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Her Secret Santa
by Jill ShalvisA Very Naughty Holiday! Playing Sexy Games…at Christmas!At Christmastime, arson investigator Ally Dauer runs the toy drive. A job made all the moreinteresting now that sexy firefighter Eddie Weston has volunteered to bring over presentsfrom the firehouse. Except each box he brings includes a special gift, addressed to Ally,on top of the pile. Eddie swears the gifts aren't from him. Too bad, because these arevery special toys—for adults only!Ally and Eddie start their own investigation to find Ally's secret Santa. And what betterway to begin than trying out the toys—on each other! It could be they'll never find outwho the merry holiday prankster is. But does it matter, when they're having the hottestChristmas ever? Originally published in 2009.
Warrior's Baby
by Sheri WhiteFeather"HAVE MY BABY."Be the mother of Colt Raintree's child? For Melanie Richards, this request was a dream come true. To be near the tempting Native American once more, to have him touch her, caress her, call out for her... But Colt didn't know her real name, and his offer didn't include the word forever.Melanie knew the price she'd pay to bear her warrior's baby. For how would Colt ever forgive her quiet deception? How could he understand that she had thrown even more than passion into their strictly business arrangement? If only she could bare her soul and tell her lover the truth: "I'll have your child but I'll have your heart first."
Playing at Love
by Jennifer TaylorTwo-week fiancée...Louise couldn't believe her good luck in winning a luxury trip to Florida. And meeting hunky tycoon Wyatt Lord had seemed and unexpected bonus. Unfortunately, it soon became clear Wyatt wasn't interested in romance-only business. He wanted Louise but only as a temporary fiancée to secure a deal. Even pretending to be Wyatt's intended bride was tempting-if only Louise could convince him that this was one game he should play for keeps!
Just My Joe
by Joan Elliott PickartSOMETHING ABOUT JOE...Tall, dark...and arrogant—that was Polly Chapman's first impression of Joe Dillon. But then she took a closer look. Born with a sterling-silver spoon in his mouth, Joe chose instead to live modestly among the inner-city kids he taught...and took under his broad, protective wing. Drop-dead gorgeous, he had his pick of women...but he chose to pursue Polly, who considered herself well out of his league. Because Joe wasn't a man she could kiss, cuddle, then walk away from. He was her dream come true, and Polly didn't trust in dreams anymore.But then, she'd never met a guy like Joe before....
Hell on Earth: The Wildfire Pandemic
by David L. Porter Lee ReederThe world is burning, and it appears that we are to blame. Conditions that create large-scale fire disasters are occurring more frequently every year, spurred on by global warming. And the potential for damage, loss of life, and greater harm to the environment is staggering.As devastating fires increase throughout the western and southern United States, the number of fires in the Brazilian rain forest continues to increase as well. Vast areas of the wilderness are dying throughout the West, setting the stage for a human and environmental tragedy.David L. Porter has been covering wild fires in the west for more than twelve years. After losing his home to a wildfire in 2003, he set out to find how and why this was happening, not only in the western US, but around the world. Hell on Earth chronicles the origins of these catastrophes as well as the effects they are having on our planet.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
A Husband's Revenge
by Lee WilkinsonForgotten husband!After waking up in a hospital bed, Clare couldn't even remember her own name, let alone who she was married to! When Jos introduced himself as her husband, he was a complete stranger to her....Clare couldn't deny the sparks of sexual attraction between her and Jos, but she sensed a deeper bond between them. Was it simply the love between man and wife-or something dark and dangerous? Clare was about to find out if Jos really wanted a reunion, or revenge....
Migration Letters: Poems (Raised Voices #5)
by M. Nzadi KeitaA poetry collection that reflects on intimate aspects of Black history, culture, and identity, revealing an uncommon gaze on working-class Philadelphia from the 1960s to the present dayIn 55 poems, Migration Letters straddles the personal and public with particular, photorealistic detail to identify what, over time, creating a home creates in ourselves. Drawn from her experiences of being born in Philadelphia into a Black family and a Black culture transported from the American South by the Great Migration, M. Nzadi Keita&’s poetry sparks a profoundly hybrid gaze of the visual and the sensory. Her lyrical fragments and sustained narrative plunge into the unsung aspects of Black culture and explore how Black Americans journey toward joy.Propelled by the conditions that motivated her family&’s migration north, the poems pull heavily from Keita&’s place in her family, communities, and the world at large. They testify to her time and circumstances growing up Black in Philadelphia on the periphery of the civil rights and Black Power movements. Each poem builds upon an inheritance of voices: a panoramic perspective of an Easter Sunday service in a Black church gives way to an account of psychic violence in a newly integrated school; the collective voices of a beauty salon&’s patrons fragment into memories of neighborhoods in North Philadelphia that have faded over time.Migration Letters strives to tell a story about Black people that radiates across generations and testifies to a world that, as Lucille Clifton wrote, &“has tried to kill [us] and has failed.&” They interrogate how one&’s present begins in the past, what we gain from barriers and boundaries, and what notions of progress energize our journey forward. Keita&’s poems intimately reveal how Black culture can be inherited and built upon complex relationships where love and pain are inextricably linked.
