Search results for ""Author Dan"

Excite your children and give them a firm foundation in phonics. Part of the Bug Club family, Bug Club Phonics aims to help children learn to read by the age of six in a fun and accessible way. Following the order of Letters and Sounds, the Bug Club Phonics programme matches the National Curriculum and Early Learning Goals and ensures children read from books with the sounds they know as they are learning to read. Ideal for home learning. Two aliens go to a tip. Kat works hard while Dan plays around. Kat gets cross when there's no room for her in the rain shelter Dan has found! Part of the Bug Club reading series used in over 3500 schools Helps your child develop reading fluency and confidence Suitable for children age 4-5 (Reception) Book band: Pink A Phonics phase: 2

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Following the death of Mac Raboy in 1968, Dan Barry took over production of the Sunday Flash Gordon strip. This collection, the first ever, features the first three years of a run that would last for nearly 50 years from The Return of Chameleon 1/14/68, which he completed after Raboy's death, to Radiation Giants in 12/26/71.

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In Black Dan Stevie's new dog is called Black Dan the Seventh. Stevie loves him, but Black Dan has a strange and terrible secret that could lead Stevie into danger. TreeTops Fiction contains a wide range of quality stories enabling children to explore and develop their own reading tastes and interests. It contains stories from a variety of genres including humour, sci-fi, adventure, mystery and historical fiction. These exciting stories are ideal for introducing children to a wide selection of authors and illustrators. There is huge variety to ensure every reader finds books they will enjoy and can read. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book.

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Just després de la mort del seu pare, el Daniel es trasllada a la residència del Marc, el seu tiet. Tot sembla normal, però el Daniel de seguida comença a sospitar que allà hi passa alguna cosa estranya... Qui és el Lizard? Què és Terra Prima? Poc a poc, descobrirà que el món no és com ell es pensava, i que hi ha algú que vol segrestar-lo per apoderar-se d'una arma terrible: l'Artefacte C.

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La realidad no es atea, sin Dios. Tampoco lo son nuestras experiencias en ella. En virtud de la creación y de la encarnación de Dios en Jesucristo, todo está habitado por una Presencia amorosa, misteriosa pero real, que lo trasciende todo, pero que todo lo alienta y sostiene. Por eso la realidad exterior y también nuestras experiencias humanas son umbral de Dios, sacramentos de su presencia, ventanas que dan a Él.Con todo, esa transparencia ni es evidente ni sucede de un modo espontáneo. Para que lo sea hemos de pasar por un proceso espiritual que, perforando la realidad hacia dentro y hacia afuera, descubra las huellas de Dios y a Dios mismo en ella.De eso trata este libro. Recoge algunas de nuestras experiencias humanas básicas y, siguiendo el proceso ignaciano, la lente de la Contemplación para alcanzar amor muestra su carácter de medio divino y las descubre como lugar de encuentro y adoración de Dios, y lugar también de llamada y envío.JOSÉ ANTONIO GARCÍA es jesuita y dire

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Horror has a new name: Daphne. A brutal, enigmatic woman stalks a girls high school basketball team in a reimagining of the slasher genre by the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box.It's the last summer for Kit Lamb: the last summer before college. The last summer with her high school basketball team, and with Dana, her best friend. The last summer before her life begins.But the night before the big game, one of Kit's players tells a ghost story about Daphne, a girl who went to their school many years ago and died under mysterious circumstances. Some say she was murdered, others that she died by her own hand. And some say that Daphne is a murderer herself. They also say that Daphne is still out there, obsessed with revenge, and will appear anytime someone thinks about her to kill again. After Kit hears the story, her teammates vanish, one by one, and Kit begins to suspect that the stories about Daphne are real...and to fear that her own mind is conjuring the killer. Now it's a race against time as Kit searches for the truth behind the legend and learns to face her own fears. Or else the summer of her lifetime will become the last summer of her life. Mixing a nostalgic coming-of-age story and an instantly iconic female villain with an innovative new vision of classic horror, this is an unforgettable thriller as only Josh Malerman could imagine it.

