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Who's Been Sleeping in My Grave? (Ghosts of Fear Street)
by R.L. StineA boy suspects his substitute teacher is hiding a sinister secret in this second book in the Ghosts of Fear Street series from the master of children&’s horror, R.L. Stine—now with a reimagined look!Do you believe in ghosts? Don&’t say no until you take a walk down Fear Street. Past the woods, where no birds sing. Past the lake, where something lurks beneath the water. Past the cemetery, where everyone is dying to meet you. Zack Pepper thinks there is something very wrong with his substitute teacher. She&’s super creepy and seems far too interested in him. But no one else seems to notice anything amiss. Zack is going to have to uncover the truth on his own—but will investigating prove to be a deadly mistake?
The Great Chinese Art Heist: Imperialism, Organized Crime, and the Hidden Story of China's Stolen Artistic Treasures
by Ralph PezzulloThe extraordinary story of the theft of priceless Chinese antiques around the world and the connection to crimes spanning more than two centuries—with present-day implications.For the past decade, the art world has been rocked by a series of very costly and elaborately planned heists at major museums. The first took place the night of August 6, 2010 at the Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm, Sweden – the official residence of the Swedish Royal family. Others in France, Great Britain and other countries in Europe followed. In Norway, masked men rappelled down from a glass ceiling into the prestigious Kode Museum on Bergen's picturesque central square, three blocks from police headquarters. In all of these break-ins, the thieves made away with ancient Chinese artifacts, most of which were originally displayed in the spectacular Old Summer Palace outside of Beijing nearly two centuries ago. In The Great Chinese Art Heist, bestselling author Ralph Pezzullo takes us back to the Second Opium War and the sacking of Old Summer Palace by French and British troops in 1860 and connects it to the current wave of heists that seem right out of a Mission: Impossible movie. Comprehensive, balanced, entertaining, and expertly balancing diverse cultural and political perspectives, Pezzullo links these looted artifacts and roots of colonialism to today's billionaires and triad gangs, international banks and drug cartels. The wounds of the past, which is still called the "Century of Humiliation" in China, remain raw. The Great Chinese Art Heist is a sweeping narrative filled with the voices of those who have lived it—art and art crime experts, and museum and government officials in China, Europe, and the US. In this riveting true crime, Pezzulo expertly grapples with the questions of ownership and cultural heritage, and embodies the words of art critic Holland Cotter—&“The history of art is, in large part, a theft of history.&”
Welcome Home One-Pot Favorites: Sheet Pan, Skillet, Instant Pot & Dutch Oven Meals (Welcome Home)
by Hope Comerford127 One-Pot Recipes for Instant Pot, Slow-Cooker, Oven, Stovetop, and Grill We know your time is precious. You&’re too busy to clean a pile of dishes after getting a home-cooked meal on the table. You also don&’t have time to scour the grocery store, searching for complicated ingredients, only to come home and prepare a complicated recipe. Welcome Home One-Pot Favorites will provide you with homemade, tasty meals to serve your family, while still having time to enjoy their company. If you're looking for delicious recipes that include a whole meal—usually a protein, starch, and veggie—together in one pot or pan, you've come to the right place.Within these pages, you&’ll find 127 recipes for the slow-cooker, Instant Pot, stovetop, oven, Dutch oven, and even recipes that require no cooking! All the recipes are easy to follow and quick to prepare. You do not need to be an experienced cook to follow these tried-and-true recipes.Explore a range of recipes from hearty breakfasts to cozy soups and stews, delicious roasts to plant-based casseroles, comforting pasta dishes to fresh salads. Want to add on a dessert? The last chapter includes plenty of easy-to-prepare cookies, fruit crisps, brownies, and more. Everyone needs recipes that are guaranteed to be:Quick to fixEasy for anyone to makeDelicious and satisfyingThe solution? Welcome Home One-Pot Favorites. Throw-together recipes include:Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup Broccoli Rabe and Sausage Soup Coconut-Curried Spinach Pea Soup Chicken and Egg Noodle Dinner Lemon-Chicken Oven Bake Tamale Pie Creamy Mexican PastaThai Shrimp and RiceEasy Chuck Roast and VegetablesCranberry Jalapeño Pork RoastMaple-Glazed Turkey Breast with Rice Cheddar-Ham Oven Omelet And more!