Lark and Termite: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries)
by Jayne Anne PhillipsNATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Night Watch, a "powerful and emotionally piercing" novel (The New York Times) set during the 1950 in West Virginia and Korea, that intertwines family secrets, war, dreams, and ghosts in a story about the love that unites us all.Lark and Termite is a rich, wonderfully alive novel about seventeen year old Lark and her brother, Termite, living in West Virginia in the 1950s. Their mother, Lola, is absent, while their aunt, Nonie, raises them as her own, and Termite&’s father, Corporal Robert Leavitt, is caught up in the early days of the Korean War.Told with deep feeling, the novel invites us deep into the hearts and thoughts of Lark, on the verge of adulthood, and her brother, Termite, a child unable to walk and talk, who is filled with radiance. We are also with Corporal Leavitt, trapped by friendly fire alongside the Korean children he tries to rescue. We see Lark&’s dreams for Termite and her own future, and how, with the aid of a childhood love and a spectral social worker, she makes them happen. We learn of Lola&’s love for her soldier husband and her children, and unravel the mystery of her relationship with Nonie. We discover the lasting connections between past and future on the night the town experiences an overwhelming flood, and we follow Lark and Termite as their lives are changed forever.
The Amateur Marriage
by Anne TylerNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning author—a rich and compelling novel about a mismatched marriage and its consequences, spanning three generations They seemed like the perfect couple—young, good-looking, made for each other. The moment Pauline, a stranger to the Polish Eastern Avenue neighborhood of Baltimore (though she lived only twenty minutes away), walked into his mother&’s grocery store, Michael was smitten. And in the heat of World War II fervor, they are propelled into a hasty wedding. But they never should have married. Pauline, impulsive, impractical, tumbles hit-or-miss through life; Michael, plodding, cautious, judgmental, proceeds deliberately. While other young marrieds, equally ignorant at the start, seemed to grow more seasoned, Pauline and Michael remain amateurs. In time their foolish quarrels take their toll. Even when they find themselves, almost thirty years later, loving, instant parents to a little grandson named Pagan, whom they rescue from Haight-Ashbury, they still cannot bridge their deep-rooted differences. Flighty Pauline clings to the notion that the rifts can always be patched. To the unyielding Michael, they become unbearable. From the sound of the cash register in the old grocery to the counterculture jargon of the sixties, from the miniskirts to the multilayered apparel of later years, Anne Tyler captures the evocative nuances of everyday life during these decades with such telling precision that every page brings smiles of recognition. Throughout, as each of the competing voices bears witness, we are drawn ever more fully into the complex entanglements of family life in this wise, embracing, and deeply perceptive novel.
Ladder of Years: A Novel
by Anne TylerNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Breathing Lessons"BALTIMORE WOMAN DISAPPEARS DURING FAMILY VACATION." The headlines are all the same: Beloved mother and wife Delia Grinstead was last seen strolling down the Delaware shore, wearing only a bathing suit and carrying a beach tote with five hundred dollars tucked inside. To the best of her family's knowledge, she has disappeared without a trace. But Delia didn't disappear. She ran.Exhausted with her routine and everyone else's plans for her, Delia needed an out, a chance to make a new life for herself and to become a different person. The new Delia can let go of all the hurt and resentment that left her stuck in her past. As she eagerly sheds the pieces of herself she no longer needs, Delia discovers feelings of passion and wonder she'd long since forgotten. The thrill of walking away from it all leads to a newfound sense of self and the feeling that she is, finally, the star of her own life story.