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THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR An expansive biography of John Milton, including an assessment of his poetry and prose and an account of the ways in which he has been presented over the past three and a half centuries—written by a leading scholar in the fieldIt is hard to overstate the role that John Milton played in the historical, political and literary controversies of seventeenth century England; his writings and very life challenged the status quo. Living through one of the most tumultuous periods in British history, Milton was involved at every turn. Struggling to reconcile his private beliefs with his involvement with a radical political experiment, a republic which involved the killing of the monarch, his star rose and fell several times during his life. Married three times, struck blind at a cruelly early age, he was a famed pamphleteer and political activist whose revolutionary political credos placed him in mortal danger after the Restoration. Milton’s varied life makes for fascinating reading but it also produced some of the most important poetry in the English language. Paradise Lost, the only poem in English recognized as an epic, challenged conventional thinking on widespread topics from religion and gender equality to the fundamental question of why we behave as we do.This fascinating new biography is divided into two parts. The first separates the man from the myth, and elucidates the complicated details of Milton’s life from his early years as a literary artist uncertain of his destiny, through his work as a propagandist for the Cromwellian republic, to his rewriting of the Old Testament story of the Fall as a poetic allegory of more recent history. The second looks at how biographers and critics from the seventeenth century to the present day have distorted and manipulated the personality of Milton to suit their biases. Balancing accessibility with academic rigor, this volume: Examines the significant aspects of Milton’s life and work, including his poetry and prose, his government writings, his travels, and his final years Explores Milton’s Protestant and republican influences in Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and his other literary works Highlights the differences and similarities between Milton’s poetry and political prose Follows the history of biographical and critical presentations of Milton from the seventeenth century onwards, including his adoption as a hero of Romanticism and his survival in the twentieth century as, allegedly, a sceptical humanist Addresses modern critiques of Milton in Marxism, Feminism, and other branches of Theory The Life of the Author: John Milton. Poet and Revolutionary is essential reading for undergraduate and graduate students, university lecturers, and academic researchers in relevant fields, particularly seventeenth century poetry and history, as well as literary biography and the history of criticism.

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This is a biography of Dan Levenson, an old-time banjo and fiddle player from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Between 1987 and 1991, Dan worked for Goose Acres Folk Music Center in Cleveland, Ohio, where he dove deeply into old-time music. In the late 1980s, he formed the Boiled Buzzards; they recorded four albums between 1989 and 1994 and were a consistently active presence at old-time music festivals. During that time, he also played with Bob Frank as one-half of the Hotfoot Duo. In 1995, he teamed up with Kim Murley and recorded New Frontier: Instrumentals from China and America. Levenson undertook his first cross-country trip as a solo performer in 1996. His traveling program, "Meet the Banjo," ran as a workshop with the sponsorship of Deering Banjos from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Dan recorded three projects in the first five years of the 2000s and began editing the quarterly "Old Time Way" section for Banjo Newsletter in 2005. He continues performing old-time music, teaching fiddle and banjo, writing instructional and repertoire books featuring banjo and fiddle tunes for Mel Bay, and making plans for more old-time music projects.

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'Engrossing' The Times'Beautifully atmospheric. . . a panoramic, classic quality' Financial TimesThe seductive, vibrant new novel from international bestselling author Leïla Slimani.Morocco, 1968. As she stands at the window, Mathilde reflects on the opportunities before her, and all she has achieved. Looking out at her elegant - not to say expensive - garden, the roses, brought in from Marrakech, have bloomed and their sweet, fresh scent pervades the air. Anything feels possible, and she is determined to celebrate it. Don't they have the right to enjoy life, after dedicating their best years to the war and then to this farm?Mathilde is blissfully unaware of what a new chapter of Moroccan history means for her family, the country and its future. Her babies are now grown up, and they are all about to learn that life can take wild and unexpected turns.Acclaim for The Country of Others:'A panoramic, ambitious tale.' The Times'Exceptional.' SALMAN RUSHDIE 'Captivating.' Elle' I loved it and didn't want it to end.' CLAIRE MESSUD'As wild and lush as a wildflower meadow.' Observer'A powerful and compelling family saga.' CHRISTINE MANGAN

