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Ein Alleinstellungsmerkmal dieses Open-Access-Lehrbuchs ist die umfassende Einführung in das Grundlagenwissen über eingebettete Systeme mit Anwendungen in cyber-physischen Systemen und dem Internet der Dinge. Es beginnt mit einer Einführung in das Gebiet und eine Übersicht über Spezifikationsmodelle und -sprachen für eingebettete und cyber-physikalische Systeme. Es gibt einen kurzen Überblick über die für solche Systeme verwendeten Hardware-Geräte und stellt die Grundlagen der Systemsoftware für eingebettete Systeme vor, einschließlich Echtzeit-Betriebssystemen. Der Autor erörtert auch Evaluierungs- und Validierungstechniken für eingebettete Systeme und gibt einen Überblick über Techniken zur Abbildung von Anwendungen auf Ausführungsplattformen, inklusive Multi-Core-Plattformen. Eingebettete Systeme müssen unter engen Randbedingungen arbeiten, daher enthält das Buch auch einen ausgewählten Satz von Optimierungstechniken, mit einem Schwerpunkt bei Software-Optimierungstechniken. Das Buch schließt mit einer kurzen Übersicht über das Testen. Die vierte Auflage wurde aktualisiert und überarbeitet, um neue Trends und Technologien zu berücksichtigen, wie z. B. die Bedeutung von cyber-physischen Systemen (CPS) und dem Internet der Dinge (IoT), die Entwicklung von Single-Core-Prozessoren hin zu Multi-Core-Prozessoren und die zunehmende Bedeutung von Energieeffizienz und thermischen Fragen.

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*Now a major Disney+ short film starring John Travolta*The chilling thriller from the international bestselling phenomenon.'A cunningle wrought tale' Financial Times'A stirring and beautiful story' The Times_____________Christmas Eve, 1957.For one Royal Air Force pilot, one last hurdle remains between himself and a cozy Christmas morning in England. A sixty-six-minute flight in his Vampire fighter plane from Germany to Lakenheath.A routine flight plan and a full tank of fuel. What could go wrong?But as the fog begins to close in, the compass goes haywire and the radio dies, leaving him in silence, lost and alone up in the inky black sky.All hope seems lost as he accepts his fate when, out of nowhere, a vintage fighter-bomber appears and is miraculously trying to make contact.For one lonely pilot this is a miracle, but really the mystery has just begun ..._____________With over 1,000 5* reviews . . .***** 'This was for me the best Christmas military short story'***** 'What a great story!! I just loved it.'***** 'A splendid story. Still have goosebumps after reading it.'***** 'I, too, read this every Christmas season - and think of it often throughout the year.'***** 'What a wonderful surprising ending, I didn't see that coming, very good story, I think imma remember it for a long time.'

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Für die praktische Anwendung von Eurocode 3 DIN EN 1993 Teil 1-1 "Bemessung und Konstruktion von Stahlbauten; Allgemeine Regeln Hochbau" wird mit diesem Buch eine konsolidierte Normfassung vorgelegt. Es werden umfangreiche Kommentare zu den Regelungshintergründen gegeben, um das Normverständnis zu vertiefen. Komplettiert wird der Band durch eine Reihe von Berechnungsbeispielen. Herausgeber und Autoren stellen damit eine unverzichtbare Hilfe für die schnelle Einarbeitung in das neue Regelwerk und die sichere Anwendung in der Praxis zur Verfügung. Auch erhältlich für Teil 1-8 "Anschlüsse". Die europäische Norm DIN EN 1993 Eurocode 3 "Bemessung und Konstruktion von Stahlbauten", die die frühere deutsche Bemessungsnormenreihe 18800 abgelöst und damit die Nachweispraxis im deutschen Stahlbau grundlegend gewandelt hat, besteht aus insgesamt 20 einzelnen Teilen. Diese gliedern sich in Grundlagen (die zwölf Teile DIN EN 1993-1) und Anwendungsteile (DlN EN 1993-2 bis DIN EN 1993-6) auf. Zentrum ist der im Rahmen des vorliegenden Kommentars behandelte Teil 1-1 mit dem Titel "Allgemeine Bemessungsregeln und Regeln für den Hochbau". Alle anderen Teile beziehen sich darauf und geben ergänzende Regeln an. Gleichzeitig werden hochbauspezifische Grundregeln, insbesondere zu Festigkeits- und Stabilitätsnachweisen von Stäben, in diesem Normenteil behandelt. Der vorliegende Kommentar soll allen Fachleuten, die sich planend, bauend, prüfend oder überwachend mit der Bemessung von Stahlbauten in Deutschland oder dem europäischen Ausland befassen, Hilfestellung bei der täglichen Arbeit mit dem Eurocode 3 im Allgemeinen und dem Teil 1-1 im Speziellen bieten. Der Kommentar besteht aus drei Hauptteilen: Zunächst ist DIN EN 1993-1-1 mit den A1-Änderungen von 2014 und Nationalem Anhang inkl. Änderungen A1 (Entwurf) als konsolidierte Fassung abgedruckt. Das heißt, dass man die zugehörigen nationalen Empfehlungen und Ergänzungen genau dort im Normentext findet, wo sie auch gebraucht werden. Der Anwender hat somit alle Regelungen auf einen Blick, anstatt sie sich aus drei Dokumenten zusammenstellen zu müssen. lm darauf folgenden Kommentarteil, der sich von der Gliederung her strikt an die Norm hält, werden Zusatz- und Hintergrundinformationen, Erklärungen und Erläuterungen gegeben, es werden Verknüpfungen zu anderen Normenteilen hergestellt und geplante Änderungen angesprochen. Der dritte Teil enthält Beispielrechnungen, die die Anwendung der wichtigsten Regelungen im Eurocode 3-1-1 auf konkrete Fälle ausführlich und mit Normenbezügen darstellt.

