Book Mix 17
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Book Titles & Summaries
Persuasion Skills Black Book
How does it feel when you imagine using the right
words to become irresistibly persuasive...
The Persuasion Skills Black Book is a manual for
quickly learning some very powerful hypnotic language patterns that you can use
in practical, real world situations.
These patterns are not necessarily about sending
people into a hypnotic trance but just a way to move you from one perspective on
an issue to another. By the book's end you will have the structures in place to
make more money, attract more people and have more fun.
Just some of the applications include:
Managers: powerfully motivate your teams
Leaders: inspire people to your vision
Parents: protect and encourage your children
Teachers: get your classes to commit to learning
Coaches: build client confidence and commitment
Sales Pros: obliterate objections and get to 'yes'
Marketers: boost your response with compelling copy
Couples: strengthen and build your relationship
Singles: attract and impress potential partners
Employees: manage your boss and gain promotions
Customers: get your complaints handled properly
Service Staff: turn angry customers into best friends
Job Seekers: ace interviews and win the job you want
All of us: get more of what you want from life
What new opportunities open up to you when you can persuade others to do what you want,easily and effortlessly, in any situation?
Managers: powerfully motivate your teams
Leaders: inspire people to your vision
Parents: protect and encourage your children
Teachers: get your classes to commit to learning
Coaches: build client confidence and commitment
Sales Pros: obliterate objections and get to 'yes'
Marketers: boost your response with compelling copy
Couples: strengthen and build your relationship
Singles: attract and impress potential partners
Employees: manage your boss and gain promotions
Customers: get your complaints handled properly
Service Staff: turn angry customers into best friends
Job Seekers: ace interviews and win the job you want
All of us: get more of what you want from life
What new opportunities open up to you when you can persuade others to do what you want,easily and effortlessly, in any situation?
Acclaimed NLP trainer, Rintu Basu, has worked hard
to devise this book so that you don't have to. As well as clearly laid-out
chapters, examples and case studies, the whole book has been written using the
very patterns you'll be learning. So, as you read and use your new skills, your
conscious understanding and unconscious ability will continue to deepen.
Women Living Zen: Japanese Soto Buddhist Nuns
In this study, based on both historical evidence and ethnographic data,
Paula Arai shows that nuns were central agents in the foundation of Buddhism in
Japan in the sixth century. They were active participants in the Soto Zen sect,
and have continued to contribute to the advancement of the sect to the present
day. Drawing on her fieldwork among the Soto nuns, Arai demonstrates that the
lives of many of these women embody classical Buddhsit ideals. They have chosen
to lead a strictly disciplined monastic life over against successful careers and
the unconstrained contemporary secular lifestyle. In this, and other respects,
they can be shown to stand in stark contrast to their male counterparts.
Why Think? The Evolution of the Rational Mind
Insects can see lightwaves that we cannot. Bats have skills in
echolocation. Dogs famously can sniff out things that in our noses don't
register a bit. But we humans: we think. We even think rationally, at least
sometimes. It must do us some good. So just why do we do it? _Why Think?:
Evolution and the Rational Mind_ (Oxford University Press) is the answer from
philosopher Ronald de Sousa. This is not a lengthy book, but is full of ideas,
tightly compressed. It is not easy reading, at least it was not for me; when de
Sousa, for instance, starts splitting rationality into the strategic mode and
the epistemic mode, it seems that he is using terms familiar to others in his
school of thought, and then he introduces the axiological mode. If this is
unfamiliar territory, you may well have to read entire pages of de Sousa's pithy
prose a couple of times to have it sink in. The rewards are that you might well
have a new appreciation for just how special our rational capacities are, just
how lucky we are that they work as well as they do, and just how they might have
come to be produced by natural selection.
If we are rational, it only came as a process through time. De Sousa looks
at this in two ways. There are those who think that the human zygote, the first
cell of a human, the union of the sperm and egg, is as much a human being as
those folks you see walking on the street. But no one will argue that that
teensy zygote, full human or not, is rational. Rationality (however it is to be
defined) comes sometime later. De Sousa writes, "The evolutionary perspective
maintains that life arouse about four billions of years ago from chemical
conditions that are still not fully understood, but of which one can safely
presume that they included no phenomena that could be labeled either rational or
irrational." At some point, a being capable of reasoning arose. De Sousa gives
two capacities that were crucial steps toward rationality. One was the capacity
to represent objects mentally, not just to detect them with our senses. The
other was the capacity not just to give an automatic response toward attractive
stimuli or away from aversive ones, but to form desires and intentions and to
act upon them. The two combine in the great way we have advantage over other
creatures; De Sousa quotes Karl Popper that "rational method consists in letting
our hypotheses die in our stead." In other words, we can do thought experiments,
modeling what might happen if we decided to run into a theater without paying
for our ticket, and being content with the results of the model rather than
trying the act in real life. Our capacity for rationality, however, can make us
prone to irrationality; De Sousa spends a chapter discussing superstition, and
especially our inability to calculate probabilities realistically.
Reason has helped us in certain contexts. Many of the decisions we make
now, to be completely rational, have to be made at highly abstract levels of
logic and even mathematics. It is not surprising that our brains don't face
every problem with full rationality; they were busy solving problems in other
ways in the past. De Sousa gives full appreciation to the value of emotion in
our reasoning: "The emotional plea, `Don't confuse me with the facts!' is not
always wholly absurd." Emotion may allow us to ignore excessive information, and
even when trying to predict outcomes, emotion may color the values which we plug
into whatever mental equation we are attempting. Human reason is a faculty
evolved to help us survive in certain contexts, rather than reach the truth on
every occasion, and historically we have rarely been challenged to work things
out at such abstract levels. De Sousa joins with those who understand that we
rarely perform explicitly the calculations of maximums in economics or game
theory. Our wonderful eyesight evolved in ways that can't help making us victims
to optical illusions, and our higher minds are a collection of similarly
fallible skills. It's a humane approach to the problem of rationality. De Sousa
draws upon many examples from wide-ranging disciplines, from John Horton
Conway's cellular automata game of Life to the Paper, Scissors, Rock game to the
reasoning skills of a nest of foraging ants. There is plenty of depth here for
those of a formal philosophical bent, leavened with wit and remarkable
insight.
