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The House on Buzzards Bay: A Novel
by Dwyer Murphy&“Gothic chill wafts like ocean mist throughout this tale of college friends reuniting at an old house one them has inherited.&” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR&’s Fresh AirWhen a group of old college friends reunites for a summer vacation at a beach house in coastal Massachusetts, a sudden disappearance and the arrival of a seductive stranger threaten to unearth the darkest secrets of their relationships.As they hurtle into midlife, Jim and his closest college friends get together to rekindle the bonds of their friendship in his family&’s beautiful, generations-old vacation home along Buzzards Bay, the demands of work and family having caused them to drift apart over recent years. But what begins as a quiet and restorative seaside escape takes a darker turn when Bruce, an aloof but successful writer, disappears from the house without a trace, sending the group into an uneasy tension.Meanwhile, a series of mysterious break-ins besets the town, which is the site of an old Spiritualist campground turned idyllic fishing village. After a series of uncanny disturbances at the house, Jim can&’t help but feel that someone—or something—is watching them from the other side of the marsh. And with the arrival of a strange, seductive guest at their home, the group begins to question the very nature of their experiences—along with their already precarious ties with one other.In The House on Buzzards Bay, Dwyer Murphy returns with a chilling, atmospheric page-turner that explores the bonds of friendship, the growing accumulation of life's responsibilities, and whether our youthful dreams can endure the complexities of adulthood.
As You Wish: A Novel
by Leesa Cross-SmithThey say be careful what you wish for…An ELLE Best Book of Summer 2025For Lydia, Jenny, and Selene, au pairing in Seoul is the opportunity of a lifetime. Lydia wants nothing more than to transform into a leading lady; Jenny is determined to swear off love for good 5,955 miles away from her ex; and Selene is convinced working in Korea will finally lead her to her biological mother.During a combined family vacation with their host families, the women visit an enchanted waterfall on Jeju Island and make a wish under a full moon. Overnight, everything changes. Suddenly, Lydia is the girl everyone wants—except, strangely, her mysterious art class partner from Spain. Jenny is having secret, no-strings-attached fun with her host mom&’s irresistible younger brother. And Selene is finally getting somewhere in her search for her mother thanks to a research-savvy photographer.But when Jenny&’s romantic feelings begin to deepen, she realizes her wish is standing in the way of true, lasting love. Her decision to return to the waterfall will have unexpected consequences and force the au pairs to confront the hardest question of all. Could it be that their friendship was the real magic all along?
The Art of AI Product Development: Delivering business value (The Art of)
by Dr. Janna LipenkovaA hands-on guide for delivering value with AI-driven products! Learn how AI can improve content creation, accelerate data analysis, and upgrade process automation.The Art of AI Product Development offers a clear, practical approach to creating products that use AI. It provides real-world guidance on defining your AI strategy, developing useful AI features, and supporting user trust and adoption. Rather than chasing trends, the book focuses on core principles and long-term thinking—foundations that remain relevant as the field evolves. Inside The Art of AI Product Development, you will learn vital skills for the effective use of AI, including: • Identifying market and business opportunities for AI • Gaining an in-depth understanding of modern AI approaches, incl. predictive AI, LLMs, Retrieval-Augmented Generation, and agent systems • Assembling AI solutions that work, without the hype • Efficiently communicating with data scientists and ML engineers • Designing user-friendly AI interfaces that emphasize trust and transparency • Implementing safe, ethical AI with proper governance processes The Art of AI Product Development is written for product managers, tech executives, UX designers, and anyone responsible for the success of an AI-driven product. It introduces a broad spectrum of AI opportunities and case studies from different domains such as marketing, supply chain, and logistics. You&’ll carefully progress from initial design conversations, through to efficient and secure development, and on to deployment and day-to-day management of AI-driven applications. About the technology Integrating AI into your software and processes can create real value for your business and its customers—if you do it right. When you&’re on the hook for delivering AI-enabled products, you&’ll need to spot high-impact opportunities, work effectively with engineers, design user-centric features, avoid common project failures, and manage real-world launches. This book shows you how. About the book The Art of AI Product Development gives you a clear framework, practical tools, and real-world examples to build confidence and succeed with new AI projects—even if you&’re tackling AI for the first time. You&’ll love the practical use cases and end-to-end scenarios from domains such as marketing, supply chain management, and sustainability. What's inside • Ideate, shape, and prioritize AI opportunities • Develop AI systems with techniques such as prompt engineering, RAG, and predictive AI • Communicate