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Tosa Mitsunobu and the Small Scroll in Medieval Japan is the first book-length study to focus on short-story small scrolls (ko-e), one of the most complex but visually appealing forms of early Japanese painting. Small picture scrolls emerged in Japan during the fourteenth century and were unusual in constituting approximately half the height of the narrative handscrolls that had been produced and appreciated in Japan for centuries. Melissa McCormick's history of the small scroll tells the story of its emergence and highlights its unique pictorial qualities and production contexts in ways that illuminate the larger history of Japanese narrative painting. Small scrolls illustrated short stories of personal transformation, a new literary form suffused with an awareness of the Buddhist notion of the illusory nature of worldly desires. The most accomplished examples of the genre resulted from the collaboration of the imperial court painter Tosa Mitsunobu (active ca. 1469-1522) and the erudite Kyoto aristocrat Sanjonishi Sanetaka (1455-1537). McCormick unveils the cultural milieu and the politics of patronage through diaries, letters, and archival materials, exposing the many layers of allusion that were embedded in these scrolls, while offering close readings that articulate the artistic language developed to an extreme level of refinement. In doing so, McCormick also offers the first sustained examination in English of Tosa Mitsunobu's extensive and underappreciated body of artistic achievements. The three scrolls that form the core of the study are A Wakeful Sleep (Utatane soshi emaki), which recounts the miraculous union of a man and a woman who had previously encountered each other only in their dreams; The Jizo Hall (Jizodo soshi emaki), which tells the story of a wayward monk who achieves enlightenment with the help of a dragon princess; and Breaking the Inkstone (Suzuriwari soshi emaki), which narrates the sacrifice of a young boy for his household servant and its tragic consequences. These three works are easily among the most artistically accomplished and sophisticated small scrolls to have survived.

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'There are few problems that are insurmountable. If something is broken more often than not it can be repaired. A can-do attitude is essential, or at least a willingness to have a go.' So writes award-winning silversmith and BBC television personality Brenton West in his introduction to this, his first book. Brimming with in-depth technical information on tools, techniques and metals, Brenton explains how to diagnose the problem, apply the repair, and make good almost any precious items. Aimed at anyone who wants to learn the skills necessary to fix, repair or improve household items – whether for sentimental reasons or to turn a profit – the book covers more than a dozen common case studies for you to follow. Ranging from simple to more complex repairs, Brenton tackles re-plating silver, correctly securing metal to glass, polishing, soldering, re-finishing and more on a variety of antique items including table lamps, inkwells, cocktail shakers and hand mirrors. The case studies are fully illustrated so you can see what's happening at each stage, while handy boxes expand on the specific example, giving Brenton's expert advice on how to apply the skills learned to your own particular repairs. After all, no two objects break in quite the same way: the book will teach you how to adapt. Dotted throughout are Brenton's own hard-won secret tips and techniques, so you can share and benefit from his experience. Brenton talks you through how different metals and materials can be properly identified and safely repaired. The book also includes information on hallmarking, allowing you to assess those second-hand finds accurately. Finally, an extensive tool directory and techniques section give no-nonsense and in-depth advice on the best tools for the job.

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“[Philippa] captures the determination of the Weekly Mail newspaper to unmask those fuelling the violence and expose state complicity, reminding us how bloody was this peaceful transition and how precarious the outcome. She evokes - in a deeply personal, honest and moving account - the ordinary people who, away from the media spotlight, paid a heavy price to bring us democracy.” - ANTON HARBER, co-founder and former editor, Mail & Guardian “An important and riveting slice of South African history told by someone who was right there at the ringside.” - MONDLI MAKHANYA, editor of City Press PHILIPPA GARSON WORKED for the brave and upstart Weekly Mail during the early 1990s, where she covered the civil war between Inkatha and ANC-aligned communities. Undeniable is an account of that period of her life, where she and colleagues, Mondli Makhanya, Kevin Carter, Eddie Koch, Anton Harber and others, tracked and discovered the involvement of a Third Force, which was fuelling the killing frenzy. There were times when Philippa escaped with her life. In this book, she tells of the casualties, victims of war and colleagues who did not. Her relationship across the colour line and partying during the off-hours in an effort to diminish the pain of what she had witnessed are all part of this brilliant account of a harrowing period in South African history. It is a period that has not been investigated sufficiently, and which escaped much scrutiny from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Rogues, lovers, family, friends, journalists, warlords and victims are all part of Philippa’s gripping memoir, in which she explores what it was like to investigate apartheid crimes through the lens of white privilege.

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Before skyscrapers and streetlights glowed at all hours, American cities fell into inky blackness with each setting of the sun. But over the course of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, new technologies began to light up streets, sidewalks, buildings, and public spaces. Peter C. Baldwin's evocative book depicts the changing experience of the urban night over this period, visiting a host of actors - scavengers, newsboys, and mashers alike - in the nocturnal city. Baldwin examines work, crime, transportation, and leisure as he moves through the gaslight era, exploring the spread of modern police forces and the emergence of late-night entertainment, to the era of electricity, when social campaigns sought to remove women and children from public areas at night. While many people celebrated the transition from darkness to light as the arrival of twenty-four hours of daytime, Baldwin shows that certain social patterns remained, including the danger of street crime and the skewed gender profile of night work. Sweeping us from concert halls and brothels to streetcars and industrial forges, In the Watches of the Night is an illuminating study of a vital era in American urban history.