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Daniel J. Flood was among the last of the old-time movers and shakers on Capitol Hill. A flamboyant vaudevillian who became a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania, he was a sight on the House floor, sporting white linen suits, silk top hats, and dark, flowing capes. Flood presented his addresses and arguments with the overly precise and clipped accent of an old-fashioned stage actor, and he reveled in the attention he attracted for every performance. At the same time, “Dapper Dan” understood the complexities of the old power politics and played the legislative game with sheer genius. He worked his will by employing the common practices that greased the wheels of the political process in the post–World War II era: persuasion, manipulation, arm-twisting, and grandiloquent oratory rarely matched by his congressional colleagues.Between 1945 and 1980, Flood used his clout as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee to wield near-veto power over the $300 billion federal budget. Flood was instrumental in funding the Cold War as well as the “Great Society” social reforms of the 1960s. This consummate pork-barrel politician was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for sixteen terms. Eventually accused of improprieties in arranging federal contracts, Flood became the subject of sweeping investigations by the U.S. Attorney General and the House Ethics Committee. Based on recently declassified FBI documents, court records, public papers, and contemporary newspaper accounts, as well as more than thirty interviews of Flood’s widow, congressional colleagues, and Capitol Hill staff, Dapper Dan Flood explodes the myths surrounding this controversial Pennsylvania congressman.

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Dan has just started at his new school. But already he has problems. No one wants to be his friend! Lonely and sad, Dan starts to think that nothing will change. Counsellor Jenny wants to introduce him to someone new. Who is Ben?The I Am Healthy series comprises children's picture books that tackle pressing mental health issues facing children today, as identified by healthcare professionals from the Child Guidance Clinic, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore. Each book draws from the experiences of doctors who have counselled countless children regarding everything from digital addiction to eating disorders. Using a story-based approach, each book contains a relatable story that will help children understand themselves better, and be able to take practical steps to grow, develop and change. These books can be read together with children by parents, educators in schools, as well as counsellors and doctors in counselling sessions to help children cope with their emotions and struggles.

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This title portrays the strange relationship that develops between a reclusive young woman and an eccentric professor.

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In this comprehensive final report David Ilan and 12 other contributing authors present the rich finds from the Iron Age I (circa 1200-950 BCE) levels at Tel Dan, located at the headwaters of the Dan tributary of the Jordan River, in the northeastern Hula Valley in northern Israel. The early Iron Age levels at Tel Dan have particular resonance in the light of their perceived association with the biblical account of the migration of the tribe of Dan, described in Judges 18. Much of what is portrayed in this volume is still visible at Tel Dan, in the national park located in the far north of modern-day Israel. The finds described in this volume were gleaned in the course of Avraham Biran's 1966-1999 excavations at the site. The architecture, ceramics, metal, flint, bone and ground stone objects and ecofacts all contribute to the portrayal of a cosmopolitan society that thrived, initially, under Egyptian imperial rule, subsequently forging its own way following the departure of Egyptian hegemony. The early Iron Age levels at Tel Dan show material evidence for the presence of local peoples, Egyptians, Cypriots, Aegeans, and Syrians, who together, negotiated a new identity, as Danites. Illustrated in colour and black & white throughout, and with five plans folded and within a pocket at the back of the volume.

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PRE-ORDER PRECIPICE, THE THRILLING NEW NOVEL FROM ROBERT HARRIS, NOW - PUBLISHING AUGUST 2024Now a major NETFLIX movie starring Jeremy Irons, George Mackay and Alex Jennings'So good you want to clap' THE TIMES'Unputdownable to the point of being dangerous' SUNDAY EXPRESS'Grips from start to finish . . . Superb' MAIL ON SUNDAYMUNICH, SEPTEMBER 1938Hitler is determined to start a war. Chamberlain is desperate to preserve the peace.They will meet in a city which forever afterwards will be known for what is about to take place.As Chamberlain's plane judders over the Channel and the Fuhrer's train steams south, two young men travel with their leaders. Once friends in a more peaceful time, they are now on opposing sides.As Europe's darkest hour approaches, the fate of millions could depend on them - and on the secrets they're hiding.Treason. Betrayal. Murder. Is any price too high for peace?'It ranks among the most moving portraits of a politician that I have ever read' SUNDAY TIMES'A brilliantly conducted spy novel' OBSERVER'Lovely details. Clever twists. Superb' EVENING STANDARD_________________________Now available: V2, Robert Harris's latest historical thrillerAct of Oblivion, Sunday Times bestseller, June 2023