A Whale of a Tale! All About Porpoises, Dolphins, and Whales: All About Porpoises, Dolphins, and Whales (The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)
by Bonnie WorthLaugh and learn with fun facts about whales, porpoises, dolphins, and more—all told in Dr. Seuss&’s beloved rhyming style and starring the Cat in the Hat! &“What&’s the story today? Funny that you should ask. We&’re going to take on a whale of a task!&” The Cat in the Hat&’s Learning Library series combines beloved characters, engaging rhymes, and Seussian illustrations to introduce children to non-fiction topics from the real world! Go under the sea and discover: • what a cetacean is• how to tell dolphins and porpoises apart• how whales &“talk&” to one another• and much more! Perfect for story time and for the youngest readers, A Whale of a Tale! All About Porpoises, Dolphins, and Whales also includes an index, glossary, and suggestions for further learning. Look for more books in the Cat in the Hat&’s Learning Library series!If I Ran the Horse Show: All About HorsesClam-I-Am! All About the BeachMiles and Miles of Reptiles: All About ReptilesSafari, So Good! All About African WildlifeThere's a Map on My Lap! All About MapsOh, the Lavas That Flow! All About VolcanoesOut of Sight Till Tonight! All About Nocturnal AnimalsWhat Cat Is That? All About CatsOnce upon a Mastodon: All About Prehistoric MammalsOh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today? All About WeatherThe Cat on the Mat: All About Mindfulness
Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today? All About Weather: All About Weather (The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)
by Tish RabeLaugh and learn with fun facts about the sun, thunderstorms, snowflakes, and more—all told in Dr. Seuss&’s beloved rhyming style and starring the Cat in the Hat! &“You see, weather keeps changing, but one thing we know. It makes life exciting wherever you go.&” The Cat in the Hat&’s Learning Library series combines beloved characters, engaging rhymes, and Seussian illustrations to introduce children to non-fiction topics from the real world! Look up in the sky and learn: • how to read a weather map• what the water cycle is• how meteorologists forecast the weather• and much more! Perfect for story time and for the youngest readers, Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today? All About Weather also includes an index, glossary, and suggestions for further learning. Look for more books in the Cat in the Hat&’s Learning Library series!If I Ran the Horse Show: All About HorsesClam-I-Am! All About the BeachMiles and Miles of Reptiles: All About ReptilesA Whale of a Tale! All About Porpoises, Dolphins, and WhalesSafari, So Good! All About African WildlifeThere's a Map on My Lap! All About MapsOh, the Lavas That Flow! All About VolcanoesOut of Sight Till Tonight! All About Nocturnal AnimalsWhat Cat Is That? All About CatsOnce upon a Mastodon: All About Prehistoric MammalsThe Cat on the Mat: All About Mindfulness
A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World
by Daniel GolemanThe Dalai Lama and the New York Times bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence present a revelatory and inspiring work that provides a singular vision for transforming the world in practical and positive ways.&“An optimistic and thoughtful primer with practical applications.&”—BooklistFor more than half a century, the Dalai Lama has guided us along the path to compassion and taught us how to improve our inner lives. A Force for Good combines his central concepts, empirical evidence that supports them, and true stories of people who are putting his ideas into action—showing how harnessing positive energies and directing them outward has lasting and meaningful effects. Daniel Goleman details the science of compassion and how this singular guiding motivation has the power to:• break such destructive social forces as corruption, collusion, and bias• heal the planet • reverse the tendency toward systemic inequity • replace violence with dialogue• counter us-and-them thinking • create new economic systems that work for everyone• design schooling that teaches empathy, self-mastery, and ethicsPoignant, motivating, and highly persuasive, A Force for Good shows how every compassion-driven human act—no matter how small—is integral for a more peaceful, harmonious world.
The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Private Equity
by Douglas J. Cumming Benjamin HammerThe Palgrave Encyclopedia of Private Equity is a major reference work which covers more than 250 topics related to private markets, entrepreneurial finance, and alternative investments. It takes an interdisciplinary perspective and brings together contributions from the fields of finance, accounting, entrepreneurship, strategic management, law, human resource management, economics, international management, business ethics and innovation management. The aim of this major reference work is to summarize the current state of research and provide an overview of the most important methods used in practice. In addition, The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Private Equity summarizes selected definitions, laws, and historical developments. The authors are leading scholars and experts from the field from all over the world. All contributions are concise and allow you to quickly obtain reliable information for academic papers, journalistic research, political discussions or day-to-day investment practice.