with different AI stakeholders and promote AI adoption About the reader Written for software product managers, business-oriented engineers, UX designers, startup founders, and anyone responsible for developing, designing, or marketing AI products. No experience with AI required. About the author Dr. Janna Lipenkova is the founder of an AI and analytics business where she has successfully managed AI projects for world-class companies like BMW, Lufthansa, and Volkswagen. Table of Contents Part 1 1 Creating value with AI-driven products 2 Discovering and prioritizing AI opportunities 3 Mapping the AI solution space Part 2 4 Predictive AI 5 Exploring and evaluating language models 6 Prompt engineering 7 Search and retrieval-augmented generation 8 Fine-tuning language models 9 Automating workflows with agentic AI Part 3 10 AI user experience: Designing for uncertainty 11 AI governance 12 Working with your stakeholders Appendix A AI development toolbox
It's Only Drowning: A True Story of Learning to Surf and the Search for Common Ground
by David Litt* A GOODREADS MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF SUMMER 2025 * A TOWN & COUNTRY BEST BOOK OF SUMMER 2025 * A former Obama speechwriter moves to the Jersey Shore and learns to surf with the help of his brother-in-law: a tattooed, truck-driving Joe Rogan superfan. David, the Yale-educated writer with a fear of sharks, and Matt, the daredevil electrician with a shed full of surfboards, had never been close. But as America&’s crises piled up and David spiraled into existential dread, he noticed that his brother-in-law was thriving. He began to suspect Matt&’s favorite hobby had something to do with it. David started taking surf lessons. For months, he wiped out on waves the height of daffodils. Yet, after realizing that surfing could change him both in and out of the water, he set an audacious goal: riding a big wave in Hawaii. He searched for an expert he could trust to guide and protect him—and when he couldn&’t find one, he asked Matt. Together, they set out on a journey that spanned coasts, and even continents, before taking them to Oahu&’s famously dangerous North Shore. It&’s Only Drowning is a laugh-out-loud love letter to surfing—and so much more. It&’s an ode to embarking on adventures at any age. It&’s a blueprint for becoming braver at a time when it takes courage just to read the news. Most of all, it&’s the story of an unlikely friendship, one that crosses the fault lines of education, ideology, and culture tearing so many of us apart.
Data Without Labels: Practical unsupervised machine learning
by Vaibhav VerdhanDiscover all-practical implementations of the key algorithms and models for handling unlabeled data. Full of case studies demonstrating how to apply each technique to real-world problems.In Data Without Labels you&’ll learn: • Fundamental building blocks and concepts of machine learning and unsupervised learning • Data cleaning for structured and unstructured data like text and images • Clustering algorithms like K-means, hierarchical clustering, DBSCAN, Gaussian Mixture Models, and Spectral clustering • Dimensionality reduction methods like Principal Component Analysis (PCA), SVD, Multidimensional scaling, and t-SNE • Association rule algorithms like aPriori, ECLAT, SPADE • Unsupervised time series clustering, Gaussian Mixture models, and statistical methods • Building neural networks such as GANs and autoencoders • Dimensionality reduction methods like Principal Component Analysis and multidimensional scaling • Association rule algorithms like aPriori, ECLAT, and SPADE • Working with Python tools and libraries like sci-kit learn, numpy, Pandas, matplotlib, Seaborn, Keras, TensorFlow, and Flask • How to interpret the results of unsupervised learning • Choosing the right algorithm for your problem • Deploying unsupervised learning to production • Maintenance and refresh of an ML solution Data Without Labels introduces mathematical techniques, key algorithms, and Python implementations that will help you build machine learning models for unannotated data. You&’ll discover hands-off and unsupervised machine learning approaches that can still untangle raw, real-world datasets and support sound strategic decisions for your business. Don&’t get bogged down in theory—the book bridges the gap between complex math and practical Python implementations, covering end-to-end model development all the way through to production deployment. You&’ll discover the business use cases for machine learning and unsupervised learning, and access insightful research papers to complete your knowledge. Foreword by Ravi Gopalakrishnan. About the technology Generative AI, predictive algorithms, fraud detection, and many other analysis tasks rely on cheap and plentiful unlabeled data. Machine learning on data without labels—or unsupervised learning—turns raw text, images, and numbers into insights about your customers, accurate computer vision, and high-quality datasets for training AI models. This book will show you how. About the book Data Without Labels is a comprehensive guide to unsupervised learning, offering a deep dive into its mathematical foundations, algorithms, and practical applications. It presents practical examples from retail, aviation, and banking using fully annotated Python code. You&’ll explore core techniques like clustering and dimensionality reduction along with advanced topics like autoencoders and GANs. As you go, you&’ll learn where to apply unsupervised learning in business applications and discover how to develop your own machine learning models end-to-end. What's inside • Master unsupervised learning algorithms • Real-world business applications • Curate AI training datasets • Explore autoencoders and GANs applications About the reader Intended for data science professionals. Assumes knowledge of Python and basic machine learning. About the author Vaibhav Verdhan is a seasoned data science professional with extensive experience working on data science projects in a large pharmaceutical company. Table of Contents Part 1 1 Introduction to machine learning 2 Clustering techniques 3 Dimensionality reduction Part 2 4 Association rules 5 Clustering 6 Dimensionality reduction<