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From Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the New York Times bestselling author of MEXICAN GOTHIC, comes UNTAMED SHORE, a dark cocktail mixing a nuanced coming-of-age story with a classical noir. 'Brutality takes on an almost divine quality' LA Review of BooksBaja California, 1979: Viridiana spends her days under the harsh sun, watching the fishermen pulling in their nets and the dead sharks piled beside the seashore. Her head is filled with dreams of romance, travel and of a future beyond this drab town where her only option is to marry and have children.When a wealthy American writer arrives with his wife and brother-in-law, Viridiana jumps at the offer of a job as his assistant, and she's soon entangled in the glamorous foreigners' lives. They offer excitement, and perhaps an escape from her humdrum life. When one of them dies, eager to protect her new friends, Viridiana lies - but soon enough, someone's asking questions. It's not long before Viridiana has some of her own questions about the identities of her new acquaintances.Sharks may be dangerous, but there are worse predators nearby, ready to devour a naïve young woman unwittingly entangled in a web of deceit.

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From Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the New York Times bestselling author of MEXICAN GOTHIC, comes UNTAMED SHORE, a dark cocktail mixing a nuanced coming-of-age story with a classical noir. 'Brutality takes on an almost divine quality' LA Review of BooksBaja California, 1979: Viridiana spends her days under the harsh sun, watching the fishermen pulling in their nets and the dead sharks piled beside the seashore. Her head is filled with dreams of romance, travel and of a future beyond this drab town where her only option is to marry and have children.When a wealthy American writer arrives with his wife and brother-in-law, Viridiana jumps at the offer of a job as his assistant, and she's soon entangled in the glamorous foreigners' lives. They offer excitement, and perhaps an escape from her humdrum life. When one of them dies, eager to protect her new friends, Viridiana lies - but soon enough, someone's asking questions. It's not long before Viridiana has some of her own questions about the identities of her new acquaintances.Sharks may be dangerous, but there are worse predators nearby, ready to devour a naïve young woman unwittingly entangled in a web of deceit.

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PRE-ORDER PRECIPICE, THE THRILLING NEW NOVEL FROM ROBERT HARRIS, NOW - PUBLISHING AUGUST 2024'A pure thriller . . . wry, clever, thoughtful, with a terrific sense of timing and eye for character' Observer'No one delivers thrilling yet timeless games of power, sex, fame and Rome like Robert Harris' Sunday TelegraphRome, 63 BC. Seven men are struggling for power: Cicero the consul, Caesar his ruthless rival, Pompey the republic's greatest general, Crassus its richest man, Cato a political fanatic, Catilina a psychopath and Clodius an ambitious playboy.These real historical figures - their alliances and betrayals, their cruelties and seductions - are all interleaved in Lustrum, through its narrator Tiro, a confidential secretary to Cicero. He knows all his master's secrets - a dangerous position to be in.'Thoroughly engaging . . . The allure of power and the perils that attend it have seldom been so brilliantly anatomised in a thriller' Sunday Times

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Prog. de Cinturón Negro. Para 1, 2, 3 y 4 DanIncluye todo el programa de Cinturón negro para 1, 2, 3 y 4 Dan. Los grados de Aikido, Keiko ho, preparación para el examen. Progesión del cinto negro. Estrategia y eficacia. Zen y Aikido. Kumitachi. Kumi jo. Kaeshi waza... Por José Santos Nalda, 4 Dan Aikido, 1 Dan Judo y Profesor de Bu jutsu. Libro muy didáctico para todos los estudiantes de Aikido, facilitando el aprendizaje y la progresión. Incluye todas las técnicas imprescindibles para un correcto pase de grado y el léxico japonés adecuado.

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Dan Klein and Alan J. Poole began collecting in the late 1970s and over the subsequent thirty years assembled on the most comprehensive collections of modern British and Irish glass. The book includes work by over one hundred makers at the very cutting edge of their art. This dazzling collection was gifted to National Museums Scotland in 2009.