Visions of Compassion: Western Scientists and Tibetan Buddhists Examine Human Nature
This book examines how Western behavioral science--which has generally
focused on negative aspects of human nature--holds up to cross-cultural
scrutiny, in particular the Tibetan Buddhist celebration of the human potential
for altruism, empathy, and compassion. Resulting from a meeting between the
Dalai Lama, leading Western scholars, and a group of Tibetan monks, this volume
includes excerpts from these extraordinary dialogues as well as engaging essays
exploring points of difference and overlap between the two perspectives.
Top 10 for Men: Over 250 Lists That Matter
Men like lists. No, not the shopping lists that women make. Men like lists
that tell them what they want to know: What are the highest mountains ever
climbed? The most venomous snakes? The most valuable comic books? The most
common first names of Playboy Playmates? The countries with the highest (male)
life expectancy?
This entertaining follow-up to the best-selling Top 10 of Everything
presents over 250 top-ten lists whose themes run the gamut from the speediest
cars, to the hottest chilies, to the bestselling beers on the planet. Some lists
are totally off the wall: the most popular pizza toppings, the mammals with the
highest sperm counts, the female celebrities most often Googled. Films, crime,
food, drink, music, babes, war: Top 10 for Men gives you the info you need to be
the most interesting and entertaining guy around.
Threshold of War: Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Entry into World War II
Waldo H. Heinrichs is currently a professor of hisory at Temple University.
In addition to writing Threshold of war he wrote the highly regarded American
Ambassador. Joseph C. Grew. Threshold of war is regarded by many historians as
one of the first modern comprehensive reviews of America's entry into World War
II. In addition to looking at our entry into the war Heinrichs looks at American
foreign policy and history in a broad global context, that examines both Asian
and European diplomatic pressures and military strategies. Heinrich wrote his
book because he believes that there are many views on how America entered World
War II, but that a better understanding, and a more comprehensive look was
needed. Heinrich also has a differnt view on how and when America became
involved with World War II. He claims that the War actually started before Pearl
Harbor with a string of events, starting with the stock market crash of 1929 and
ending with Hitler's violation of the Munich agreement, and Japan's invasion of
Indo China. Heinrichs also portrays Roosevelt in a very good light in his book.
Heinrich uses a narrative writing style that is obviously directed towards the
non historian. He presents both his views and his facts in an easy going style
that was very enjoyable to read. One draw back however, in my opinion, was that
he jumps from one event to another. Over all the book was well written, well
researched and very enjoyable. Heinrichs does an excellent job at portraying the
tension and problems Roosevlt faced in the months leading up to War. The
bibliography is also a wealth of information for history students.
The People's Queen
The country is in turmoil, The King is in debt to the City, and the old
order had broken down -- a time of opportunity indeed, for those who can seize
the moment. The king's mistress, Alice Perrers, becomes the virtual ruler of the
country from his sickbed. Disliked and despised by the Black Prince and his
cronies, her strong connections to the merchants make her a natural ally for the
king's ambitious second son, John of Gaunt.Together they create a powerful
position in the city for one of his henchmen, Geoffrey Chaucer. In this moment
of opportunity, Alice throws herself into her new role and the riches that lay
before her, but Chaucer, even though her lover and friend, is uneasy over what
he can foresee of the conspiracies around them. At the centre of these troubled
times and political unrest stands the remarkable figure of a woman who, having
escaped the plague which killed her whole family, is certain she is untouchable,
and a man who learns that cleverness and ambition may for him sit too uneasily
with decency and honesty.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales
The first thing I did after reading this book was to hop back onto
Amazon.con and order "Awakenings" and "An Anthropolgist on Mars." This book was
recommended by one of my philosophy professors in college about six years ago.
Well, it took me six years to pick it up, and I don't regret the decision. As a
complete layperson, my eyes were opened to what a complex piece of machinery the
brain is. Sack's personal perspective on these patients disorders is what takes
this interesting material and makes it fascinating reading. The only problem I
had with this book was that I was disappointed to see most every chapter end. I
wanted to know more about most every case. I only rank it 4 instead of 5 for
that reason (It could have been more in-depth) and a couple of the cases were
simply mildly interesting rather than mind-bending. It's almost imcrompehensible
to perceive the world and one's self in the same manner as some of these
unfortunate people. I was especially intrigued by one of the questions Sack's
brings up concerning the case history discussed in the chapter "The Lost
Mariner." A man can remember nothing for more than a few seconds. His entire
life, all of his experiences are gone almost as soon as they are past. "He is a
man without a past (or future), stuck in a constantly changing, meaningless
moment," Sacks writes. Sacks then ponders the question that will stop your
heart: "Does he have a soul?" If you have ever been bothered by the question of
the spiritual nature of man, Sacks --who stops well short of reaching any
theological conclusions -- will disturb you with this material. From that
standpoint, he is brilliant at informing by simply forcing the reader to ask
questions of his or her self...questions which Sack's himself admits even he has
no clue as to the answers. This book could change your perspective on life, or
simply entertain you as an interesting novelty. In any case, I very highly
recommend it...can't wait to get into "Anthropologist" next.
The Anti-Intellectual Presidency: The Decline of Presidential Rhetoric from George Washington to George W. Bush
This slim, scathing book does not mince words about the current state of
presidential rhetoric, frankly deploring its nosedive from our founding era.
Drawing upon interviews with 42 presidential speech writers, Lim investigates
what he sees as a particularly American phenomenon whereby most presidents have
preferred to appear less, not more intellectually inclined than they actually
were. He reveals the long institutional pedigree of anti-intellectualism in
presidential addresses, from Harding to Eisenhower, Clinton (an intelligent but
anti-intellectual president) to Bush, as presidents have positioned
intellectuals as the pinatas of American politics. Lim builds his case
systematically, introducing fascinating indices to measure oratorical
sophistication or simplicity. A massive campaign of linguistic simplification is
afoot, he argues, and he dissects inaugural addresses and presidential public
papers, charting average sentence length, Flesch Readability and the
preponderance of platitudes to evince a growing reification of style over
substance. While his methodology is occasionally esoteric, Lim's presentation of
the consequences of the manipulation of language in the political arena is clear
and compelling, and will delight grammarians and political aficionados
alike.