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The Chilterns form part of the long line of chalk hills stretching intermittently across southern and eastern England. It is an area characterised by beech woods and dry valleys, and these natural features are explored in the routes. The Thames Valley is steeped in history, from Windsor Castle and Richmond Park to Runnymede Meadows, where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215, and there are opportunities to absorb this evocative atmosphere, as well as genteel towns like Dorchester, Henley and Princes Risborough. -See walk locations by Looking Inside Inside: -28 great walks in Thames Valley & Chilterns from 2 to 10 miles -Clear, large scale Ordnance Survey route maps -GPS reference for all waypoints -Where to park, good pubs and places of interest en route -All routes have been fully researched and written by expert outdoor writers -Beautiful photography of scenes from the walks Pathfinder(R) Guides are Britain's best loved walking guides. Made with durable covers, they are the perfect companion for countryside walks throughout Britain. Each title features circular walks with easy-to-follow route descriptions, large-scale Ordnance Survey route maps and GPS waypoints.With over 70 titles in the series, they offer essential information for walkers throughout the country. Contents* Wallingford* Watlington Hill* Hedgerley and Burnham Beeches* West Woodhay and Inkpen* Dorchester and Wittenham Clumps* Aldermaston and the Kennet and Avon Canal* Cuckhamsley Hill and the Ridgeway* Port Meadow* Old Boars Hill* Marlow and Hurley* Widbrook Common and Cliveden Reach* Goring* Whitehorse Hill and Kingston Lisle* Great Hampden and Little Hampden* Cookham, Winter Hill and Cock Marsh* Abingdon and Sutton Courtenay* Henley-on-Thames and Hambleden* Runnymede and Windsor Great Park* Longworth and Hinton Waldrist* Aldbury, Ivinghoe Beacon and Ashridge* Ibstone, Turville and Fingest* Coombe Hill and Chequers* Whitchurch and Mapledurham* West Wycombe, Hughenden and Bradenham* Chesham and Little Missenden* Chess Valley* Lardon Chase, Moulsford and Streatley* Princes Risborough and Chinnor Hill

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The Silesian town of Bedzin lies a mere twenty-five miles from Auschwitz; through the linked ghettos of Bedzin and its neighbouring town, some 85,000 Jews passed on their way to slave labour or the gas chambers. The principal civilian administrator of Bedzin, Udo Klausa, was a happily married family man. He was also responsible for implementing Nazi policies towards the Jews in his area - inhumane processes that were the precursors of genocide. Yet he later claimed, like so many other Germans after the war, that he had 'known nothing about it'; and that he had personally tried to save a Jew before he himself managed to leave for military service. A Small Town Near Auschwitz re-creates Udo Klausa's story. Using a wealth of personal letters, memoirs, testimonies, interviews and other sources, Mary Fulbrook pieces together his role in the unfolding stigmatization and degradation of the Jews under his authoritiy, as well as the heroic attempts at resistance on the part of some of his victims. She also gives us a fascinating insight into the inner conflicts of a Nazi functionary who, throughout, considered himself a 'decent' man. And she explores the conflicting memories and evasions of his life after the war. But the book is much more than a portrayal of an individual man. Udo Klausa's case is so important because it is in many ways so typical. Behind Klausa's story is the larger story of how countless local functionaries across the Third Reich facilitated the murderous plans of a relatively small number among the Nazi elite - and of how those plans could never have been realized, on the same scale, without the diligent cooperation of these generally very ordinary administrators. As Fulbrook shows, men like Klausa 'knew' and yet mostly suppressed this knowledge, performing their day jobs without apparent recognition of their own role in the system, or any sense of personal wrongdoing or remorse - either before or after 1945. This account is no ordinary historical reconstruction. For Fulbrook did not discover Udo Klausa amongst the archives. She has known the Klausa family all her life. She had no inkling of her subject's true role in the Third Reich until a few years ago, a discovery that led directly to this inescapably personal professional history.

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None of the world’s “lost writings” have proven more perplexing than the mysterious script in which the Inka Empire kept its records. Ancient Andean peoples encoded knowledge in knotted cords of cotton or wool called khipus. In The Cord Keepers, the distinguished anthropologist Frank Salomon breaks new ground with a close ethnography of one Andean village where villagers, surprisingly, have conserved a set of these enigmatic cords to the present day. The “quipocamayos,” as the villagers call them, form a sacred patrimony. Keying his reading to the internal life of the ancient kin groups that own the khipus, Salomon suggests that the multicolored cords, with their knots and lavishly woven ornaments, did not mimic speech as most systems of writing do, but instead were anchored in nonverbal codes. The Cord Keepers makes a compelling argument for a close intrinsic link between rituals and visual-sign systems. It indicates that, while Andean graphic representation may differ radically from familiar ideas of writing, it may not lie beyond the reach of scholarly interpretation.In 1994, Salomon witnessed the use of khipus as civic regalia on the heights of Tupicocha, in Peru’s central Huarochirí region. By observing the rich ritual surrounding them, studying the village’s written records from past centuries, and analyzing the khipus themselves, Salomon opens a fresh chapter in the quest for khipu decipherment. He draws on a decade’s field research, early colonial records, and radiocarbon and fiber analysis. Challenging the prevailing idea that the use of khipus ended under early Spanish colonial rule, Salomon reveals that these beautiful objects served, apparently as late as the early twentieth century, to document households’ contribution to their kin groups and these kin groups’ contribution to their village. The Cord Keepers is a major contribution to Andean history and, more broadly, to understandings of writing and literacy.

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JACK LARK: SOLDIER, LEADER, IMPOSTER.The third book in the gripping military adventure series for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy and Simon Scarrow. 'Paul Collard has become one of the most readable figures in Historical Fiction' Parmenion Books 'Paul Fraser Collard commands the genre of historical action adventure with as much aplomb as Jack Lark commands his troops' Matthew Harffy 'If you loved Bernard Cornwell, then you'll love this' The Founding FieldsBombay, 1857. Jack Lark is living precariously as an officer when his heroic but fraudulent past is discovered by the Devil - Major Ballard, the army's intelligence officer. Ballard is gathering a web of information to defend the British Empire, and he needs a man like Jack on his side. Not far away, in Persia, the Shah is moving against British territory and, with the Russians whispering in his ear, seeks to conquer the crucial city of Herat. The Empire's strength is under threat and the army must fight back. As the British march to war, Jack learns that secrets crucial to the campaign's success are leaking into their enemies' hands. Ballard has brought him to the battlefield to end a spy's deceit. But who is the traitor? THE DEVIL'S ASSASSIN sweeps Jack Lark through a thrilling tale of explosive action as the British face the Persian army in the inky darkness of the desert night.THE DEVIL'S ASSASSIN: JACK LARK BOOK 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READERS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF JACK LARK: 'The Devil's Assassin is yet another win from a writer at the top of his game.' 'Life and death on the frontline is so viscerally described that you can smell and taste the blood and powder' 'Everything you need in an historical military novel. Intrigue, deception, the horror of combat, revenge...' 'Jack Lark is a hero I'll happily follow' 'Jack Lark is one of my favourite literary creations of the modern swathe of historical fiction.'