The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation
by Victor Davis HansonAn instant New York Times bestseller, this &“profound book&” (Wall Street Journal) charts how and why some societies chose to utterly destroy their foes, and warns that similar wars of obliteration are possible in our time War can settle disputes, topple tyrants, and bend the trajectory of civilization—sometimes to the breaking point. From Troy to Hiroshima, moments when war has ended in utter annihilation have reverberated through the centuries, signaling the end of political systems, cultures, and epochs. Though much has changed over the millennia, human nature remains the same. Modern societies are not immune from the horror of a war of extinction. In The End of Everything, military historian Victor Davis Hanson narrates a series of sieges and sackings that span the age of antiquity to the conquest of the New World to show how societies descend into barbarism and obliteration. In the stories of Thebes, Carthage, Constantinople, and Tenochtitlan, he depicts war&’s drama, violence, and folly. Highlighting the naivete that plagued the vanquished and the wrath that justified mass slaughter, Hanson delivers a sobering call to contemporary readers to heed the lessons of obliteration lest we blunder into catastrophe once again.
Nightshade: A Novel (A Catalina Novel #1)
by Michael ConnellyAN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Introducing Detective Stilwell: a cop relentlessly following his mission in the seemingly idyllic setting of Catalina Island. Los Angeles County Sheriff&’s Detective Stilwell has been &“exiled&” to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island, after department politics drove him off a homicide desk on the mainland. But while following up the usual drunk-and-disorderlies and petty thefts that come with his new territory, Detective Stilwell gets a report of a body found weighed down at the bottom of the harbor—a Jane Doe identifiable at first only by a streak of purple dye in her hair. At the same time, a report of poaching on a protected reserve turns into a case fraught with violence and danger as Stilwell digs into the shady past of an island bigwig. Crossing all lines of protocol and jurisdiction, Stilwell doggedly works both cases. Though hampered by an old beef with an ex-colleague determined to thwart him at every turn, he is convinced he is the only one who can bring justice to the woman known as &“Nightshade.&” Soon, his investigation uncovers closely guarded secrets and a dark heart to the serene island that was meant to be his escape from the evils of the big city. Propulsive and atmospheric, Nightshade launches a brand new character into the Connelly universe, and proves without question that Michael Connelly is &“the undisputed master of the modern crime novel&” (Real Book Spy).
Sustainable Electronics: The Future Ahead
by Sandeep Arya Farkhanda Ana Haider MehrajThis book discusses the development and use of sustainable materials in electronics, such as biodegradable and renewable materials. Focusing on the principles of designing sustainable electronics, including considerations for reducing the environmental impact of electronics during the design phase, Sustainable Electronics covers topics such as product life cycle assessment, eco‑design, and green materials selection.Features: Discusses the importance and adoption of sustainable designs in electronic applications Covers the application areas ranging from devices to circuits, computer‑based applications, deep learning, and brain interfacing within the framework of sustainability Describes materials such as edible dielectrics, organic semiconductors, and perovskites in a comprehensive manner Illustrates electromechanical stability, electrochemical stability, and environmental stability Highlights the importance of recycling and reusing materials in electronics and the role of circular economy in sustainable electronics It is primarily written for senior undergraduates, graduate students, and academic researchers in the fields of electrical engineering, electronics and communications engineering, energy, environmental engineering, and electronic materials and devices.
Cause and Effect Business Analytics and Data Science (Chapman and Hall/CRC Series on Statistics in Business and Economics)
by Jonathan Haughton Dominique Haughton Victor S. LoAmong the most important questions that businesses ask are some very simple ones: If I decide to do something, will it work? And if so, how large are the effects? To answer these predictive questions, and later base decisions on them, we need to establish causal relationships.Establishing and measuring causality can be difficult. This book explains the most useful techniques for discerning causality and illustrates the principles with numerous examples from business. It discusses randomized experiments (aka A/B testing) and techniques such as propensity score matching, synthetic controls, double differences, and instrumental variables. There is a chapter on the powerful AI approach of Directed Acyclic Graphs (aka Bayesian Networks), another on structural equation models, and one on time-series techniques, including Granger causality.At the heart of the book are four chapters on uplift modeling, where the goal is to help firms determine how best to deploy their resources for marketing or other interventions. We start by modeling uplift, discuss the test-and-learn process, and provide an overview of the prescriptive analytics of uplift.The book is written in an accessible style and will be of interest to data analysts and strategists in business, to students and instructors of business and analytics who have a solid foundation in statistics, and to data scientists who recognize the need to take seriously the need for causality as an essential input into effective decision-making.