Stone Spring
I read other books by Stephen Baxter and loved them. So when I heard about
his new book I was hooked. It won't be available from Amazon.com or .ca until
spring 2011. So, I spent a bit more and ordered it from Amazon.uk. It arrived
quickly (less than a week) and I read the book even faster (2 days). I won't do
an in-depth analysis of the book, I'll leave that to others. A couple of the
main characters could have been better developped but that's my opinion. The
most important thing is I found it a great read and would recommend it to
others. This is the first book in a trilogy so I can hardly wait for books 2 and
3. I already pre-ordered book 2 from Amazon.uk slated to be published in June
2011.
Stake That
The edgy young vampire series continues!
A fresh voice and fresh blood-it adds up to one very sassy vampire
series...
Sisters. They'll swipe your clothes, your boyfriends, your destiny. But it
wasn't exactly Rayne's twin Sunny's fault. Magnus, a vamp hottie and coven
leader, mistook Sunny for Rayne last month and bit her instead. Now they're
doing the inter-species dating thing.
Turns out that for every generation, there's a Vampire Slayer-and this time
around, it just happens to be Rayne MacDonald. Her first mission: infiltrate a
seedy vamp bar downtown and expose its vampire owner for purposely spreading a
blood disease he created himself-a task almost harder than passing trig.
After going it alone once, Rayne realizes she needs help. So Magnus sends
his sexy Goth buddy Jareth to go undercover with her. And, frankly, Rayne
wouldn't mind going under the covers with him. Maybe fate doesn't bite after
all...
Space Painting
This mammoth 161 page eBook is an extremely detailed exploration of the
techniques and design approaches behind creating epic and lavish digital artwork
relating to the theme of Space and Science Fiction.The series is divided into
three main categories; Planets & Starfields, Transport and Environments and
spans across 12 in depth chapters in total. The tutorials on offer cover a
multitude of techniques and useful tips and tricks to painting all aspects of
space and deals with the tools in Photoshop used to create such effects.
The author covers a multitude of the aesthetic considerations behind
producing the wide array of both digital and traditional artwork alike, as well
as much of the scientific theory relevant to the design process ensuring a
measured and realistic approach to the subject matter. We look at traditional
sketching techniques common to many design studios and how these practices work
hand in hand with digital methods and all along ensuring a practical approach to
solving the artistic issues, producing both plausible and yet imaginative
concepts.
Green Planet: How Plants Keep the Earth Alive
As a businessperson, this book gave me a much deeper understanding of how
all human economic systems depend on the ecology of plants. The life support
system of the natural world can no longer be discounted by businesses and the
market as an "externality". Indeed, nothing is less external to the human
enterprise than the work of plants, for which there is no substitute at ANY
price. Dr. Rice's photos and illustrations were a bonus!
Girls That Growl
Third in Mancusi's hip, sassy vampire series, featuring the heroine of
Stake That!
She's a vampire. She's also a vampire slayer. (It's a long story.) And now
Rayne McDonald, Goth girl, has to carry out her most deviant mission yet: trying
out for the cheerleading squad.
Rayne already has enough on her plate: her twin keeps whining about whether
or not to go all the way; her mom's boyfriend is moving in; and her man, Jareth,
who's now allowed out in the sun, has turned from a dark, brooding hottie vamp
into a surfer dude.
But this vampire slayer is still on the clock, and she has a new
assignment. A member of the football team has disappeared-and her bosses at
Slayer Inc. think the cheerleaders had something to do with it. Now they want
her to infiltrate the squad and get the dirt. But first, she'll need an extreme
prep makeover. If only they'd let her wear fishnets under that revolting
uniform.
Boys that Bite
Rayne has been covertly studying to become a vampire, and her moment of
love-at-first-bite has arrived. Unfortunately, her decidedly nonvampiric twin is
at the receiving end of that kiss of death. Now Sunny has just one week to
un-bloodmate herself from the newly appointed King of the Coven, Magnus, and
return to human form before her dream date to the senior prom. Though filled
with teen and supernatural romance cliches and slang, Mancusi's take on the
vampire myth is entertaining. The language is a little coarse, but the
characters are sound and behave like many teens with their references to
underage drinking and sex. Liberal doses of humor keep things interesting. The
plot gains momentum in the second half, and the surprise ending will leave
readers bloodthirsty for the next installment of the twins' misadventures with
the undead. A ghoulishly fun read for a summer day at the beach.
Battle at Sea: 3000 Years of Naval Warfare
This is a new compact edition of this visual journey through 3,000 years of
naval warfare. From the clash of galleys in Ancient Greece to deadly encounters
between nuclear-powered submarines in the 20th century, explore every aspect of
the story of naval warfare on, under and above the sea. You can visit every
major naval conflict in time through detailed vital statistics of the combatants
and outcomes. You can examine the changing face of life aboard a vessel, from
punishment and discipline to food and recreation. You can take a look at crews
and their roles through the ages exploring hierarchies and organisation. Packed
with photographs, maps, 3D battle plans and eyewitness accounts this is the
ultimate guide to the evolution of naval conflict.
Bad Blood
Sunny McDonald is in the ultimate forbidden relationship. Her boyfriend
Magnus is a vampire, and the leader of the Blood Coven. And when the Coven
decides that Magnus needs a mate to be his co-ruler, Sunny's humanity puts her
out of the running. The Coven's chosen candidate is Jane Johnson, a magna cum
laude graduate of Oxford University who just happens to look like a vampiric
supermodel.
Sunny is suspicious of a Rhodes Scholar who can't answer the most basic
poli-sci questions, but Magnus brushes it off as petty jealousy. Still, when the
Blood Coven goes to Las Vegas for a vampire convention, Sunny and her twin
sister Rayne secretly tag along. And Sunny's not going home before she learns
the truth about Jane. Because not everything stays in Vegas-especially bad
blood.
Teachings Of Tibetan Yoga
This book is an extremely concentrated introduction to the mental, physical
and spiritual exercises of Tibetan Buddhism. Emphasizing the practice of Yoga
exercises, the key to its understanding is the learning of Dumo - the generating
of internal heat in in one's body.
Europe For Dummies
Europe offers some of the world’s most exciting cities, romantic
landscapes, outstanding museums, important historic sights, renowned works of
art, and awesome architectural wonders, plus great cuisine, incredible shopping,
and all kinds of entertainment and nightlife. Odds are, you can’t do it all.