AI for Everyday IT: Accelerate workplace productivity
by Chrissy LeMaire Brandon AbshireAutomate and accelerate your everyday IT tasks with instant solutions!What if you never had to write another after-incident report, piece of boilerplate code, or a performance review from scratch ever again? Use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot right, and you&’ll take back hours of your time—and more! AI for Everyday IT reveals how you can automate dozens of your daily IT tasks with generative AI. In AI for Everyday IT you&’ll learn how to: • Write effective prompts for common IT tasks • Optimize report generation, document handling, and workplace communication • Resolve IT conflicts and crises • Acquire new skills and upgrade your resume • AI for help desk, database administration and systems administration • Incorporate AI into DevOps processes and create AI-powered applications • Simplify time-consuming people management tasks In this hands-on guide, automation experts Chrissy LeMaire and Brandon Abshire show you how AI tools like ChatGPT have made their lives a million times easier, and how they can do the same for you. You&’ll find proven strategies for using AI to improve help desk support, automate sysadmin and database tasks, aid with DevOps engineering, handle managing IT teams, and dozens more time-saving and quality-improving hacks. Foreword by Nitya Narasimhan. About the technology Have you lost days sifting through logs to find a latency issue? AI can do it in seconds! Need to update your documentation? Mere moments for AI. Are you writing scripts, designing data recovery strategies, and evaluating network designs? AI can handle it all—if you know how to use it. About the book AI for Everyday IT shows you exactly how AI can transform support desk operations, root cause analysis, disaster recovery planning—even writing professional emails when you&’re too furious to be nice! This instantly-useful guide has time-saving techniques for all IT pros—from devs and DBAs to technical writers and product managers. Each relatable example is fully illustrated with the prompts and problem formulation strategies, along with interesting insights and anecdotes from authors Chrissy Lemaire and Brandon Abshire. What's inside • Document handling and workplace communication • Database administration and development • DevOps engineering and AI powered apps • People management and career planning About the reader Whether you&’re working in operations, development, management, or security, you&’ll love these productivity hacks for generative AI. No previous AI experience required. About the author Chrissy LeMaire is a dual Microsoft MVP and GitHub Star, the creator of dbatools, and author of the Manning book Learn dbatools in a Month of Lunches. Brandon Abshire has spent over twenty years in IT, including roles at a leading Fortune 500 semiconductor and telecommunications company and multiple top-ranked US hospital systems. Table of Contents Part 1 1 Artificial intelligence in IT 2 Chatbots: Tasks and tips 3 Basic intelligence 4 Prompt engineering and problem formulation 5 Prompts in action 6 Document handling 7 Emails and instant messaging in the workplace Part 2 8 IT support and service desk 9 Systems administration 10 Database administration and development Part 3 11 Code assistants and development tools 12 AI in DevOps engineering 13 Building AI-powered applications Part 4 14 Conflict resolution and crisis management 15 Management essentials 16 Management interventions 17 Career advancement A Local AI models: An accessible alternative B OpenAI GPT Actions
The Healthy Kidney Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Manage Hypertension, Control Stress, and Prevent Renal Failure, Kidney Disease, and More
by C. Nicole Swiner M.D.Improve kidney function and manage kidney disease with this practical guide full of tips and strategies on maintaining kidney health through hydration, lifestyle changes, balanced nutrition, and more.More than 35 million people in the US suffer from kidney disease today, and this number continues to rise. Author and doctor C. Nicole Swiner, M.D., aims to take a strong stance against this rise of kidney disease by providing everyone with the information they need to support their kidney health and manage chronic kidney-related illnesses. With The Healthy Kidney Handbook, you&’ll learn what you can do before your kidney health starts to suffer, including: Understanding the anatomy of the kidneys and exactly what makes them function Learning good nutrition and how you can upgrade your diet Improving your access to consistent exercise Discovering how current weight-loss drugs and diabetes can affect your kidney health And so much more Whether you&’re currently suffering from kidney disease or simply want to embark on a healthier lifestyle, this book will guide you in transforming your kidney health through science-backed research, advice, strategies, and more.