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St Trinians and Lauren St John collide in this hilarious and thrilling bestselling adventure from Natasha Farrant!When Alice Mistlethwaite is shipped off to boarding school in Scotland it's nothing like she imagines. Run by the mysterious Major, there are no punishments and the students are more likely to be taught about body painting or extreme survival than maths or English!Then Alice's dad goes missing and she must run away to find him. Can she persuade her new friends to help?So begins an epic quest across wild Scottish highlands and islands, where friendships will be made and broken, lies will be untangled and the children will face danger and excitement at every turn . . .Both hilarious and heartfelt, this is the classic adventure story brought bang up to date, and told in Natasha's inimitable voice.'Thrilling adventure.' The Times'This wise and touching novel has originality and a fresh voice.' Sunday Times'A gripping adventure . . . I stayed up all night reading it!' Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse

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Come on a magical journey of wonder and discovery from misty seaside shorelines to cold ice-capped seas. This beautiful tale of friendship between a child and a whale invites us to consider our responsibilities towards the environment and makes a direct plea to end plastic pollution. 'Where land becomes sky and the sky becomes sea, I first saw the whale, and the whale first saw me.'

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Leeds, 1957: When enquiry agent Dan Markham and his new partner, retired Detective Sergeant Baker, take on a missing persons case, a simple matter turns into a murder investigation when a body is recovered from the River Aire. Nothing is what it seems. The dead man is an East German. A defector or spy? More mysterious deaths follow and the investigation takes a deadly turn as the pair try to track down a ruthless Russian assassin and Markham finds himself dragged into the heart of a Cold War – in Leeds.

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In 1960, Eberhard Fischer had the opportunity to accompany his father, the art ethnologist Hans Himmelheber, on a major expedition to West Africa. He was actually only meant to film the Dan mask carvers as they worked, as well as their festive performances. Yet the strong personalities of these sculptors impressed the young man deeply and he began to document their life stories, record their artistic work methods in detail, and also to collect their works. The biographies and many of the photographs shown in the book of four mask carvers from the Liberian hinterland are unique in the study of African art, as masks are carved in secret in many of these cultures. Until recently, the works were recognised by art ethnologists and collectors, but rarely the people who created them. The new book presents Fischer's essay for the first time in English, supplemented by additional images and an epilog. A DVD with the historic film recordings of the artists at work completes the book.

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“In the most barren inhospitable unhealthy part of North America, opposed by the most savage, inveterate perfidious cruel Enemy, with zeal and with Bayonets only, it was resolv'd to follow Green's Army, to the end of the World.” So wrote British general Charles O'Hara about the epic confrontation between Nathanael Greene and Charles Cornwallis during the winter of 1780-81\. Only Greene's starving, threadbare Continentals stood between Cornwallis and control of the South—and a possible end to the American rebellion. Burning their baggage train so that they could travel more quickly, the British doggedly pursued Greene's bedraggled soldiers, yet the rebels remained elusive. Daniel Morgan's stunning victory at Cowpens over a superior British force set in motion the “Race to the Dan,” Greene's month-long strategic retreat across the Carolinas. In constant rain and occasional snow, Greene's soldiers— tracking the ground with their bloody feet—bound toward a secret stash of boats on the Dan River. Just before Cornwallis could close his trap, the Continentals crossed into Virginia and safety. Greene's path featured three nearmiss river escapes, the little-known Battle of Cowan's Ford, and a final chase so close that the fate of the American South—and the American effort—rested on one wrong British move. With a background section on the Southern theater in 1780, and a summary outlining the lives and careers of its important officers, To the End of the World: Nathanael Greene, Charles Cornwallis, and the Race to the Dan is a carefully documented and beautifully written account of this extraordinary chapter of American history. The book not only showcases the incredible dramatics of the American Revolution's “Great Escape,” but also provides a compelling look at the psychological and intellectual distinctions between its two great generals, Greene and Cornwallis.