Depending on your personal interests, this friendly guide helps you pick the
right sites and make the most of your trip, with:
Trip planning, including applying for passports; making reservations; dealing with trip insurance, health issues, and Customs; rail passes, train tickets, traveler’s checks, and more
Detailed info on 15 of Europe’s most popular destinations: London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Vienna, Innsbruck, Prague, Naples, Florence, Venice, Madrid, Barcelona, and Athens
Info on local customs, must-see attractions, and out-of-the-way gems, plus a little historical background to help you put the sites you’ll see in context
Trip planning, including applying for passports; making reservations; dealing with trip insurance, health issues, and Customs; rail passes, train tickets, traveler’s checks, and more
Detailed info on 15 of Europe’s most popular destinations: London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Vienna, Innsbruck, Prague, Naples, Florence, Venice, Madrid, Barcelona, and Athens
Info on local customs, must-see attractions, and out-of-the-way gems, plus a little historical background to help you put the sites you’ll see in context
Like every For Dummies travel guide, Europe For Dummies, 4th Edition helps you make the most of your vacation. It includes:
Down-to-earth trip-planning advice
Info on the best ships for every budget
Tips on sightseeing at ports of call
Handy Post-it Flags to mark your favorite pages
Whether you want to marvel at majestic cathedrals or go on a pub crawl in
Dublin, have a 5-star meal in Paris or a picnic lunch amidst the ruins of a
Mycenaean city overlooking the Mediterranean, take in museums and castles or
hike the Alps, explore the historic (or prehistoric) sites or experience diverse
nightlife, with Europe For Dummies, 4th Edition, you’re on your way to a
fantastic European holiday.
Digital Imaging for Photographers
Music Theory For Dummies
Many people grimace at the sound of music theory. It can conjure up bad
memories of grade school music classes, rattle the brains of college students,
and make self-taught musicians feel self-defeated. Music Theory may seem tedious
and unnecessary, especially since not many people can read music.
Luckily, Music Theory for Dummies shows you the fun and easy way to
understanding the concepts needed to compose, deconstruct, and comprehend music.
This helpful guide will give you a great grasp of:
* Note value and counting notes
* Treble and bass clefs
* Time signatures and measures
* Naturalizing the rhythm
* Tempo and dynamic
* Tone, color, and harmonics
* Half steps and whole steps
* Harmonic and melodic intervals
* Key signatures and circles of fifths
* Scales, chords, and their progressions
* Elements of form
* Music theory’s fascinating history
This friendly guide not only explores these concepts, it provides examples of music to compliment them so you can hear how they sound firsthand. With a bonus CD that demonstrates these ideas with musical excerpts on guitar and piano, this hands-on resource will prove to you that music theory is as enjoyable as it is useful. Don’t get discouraged by the seemingly complicated written structure. With Music Theory for Dummies, understanding music has never been easier!
* Note value and counting notes
* Treble and bass clefs
* Time signatures and measures
* Naturalizing the rhythm
* Tempo and dynamic
* Tone, color, and harmonics
* Half steps and whole steps
* Harmonic and melodic intervals
* Key signatures and circles of fifths
* Scales, chords, and their progressions
* Elements of form
* Music theory’s fascinating history
This friendly guide not only explores these concepts, it provides examples of music to compliment them so you can hear how they sound firsthand. With a bonus CD that demonstrates these ideas with musical excerpts on guitar and piano, this hands-on resource will prove to you that music theory is as enjoyable as it is useful. Don’t get discouraged by the seemingly complicated written structure. With Music Theory for Dummies, understanding music has never been easier!
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe (Audio Book)
With explosive new revelations concerning the "National Security Matter"
that led to the cover-up of her murder, The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe is a
page-turning account of one of the most shocking crimes of the century. Donald
H. Wolfe meticulously chronicles her final days, names the killer, documents the
mode of death, and identifies those who orchestrated the cover-up. The pieces of
the puzzle regarding Monroe's mysterious death finally lock in place with the
testimony of the remaining two key witnesses who have come forward for the first
time.
Assistant District Attorney John Miner, present at the autopsy, reveals his
secret interview with Dr. Ralph Greenson, Monroe's psychiatrist. He also
explains why Marilyn Monroe was a homicide victim, and why he is calling for a
new investigation and the exhumation of her body.
Newly discovered CIA and FBI files document the dark secret in Marilyn's
relationship with the Kennedys, the truth behind her break-up with the
President, the shocking facts about the star's last weekend at Cal-Neva, and the
many bizarre events that took place at Marilyn's home the day she died.
The Buckets of Money Retirement Solution: The Ultimate Guide to Income for Life
A proven way to protect your nest egg and financially prepare for
retirement
Many people head into retirement assuming they will have enough money to live on for the rest of their lives. But when issues such economic disaster come into play, their financial cushion can become so thin that they may have to cut back drastically on their standard of living or go back to work just to survive.
Don't let this happen to you! It's time to discard outdated financial strategies and get new ones. Protect Your Buckets of Money provides you with the tips and tools to adapt to today's changing economic landscape and find long-term financial stability. Here, in an easy-to-understand and accessible style, author Raymond Lucia outlines his proven Buckets of Money technique.
* Outlines a proven approach to protecting your retirement nest egg while growing it in a smart and conservative manner
* Filled with real life examples and a self-assessment section that helps you evaluate your investing style
* Details a workable plan for both saving and withdrawal of your money
To win at the retirement game, you need to know your financial goals, divvy up your money accordingly, and then invest intelligently. With this book as your guide, you'll learn how to achieve both income and growth, while reducing risk.
Many people head into retirement assuming they will have enough money to live on for the rest of their lives. But when issues such economic disaster come into play, their financial cushion can become so thin that they may have to cut back drastically on their standard of living or go back to work just to survive.
Don't let this happen to you! It's time to discard outdated financial strategies and get new ones. Protect Your Buckets of Money provides you with the tips and tools to adapt to today's changing economic landscape and find long-term financial stability. Here, in an easy-to-understand and accessible style, author Raymond Lucia outlines his proven Buckets of Money technique.
* Outlines a proven approach to protecting your retirement nest egg while growing it in a smart and conservative manner
* Filled with real life examples and a self-assessment section that helps you evaluate your investing style
* Details a workable plan for both saving and withdrawal of your money
To win at the retirement game, you need to know your financial goals, divvy up your money accordingly, and then invest intelligently. With this book as your guide, you'll learn how to achieve both income and growth, while reducing risk.
Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines
Drawn from a variety of sources ranging from classical literature to early
ethnographies to contemporary interpretations, the Encyclopedia of Goddesses and
Heroines provides a comprehensive introduction to the ways goddess figures have
been viewed through the ages. This unique encyclopedia of over thousands of
figures of feminine divinity describes the myths and attributes of goddesses and
female spiritual powers from around the world.
The two-volume set is organized by culture and religion, exploring the role
of women in each cultureOs religious life and introducing readers to the
background of each pantheon, as well as the individual figures who peopled it.
Alternative names for important divinities are offered, as are lists of minor
goddesses and their attributes. Interest in women's spirituality has grown
significantly over the last 30 years, both among those who remain in traditional
religions and those who explore spirituality outside those confines. This work
speaks to them all.
True Coming of Age: A dynamic process that leads to emotional stability, spiritual growth, and meaningful relationships
RECONNECT WITH THE PERSON YOU'RE MEANT TO BE
A four-step process that opens the door to a meaningful life...
Life's authentic moments provide the groundwork for connection to ourselves, others, and God, allowing us to assess what is most important in our lives and uncover the True Self. Such moments of clarity often result from crises, such as illness or loss, that awaken us to what is truly valuable. How can this be achieved in everyday living? Dr. John Chirban helps us assess the degree to which we are, or are not, connected to the True Self-- and shows us how we can reconnect. From everyday men and women to notable Americans, including Tom Brokaw, Ron Howard, Maya Angelou, and Sandra Day O'Connor, the stories featured in this book underscore Dr. Chirban's message of the costs of losing the True Self, as well as the rewards of opening the heart to oneself and others. Dr. Chirban also offers an examination of the seven intrinsic qualities of the True Self:
Spontaneity
Reasoning
Creativity
Free Will
Spirituality
Discernment
Love
By exploring these qualities and through the exclusive personal stories found in True Coming of Age, readers will begin to explore their authentic nature and to engage their innate gifts, igniting their unique evolution and experiencing a true coming of age.
A four-step process that opens the door to a meaningful life...
Life's authentic moments provide the groundwork for connection to ourselves, others, and God, allowing us to assess what is most important in our lives and uncover the True Self. Such moments of clarity often result from crises, such as illness or loss, that awaken us to what is truly valuable. How can this be achieved in everyday living? Dr. John Chirban helps us assess the degree to which we are, or are not, connected to the True Self-- and shows us how we can reconnect. From everyday men and women to notable Americans, including Tom Brokaw, Ron Howard, Maya Angelou, and Sandra Day O'Connor, the stories featured in this book underscore Dr. Chirban's message of the costs of losing the True Self, as well as the rewards of opening the heart to oneself and others. Dr. Chirban also offers an examination of the seven intrinsic qualities of the True Self:
Spontaneity
Reasoning
Creativity
Free Will
Spirituality
Discernment
Love
By exploring these qualities and through the exclusive personal stories found in True Coming of Age, readers will begin to explore their authentic nature and to engage their innate gifts, igniting their unique evolution and experiencing a true coming of age.
The Yellow House
A family's future is in the hands of one very brave young Irishwoman in
this accomplished debut set between WWI and the growing violence of the Irish
war of independence. Eileen O'Neill inherits a lifetime of struggle and
heartbreak when her family is ripped apart by war, disease, mental illness and
greed. And if civil war and family strife weren't enough to deal with, Eileen is
torn between James Conlon, a passionate Irish nationalist, and Owen Sheridan, a
British army officer and the son of a wealthy family. As the war's presence in
her life intensifies, Eileen continues to weigh her heart's pull against
national pride, family loyalty, class divisions and her own spirit. This novel
delivers the best of both worlds: secrets, intrigue and surprising twists will
keep readers flipping the pages, while Falvey's insight and poetic writing tugs
at the heartstrings of the most cynical audiences.
The Watcher
Newly-made vampire Anna has become a Watcher-one of the supernatural
world's enforcers- even as she fights to control her vampiric rage. When a
series of very dangerous events threatens to draw out her unstable powers, her
Watcher mentor sends her away for her own safety. But if there's one thing Anna
has always been able to find, it's trouble.
The Vaults
In a dystopian 1930s America, a chilling series of events leads three men
down a path to uncover their city's darkest secret.
At the height of the most corrupt administration in the City’s history, a
mysterious duplicate file is discovered deep within the Vaults---a cavernous
hall containing all of the municipal criminal justice records of the last
seventy years. From here, the story follows: Arthur Puskis, the Vault’s sole,
hermit-like archivist with an almost mystical faith in a system to which he has
devoted his life; Frank Frings, a high-profile investigative journalist with a
self-medicating reefer habit; and Ethan Poole, a socialist private eye with a
penchant for blackmail.
All three men will undertake their own investigations into the dark past and uncertain future of the City---calling into question whether their most basic beliefs can be maintained in a climate of overwhelming corruption and conspiracy
All three men will undertake their own investigations into the dark past and uncertain future of the City---calling into question whether their most basic beliefs can be maintained in a climate of overwhelming corruption and conspiracy
The Darkest Pleasure
Reyes is a man possessed. Bound by the demon of pain, he is forbidden to
know pleasure. Yet he craves a mortal woman, Danika Ford, more than breath and
will do anything to claim her—even defy the gods.
Danika is on the run. For months she's eluded the Lords of the Underworld,
immortal warriors who won't rest until she and her family have been destroyed.
But her dreams are haunted by Reyes, the warrior whose searing touch she can't
forget. Yet a future together could mean death to all they both hold
dear.…
The Darkest Whisper
Bound by the demon of Doubt, Sabin unintentionally destroys even the most
confident of lovers. So the immortal warrior spends his time on the battlefield
instead of the bedroom, victory his only concerna€¦until he meets Gwendolyn the
Timid. One taste of the beautiful redhead, and he craves more.
Gwen, an immortal herself, always thought she'd fall for a kind human who
wouldn't rouse her darker side. But when Sabin frees her from prison, battling
their enemies for the claim to Pandora's box turns out to be nothing compared to
the battle Sabin and Gwen will wage against love.
The Fall of the Templars
The cataclysmic conclusion to the international bestselling Brethren
trilogy
1295 A. D. The Christian empire in the Holy Land lies in ruins. Returning
to Paris, Knight Templar Will Campbell is at a crossroads. He has sworn to
uphold the principles of the Anima Templi, a secret brotherhood within the Order
whose aim is peace, but peace seems ever more impossible.