Handbook on Deradicalization and Rehabilitation of Violent Extremist Offenders in Bangladesh (SpringerBriefs in Environment, Security, Development and Peace #41)
by Imtiaz Ahmed ASM Ali Ashraf Niloy Ranjan BiswasThis Handbook provides a theory-driven and policy-relevant analysis of terrorist offenders' deradicalization processes. It is the product of a multi-year collaboration between security studies scholars and counterterrorism practitioners. It offers a multidimensional strategy for the physical and cognitive disengagement of terrorists. It also charts a path for the community-based social reintegration of rehabilitated extremist offenders. The Handbook is targeted for both academics and practitioners in the field of counterterrorism. Those specializing in South Asia and the Global South will find this book a useful reference tool to comprehend and design the complex deradicalization processes and transform them into implementable practices.
Sustainable Data Management: Navigating Big Data, Communication Technology, and Business Digital Leadership. Volume 2 (Studies in Big Data #170)
by Reem Khamis HamdanThis book dives deeper into the dynamic world of data and technology with the Sustainable Data Management and explores advanced strategies and innovative approaches to harnessing big data, leveraging communication technology, and mastering digital leadership in today's evolving business landscape. Uncover insights and techniques that propel readers organization towards sustainable success in the digital age.
The ESG Systems in Chinese Enterprises: Theory and Practice (Resources, Climate and Sustainable Development)
by Liang Liang Tao Ding Ruipeng Tan Malin SongThis book delves deeply into the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management systems of Chinese enterprises. It systematically analyzes the origins and evolution of ESG, taking into account China’s unique policy environment and market demands, and presents a localized ESG management framework tailored to Chinese companies. The book provides numerous case studies that illustrate how to effectively implement these frameworks in business operations, offering concrete guidance for achieving sustainable development. This book covers all aspects of ESG management, including comparisons of international standards, analysis of policy and legal frameworks, investment decisions, and corporate risk management. It is suitable for a diverse audience, including scholars, government officials, and corporate managers. By integrating theory with practice, the book provides forward-looking recommendations, offering strong practical guidance through case studies and empirical research to help companies improve their ESG management systems.
Deep Learning in Ad-Hoc Wireless Networks (Studies in Big Data #172)
by Gokhan Altan Ipek Abasikeleş TurgutThis book presents innovative applications of deep learning techniques in wireless ad-hoc networks, addressing critical challenges such as trust, routing, traffic management, and intrusion detection. By combining advanced AI models with real-world network scenarios, the chapters explore novel solutions for improving network reliability, security, and efficiency. Readers benefit from a multidisciplinary approach that bridges deep learning and wireless communication, offering both theoretical insights and practical frameworks. Targeting researchers, engineers, and graduate students, this work serves as a valuable resource for understanding and implementing deep learning strategies to optimize modern wireless systems. Whether improving IoT networks, securing controller area networks, or enabling smart mobility, the book provides actionable knowledge on Deep Learning applications for solving current and future challenges in ad-hoc wireless networks.
Digitale Werkstätten: Technografische Perspektiven auf die Verwicklung von Cyberinfrastruktur und Werkstätten für behinderte Menschen (Perspektiven Sozialwirtschaft und Sozialmanagement)
by Konstantin RinkDieses Open-Access-Buch widmet sich der Frage, wie sich heterogene Gruppen von Fachkräften in Werkstätten für behinderte Menschen mittels einer komplexen digitalen Informationstechnologie koordinieren, orchestrieren und Informationen mobilisieren. In der Sozialen Arbeit kommen zunehmend solche verschachtelten und kooperativen Informationstechnologien, sogenannte Cyberinfrastrukturen, zum Einsatz. Sie sind keine einfachen Arbeitsmittel, sondern können als polyvalente Organisationstechnologien verstanden werden, die sich durch einen ganzen Korpus von gegenseitig aufeinander verweisenden digitalen Artefakten wie Dienstanweisungen, Formularvorlagen, Diagnosetabellen oder Checklisten mit strukturierend auf Organisationen auswirken. Basierend auf technografisch erhobenen Forschungsdaten (Feldprotokolle, Artefaktanalyse & Interviewtranskripte) kommt die Studie zu dem Ergebnis, dass mit der Cyberinfrastruktur und deren praktisch realisierten Affordanzen eine spezifische Strukturierungsweise produziert wird. In der Verknüpfung mit räumlich-materiellen Arrangements entsteht in den Praktiken der heterogenen Fachkraftgruppen eine modulare Subjektform, eine exkludierende Machtkonstellation und eine netzwerkförmige Steuerungsweise.