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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wish comes a poignant love story about risking everything for a dream - and whether it's possible to leave the past behind.Fate drew them together . . . but will their dreams tear them apart?Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, but tragedy grounded his dreams. Now the dust has settled, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.But when he meets Morgan Lee, his world is turned upside-down, and Colby can't help but wonder if the responsibilities he has shouldered need dictate his life forever. Morgan is on her way to Nashville with plans to become a star and she wants Colby to come with her.While they are falling headlong in love, Beverly is on a heart-pounding journey of another kind. Fleeing an abusive husband with her six-year-old son, she is trying to piece together a new life in a small town far off the beaten track. Danger is never far and her money is fast running out.In the course of a single unforgettable week, three very different people will have their own ideas of love put to the test. As fate draws them together, they will each be forced to question whether the dream of a better life can ever overcome the weight of the past.Praise for Nicholas Sparks:'This one won't leave a dry eye' Daily Mirror'A fiercely romantic and touching tale' Heat'An A-grade romantic read' OK!'Pulls at the heartstrings' Sunday Times'An absorbing page-turner' Daily Mail

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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wish comes a poignant love story about risking everything for a dream - and whether it's possible to leave the past behind.Fate drew them together . . . but will their dreams tear them apart?Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, but tragedy grounded his dreams. Now the dust has settled, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.But when he meets Morgan Lee, his world is turned upside-down, and Colby can't help but wonder if the responsibilities he has shouldered need dictate his life forever. Morgan is on her way to Nashville with plans to become a star and she wants Colby to come with her.While they are falling headlong in love, Beverly is on a heart-pounding journey of another kind. Fleeing an abusive husband with her six-year-old son, she is trying to piece together a new life in a small town far off the beaten track. Danger is never far and her money is fast running out.In the course of a single unforgettable week, three very different people will have their own ideas of love put to the test. As fate draws them together, they will each be forced to question whether the dream of a better life can ever overcome the weight of the past.Praise for Nicholas Sparks:'This one won't leave a dry eye' Daily Mirror'A fiercely romantic and touching tale' Heat'An A-grade romantic read' OK!'Pulls at the heartstrings' Sunday Times'An absorbing page-turner' Daily Mail

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The bewitching first novel from the bestselling author of THE IMMORTALISTS'Benjamin is a gifted writer, a creator of quiet asides and haunting images' Financial Times'Matches the subtle surrealism of a dream with the underpinnings of a thriller' Emma Straub'You wonder if here is a writer who is truly capable of anything' Daily MailSylvie and Gabe meet and fall in love at boarding school in Northern California when they are just teenagers. Their headmaster is the enigmatic and mysterious Dr Keller, a man obsessed with the idea that people's waking stress and trauma can be cured in their dreams. The young couple can't help but be drawn into his magnetic pull and slowly become involved in his research. Years later, Sylvie and Gabe are once again working on Dr Keller's experiments and Sylvie slowly begins to realise there is more both to her employer and her lover than meets the eye, and that the line between dreams and reality has become dangerously blurred.

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This is the third volume in the final reports of the Tel Dan excavations, directed by Avraham Biran. It presents the findings from the Late Bronze levels—the Canaanite city of Laish. The entire stratigraphy of this period is discussed, from its roots in the transitional stage from the previous Mioddle Bronze Age, through to its conclusion in the transitional phases of the Early Iron Age.

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'A cracking good read' JESSIE KEANEThe must-read gangland crime novel from bestseller Roberta KraySHE'S BEEN BETRAYED . . .Judith Jonson has been a widow for five years, after the untimely death of her husband Dan. Then one day she sees a picture in the paper - the aftermath of a dramatic robbery in London's West End - and Judith can't believe her eyes. It's Dan, she'd stake her life on it. Or his life, rather.SHE WANTS REVENGE.Judith begins a hunt for the man she thought she married, and in amongst the lowlifes of the East End's underworld she finds more than she bargained for. But Judith had better be careful; the rule of law doesn't apply in Kellston. She's been deceived, but she doesn't want to end up dead . . .Full of the same danger and grit as it's London's setting, this is bestselling author Roberta Kray at the top of her game. Get ready for a KILLER read . . .Praise for ROBERTA KRAY:'Well into Martina Cole territory' Independent'Action, intrigue and a character-driven plot . . . sure to please any crime fiction fans' Woman'Gripping' Daily Express'Great writing, gripping story, loved it' Mandasue Heller