The Temple has forged an alliance with Will's enemy, King Edward of
England, vowing to help him wage war on Scotland. Will now faces a bitter
choice: to stay with the Temple and fight another war he doesn't believe in, or
to break his vows and forge his own path to peace, even if that too means
fighting...for the Scots. Will is unaware that an even more ominous threat is
rising, for there is a warrior king on the throne of France whose desire for
supremacy knows no bounds and who will stop at nothing to fulfill his twisted
ambitions. The fight for the holy land is over, but the Temple's last battle has
just begun...
The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove
Gilmore's lackluster second effort (after Looking for Salvation at the
Dairy Queen) never manages to find its way out of humdrum territory. In 1960s
Nashville, Bezellia Grove, the darling teenage daughter of an important family,
has a henpecked father who spends all his time at work, and a status-obsessed
mother who has no problem verbally savaging Maizelle Cooper and Nathaniel
Stephenson, the black hired help whom Bezellia considers kin. Everyone is
alarmed when obvious sparks fly between Bezellia and Nathaniel's son, Samuel;
though Bezellia loves him, they are kept apart, and when Bezellia's not
shielding her younger sister from their mother's drunken rages, she frolics with
Ruddy Semple, a young man from the wrong sort of family. After Bezellia heads to
college and her horizons are expectedly expanded, fortunes are lost and secrets
are revealed, some entirely out of left field and others without narrative
purpose. This very mixed bag contains just about every half-baked trope of
Southern women's fiction, but it doesn't do anything new with the
material.
Persuader: A Reacher Novel
Jack Reacher, the taciturn ex-MP whose adventures in Lee Child's six
previous solidly plotted, expertly paced thrillers have won a devoted fan base,
returns in this explosive tale of an undercover operation set up by the FBI to
rescue an agent investigating Zachary Beck, a reclusive tycoon believed to be a
kingpin in the drug trade. The novel begins with a bang as Reacher rescues
Beck's son from a staged kidnapping in order to get close to his father--and
trace the connection between Beck and Quinn, a former army intelligence officer
who tried to sell blueprints of a secret weapon to Iraq but was murdered before
he could pull it off. Or so Reacher thinks, until he spots Quinn in the crowd at
a concert in Boston. As usual, Child ratchets up the tension and keeps the
reader in suspense until the last page, although his enigmatic hero hardly ever
seems to break a sweat. In the tough guy tradition, Reacher and his creator are
overdue for a breakout, and this muscular, well-written mystery might be the
one.
Retribution
With her partner out of town, her family abroad, and her mentor estranged,
newly-turned vampire Anna Strong is keeping a low profile.
But now young vampires are turning up dead, completely drained of their
life force. And though Anna wants to say no when Williams, her former teacher
and now leader of a supernatural enforcement squad, asks for her help, she
can't. But soon, she'll wish she did.
I Too Had A Love Story
First of all i would salute you that you have courage to share your
story....!!!!
and it was a heart touching story,,,, usually love stories have problems like one of them is not ready or family problems etc.... bt you showed if all goes well even then one can remain devoid of love for life...!!!
But i think you still were lucky that the girl you like also liked you, and you had someone to share your life with (Infact the one you wanted)...
Everyone is not lucky enough...!!!! Some people even devoting all their life and reserving all their love for someone cant get the girl and that too just because of the reason that she think it might be a problem for her family.. :P...!!!!
Anyways it was a nice book, although i didn't cried unlike most of the readers but was once moved by the tragic condition of ravin..!!! :) :)
and it was a heart touching story,,,, usually love stories have problems like one of them is not ready or family problems etc.... bt you showed if all goes well even then one can remain devoid of love for life...!!!
But i think you still were lucky that the girl you like also liked you, and you had someone to share your life with (Infact the one you wanted)...
Everyone is not lucky enough...!!!! Some people even devoting all their life and reserving all their love for someone cant get the girl and that too just because of the reason that she think it might be a problem for her family.. :P...!!!!
Anyways it was a nice book, although i didn't cried unlike most of the readers but was once moved by the tragic condition of ravin..!!! :) :)
Legacy
Anna has struggled to adapt to her supernatural status while clinging to
the vestiges of her humanity. Now she must deal with her legacy. The sinister
vampire who transformed her is dead, and Anna is entitled to his vast fortune.
But a predatory werewolf comes forward, claiming the inheritance as her own—and
she’ll kill to get what she wants most: blood and money.
At the Gates of Darkness
To protect their world from the savage demon hordes, the Black Sorcerer Pug
and Midkemia's clandestine protectors, the Conclave of Shadows, forged an uneasy
alliance of formidable magical talents. Together, this brave band of wizards,
demon masters, warriors, and elves defeated the brutal Demon King Maarg and
turned back the onrushing death tide.
But Maarg's fall has not stopped the demonic onslaught, and danger now
looms greater than ever before. Amid the barren ridges of the Valley of Lost
Men, in the shadows of an ancient Keshian fortress, the fearsome demon Dahun and
the mad necromancer Belasco have joined forces, creating an unstoppable union of
deathly black magics that even Pug and a united Conclave may not be strong
enough to withstand.
Battling the Demon Legion has taken a heavy blood toll on the valiant and
dedicated magician, claiming the lives of nearly all those he loves. Though he
is racked by despair and rage, Pug knows that the time for mourning must wait.
Putting aside his pain, he and the Conclave and their allies—the cold-blooded
master spy Jim Dasher; the fearsome young Knight-Adamant Sandreena; her former
lover the necromancer Amirantha; two renegade Star Elves; and Pug's surviving
son, Magnus—must marshal their resources against this latest threat. None can
forget the dozens of worlds overrun by the demon plague and the millions of dead
left behind in their wake. At the gates of darkness, where shadows hide even
deeper shadows, these magical defenders will face what is sure to be the
bloodiest, nastiest fight their land has ever seen. And as evil, mayhem, and
dark magic are unleashed, none can predict if they—and Midkemia itself—will
survive.
The Big Sleep
When a dying millionaire hires Philip Marlowe to handle the blackmailer of
one of his two troublesome daughters, Marlowe finds himself involved with more
than extortion. Kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder are just a few of
the complications he gets caught up in.
The Painted Man aka The Warded Man
The time has come to stand against the night.