An Ancient Witch's Guide to Modern Dating
by Cecilia EdwardAn ancient witch explores the thrills—and perils—of online dating with hilarity and heart in a charming rom-com perfect for fans of cozy fantasy and witchy romance.Meet Thorn Scarhart, a thirty-nine-year-old witch who&’s having trouble finding love in the 17th century. Despite the local matchmaker&’s efforts and Thorn&’s arsenal of powerful love potions, she has yet to fall in love. After the disappearance of her sister and the loss of her mother, Thorn was too caught up in…well, life, to focus on dating. Now, she fears she may have missed her chance. But, when one of her potion brews backfires spectacularly, Thorn is hurled 350 years into the future, landing in a bustling city where her once-isolated cottage is now a historical museum. While this unexpected leap through time may seem daunting, modern life does have its perks: indoor plumbing, electric kettles, and the world of online dating. At thirty-nine, the odds may not be perfect, but at least they&’re not impossible. With the help of the museum&’s new curator—and her charming veterinarian brother—Thorn dives headfirst into the 21st-century dating scene. And as she searches for romance, she might also find herself along the way. An Ancient Witch&’s Guide to Modern Dating is a delightful mix of humor, heart, and a sprinkle of magic. Cozy fantasy lovers will adore this enchanting rom-com, which is a must-read for fans of Sangu Mandanna&’s The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and Erin Sterling&’s The Ex Hex.
Access: Inside the Abortion Underground and the Sixty-Year Battle for Reproductive Freedom
by Rebecca GrantFrom the award-winning author of Birth, a journey into the underground activist networks that have been working to protect women&’s autonomy over their bodies amidst legal, political, religious, and cultural oppression over the past sixty years.In this definitive, eye-opening history, award-winning author Rebecca Grant charts the reproductive freedom movement from the days before Roe through the seismic impact of Dobbs. The stories in Access span four continents, tracing strategies across generations and borders. Grant centers those activists who have been engaged in direct action to help people get the abortions they need. Their efforts involve no small measure of daring-do, spy craft, sea adventures, close calls, undercover operations, smuggling, sequins, legal dramas, victories, defeats, and above all, a deeply held conviction that all the risks are worth it for the cause. In Access, we meet a cast of brave, bold, and unforgettable women: the founders of the Jane Collective, a group of anonymous providers working clandestinely between Chicago apartments to perform abortions in the pre-Roe years; the originators and leaders of the abortion fund movement; Verónica Cruz Sánchez, a Mexican activist who works to support self-managed abortion with pills and fights to free women targeted by the criminalization of abortion; and Rebecca Gomperts, a Dutch doctor who realizes that there is one place abortion bans cannot reach: international waters. Post-Dobbs, activist groups have once again stepped up and put themselves on the line to resist. Building on the work of their feminist forebearers and international allies, they are charting new pathways for access in the face of unprecedented acts to subjugate and control half of America&’s population. Working above ground, underground, and in legal gray areas, they&’ve helped people travel across state lines for care, established telehealth practices, and formed community networks to distribute pills for free to people who needed them. Drawing on expert research and investigative reporting, told with deep compassion and humanity by a journalist who has spent her career on the frontlines of the fight, Access celebrates the bravery, ingenuity, and determination of women across decades who have fought for a fundamental human right—and serves as an inspiring rallying cry for the work that lies ahead.