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Twelve-year-old Addie should avoid Maple Lake. After all, her twin brother Amos drowned there only a few months ago. But its crisp, clear water runs in her veins, and the notebook Amos left behind, filled with clues about a mysterious creature in the lake's inky-blue depths, keeps calling her back. She never took Amos seriously when he was alive, but doesn't she owe it to him to figure out, once and for all, if there's really something out there? When she's offered a Young Scientist position studying the lake for the summer, Addie accepts, yearning for the cool wind in her hair and that sparkle on the lake, despite her parent's misgivings.Addie promises her parents that she'll remain under the scientists' supervision and stick to her job of helping them measure water pollution levels, but she can't resist the secrets of Maple Lake. Addie enlists Tai, the son of one of the visiting scientists, to help her sneak off and investigate Amos's evidence of the creature. The more time Addie spends out on the water, the more she discovers the same deep-down feeling Amos had about the magic in Maple Lake. But when the scientists trace the pollution to surrounding dairy farms, including the one run by her beloved aunt and uncle, Addie finds herself caught between her family's interests and Maple Lake's future and between the science she has always prized and the magic that brings her closer to her brother.

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Hard Science Fiction Films that Predict Future Technology“As the breakneck advance of technology takes us into a world that is both exciting and menacing, sci-fi films give us an inkling of what is to come, and what we should avoid.” —Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, and host of Big Picture Science#1 Best Seller in Nanotechnology, Computers & Technology, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Mechanical Engineering, and Robotics & Automation, Cybernetics, and Experiments & ProjectsDr. Andrew Maynard, physicist and leading expert on socially responsible development of emerging and converging technologies, examines hard science fiction movies and brings them to life.Science and technology are radically changing our world. Films from the Future is an essential guide to navigating a future dominated by complex and powerful new technologies. The jump from room-filling processors to pocket-size super computers is just the beginning. Artificial intelligence, gene manipulation, cloning, and inter-planet travel are all ideas that seemed like fairy tales but a few years ago. And now their possibility is very much here. But are we ready to handle these advances? As Maynard explains, “Viewed in the right way―and with a good dose of critical thinking―science fiction movies can help us think about and prepare for the social consequences of technologies we don’t yet have, but that are coming faster than we imagine.”Dr. Maynard looks at twelve sci-fi movies and takes us on a journey through the worlds of biological and genetic manipulation, human enhancement, cyber technologies, and nanotechnology. Gain a broader understanding of the complex relationship between science and society. The movies include old and new, and the familiar and unfamiliar, providing a unique, entertaining, and ultimately transformative take on the power and responsibilities of emerging technologies.Read books such as The Book of Why, The Science of Interstellar, or The Future of Humanity? Then you’ll love Films from the Future!

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'Magnificent, moving, often funny and deeply researched account . . . Is this just a book for those who know football? Far from it: this is a story of glory and the impermanence of fame' Sunday Times (Book of the Week)'Like Alf Ramsey's 1966 team, this book has depth, it has riches and it's a winner - the finest piece of sports writing I have read in ages and a superb piece of contemporary history' Peter Hennessy England. 1966. The World Cup.Duncan Hamilton watched England beat West Germany as an eight-year-old boy in the company of his father and grandfather. He recalls 'Wembley, spread out in the sun; the waving flags; the delirious, joy-of-all-joys moment of the final whistle; the trophy sparkling in the late afternoon light'.But, seeing the whole game again during the misery of the first Covid lockdown, finally made him realise what Alf Ramsey and his players had no inkling of, which was what came next for them. How, for many of those boys of summer, almost everything after that shimmering moment amounted to an anti-climax or a setback. How '66 was not a beginning, a guaranteed path towards more success, but a slow decline and fall, and also a disproportionate number of disappointments. And how the triumph of '66 was dulled through constant repetition, the same images always flashed before us.Hamilton recognised, too, how many myths and misconceptions had grown around the match. He decided to revisit '66, tracing the very roots of a story - as well as the hidden figures within it - that really began during the era of post-War austerity.Answered Prayers provides, at last, a full account of English football's greatest achievement and the failures that followed it. We see the institutional inability to appreciate Ramsey and his players, who were taken for granted; the political machinations of the blazered fools who ran the Football Association; the short-sighted blunderers of the Football League.With his matchless insight and descriptive power, Hamilton tells history afresh and shows us, for the first time, the scale of what was won and what was lost.PRAISE FOR DUNCAN HAMILTON'Hamilton has a perceptively humane understanding of men for whom football was never just a game' Guardian'A marriage of prose and detail so fine and fastidious that it takes the breath away' Independent'Justifiably prize-winning' Mail on Sunday

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"Pearson is the possessor of an extraordinary imagination that brilliantly assaults every variant of the sci-fi genre. His writing is vivid, urban and unflinching in its descriptions, taking the reader on a breathtaking journey through Saturn's rings, outer world 'constructs', altered perceptions and a glorious African landscape smouldering with sexual heat and the odour of violence. This is hard-hitting story telling with full-on language and a brutally splendid plot twist, which, if you make it to the end, will leave you crossing your legs!" SURREY LIFE magazine ______Telepath and psychopath-buster Milla Carter continues to fight a far greater threat from outer space. Hovering over the inky shadows of London's crevassed streets a patrol drone discovers the body of a woman, and the signature MO - she's been garrotted with a cheese wire and scalped - is that of a notorious serial killer. But this time the sexy Milla Carter is incapable of luring the target, who turns out to be telepath opaque.In need of reinforcements, she joins the telepath sisterhood in their fight against members of the Earth's Senate - until, they learn that a deadly alien Swarm is closing in on the outer fringes of space. ______The Sun newspaper, Soul's Asylum: "It's originality and top writing make for a great read ****."

