the foundations of modern school education, The Renaissance is a highly accessible and colourful journey along the cultural contours of Europe from the Late Middle Ages to the early modern period.

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Black Market Business is a grassroots social history of the clandestine market for sex in colonial Tonkin. Lively and well told, it explores the ways in which sex workers, managers, and clients evaded the colonial regulation system in the turbulent economy of the interwar years. Christina Elizabeth Firpo argues that the confluence of economic, demographic, and cultural changes sweeping late colonial Tonkin created spaces of tension in which the interwar black market sex industry thrived. The clandestine sex industry flourished in sites of legal inconsistency, cultural changes, economic disparity, rural-urban division, and demographic shifts. As a nexus of the many tensions besetting late colonial Tonkin, the black market sex industry serves as a useful lens through which to examine these tensions and the ways they affected marginalized populations. More specifically, an investigation of this black market shows how a particular population of impoverished women—a group regrettably understudied by historians—experienced the tensions. Drawing on an astonishingly diverse and multilingual source base, Black Market Business includes detailed cases of juvenile prostitution, human trafficking, and debt bondage arrangements in sex work, as well as cases in Tonkin's bars, hotels, singing houses, and dance clubs. Using GIS technology and big data sets to track individual actors in history, it serves as a model for teaching new methodological approaches to conducting social histories of women and marginalized people.

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Directed by anthropologist Alexander Lesser in 1935, the Santa Fe Laboratory of Anthropology sponsored a field school in southwestern Oklahoma that focused on the neighboring Kiowas. During two months, graduate students compiled more than 1,300 pages of single-spaced field notes derived from cross-interviewing thirty-five Kiowas. These eyewitness and first-generation reflections on the horse and buffalo days are undoubtedly the best materials available for reconstructing pre-reservation Kiowa beliefs and rituals. The field school compiled massive data resulting in a number of publications on this formerly nomadic Plains tribe, though the planned collaborative ethnographies never materialized. The extensive Kiowa field notes, which contain invaluable information, remained largely unpublished until now. In Kiowa Belief and Ritual, Benjamin R. Kracht reconstructs Kiowa cosmology during the height of the horse and buffalo culture from field notes pertaining to cosmology, visions, shamans, sorcery, dream shields, tribal bundles, and the now-extinct Sun Dance ceremony. These topics are interpreted through the Kiowa concept of a power force permeating the universe. Additional data gleaned from the field notes of James Mooney and Alice Marriott enrich the narrative. Drawing on more than thirty years of field experiences, Kracht’s discussion of how Indigenous notions of power are manifested today significantly enhances the existing literature concerning Plains religions.

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In 1971 RAND consultant Daniel J. Ellsberg made national news by handing over to the New York Times a top secret Pentagon study on the Vietnam War. Publication of the Pentagon Papers rocked the American defense establishment and fanned the flames of the growing antiwar protest movement in the United States.By late that year, most of the Pentagon Papers had been released to the public. Four volumes, however, were held back, Ellsberg himself conceding their special sensitivity. These so-called negotiating volumes deal with the diplomacy of the war between 1964 and 1968. Published in book form with extensive commentary, they provide an indispensable source for the study of diplomacy during the Vietnam conflict.These documents cover thirteen major peace contacts and initiatives that took place during the presidency of Lyndon Johnson. They furnish a wealth of new information about the American bombing pauses of May 1965 and January 1966; several third-party peace initiatives; and a still virtually unknown 1965 contact, mysteriously called “xyz,” between North Vietnamese and American diplomats in Paris. They afford the most complete documentation yet available of the Polish-sponsored peace move codenamed “marigold” and the abortive peace initiative launched early in 1967 by British Prime Minister Wilson and Soviet Premier Kosygin.The utility of this important book is greatly enhanced by Herring’s extensive annotation, highly informative introductory essays, and helpful glossaries.

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