A Treachery of Swans
by A. B. PoranekFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Where the Dark Stands Still comes an atmospheric fantasy based on Swan Lake, following Odile as her plan to restore magic to her kingdom gets disrupted by a murder—forcing her to beg for help from the young woman whose identity she stole.Can two girls—one enchanted, one the enchantress—save their kingdom and each other? Two hundred years ago, a slighted deity stole the magic from Auréal and vanished without a trace. But seventeen-year-old Odile has a plan. All her life, her father, a vengeful sorcerer, has raised her for one singular task: infiltrate the royal palace and steal the king&’s crown, an artefact with enough power to restore magic. But to enter the palace, she must assume the identity of a noblewoman. She chooses Marie d&’Odette: famed for her beauty, a rumored candidate for future queen…and Odile&’s childhood-friend-turned-sworn-enemy. With her father&’s help, Odile transforms Marie into a swan and takes her place at court. But when the king is brutally murdered and her own brother is accused, her plans are thrown into chaos. Desperate to free her brother, Odile is forced to team up with none other than elegant, infuriating Marie, the girl she has cursed…and the girl she can&’t seem to stop thinking about despite her best efforts. To make matters worse, there are whispers that the king&’s murder was not at the hands of man, but beast. Torn between loyalty to her father and her growing feelings for Marie, Odile becomes tangled in a web of treachery and deceit. To save her kingdom, she must find the true path to magic…and find the real killer before they—or it—strikes again.
Threat of the Spider (The Web of the Spider)
by Michael P. SpradlinA twelve-year-old boy searches for his father and fights for free press amid the chilling rise of Hitler&’s Germany in this second book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.Ansel has never been afraid to say what&’s on his mind. He&’s always the first among his friends to speak up when something doesn&’t feel right. When the Hitler Youth first set up shop in Heroldsberg the year before, Ansel quickly made enemies of the chapter&’s arrogant leader, Hans. Of course, Ansel is also twelve years old, so he spends much of his time reading his favorite Dirk Goodly, Boy Detective novels and trying to make his friends laugh. But more and more of his classmates have been swayed by Hans&’s tactics and the Youth organization is growing throughout the city. Ansel knows that Hans and his group are spreading false information—after all, Ansel&’s father is a journalist for the local paper and has been going toe to toe with Nazi propaganda for a long time. Then Ansel&’s father goes missing right before a prominent Nazi leader comes to town. With the local police in the Nazi&’s pocket, can Ansel and his friends use their detective skills to find his father and thwart the Nazi&’s plans to suppress the truth?
Marine Resource Economics, volume 40 number 3 (July 2025)
by Marine Resource EconomicsThis is volume 40 issue 3 of Marine Resource Economics. Marine Resource Economics (MRE) publishes creative and scholarly economic analyses of a range of issues related to natural resource use in the global marine environment. The scope of the journal includes conceptual and empirical investigations aimed at addressing real-world ocean and coastal policy problems. MRE is an outlet for early results and imaginative new thinking on emerging topics in the marine environment, as well as rigorous theoretical and empirical analyses of questions that have long interested economists who study the oceans. A pluralistic forum for researchers and policy makers, MRE encourages challenges to conventional paradigms and perspectives. The journal is comprised of five sections: Articles, Perspectives, Case Studies, Systematic Reviews, and Book Reviews.
American Journal of Sociology, volume 130 number 6 (May 2025)
by American Journal of SociologyThis is volume 130 issue 6 of American Journal of Sociology. American Journal of Sociology (AJS) presents pathbreaking work from all areas of sociology, with an emphasis on theory building and innovative methods. AJS strives to speak to the general sociology reader and is open to contributions from across the social sciences—sociology, political science, economics, history, anthropology, and statistics—that seriously engage the sociological literature to forge new ways of understanding the social. AJS offers a substantial book review section that identifies the most salient work of both emerging and enduring scholars of social science. Commissioned review essays appear occasionally, offering readers a comparative, in-depth examination of prominent titles.
Polity, volume 57 number 3 (July 2025)
by PolityThis is volume 57 issue 3 of Polity. Polity, the journal of the Northeastern Political Science Association, has been published quarterly since 1968. Among the leading general-interest journals in political science, Polity is guided by the premise that political knowledge advances through scholarly exchange across subfield boundaries and even beyond disciplinary borders. Polity publishes original research on all aspects of political life, especially those that converge around questions of race, gender, class, colonialism, and empire.