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HANDBOOK OF PYRROLIDONE AND CAPROLACTAM BASED MATERIALS Brings together, for the first time, a comprehensive review of all aspects of pyrrolidone- and caprolactam-based materialsThis comprehensive, six-volume set describes the broad technical universe of γ- and ε- lactams, reviewing in-depth the chemistry of the small lactam-based molecules, uncovering their unique properties and showing how they have enabled a myriad of commercially important applications. From synthesis, through production and into applications, this extensive work targets significant and recent trends in γ- and ε-lactam science and technology and addresses all key aspects of pyrrolidone- and caprolactam-based materials to produce a definitive overview of the field.Handbook of Pyrrolidone and Caprolactam Based Materials provides a detailed and modern portrait of the impact of pyrrolidone- and caprolactam-based materials on the world, as well as potential future possibilities. Volume One presents the chemistry of small lactam-based molecules and uncovers their unique properties. Volume Two covers polymeric materials, including polyvinyl pyrrolidone and polyvinyl caprolactam, and reviews homopolymerization, copolymerization, controlled radical polymermization and acrylate based pyrrolidone polymerizations. Volume Three examines the physical chemistry and molecular interactions of pyrrolidone and caprolactam based materials. Volume Four expands upon the characterization theme from the third volume, and includes detailed discussions of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermal and mechanical properties, and imaging techniques. Volume Five explores pharmaceutical applications in both ingredients and materials, as well as the antimicrobial properties and applications of pyrrolidone and caprolactam-based materials, and their toxicology. Volume Six covers personal and home care, skin care, transdermal applications and wound care, oral care, adhesion related applications and digital applications such as inkjet technology. Handbook of Pyrrolidone and Caprolactam Based Materials will appeal to industrial scientists and engineers interested in polymer development and manufacturing. It will also benefit academic researchers working in the fields of chemistry, materials science, and chemical and process engineering.

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Both Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are literary superstars, known around the world as the creators of Middle-earth and Narnia. But few of their readers and fans know about the important and complex friendship between Tolkien and his fellow Oxford academic C.S. Lewis. Without the persistent encouragement of his friend, Tolkien would never have completed The Lord of the Rings. This great tale, along with the connected matter of The Silmarillion, would have remained merely a private hobby. Likewise, all of Lewis' fiction, after the two met at Oxford University in 1926, bears the mark of Tolkien's influence, whether in names he used or in the creation of convincing fantasy worlds. They quickly discovered their affinity—a love of language and the imagination, a wide reading in northern myth and fairy tale, a desire to write stories themselves in both poetry and prose. The quality of their literary friendship invites comparisons with those of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Cowper and John Newton, and G.K. Chesterton and Hillaire Belloc. Both Tolkien and Lewis were central figures in the informal Oxford literary circle, the Inklings. This book explores their lives, unfolding the extraordinary story of their complex friendship that lasted, with its ups and downs, until Lewis's death in 1963. Despite their differences—differences of temperament, spiritual emphasis, and view of their storytelling art—what united them was much stronger, a shared vision that continues to inspire their millions of readers throughout the world. †

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The eye-wateringly funny fantasy romp across the Discworld, featuring the most incompetent wizard you'll ever find . . .'The Discworld novels have always been among the most serious of comedies, the most relevant and real of fantasies' IndependentIt is known as the Discworld. It is a flat planet, supported on the backs of four elephants, who in turn stand on the back of the great turtle A'Tuin as it swims majestically through space. And it is quite possibly the funniest place in all of creation...As it moves towards a seemingly inevitable collision with a malevolent red star, the Discworld has only one possible saviour. Unfortunately, this happens to be the singularly inept and cowardly wizard called Rincewind, who was last seen falling off the edge of the world.Readers love The Light Fantastic:'Five zany stars for this fantastic romp through the twisted imagination of Sir Terry Pratchett that made me smirk, giggle, snicker, and right larf out loud from Page 1 to "The End!"' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Death made a great appearance in this story. Small, but spot on. This is absurdism at its best . . . Pieces, like the retail shop that materializes here and there, remind me of the Hitchhiker's guide . . . This is stellar storytelling' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Pratchett managed to keep the whole thing comical, while at the time satirical. Not once did I not grin or snort out loud' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'It's the first inklings of the strong character work, social commentary and razor sharp humor that have made Pratchett a household name' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'So good it's unfair - there's a joke every three words and it's still thrilling, and occasionally heartbreaking' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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In the early 1970s, Sir Maurice Oldfield of the British Secret Service, MI6, embarked upon a decade-long campaign to derail the political career of Charles Haughey. The English spymaster believed Haughey was a Provisional IRA godfather, therefore, a threat to Britain. Oldfield was assisted by unscrupulous British agents and by a shadowy group of conspirators inside the Irish state’s security apparatus, all sharing his distrust of Haughey. Escaping scrutiny for their actions until now, Enemy of the Crown examines more than a dozen instances of their activities. Oldfield was conspiratorial by nature and lacked a moral compass. Involved in regime change plots and torture in the Middle East, in the Republic of Ireland he engaged with convicted criminals as agent provocateurs as well as the exploitation of pedophile rings in Northern Ireland. He and his spies engaged in dirty tricks as they ran vicious smear campaigns in Ireland, Britain and the US. MI6 and IRD intrigues were deployed to impede Haughey's bid to secure a position on Fianna Fáil’s front bench and any return to respectability. London’s hateful drive against Haughey saw no let-up after Fianna Fáil’s triumphal return to power in 1977 which saw them win a large majority of seats in the Dáil. When Haughey sought a place at Cabinet, Oldfield and his spies devised more dirty tricks to impede him. While Haughey was suspicious of MI6 interference, he had no inkling of the full extent of London’s clandestine efforts to destroy him. By circulating lurid stories about him, they played a major part in trying to prevent him succeed Jack Lynch as Taoiseach in 1979. This book attempts to shed light on some of the anti-Haughey conspiracies which took place during the period of the late 1960s right through to the early 1980s.