An Intersectional Guide for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Their Allies: Masculinity Reconnected
by Jeremy SachsFew experiences carry more shame, stigma, and misunderstanding than the life-altering trauma of sexual abuse. Men who experience sexual abuse and rape, often find themselves marginalised and isolated, yet there are few resources available for them or those who support them.This book examines the impact of sexual abuse on different men through an intersectional lens, exploring how their unique identities, circumstances, and society's views affect their recovery or compound their trauma. Each chapter addresses a topic chosen by hundreds of male survivors who have attended the author’s recovery groups. It includes survivor testimonies, signposts to resources, and reflective activities to help manage the aftermath of sexual trauma. With statutory services, such as the criminal justice system, often failing male survivors, the book draws on Transformative Justice principles to suggest alternative ways for men to break cycles of trauma and move forward with their lives.Aimed at male survivors and those who support them—counsellors, psychotherapists, social workers, family members, and loved ones—this book offers guidance and hope for navigating a path to healing.
Green Manufacturing: Challenges and Applications
by Shanmugam Suresh Kumar Sundaresan Thirumalai KumaranPresenting the concept of green manufacturing in a comprehensive manner, Green Manufacturing covers green technologies for advanced manufacturing systems, and discusses circular economy, and waste management.This book: Presents a transition from conventional manufacturing to green manufacturing and discusses innovative technical ideas for production. Discusses concepts, methods, and strategies for zero waste in manufacturing, implementation, and analysis of clean energy. Includes cutting-edge case studies adopted in the industrial sectors, quoting the need for and importance of supply chain management. Covers additive manufacturing for sustainable design and production, and lean manufacturing. Explains nature-inspired biomaterials, renewable biocomposites, circular economy, and waste management. The text is primarily written for senior undergraduates, graduate students, and academic researchers in the fields of manufacturing engineering, production engineering, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, and aerospace engineering.
Theory and Application of Secondary Electron Emission (Space Science, Technology and Application Series)
by Wanzhao Cui Guobao FengThis book examines the physical mechanisms of secondary electrons and recent developments, focusing on the theory and applications of secondary electron emission and suppression technology.With the development of the modern information industry, space microwave technology, new materials, devices, and high-precision processing methods, secondary electron emission and its applications face new scientific and engineering challenges and opportunities. This book discusses theoretical models, measurements, data results, surface processes, and dielectric charging analysis of secondary electron emission. It covers key areas such as particle physics theory, simulation algorithms, magneto-hydrodynamics, surface processes, and surface characterization. The secondary electron yield and energy spectrum data are disclosed and analyzed, benefiting fields such as space microwave multipactor, scanning electron microscope (SEM), particle accelerator, and microwave plasma. Several typical application scenarios are also presented. Using the secondary electron emission data provided, this book shows how the secondary electron multiplication effect can be suppressed and exploited to improve device performance.This title will be a valuable reference for researchers and students interested in the physical mechanisms of secondary electrons, SEM, accelerators, electrostatic discharge, and space multipactor.