Ten Sleep
by Nicholas BelardesJordan Peele's Nope meets True Grit in Nicholas Belardes&’s Ten Sleep, a supernatural modern-day western about a trio of young people on a 10-day cattle drive that leads them through a canyon haunted by ancient mysteries and savage beasts who existed long before humankind.A young Mexican American woman detects uncanny creatures stalking her on a cattle drive toward a canyon soaked in blood in an unforgettable novel, brilliantly infusing the modern Western with spine-chilling horror . . . When Greta Molina&’s old friend Tiller offered her the job, a ten-day cattle drive across the Wyoming prairie from the ranching town of Ten Sleep, it sounded like a well-paid break. Three hundred and twenty cows and calves, two guys her age she&’s known since college, and a few long days on an ATV will give her time to sort out the mess in her head. The canyon along the trail has a history, sure, but nature has a tendency toward violence. Greta can accept that, even if it makes her insides squirm. What Greta doesn&’t know is the legacy of murder and rot that runs deep into the rocks of this land. As each night passes on the prairie, the trio faces mounting supernatural dangers: a ghost train of the damned, wild animals walking alongside dead ones—and evidence of a gigantic creature in the skies, one that&’s supposedly been extinct for eons. And Tiller may be hiding even darker secrets the further they go. Safety is only ten sleeps away, but Greta soon realizes that may be too long for all of them to survive. Nicholas Belardes&’s Ten Sleep is a fresh portrayal of the American West for fans of Catriona Ward, Victor LaValle and Jordan Peele&’s Nope, by a rising star in horror.
Down to the Bone: A Missing Family's Murder and the Elusive Quest for Justice
by Caitlin RotherA twisting, deeply engrossing investigation into the many lingering questions surrounding the sudden disappearance of the McStays, a family of four who vanished from their suburban San Diego home without a trace—until their skeletal remains were found in the Mojave Desert nearly four years later—from New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother. On February 15, 2010, Joseph McStay, his wife Summer, and their two young sons were reported missing from their new home in San Diego County. They left eggs and fruit rotting on the counter. Their Dodge truck sat in the driveway. Their dogs were abandoned outside without food. But investigators found no blood, signs of a struggle, or clues to their whereabouts. Did the family take an unannounced vacation? Were they running away from personal problems? Or were they victims of foul play? Nearly four years later, a motorcyclist found the McStays&’ remains in and around two shallow graves, one hundred miles away in the Mojave Desert. Their skulls showed signs of blunt-force trauma, likely due to the sledgehammer buried with them. Authorities focused on Charles "Chase" Merritt, a close friend and subcontractor for Joseph&’s company. Despite a lack of physical evidence, scenarios that defied logic, and numerous unanswered questions, prosecutors convinced a jury of Merritt&’s guilt. After an emotional sentencing hearing, the judge imposed the death penalty. But did another possible suspect, who was ignored by investigators and ducked a subpoena to testify, get away with murder? In this twisting, deeply researched true-crime mystery, New York Times bestselling investigative journalist Caitlin Rother hunts for answers to reveal the truth behind a heinous crime that became a nation&’s obsession, with a controversial trial in its wake, and lingering questions of justice.
The Devouring Gray (The Devouring Gray #1)
by C. L. Herman"Fans of The Raven Boys and Stranger Things rejoice: This is your new obsession." —Claire Legrand, NYT bestselling author of Furyborn After her sister's death, seventeen-year-old Violet Saunders finds herself dragged to Four Paths, New York. Violet may be a newcomer, but she soon learns her mother isn't: They belong to one of the revered founding families of the town, where stone bells hang above every doorway and danger lurks in the depths of the woods.Justin Hawthorne's bloodline has protected Four Paths for generations from the Gray—a lifeless dimension that imprisons a brutal monster. After Justin fails to inherit his family's powers, his mother is determined to keep this humiliation a secret. But Justin can't let go of the future he was promised and the town he swore to protect. Ever since Harper Carlisle lost her hand to an accident that left her stranded in the Gray for days, she has vowed revenge on the person who abandoned her: Justin Hawthorne. There are ripples of dissent in Four Paths, and Harper seizes an opportunity to take down the Hawthornes and change her destiny—to what extent, even she doesn't yet know. The Gray is growing stronger every day, and its victims are piling up. When Violet accidentally unleashes the monster, all three must band together with the other Founders to unearth the dark truths behind their families' abilities...before the Gray devours them all.