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Twelve-year-old Addie should avoid Maple Lake. After all, her twin brother Amos drowned there only a few months ago. But its crisp, clear water runs in her veins, and the notebook Amos left behind, filled with clues about a mysterious creature in the lake's inky-blue depths, keeps calling her back. She never took Amos seriously when he was alive, but doesn't she owe it to him to figure out, once and for all, if there's really something out there? When she's offered a Young Scientist position studying the lake for the summer, Addie accepts, yearning for the cool wind in her hair and that sparkle on the lake, despite her parent's misgivings.Addie promises her parents that she'll remain under the scientists' supervision and stick to her job of helping them measure water pollution levels, but she can't resist the secrets of Maple Lake. Addie enlists Tai, the son of one of the visiting scientists, to help her sneak off and investigate Amos's evidence of the creature. The more time Addie spends out on the water, the more she discovers the same deep-down feeling Amos had about the magic in Maple Lake. But when the scientists trace the pollution to surrounding dairy farms, including the one run by her beloved aunt and uncle, Addie finds herself caught between her family's interests and Maple Lake's future and between the science she has always prized and the magic that brings her closer to her brother.

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Einerseits gehört die Hoffnung zu den zentralen Themen menschlicher Existenz - diesseits und jenseits des Glaubens. Andererseits hält sich das (religions)philosophische, mehr noch das theologische Interesse an der Hoffnung in sehr engen Grenzen. Dafür gibt es Gründe, aber keine guten. Hartmut von Sass versucht nicht nur, jenes Missverhältnis zwischen Relevanz und Marginalisierung der Hoffnung abzutragen, sondern auf dem Weg dorthin zugleich eine neue Architektur der Hoffnung vorzuschlagen. Im vorliegenden Buch verfolgt er in fünf ähnlich aufgebauten Teilen einen konsistenten Gang der Argumentation. Im ersten Teil wird der dogmatische Rahmen abgesteckt, in welchen das Lehrstück der Hoffnung eingefügt wird. Dabei schlägt Hartmut von Sass vor, Theologie als Praxeologie des Glaubens zu verstehen. Im zweiten Teil stellt er die Differenz im Begriff der Hoffnung vor. Entsprechend ist die überaus umstrittene Unterscheidung zwischen einem materialen und modalen Begriff der Hoffnung gegen wichtige Einwände zu verteidigen. Dabei vertritt der Autor die Auffassung, dass dem Modus die Priorität gegenüber der Materialität der Hoffnung zukommt. Der modale Begriff (hoffnungsvoll leben) wird im dritten Teil im Blick auf die Zeiterfahrung, Identität und Statusfragen untersucht, der materiale Begriff (hoffen, dass x) im vierten Teil anhand seiner logischen Eigenschaften genauer entfaltet. Nach der Analyse folgt die Synthese: Im fünften Teil wird die Differenzierung zwischen Modus und Material 'aufgehoben', um zu zeigen, wie beide Begriffe miteinander interagieren. Dies führt zu Überlegungen zum Verhältnis von Hoffen und Handeln sowie zu einem Glauben, der sich auf die heutige Welt wirklich einlässt. In einem Epilog konkretisiert Hartmut von Sass anhand von drei zeitgenössischen Thematiken - Klima, Inklusion, Frieden -, was das für uns und unser Engagement bedeuten kann.

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De mysticus Jan van Ruusbroec (1293-1381) wordt vaak hemelhoog geprezen, ook internationaal. Zo kwam Cuthbert Butler tot de conclusie dat er "zeker...geen groter mystiek schrijver is geweest." Het is dan ook verrassend dat over Ruusbroecs mystieke leer als zodanig geen omvattende studie voorhanden is. Dat deze lacune aangevuld moet worden, is des te vanzelfsprekender nu de kritische editie van Ruusbroecs werken volledig is: Jan van Ruusbroec Opera omnia (1981-2006). Het leidend beginsel van onderhavig boek is, dat de mysticus zelf in de allereerste plaats aan het woord moet komen, en niet de commentator. Bovendien bestaat de kern van Ruusbroecs geschriften in het beschrijven van een bewustwording - de bewustwording van de aanwezigheid van een Ander -, met het gevolg dat enkel door de close reading van het gehele werk en door passende tekstanalyses zijn opvattingen van de mystieke eenwording met God te voorschijn komt. Daar echter in deze studie een mystieke figuur en zijn literair werk centraal staan, wordt in de eerste twee hoofdstukken, steeds op basis van hetgeen de mystici zelf vertellen, gepreciseerd wat hen essentieel kenmerkt, wat zij ervaren en hoe zij ervaren, waarom zij schrijven en op welke manier. Ruusbroecs eigen beschrijving van de mystieke ervaring wordt in vijf hoofdstukken ontvouwd. Hoofdstuk III - "Het mensbeeld van Ruusbroec" - betreft de manier waarop deze mysticus de structuur van de menselijke psyche voorstelt. Hoofdstuk IV - "De ontmoeting met de Ander" - behandelt de mystieke weg zoals Ruusbroec die uittekent. Wat hier vooral opvalt, is de persistentie van het verschijnsel "ontmoeting" door de hele ontwikkelingsgang van de mysticus heen, van het premystieke begin tot en met de diepste eenheidsbeleving. Het blijkt eveneens dat deze weg niet noodzakelijk gevolgd dient te worden: het contemplatieve leven is geen lineair vooruitgang-maken maar veeleer een spiraalsgewijs meegenomen-worden. In hoofdstuk V - "Het mystieke eenzijn met God" - komt het hart van Ruusbroecs mystieke ervaring tot uitdrukking en schittert natuurlijk het meest zijn uniek talent om weer te geven wat niet gezien maar wel gevoeld wordt. Het belangrijkste punt hier is, dat voor de mysticus de meest gevorderde ervaring van het eenzijn met God bestaat in het beleven van zowel "eenheid" als "vereniging", van zowel "rusten" als "werken". Anders gezegd, het volkomen eenzijn met God wordt helemaal niet beschouwd als een uiteindelijke versmelting. Het is, integendeel, door het blijvende samenspel te ervaren van zulke verschillende aspecten als "eenheid" en "vereniging" dat de mysticus ten volle een is met de Ander. Uit de complexe natuur van de volmaakte mystieke staat volgt dat Ruusbroec de volgroeide mysticus voorstelt als de "ghemeyne mensche" die "geheel in God is en geheel in zichzelf." De laatste twee hoofdstukken van het boek gaan over Ruusbroecs houding ten aanzien van de natuurlijke mystiek. Daar hij te maken kreeg met een aantal van zijn tijdgenoten die naar eigen zeggen "contempleerden zonder (Gods) genade", voelde Ruusbroec zich geroepen om met hen in discussie te treden. In hoofdstuk VI blijkt dat hij niet enkel hun methode - "inkeeren" - waardeert, maar eveneens de uitkomst ervan: "zij voelen de enkelvoudigheid van hun wezen dat in Gods wezen hangt." In hoofdstuk VII komt echter ook Ruusbroecs kritiek op de natuurlijke contemplatie ter sprake. Deze richt zich voornamelijk op twee punten. De contemplatief die zich zonder de genade naar binnen keert, "blijft rusten in zichzelf" en hij zal de dehumaniserende gevolgen ondergaan van een contemplatie waarin men "geen anderheid voelt."