Exploring Contemporary Classification Practices: Organizing Information, Technological Change and Ideological Contestation
by Jack Andersen Joacim HanssonThe contributions in Exploring Contemporary Classification Practices analyse various aspects of classification and their importance to contemporary debates surrounding cultural heritage and information access.Specific focus is on systems of classification, media technologies, and cultural institutions (such as libraries, archives, and museums) and how they respond to challenges, including classificatory bias, truth, neutrality, institutional tradition, and technological innovation. Raising awareness of classification practices in modern culture serves to emphasize how sorting things into categories is both an everyday accomplishment and a highly cultural and political activity with consequences for those who are classified and for those who classify. Throughout this book, ‘classification’ is defined as the practice and activity of systematically ordering and categorizing entities to bring structure and understanding to diverse contexts. This book addresses several timely issues both in terms of theoretical advancement and empirical diversity. The scholarly discussion on the classification and organization of knowledge has developed with digital technologies from a bibliographic paradigm into something much wider, as the need for metadata and classification has become critical for usability and legitimacy. This development has also led research on classification and knowledge organization to confront a new, post-humanist reality with not only emerging varieties of information currents in society, but also the development of new theoretical and methodological strands, such as post-colonial and intersectional perspectives, and digital humanities methodologies. In doing so, this book seeks to address critical questions for the archives, library, and museum sectors concerning the organization of information.Exploring Contemporary Classification Practices will, therefore be of interest to academics, researchers, and practitioners with interests in library and information science, archives, cultural heritage, and digital heritage.
The Study of Social Policy: A Comparative Approach (Routledge Library Editions: Social Administration & Social Policy)
by Barbara RodgersOriginally published in 1979, this book enabled students and practising professionals who wished to deepen their understanding of their subject by using a comparative approach. The book begins with a stringent treatment of methodological problems, moves on to suggest how they can be tackled, and sets up a conceptual and analytical framework for the four case studies, and the comparative analysis arising out of them. These case studies, from Britain, France, Israel and Australia are deliberately focused on the personal social services and social work – although these are necessarily set within the political, economic and social context and related to other areas of social provision in each country.
The English Prison Officer Since 1850: A Study in Conflict (Routledge Library Editions: Social Administration & Social Policy)
by J. E. ThomasWhen this book was originally published in 1972 very little had been written about prison staff. The author acknowledges that interest should of course be concentrated on the prisoner community but maintains that the prison staff must also be examined if prisons are to be fully understood. This book demonstrates that the central figure in any prison system is the basic grade uniformed officer and that the collective views of officers have a direct and supreme impact on the working of the system. The book discusses the role of the prison officer in the English prison system, a highly centralized organization which has been in operation for over 150 years. The definition of new organizational tasks during this time brought problems of adjustment for staff which were never properly examined or understood, and which led to major crises. This examination of the English prison service is relevant to prison systems in all advanced societies and raises many controversial issues of importance to policymakers in prison services.
Retiring to the Seaside (Routledge Library Editions: Social Administration & Social Policy)
by Valerie KarnOriginally published in 1977 and based on a survey of 1,000 retired people in two ‘retirement resorts’ – Bexhill and Clacton – the book also quotes extensively from interviews with local government officials, doctors, and social workers. The topics discussed include the scale of movement of retired people to the cost and the choices open to retired people once they have made the decision to move. The book discusses social life in the seaside resorts, contact with family and friends, leisure activities and the financial position and housing opportunities of the retired. It concludes with an examination of some policy implications of retirement migration, including hospital facilities, the availability of suitable housing and residential homes and the adequacy of health and social services – topics which are still pertinent today with Britain’s ageing population and housing shortage.
Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables from my Palestine [A Cookbook]
by Sami TamimiCelebrate the diverse cuisine of Palestine with more than 100 plant-based and vegetarian recipes for festive meals, breads, desserts, and more, from the award-winning co-author of Jerusalem, Falastin and co-founder of Ottolenghi.&“With recipes rooted in nostalgia and memory, Sami Tamimi brings his heritage to life, plate by plate.&”—Andy Baraghani, James Beard award–winning author of The Cook You Want to BeThe first solo cookbook from Ottolenghi co-founder Sami Tamimi, Boustany is anhomage to Palestinian food and culture. "Boustany" translates from Arabic as "my garden," which reflects Sami's signature style and approach to food: colorful and simple vegetable- and grain-led dishes. Bold, inspiring and ever-evolving, Boustany picks up where Falastin left off, with flavor-packed vegetable-based dishes, including pantry items, midweek easy meals and special to-be-shared dishes. It&’s an approach that&’s strongly present in Palestinian cuisine, from building your mooneh, or pantry, by preserving seasonal vegetables and herbs to lining the dinner table with a variety of salads and condiments reflective of a love for fresh and vibrant food. This is how Sami grew up eating—platters of eggplant and chickpeas with a spicy green lemon sauce and fragrant lentil fatteh that always tasted better the next day. These are the 100 vegan and vegetarian dishes he has known, loved, cooked, and shared with friends, including:• Braised eggs with pita bread, tomatoes & za&’atar• Smoky chickpeas with cilantro tahini• Crushed butter beans with orange, makdous & mint• Fried halloumi with purslane salad• Couscous fritters with preserved lemon yogurt• Jerusalem sesame bread • Fenugreek & onion buns• Pan-baked tahini, halva & coffee brownie• Labneh & pomegranate ice cream Boustany is filled with vibrant and lively photographs of everyday meals that invite you into Sami's home. With recipes for breads, dinner parties, fermenting your own vegetables, and more, Sami shares the cultural fabric of Palestine through his eyes.
Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables from my Palestine [A Cookbook]
by Sami TamimiCelebrate the diverse cuisine of Palestine with more than 100 plant-based and vegetarian recipes for festive meals, breads, desserts, and more, from the award-winning co-author of Jerusalem, Falastin and co-founder of Ottolenghi.The first solo cookbook from Ottolenghi co-founder Sami Tamimi, Boustany is a homage to Palestinian food and culture. "Boustany" translates from Arabic as "my garden," which reflects Sami's signature style and approach to food: colourful and simple vegetable- and grain-led dishes. Bold, inspiring and ever-evolving, Boustany picks up where Falastin left off, with flavour-packed vegetable-based dishes, including pantry items, midweek easy meals and special to-be-shared dishes. It&’s an approach that&’s strongly present in Palestinian cuisine, from building your mooneh, or pantry, by preserving seasonal vegetables and herbs to lining the dinner table with a variety of salads and condiments reflective of a love for fresh and vibrant food. This is how Sami grew up eating – platters of eggplant and chickpeas with a spicy green lemon sauce and fragrant lentil fatteh that always tasted better the next day. These are the 100 vegan and vegetarian dishes he has known, loved, cooked, and shared with friends, including:Braised eggs with pita bread, tomatoes & za&’atarSmoky chickpeas with cilantro tahiniCrushed butterbeans with orange, makdous & mintFried halloumi with purslane saladCouscous fritters with preserved lemon yogurtJerusalem sesame bread Fenugreek & onion bunsPan-baked tahini, halva & coffee brownieLabneh & pomegranate ice cream Boustany is filled with vibrant and lively photographs of everyday meals that invite you into Sami's home. With recipes for breads, dinner parties, fermenting your own vegetables, and more, Sami shares the cultural fabric of Palestine through his eyes.
Northanger Abbey: A Novel (Vintage Classics)
by Jane AustenNorthanger Abbey is the story of naïve but sweetly appealing Catherine Morland, a willing victim of the 19th-century craze for Gothic literature who is determined to see herself as the heroine of a dark and thrilling romance.With a new introduction by Adelle Waldman.Northanger Abbey is both a perfectly aimed literary parody and a withering satire of the commercial aspects of marriage among the English gentry at the turn of the nineteenth century.When Catherine is invited to Northanger Abbey, the grand though forbidding ancestral seat of her suitor, Henry Tilney, she finds herself embroiled in a real drama of misapprehension, mistreatment, and mortification, until common sense and humor—and a crucial clarification of Catherine&’s financial status—puts all to right. Written in 1798 but not published until after Austen&’s death in 1817, Northanger Abbey is characteristically clearheaded and strong, and infinitely subtle in its comedy.
Love Unmasked
by Becky DeanFrom the author of Hearts Overboard comes a swoony mystery-filled romance in which a girl on a school trip to Venice gets swept off her feet by a mask-wearing stranger...but does she know him already? Lose yourself in the masquerade—because sometimes, the greatest adventure begins when you unmask your heart.People pleaser Evie Whitmore can&’t believe her art and architecture class trip has brought her to Venice—home of gondolas and crumbling palazzos, and the inspiration for both her art and her hidden passion, Elven Realms, a series of novels set in the very city she&’s about to explore.Rumors about an underground Elven Realms fan club swirl, and Evie, wearing a costume and mask, sneaks out at night to find it. There&’s no way she can tell anyone what she&’s doing—not her friends, and certainly not Gabriel Martinez, the bad boy loner she&’s been partnered with on the trip.But Evie&’s not the only one on this clandestine quest. She collides with someone else in disguise—a stranger whose eyes hold secrets. He calls himself Angelo, and he too loves the novels. Venice is a labyrinth, and as they unravel clues together, their connection deepens. Who is Angelo, really? And who does Evie want him to be?