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Paul Murray's Skippy Dies is a tragicomic masterpiece about a Dublin boarding schoolLONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2010Ruprecht Van Doren is an overweight genius whose hobbies include very difficult maths and the Search of Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. Daniel 'Skippy' Juster is his roommate. In the grand old Dublin institution that is Seabrook College for Boys, nobody pays either of them much attention. But when Skippy falls for Lori, the frisbee-playing siren from the girls' school next door, suddenly all kinds of people take an interest - including Carl, part-time drug-dealer and official school psychopath. . .A tragic comedy of epic sweep and dimension, Skippy Dies scours the corners of the human heart and wrings every drop of pathos, humour and hopelessness out of life, love, Robert Graves, mermaids, M-theory, and everything in between.'That rare thing, a comic epic. . . Murray is a brilliant comic writer, but also humane and touching, and he captures the misery and elation, joy and anxiety of teenage life' David Nicholls, Guardian'Novels rarely come as funny and as moving as this utterly brilliant exploration of teenhood and the anticlimax of becoming an adult . . . one of the finest comic novels written anywhere' Eileen Battersby, Irish Times'I loved Skippy Dies . . . three novels fused into one ignited tragicomic tour de force' Ali Smith, Times Literary Supplement Books of the Year'An unforgettably exuberant saga set in an Irish boys' school. The insulting repartee is Shakespearean, the minor characters hilarious, and Murray captures the fleeting joys and lasting sorrows of adolescence perfectly' Emma Donoghue, Daily Telegraph'A triumph . . . brimful of wit and narrative energy' Sunday Times'The sprawling brilliance of Paul Murray's darkly comic second novel works on many different levels . . . When you finish the last page, you may be tempted to start all over again' Metro

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His winning percentage was well above Jordan’s shooting average or Woods’s domination of golf tournaments. And he sold products and drew spectators like no one had ever done. He was hands-down the most famous athlete in America’s most popular spectator sport, and exactly one hundred years ago you would have been hard pressed to find anybody in the country who didn’t know his name. He was Dan Patch, and he was a racehorse. At the turn of the last century, harness racing drew larger crowds and offered bigger paychecks than any other sport. Its stars were household names, and Dan Patch was both the most celebrated and the richest. As successful as he was on the track, Dan Patch was also America’s first “marketing machine”: the horse who could sell cigars, washing machines, stoves, automobiles, and animal feed, just by the presence of his name and photograph. The Best There Ever Was examines the evolution of sports marketing through the lives of Dan Patch and the three men who owned him: an Indiana breeder, Dan Messner; M. E. Sturgis, who sold the horse for $20,000 (a fortune in those days) and spent the rest of his life trying to buy him back; and Marion W. Savage of Minneapolis, whose entrepreneurial skills presaged today’s sports marketing geniuses.Any athlete who can draw a 90,000-person crowd, offer up world records, and then sell a coal stove with his name on it may well be the best by anybody’s standards. A fun and fascinating read for sports lovers.

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In this creative and engaging reading, Richard Kuhns explores the ways in which Decameron'ssexual themes lead into philosophical inquiry, moral argument, and aesthetic and literary criticism. As he reveals the stories' many philosophical insights and literary pleasures, Kuhns also examines Decameronin the context of the nature of storytelling, its relationship to other classic works of literature, and the culture of trecento Italy. Stories and storytelling are to be interpreted in terms of a wider cultural context that includes masks, metamorphosis, mythic themes, and character analysis, all of which Boccaccio explores with wit and subtlety. As a storyteller, Boccaccio represents himself as literary pimp, conceiving the relationship between storyteller and audience in sexual terms within a tradition that goes back as far as Socrates' conversations with the young Athenians. As a whole, Boccaccio's great collection of stories creates a trenchant criticism of the ideas that dominated his social and cultural world. Addressed as it is to women who were denied opportunities for education, the author's stories create a university of wise and culturally observant texts. He teaches that comic, religious, sexual, and artistic themes can be seen to function as metaphors for hidden and often dangerous unorthodox thoughts. Kuhns suggests that Decameronis one of the first self-conscious creations of what we today call "a total work of art." Throughout the stories, Boccaccio creates a detailed picture of the Florentine trecento cultural world. Giotto, Buffalmacco, and other great painters of Boccaccio's time appear in the stories. Their works and the paintings that surround the characters as they prepare to leave the plague-ridden city, with their representations of Dante, Aquinas, and other thinkers, are essential to understanding the ways the stories work with other works of art and illuminate and enlarge interpretations of Boccaccio's book.

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