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Immerse yourself in the intrigue and elegance of the Victorian era with this treasure trove of ephemera—with 500+ stickers, 90+ activity and coloring pages, and calling cards with envelopes. Whether you’re a sticker lover, scrapbooker, crafter, colorer, or letter writer, you’re sure to find something unique in Antiquities Sticker, Color & Activity Book. The Victorian era of the 19th century was known for many things. It brought us the telephone and telegraph, photographs and electricity, Charles Darwin and Charles Dickens, postage stamps and the Industrial Revolution. But it also ushered in a period of imperialism, the dawn of the suffragist movement, and a greater leisure class. Named after Queen Victoria, elements of the Victorian era were seen across Europe—and "across the pond” in the United States. Along with the growing leisure class came a rise in activities such as novel reading, parlor games, and puzzles. Now you, too, can partake in leisurely pastimes with this activity book’s: Exquisitely illustrated stickers, with subjects ranging from birds, animals, and plants to clothes, ornate furnishings, and objets d’art. Use them to decorate envelopes, gift wrap, letters, scrapbooks, photo albums, or the enclosed Victorian calling cards and envelopes that you can personalize. On the backs of the sticker pages are quotations from notable Victorians. Calling cards and easy-to-assemble envelopes. Similar to today’s business cards, calling (or, visiting) cards were carried by well-heeled people in the 18th and 19th centuries to present themselves to others or to leave behind when calling on someone. The cards could also be enclosed with a gift. Create your own by filling in your name, coloring in the designs, and adding stickers. Enchanting coloring pages, featuring line-drawn images of foxes, deer, and rabbits; swans, butterflies, and bees; and fruit, leaves, and summer bouquets. Each full-page design has a meditative pattern on the back that you can color in any way you like, regardless of your artistic abilities. You can even adorn your finished works of art with the stickers. Words games and activities, such as mazes, connect-the-dots, trivia, matching, Victorian name generator, and more! Period-specific pastimes, with instructions on how to read tea leaves and palms, press flowers, and create inkblot poetry. With so many pages to look at, so many things to do, and so much joy to be had in these pages, Antiquities Sticker, Color & Activity Book is the perfect book to have on hand when a free moment strikes. It’s also a darling gift for anyone who enjoys stickers, coloring, word games, and plain old fun.

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Nnedi Okorafor was never supposed to be paralyzed. A college track star and budding entomologist, Nnedi’s lifelong battle with scoliosis was just a bump in her plan - something a simple surgery would easily correct. But when Nnedi wakes from the surgery to find she can’t move her legs, her entire sense of who she is begins to waver. Confined to a hospital bed for months, unusual things begin to happen. Psychedelic bugs crawl her hospital walls; strange dreams visit her nightly. She begins to feel as if she’s turning into a cyborg. Unsure if she’ll ever walk again, Nnedi begins to put these experiences into writing, conjuring up strange, fantastical stories. What Nnedi discovers during her confinement would prove to be the key to her life as a successful science fiction writer: In science fiction, when something breaks, something greater often emerges from the cracks. While she may be bedridden, instead of stopping her journey Nnedi’s paralysis opens up new windows in her mind, kindles her creativity and ultimately leads her to become more alive than she ever could have imagined. Nnedi takes the reader on a journey from her hospital bed deep into her memories, from her painful first experiences with racism as a child in Chicago to her powerful visits to her parents’ hometown in Nigeria, where she got her first inkling that science fiction has roots beyond the West. This was not the Africa that Nnedi knew from Western literature - an Africa that she always read was a place left behind. The role of technology in Nigeria opened her eyes to future-looking Africa: cable TV and cell phones in the village, 419 scammers occupying the cybercafés, the small generator connected to her cousin’s desktop computer, everyone quickly adapting to portable tech devices due to unreliable power sources. Nnedi could see that Africa was far from broken, as she’d been taught, and her experience there planted the early seeds of sci-fi - a genre that speculates about technologies, societies, and social issues - from an entirely new lens. In Broken Places & Outer Spaces, Nnedi uses her own experience as a jumping off point to follow the phenomenon of creativity born from hardship. From Frida Kahlo to Mary Shelly, she examines great artists and writers who have pushed through their limitations, using hardship to fuel their work. Through these compelling stories and her own, Nnedi reveals a universal truth: What we perceive as limitations have the potential to become our greatest strengths - far greater than when we were unbroken.