As darkness falls each night, the corelings rise-demons who well up from
the ground like hellish steam, taking on fearsome form and substance. Sand
demons. Wood demons. Wind demons. Flame demons. And gigantic rock demons, the
deadliest of all. They possess supernatural strength and powers and burn with a
consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized
the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical
wards-symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and mystery, and whose
protection is terrifyingly fragile.
It was not always this way. Once, men and women battled the corelings on
equal terms. Once, under the leadership of the legendary Deliverer, and armed
with powerful wards that were not merely shields but weapons, they took the
battle to the demons . . . and stopped their advance.
But those days are gone. The fighting wards are lost. Night by night the
demons grow stronger, while human numbers dwindle under their relentless
assault.
Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past.
Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past.
Arlen will pay any price, embrace any sacrifice, for freedom. His grim
journey will take him beyond the bounds of human power.
Crippled by the demons that killed his parents, Rojer seeks solace in
music-only to discover that music can be a weapon as well as a refuge.
Beautiful Leesha, who has suffered at the hands of men as well as demons,
becomes an expert healer. But what cures can also harm. . . .
Together, they will stand against the night.
The Midnight House
CIA agent John Wells returns in a cutting-edge novel of modern suspense
from the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling writer.
Early one morning, a former CIA agent is shot to death in the street. That night, an army vet is gunned down in his doorway. The next day, John Wells gets a phone call. Come to Langley. Now.
The two victims were part of an eleven-member interrogation team that operated out of a secret base in Poland called the Mid night House. For two years, they put the screws to the toughest jihadis, men thought to have knowledge of imminent threats. The interrogators used whatever means necessary. When they were disbanded in the wake of public controversy, they were given medals for their heroism, Prozac for their nightmares. Now Wells must find out who is killing them. Islamic terrorists are the likeliest explanation, and Wells is uniquely qualified to go undercover after them. But the trail of blood he discovers will lead him and his boss, Ellis Shafer, to a place they wouldn't have imagined-and leave Wells facing the hardest of questions about the men of the Midnight House.
Early one morning, a former CIA agent is shot to death in the street. That night, an army vet is gunned down in his doorway. The next day, John Wells gets a phone call. Come to Langley. Now.
The two victims were part of an eleven-member interrogation team that operated out of a secret base in Poland called the Mid night House. For two years, they put the screws to the toughest jihadis, men thought to have knowledge of imminent threats. The interrogators used whatever means necessary. When they were disbanded in the wake of public controversy, they were given medals for their heroism, Prozac for their nightmares. Now Wells must find out who is killing them. Islamic terrorists are the likeliest explanation, and Wells is uniquely qualified to go undercover after them. But the trail of blood he discovers will lead him and his boss, Ellis Shafer, to a place they wouldn't have imagined-and leave Wells facing the hardest of questions about the men of the Midnight House.
The Ghost War
CIA operative John Wells is in a running battle with an enemy that may have
already won the war.
The Silent Man
The attackers are Russian, and it is to Russia that Wells must follow the
trail. He finds what he s looking for but also a great deal more. A plan of
almost unimaginable consequences is in motion, and Wells has no idea if he has
discovered it in time. The last few years have been rough indeed, but the next
few weeks will be much, much worse.
Real-world threats, authentic details, a scenario as dramatic as it is chillingly plausible, Alex Berenson s new novel is another timely reminder of the extremely precarious way we live now
Real-world threats, authentic details, a scenario as dramatic as it is chillingly plausible, Alex Berenson s new novel is another timely reminder of the extremely precarious way we live now
The Shadow of the Wind
Barcelona, 1945?A great world city lies shrouded in secrets after the war,
and a boy mourning the loss of his mother finds solace in his love for an
extraordinary book called "The Shadow of the Wind," by an author named Julian
Carax. When the boy searches for Carax''s other books, it begins to dawn on him,
to his horror, that someone has been systematically destroying every copy of
every book the man has ever written. Soon the boy realizes that "The Shadow of
the Wind" is as dangerous to own as it is impossible to forget, for the mystery
of its author''s identity holds the key to an epic story of murder, madness, and
doomed love that someone will go to any lengths to keep secret.
The Faithful Spy
A New York Times reporter has drawn upon his experience covering the
occupation in Iraq to write the most gripping and chillingly plausible thriller
of the post-9/11 era. Alex Berenson's debut novel of suspense, The Faithful Spy,
is a sharp, explosive story that takes readers inside the war on terror as
fiction has never done before.
John Wells is the only American CIA agent ever to penetrate al Qaeda. Since
before the attacks in 2001, Wells has been hiding in the mountains of Pakistan,
biding his time, building his cover.
Now, on the orders of Omar Khadri-the malicious mastermind plotting more al Qaeda strikes on America-Wells is coming home. Neither Khadri nor Jennifer Exley, Wells's superior at Langley, knows quite what to expect.
Now, on the orders of Omar Khadri-the malicious mastermind plotting more al Qaeda strikes on America-Wells is coming home. Neither Khadri nor Jennifer Exley, Wells's superior at Langley, knows quite what to expect.
For Wells has changed during his years in the mountains. He has become a
Muslim. He finds the United States decadent and shallow. Yet he hates al Qaeda
and the way it uses Islam to justify its murderous assaults on innocents. He is
a man alone, and the CIA-still reeling from its failure to predict 9/11 or find
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq-does not know whether to trust him. Among
his handlers at Langley, only Exley believes in him, and even she sometimes
wonders. And so the agency freezes Wells out, preferring to rely on high-tech
means for gathering intelligence.
But as that strategy fails and Khadri moves closer to unleashing the most
devastating terrorist attack in history, Wells and Exley must somehow find a way
to stop him, with or without the government's consent.
From secret American military bases where suspects are held and
"interrogated" to basement laboratories where al Qaeda's scientists grow the
deadliest of biological weapons, The Faithful Spy is a riveting and cautionary
tale, as affecting in its personal stories as it is sophisticated in its
political details. The first spy thriller to grapple squarely with the
complexities and terrors of today's world, this is a uniquely exciting and
unnerving novel by an author who truly knows his territory.
The Battle of the Labyrinth
Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when
a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon
cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to diabolical.
In this latest installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out
as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the
safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's
army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and
his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth-a sprawling
underground world with stunning surprises at every turn. Full of humor and
heart-pounding action, this fourth book promises to be their most thrilling
adventure yet.
The Titan's Curse
When the goddess Artemis goes missing, she is believed to have been
kidnapped. And now it's up to Percy and his friends to find out what happened.