Emma: A Novel (Vintage Classics)
by Jane AustenEmma features one of Jane Austen's most unforgettable characters, an irresistible yet misguided young woman who must learn not to meddle with others' hearts--and in the process learn how to understand her own.With a new introduction by Jennifer Egan.Twenty-one-year-old Emma Woodhouse comfortably dominates the social order in the village of Highbury, convinced that she has both the understanding and the right to manage other people&’s lives—for their own good, of course. Her well-meant interfering centers on the aloof Jane Fairfax, the dangerously attractive Frank Churchill, the foolish but sweet Harriet Smith, and the ambitious young vicar Mr. Elton—and ends with her complacency shattered, her mind awakened to some of life&’s more intractable dilemmas, and her happiness assured.Austen&’s comic imagination was so deft and beautifully fluent that she could use it to probe the deepest human ironies while setting before us a dazzling gallery of characters—some pretentious or ridiculous, some admirable and moving, all utterly true.
Sense and Sensibility: A Novel (Vintage Classics)
by Jane AustenIn its marvelously perceptive portrayal of two young lovestruck women, Sense and Sensibility proves that Jane Austen&’s novels, along with their perfection of form and tone, are full of strong feeling.With a new introduction by Sandra Cisneros. Its two heroines—so utterly unlike each other—both undergo the most violent passions when they are separated from the men they love. What differentiates them, and gives this extraordinary book its complexity and brilliance, is the way each expresses her suffering: Marianne–young, impetuous, ardent–falls into paroxysms of grief when she is rejected by the dashing John Willoughby; while her sister, Elinor—wiser, more sensible, more self-controlled—masks her despair when it appears that Edward Ferrars is to marry the mean-spirited and cunning Lucy Steele. All, of course, ends happily—but not until Elinor&’s &“sense&” and Marianne&’s &“sensibility&” have equally worked to reveal the profound emotional life that runs beneath the surface of Austen&’s immaculate and irresistible art.
Our Secrets Were Safe: A Novel
by Virginia TrenchSomeone knows what really happened the night Sofia Eliades died. The guilty have escaped unscathed for a decade. Can you untangle this web of lies and discover the terrible truth?&“A sharp, propulsive thriller that sucks you in from page one. Packed with unforgettable characters and chilling twists.&”—Amy Tintera, New York Times bestselling author of Listen for the Lie &“Dark, intricate . . . perfect for fans of Ashley Winstead and Megan Miranda.&”—Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of The Spare Room and We Were Never Here Ten years after Sofia was killed in a tragic accident, her college ex Caroline and her former roommate Brooke almost have what they&’ve always wanted. Caroline is on the precipice of scoring funding for her feminist tech startup. Brooke is newly engaged and starting her dream job at a prestigious prep school. But unless the two best friends can cheat fate a second time, one night&’s secrets could unravel everything.When Caroline gets threatening comments on her company&’s Instagram and Brooke receives a sinister email with ominous photos attached, all from &“Sofia,&” their carefully constructed facade begins to crumble. And when one of their last connections to &“Sofia&” turns up dead, they must decide how far they&’re willing to go in order to survive.The devil&’s in the details, and the tiniest mistake could prove fatal. Just one thing is certain: nothing is as it seems in this sinister series of events, and readers will never guess where this rabbit hole of revenge will lead. Prepare to have your allegiances shift along with every twist and turn. What was set in motion long ago is hurtling toward a jaw-dropping conclusion that will shock even the most hardcore thriller fans.