Being a Crisis Chaplain: Delivering Help and Healing in Critical Scenarios (Routledge Focus on Mental Health)
by Sidney Dekker Lance MergardBeing a Crisis Chaplain delivers the essential elements of crisis chaplaincy, outlining the process of responding to crises with clarity and compassion. Drawing from real‑world experiences and research, this is a concise but comprehensive toolkit for navigating the delicate aftermath of crises.Chapters explore ways to triage emotional, cognitive, and spiritual needs, from the raw shock and grief to complex feelings of guilt and helplessness. With practical guidance for recognizing and mitigating long‑term mental health issues such as post‑traumatic stress disorder, this book also emphasizes the importance of self‑care for chaplains, ensuring they can sustain their vital work without succumbing to secondary trauma. The reader will develop an understanding of what a crisis chaplain does and how to act in a safe, compassionate, and humane manner in any type of crisis or disaster.This book is for professionals on the front line of natural and human disasters and crises, including emergency responders, safety practitioners, chaplains, pastoral carers, religious leaders, and counsellors.
An Overall Account of Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
by Nikhil Ranjan JanaThis book covers all the aspects of surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) including a brief history of the discovery of SERS and development of the field, basic principles and enhancement mechanism of SERS. It covers first generation (plasmonic nanomaterials) /second generation (plasmonic hot spots)/third generation (via plasmonic engineering) substrate nanomaterials that are developed for SERS, single molecule SERS and designed SERS probes for ultrasensitive detection applications. It further discusses different SERS detection platforms, highlight the issues of poor signal reproducibility and how to minimize it.Features: Provides understanding on the role of electromagnetic hot spots in surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. Reviews all types of surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy substrates. Covers surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy-based detection platforms and signal reproducibility issues. Includes development of single molecule detection via surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. Discusses chemical analysis, biomedical application, and all other related applications. This book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in spectroscopy, materials science, and engineering.
Catalytic Role of Amino Acids in Organic Reactions (New Directions in Organic & Biological Chemistry)
by Zahra Taherinia Arash Ghorbani-Choghamarani Zahra Moradi Zahra Heidarnezhad Farhad Khanmohammadi-Sarabib Mohammad ZolfigolAsymmetric organometallic and organocatalytic processes have attracted great interest. Asymmetric synthesis using both natural and unnatural amino acids has been tremendously important from synthetic as well as industrial viewpoints, and numerous new methodologies have been developed in the last decades. Herein we provide an overview of old and very recent (since 1900 till now) advances and applications in the area of heterogeneous catalysis, homogeneous catalysis, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, organocatalysis, thermal catalysis using amino acids [proline, glycine, alanine, valine, serine, threonine, cysteine, methionine, asparagine, glutamine, lysine, arginine, histidine, aspartate, glutamate, phenylalanine, and tryptophan], (supported or unsupported), an amino acid containing materials or amino acids derivatives as an essential component of catalysts, this book highlights the most important and recent developments to immobilize or support amino acids on various support materials. This book is suitable as supplementary reading for courses targeting the design, synthesis, and application of chiral catalysts, asymmetric catalysis, and sustainable production.
A Remarkable Man: Dr. Shuntaro Hida from Hiroshima to Fukushima
by Marc PetitjeanA poignant, eye-opening portrait of a witness to the atomic bomb who dedicated his life to treating and advocating for radiation survivors.As a young doctor, Shuntaro Hida (1917–2017) played an essential role in the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, which he witnessed firsthand only six kilometers from ground zero. Tending to the overwhelming number of victims, he would spend more than sixty years developing an unparalleled understanding of the harmful effects of radiation and warning against the reckless use of nuclear power.Through intimate, thoughtful interviews and compelling reportage, Marc Petitjean has created a worthy tribute to this determined, inspiring man who stood up to complicit governments and businesses. It testifies to the power of individuals to effect change as well as the importance of collective action, as demonstrated by organizations such as Nihon Hidankyo, a survivors&’ group that would receive the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Secrets We Keep: A Mystery
by Amy LillardDetective Nate Fisher must go back to the Amish community he left behind and confront his past to help the woman he once loved in this dual-POV mystery, perfect for fans of Linda Castillo.Back to active duty after an administrative leave of absence for the use of deadly force, the last thing Detective Nathan Fisher wants to do is return to the conservative Amish community he left behind, but when his father passes, he has no choice. Hoping to clear his head and perhaps mend fences with his family, he returns to his small Mississippi hometown despite not being welcome. What was supposed to be a quick visit turns into a prolonged stay when his former love pleads for his help. Rachel Hostetler&’s world is turned upside down when she finds her brother&’s body hanging in her family&’s barn. Rachel is sure her brother Albie did not kill himself, but neither her father nor the police are willing to listen. When she spots Nate, her ex, now a detective in Oklahoma, back in Cedar Creek, she knows he is the answer to her problem and begs him to intercede.As Nate and Rachel come to terms with their shared history, despite knowing nothing can come of the longing they have for each other, the pair must look into Albie&’s death as suspects stack up. The truth is out there, but can they find it before Nate has to return to his real life and face the shooting that has him so desperately searching for peace?
Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze
by Hiroaki SamuraWinner of the Excellence Award in Manga at the 2014 Japan Media Arts Festival, this deeply researched political drama from the creator of Blade of the Immortal transports us to the frigid fringes of the nascent Soviet Union of the 1930s. Rich with the nuanced story and art for which Samura is famous, Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze's subtle adult drama and Russian setting are a breath of fresh air in the sometimes cookie cutter manga world.LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION... Bielka (&“Squirrel&”), a beautiful young woman in a wheelchair, and her taciturn companion Shchenok (&“Puppy&”) must hide the truth of their identities as they navigate the fraught political climate and harsh landscape of the Soviet Union of the 1930s on a highly secret and terribly personal mission. Rich with intrigue and history, this erotic political drama weaves famous—and infamous—historical figures into the fabric of Hiroaki Samura&’s brilliantly imagined fiction.Winner of the Excellence Award in Manga at the 2014 Japan Media Arts Festival, this thoroughly researched tale from the legendary creator of Blade of the Immortal transports us to a fascinating and compelling world rarely seen in the pages of manga.
The Lady, the Tiger and the Girl Who Loved Death
by Helen MarshallA young woman is seduced by the glamour of the circus and drawn into a dangerous world of violence, cruelty and revenge. For readers of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and Helen Oyeyemi's Mr Fox. A dark fantasy tale infused with mystery and threat from the award-winning author whose work has been described by Paul Tremblay as &“intelligent, dark, wildly inventive".As Sara Sidorova hovers between life and death, she is visited by Amba, the tiger god who will devour creation if he is released from the chains that bind him. Amba gives Sara an extraordinary gift: a glimpse into the future.Years later, her granddaughter Irenda will grow up in a war-torn country where survival means obedience. When a devastating attack robs her of her parents, she travels to Hrana City. There, her grandmother agrees to teach her the ultimate secret: how to tame death. In the circus, amongst the magicians, the strongmen and the contortionists, she will start down a dangerous road, to carry out a revenge decades in the making... and bring justice into the world for herself and for her family.Rich with glamour and strangeness, brutality and deceit and the dark magic of the circus, this haunting fable from a multi award-winning author will chill your bones and make your heart ache.
El tesoro de bayas de Beto / Beto's Berry Treasure (Storytelling Math)
by Jenny Lacika¡Celebra la diversidad, las matemáticas y el poder de la narración con esta edición bilingüe (español e inglés)! Un libro ilustrado de matemáticas para preescolares y niños de kínder con el cual es fácil relacionarse, ya que es parte de la experiencia cotidiana de los niños más pequeños.Celebrate diversity, math, and the power of storytelling with this bilingual (Spanish and English) edition!A math picture book for preschoolers and kindergarteners that&’s relatable and part of little kids&’ everyday experience.Beto quiere jugar a la fiesta de té con Cora, pero su hermana mayor solo quiere ser pirata. Para convencer a Cora, Beto crea un mapa hacia un delicioso tesoro escondido. ¡Pero Cora termina en el lugar equivocado! ¿Encontrará Cora el tesoro antes de que Beto se lo coma todo?Storytelling Math celebra a los niños que usan las matemáticas en sus aventuras diarias mientras juegan, construyen y descubren el mundo que los rodea. El tesoro de bayas de Beto es una exploración divertida del mapeo, con personajes chicanxs (mexicoamericanes).Beto wants to play tea party with Cora, but his big sister just wants to be a pirate. To get Cora on board, Beto makes a map to a delicious hidden treasure. But Cora ends up in the wrong place! Will Cora find the treasure before Beto eats it all?Storytelling Math celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Beto&’s Berry Treasure is a playful exploration of mapping, featuring Chicanx (Mexican American) characters.