Who is powerful enough to kidnap a goddess? They must find Artemis before the
winter solstice, when her influence on the Olympian Council could swing an
important vote on the war with the titans. Not only that, but first Percy will
have to solve the mystery of a rare monster that Artemis was hunting when she
disappeared-a monster rumored to be so powerful it could destroy Olympus
forever.
The Sea of Monsters
After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek
gods, Percy Jackson finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His
biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson-a six-foot-three, mentally
challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy
to have any "normal" friends.
But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble
at Camp Half-Blood: the magical borders which protect Half-Blood Hill have been
poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the
verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs
the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops
Polyphemus on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters, the dangerous waters
Greek heroes have sailed for millennia-only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a
new name.the Bermuda Triangle.
Now Percy and his friends-Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson-must retrieve the
Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp
Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret
about his family-one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's
son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.
A Secret Affair
Balogh's final entry in the Huxtable family saga focuses on enigmatic
cousin Constantine, long the most maligned of the Huxtables. Hannah, widowed
duchess of Dunbarton, has set her sights on Constantine as the ideal lover—a
handsome man of experience that she can seduce and set aside once she is done
with him. Constantine, meanwhile, is thrilled by Hannah's beauty, but scornful
of her reputation, and though the intention is just to have a little fun, they
fall in love. Balogh has saved the best for last; Constantine—dark, wicked, and
cryptic—has a perfect foil in Hannah, and their encounters are steamy, their
romance believable. Though series fans will be disappointed to see it come to a
close, they couldn't ask for a better way to go out.
Blockade Billy
A quirky baseball player with a past shrouded in secrecy is the tragic hero
of this macabre tale from the dark side of the all-American sport. In the voice
of George Granny Grantham, retired third-base coach of the New Jersey Titans,
King (Under the Dome) recalls the spring of 1957, when Billy Blakely, a catcher
called up from the Titans' Iowa farm system, helped to boost the team out of the
basement and add some excitement to the national pastime. Billy hits with such
power and guards the plate with such determination (hence his eponymous
nickname) that teammates are willing to forgive such eccentricities as his
frequently addressing himself in the third person, or bloodying runners who
collide with him. Of course, these kinks are clues to a shocking pathology that
King coaxes out in a narrative steeped so perfectly in the argot of the game and
the behavior of its players and fans that readers will willingly suspend their
disbelief. As King's fiction goes, this suspenseful short is a deftly executed
suicide squeeze, with sharp spikes hoisted high and aimed at the jugular on the
slide home.
Cut
The author of Damaged tells the story of the Dawn, a sweet and seemingly
well-balanced girl whose outward appearance masks a traumatic childhood of
suffering at the hands of the very people who should have cared for her. Dawn
was the first girl Cathy Glass ever fostered. Sweet and seemingly well balanced
girl, Dawn's outward appearance masked a traumatic childhood so awful, that even
she could not remember it. During the first night, Cathy awoke to see Dawn
looming above Cathy's baby's cot, her eyes staring and blank. She
sleepwalks—which Cathy learns is often a manifestation in disturbed children. It
becomes a regular and frightening occurrence, and Cathy is horrified to find
Dawn lighting a match while mumbling it's not my fault in her sleep one night.
Cathy discovers Dawn is playing truant from school, and struggling to make
friends. More worryingly she finds her room empty one night, and her pillow
covered in blood. Dawn has been self-harming in order to release the pain of her
past. When Dawn attempts suicide, Cathy realizes that she needs more help than
she can give. Dawn's mother eventually confides in her that Dawn was sent away
to live with relatives in Ireland between the ages of 5 and 9, and Cathy soon
realizes that the horrors Dawn was exposed to during this time have left her a
very disturbed little girl.
Damaged
Although Jodie is only eight years old, she is violent, aggressive, and has
already been through numerous foster families. Her last hope is Cathy Glass. At
the Social Services office, Cathy (an experienced foster carer) is pressured
into taking Jodie as a new placement. Jodie's challenging behavior has seen off
five carers in four months. Despite her reservations, Cathy decides to take on
Jodie to protect her from being placed in an institution. Jodie arrives, and her
first act is to soil herself, and then wipe it on her face, grinning wickedly.
Jodie meets Cathy's teenage children, and greets them with a sharp kick to the
shins. That night, Cathy finds Jodie covered in blood, having cut her own wrist,
and smeared the blood over her face. As Jodie begins to trust Cathy her behavior
improves. Over time, with childish honesty, she reveals details of her abuse at
the hands of her parents and others. It becomes clear that Jodie's parents were
involved in a sickening pedophile ring, with neighbors and Social Services not
seeing what should have been obvious signs. Unfortunately Jodie becomes
increasingly withdrawn, and it's clear she needs psychiatric therapy. Cathy
urges the Social Services to provide funding, but instead they decide to take
Jodie away from her, and place her in a residential unit. Although the pedophile
ring is investigated and brought to justice, Jodie's future is still up in the
air. Cathy promises that she will stand by her no matter what—er love for the
abandoned Jodie is unbreakable.
Divided Souls
The Darke Academy is a school like no other. An elite establishment that
moves to an exotic new city every term, its students are impossibly beautiful,
sophisticated and rich. Death has followed the Darke Academy to the ancient city
of Istanbul. An unseen hunter is on the loose. Scholarship girl Cassie Bell is
fascinated by the city's beauty, but there's no time for her to relax. Torn
between an old flame and a new romance, she must also choose between the select
world of the Few and her loyalty towards her best friends. And all the time a
killer is stalking the Few. As Cassie is about to discover, no one is above
suspicion. Sometimes, the people you love can be the most dangerous enemies of
all ...
Fragile
Best-selling author Lisa Unger has made her mark with a string of
successful thrillers —Beautiful Lies, Black Out, and Die for You. While her new
novel, Fragile, has a mystery (or three) and often unfurls with page-turning
suspense, it also mines the more intimate territory of family and community
dynamics, inspired by the disappearance and murder of one of Unger’s own
schoolmates more than two decades ago... In the style of Jodi Picoult, Fragile
tells its tale through the real-time action and freighted recollections of a
diverse cast of characters living in fictional The Hollows, a small town 100
miles outside New York City with a reputation for quaint charm. In reality, The
Hollows is rife with dysfunction, full ofugly memories and buried secrets.
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