Ashes to Ashes
by Thomas MaltmanSmall-town Minnesota teenager Basil &“The Brute&” Thorson—a shy, reluctant wrestling star and &“special&” tracked into special education classes—vows to make his family whole again in the wake of multiple tragedies, during a year in which his community is roiled by strange religious and mythological events.Another perceptive and empathetic novel from the author of Indie Next and All Iowa Reads selection Little Wolves, blending myth, history, and religion with a nuanced look at contemporary rural life, perfect for fans of Marilynne Robinson, Richard Russo, and Paul Harding.When the ashes from an Ash Wednesday service in the prairie town of Andwhen, Minnesota, refuse to wash off, members of a small congregation are left wondering whether they&’ve been blessed or cursed. For Basil—a &“gentle giant&” of a teen reeling from a farming accident that shattered his family and haunted by his mother&’s decade-long confinement in a state mental hospital—the ashes become a sign. He embarks on a secret ritual of fasting and prayer, seeking meaning in his unraveling world.Meanwhile, Basil and his friends, Lukas and Morgan (who self-identify as &“a gay, a goth, and a giant&”), stumble upon what may be the centuries-old remains of a Viking explorer in a local meadow, a find that brings its own complications, as folk history clashes with the agendas of online racists. As Basil&’s relentless fasting warps his grip on reality, the danger he poses to himself and his family escalates.Blending the fragments of a Norse saga with a finely observed portrait of rural Midwestern life at the start of the pandemic, Thomas Maltman delivers a novel of narrative daring and profound empathy—his most inventive and compassionate work yet.
The Women's Courtyard
by Khadija MasturA feminist classic of Partition literature in a newly revised translation by Booker Prize-winning translator Daisy Rockwell. A Penguin ClassicSet in the turbulent decade of 1940s India, The Women's Courtyard illuminates a unique perspective on the Partition. The novel follows the struggles of a Muslim family from the perspective of the youngest daughter, Aliya, during the years that lead to Independence. Mastur&’s novel is conspicuously empty of the politicking and large national questions that played out, typically, in the arenas of men. Instead, it gives expression to the preoccupations of the women, whose lives are mostly circumscribed by the secluded courtyard of their home. As they deal with the poverty that engulfs the family as a direct result of the men's all-consuming passion for the Independence Movement, the women in the courtyard are left to run the household on shrinking means, and Aliya attempts to gain an education against all odds. Set within the strict religious and social framework of a once-prominent family, The Women's Courtyard invites us into Aliya's suffocating world, where women are forced to contend with deteriorating conditions, as they try desperately to hold up the social structure that confines them.
The Other Wife: A Novel
by Jackie Thomas-Kennedy&“Extraordinary. A story about belonging in liminal spaces, and longing for things seemingly just out of reach. A searing, beautiful book.&” —Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Come and Get It"Complex and enduring...We would follow Zuzu anywhere." —Oprah DailyA big-hearted novel of nostalgia and longing, and a poignant exploration of how we choose to love.Zuzu met her best friend Cash on the first day of college, and nothing was ever the same. Tall, witty, and popular, his friendship represented a kind of belonging for Zuzu, who had always felt like an outsider growing up biracial in her rural hometown. Though their friendship was charged with longing, it never progressed to romance. Now approaching her forties, Zuzu has built a stable life with her wife Agnes, a steadfast and career-driven lawyer. Yet Zuzu is haunted by the choices that have shaped her: living with her mother instead of her father in childhood, pursuing law over art, and marrying Agnes while harboring complex feelings for Cash.When a sudden loss pulls Zuzu back to her hometown, the &“what ifs&” in her mind become louder than ever, and she begins to unwind the turns that have led her here. Will she embrace the choices she&’s made, or risk everything for a chance to chase the past? A novel that speaks to unfulfilled desires and the euphoric nostalgia that&’s particular to the beginning of middle age, The Other Wife is as heartfelt as it is daring in its deep reckoning with the past and quest for true joy.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's First Signs: ASL That Babies & Toddlers Can Use
by Eric CarleLearn ten words in American Sign Language with The Very Hungry Caterpillar in this introductory board book!This engaging board book introduces ten essential signs that will help babies and toddlers learn to communicate with those around them. With their familiar friend The Very Hungry Caterpillar and photographs modeling the signs, young children and their families will love to read and practice again and again!