Geometry, Topology and Operator Algebras: Global Analysis, Invariants and Their Significance in Theoretical Physics (Mathematical Physics Studies)
by Alexander Cardona Andrés F. Reyes LegaThis book offers a comprehensive exploration of contemporary intersections between geometry, topology, and theoretical physics, emphasizing their mathematical foundations and applications. Originating from lectures presented by experts during two summer schools held in Villa de Leyva, Colombia, the book reflects the synergy between global analysis, operator algebras, and their role in modern physics. The chapters present state-of-the-art developments on a wide range of topics: the geometry and topology of foliations, affine manifolds, C*-algebras, and the pseudo-differential calculus of boundary value problems. These are enriched by applications to the theory of topological quantum matter. The book is suitable for graduate students and researchers, offering detailed introductions to advanced topics such as the longitudinal index theorem for foliations, the geometry of the Poincaré half-space in a C*-algebra, and mathematical frameworks for topological matter. With a balance of foundational material and novel insights, it serves as both a learning resource and a reference for advanced studies at the intersection of mathematics and physics.
Donor
by Charles WilsonYoung ER doctor Michael Sims feels too many of his patients are dying without cause. Shannon Donnelly, the Congressman's beautiful daughter, believes the police are wrong in ruling her father's death a suicide. Now they're teaming up uncover the truth about a terrifying medical experiment involving nerve regeneration and organ transplants. It's backed by millions of dollars. It's protected at the highest levels of government. But there are no volunteers, no donors. There are only ordinary people who check into this Mississippi hospital...and discover that death isn't he worst thing they have to fear. Getting "chosen" is....
Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia
by John GrayFor the decade that followed the end of the cold war, the world was lulled into a sense that a consumerist, globalized, peaceful future beckoned. The beginning of the twenty-first century has rudely disposed of such ideas—most obviously through 9/11and its aftermath. But just as damaging has been the rise in the West of a belief that a single model of political behavior will become a worldwide norm and that, if necessary, it will be enforced at gunpoint.In Black Mass, celebrated philosopher and critic John Gray explains how utopian ideals have taken on a dangerous significance in the hands of right-wing conservatives and religious zealots. He charts the history of utopianism, from the Reformation through the French Revolution and into the present. And most urgently, he describes how utopian politics have moved from the extremes of the political spectrum into mainstream politics, dominating the administrations of both George W. Bush and Tony Blair, and indeed coming to define the political center. Far from having shaken off discredited ideology, Gray suggests, we are more than ever in its clutches. Black Mass is a truly frightening and challenging work by one of Britain's leading political thinkers.
Demokrasi: Indonesia in the 21st Century
by Hamish McDonaldIndonesia, a nation of thousands of islands and almost 250 million people, straddles the junction of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has presided over 6 per cent average yearly growth of its economy, to surpass $1 trillion. If this rate continues, Indonesia will join the world's ten biggest economies in a decade or so, just behind the so-called BRIC countries. The much-discussed recent documentary The Act of Killing revived some of its darker past, and Barack Obama's reminiscences about the childhood years he spent there briefly shone the spotlight on a country many Americans know little about. Yet as Indonesia approaches its 2014 parliamentary and presidential elections, its future is wide open. Though the largest Muslim nation by population, it remains a receiver of wisdom from the Arab world, rather than a messenger of multi-religious tolerance. Its pursuit of trade agreements with Japan and South Korea have burnished its economic ambitions, but its diplomacy is long on so-called "soft power," and short on sanctions or force. So what does the future hold for this pivotal place? Award-winning Asia-Pacific journalist Hamish McDonald's Demokrasi is an accessible and authoritative introduction to the modern history and politics of this fascinating country.
The Baby Verdict (Expecting!)
by Cathy WilliamsAssignment: baby?Jessica had tried hard to play down her attractiveness at work. She wasn't interested in office affairs, or so she thought until company boss Bruno Carr personally assigned her to work closely with him on a major lawsuit....Jessica knew she'd won Bruno's professional respect. She also sensed that he saw beyond her neat suits and cool manner-both of which Jessica was forced to abandon on a Caribbean business trip.... Steamy, sensual nights followed, but was it more than an affair? The only verdict Jessica could be certain of was that she was now expecting her boss's baby!She's sexy, successful...and PREGNANT!
Sister of the Bride
by Valerie ParvDeception...or desire?Terise O'Neill has a goal-revenge for her stepsister Clair's unhappy marriage. She needs to get close to Ryan Westmore, and a job in his home-as nanny to his and Clair's twin girls-provides her with the ideal opportunity.Close proximity to Ryan, however, reveals a very different man from the one Clair had portrayed. With thoughts of revenge fast receding, Terise is faced with a new challenge. How will Ryan react when he hears about her deception?