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'Amazing' Reese Witherspoon'Heart-rending' Taylor Jenkins Reid 'Luminous and moving!' Kate Quinn'Unforgettable' Kristen HarmelThe heartbreaking and completely unputdownable instant New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick about the pain and sacrifice of forbidden love, the lengths a mother will go to protect her child, and survival against the toughest of odds.Philadelphia, 1948: Fifteen-year-old Ruby's dreams are almost within reach. She's going to be the first in her family to attend college, despite having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising her only daughter. But falling madly in love with the one boy she is forbidden from threatens to pull Ruby back into poverty and desperation. When she's imprisoned in a home for unwed mothers - locked in the House of Eve with other 'fallen girls' - everything she's worked so hard for starts slipping through her fingers.Washington, DC, 1948: Eleanor arrives in the city with ambition, hope and a past she's trying her hardest to run from. When she meets William at Howard University, with his inky black eyes and broad shoulders, it's love at first sight. But William hails from one of Washington, DC's elite Black families, who don't let just anyone into their inner circle - especially not a girl from 'the wrong side of the tracks'. Eleanor hopes that a baby will mean they finally accept her, and that her secrets won't see the light of day - but fate has other plans in store...In the dawn of the 1950s, Ruby and Eleanor are complete strangers - until their paths unexpectedly collide. Forced to make the most heartbreaking decisions of their lives, will their choices save them... or be their undoing?Fans of Kate Quinn, Lisa Wingate and Kristin Harmel will fall head over heels for this totally gripping and heart-wrenching historical-fiction page-turner.See what readers are saying about The House of Eve:'All the stars!!!... It absolutely blew me away. I finished it several days ago and am still thinking about it! It packed one powerful punch... I still don't have the exact words to describe how it made me feel... So many emotions... It will hit your heart hard... Will have your heart breaking time and again. I could not put it down' Goodreads reviewer, *****'5 brilliant stars! I'm definitely not crying right now. That's a lie. I totally am. This book was A LOT!' Goodreads reviewer, *****'Everything. This book was everything. The House of Eve will not only be a favourite of the year, but a favourite of all-time. I ADORED THIS BOOK. You can't tell me that Ruby and Eleanor aren't real people because they're real in my heart, and I will never forget them. I'm jealous of you all who get to read this for the first time. ALL THE STARS' Goodreads reviewer, *****'I read this book in one sitting and loved it!!... I was blown away... I couldn't read this fast enough' Goodreads reviewer, *****'WOW! I'm still processing this book! I devoured it in three days' Goodreads reviewer, *****'I LOVED THIS BOOK!... Grabs you from the first page and holds you until the satisfying conclusion. The House of Eve is a timely, redemptive, powerful, beautifully written yet haunting novel of resilience and sacrifices women make for themselves and their families' Goodreads reviewer, *****'I really gobbled up this book. PAGE-TURNER! Pick this book; you won't regret it... I absolutely loved this story... Amazing... This book was impossible for me to put down' Goodreads reviewer, *****'I LOVED THIS BOOK!' Goodreads reviewer, *****'I was completely captivated' Goodreads reviewer, *****

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'Amazing' Reese Witherspoon'Heart-rending' Taylor Jenkins Reid 'Luminous and moving!' Kate Quinn'Unforgettable' Kristen HarmelThe heartbreaking and completely unputdownable instant New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick about the pain and sacrifice of forbidden love, the lengths a mother will go to protect her child, and survival against the toughest of odds.Philadelphia, 1948: Fifteen-year-old Ruby's dreams are almost within reach. She's going to be the first in her family to attend college, despite having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising her only daughter. But falling madly in love with the one boy she is forbidden from threatens to pull Ruby back into poverty and desperation. When she's imprisoned in a home for unwed mothers - locked in the House of Eve with other 'fallen girls' - everything she's worked so hard for starts slipping through her fingers.Washington, DC, 1948: Eleanor arrives in the city with ambition, hope and a past she's trying her hardest to run from. When she meets William at Howard University, with his inky black eyes and broad shoulders, it's love at first sight. But William hails from one of Washington, DC's elite Black families, who don't let just anyone into their inner circle - especially not a girl from 'the wrong side of the tracks'. Eleanor hopes that a baby will mean they finally accept her, and that her secrets won't see the light of day - but fate has other plans in store...In the dawn of the 1950s, Ruby and Eleanor are complete strangers - until their paths unexpectedly collide. Forced to make the most heartbreaking decisions of their lives, will their choices save them... or be their undoing?Fans of Kate Quinn, Lisa Wingate and Kristin Harmel will fall head over heels for this totally gripping and heart-wrenching historical-fiction page-turner.See what readers are saying about The House of Eve:'All the stars!!!... It absolutely blew me away. I finished it several days ago and am still thinking about it! It packed one powerful punch... I still don't have the exact words to describe how it made me feel... So many emotions... It will hit your heart hard... Will have your heart breaking time and again. I could not put it down' Goodreads reviewer, *****'5 brilliant stars! I'm definitely not crying right now. That's a lie. I totally am. This book was A LOT!' Goodreads reviewer, *****'Everything. This book was everything. The House of Eve will not only be a favourite of the year, but a favourite of all-time. I ADORED THIS BOOK. You can't tell me that Ruby and Eleanor aren't real people because they're real in my heart, and I will never forget them. I'm jealous of you all who get to read this for the first time. ALL THE STARS' Goodreads reviewer, *****'I read this book in one sitting and loved it!!... I was blown away... I couldn't read this fast enough' Goodreads reviewer, *****'WOW! I'm still processing this book! I devoured it in three days' Goodreads reviewer, *****'I LOVED THIS BOOK!... Grabs you from the first page and holds you until the satisfying conclusion. The House of Eve is a timely, redemptive, powerful, beautifully written yet haunting novel of resilience and sacrifices women make for themselves and their families' Goodreads reviewer, *****'I really gobbled up this book. PAGE-TURNER! Pick this book; you won't regret it... I absolutely loved this story... Amazing... This book was impossible for me to put down' Goodreads reviewer, *****'I LOVED THIS BOOK!' Goodreads reviewer, *****'I was completely captivated' Goodreads reviewer, *****

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