Best of
Cultural

2014

Medicine Walk


Richard Wagamese - 2014
    He's sixteen years old and has had the most fleeting of relationships with the man. The rare moments they've shared haunt and trouble Frank, but he answers the call, a son's duty to a father. He finds Eldon decimated after years of drinking, dying of liver failure in a small town flophouse. Eldon asks his son to take him into the mountains, so he may be buried in the traditional Ojibway manner.     What ensues is a journey through the rugged and beautiful backcountry, and a journey into the past, as the two men push forward to Eldon's end. From a poverty-stricken childhood, to the Korean War, and later the derelict houses of mill towns, Eldon relates both the desolate moments of his life and a time of redemption and love and in doing so offers Frank a history he has never known, the father he has never had, and a connection to himself he never expected.    A novel about love, friendship, courage, and the idea that the land has within it powers of healing, Medicine Walk reveals the ultimate goodness of its characters and offers a deeply moving and redemptive conclusion. Wagamese's writing soars and his insight and compassion are matched by his gift of communicating these to the reader.

A History of Loneliness


John Boyne - 2014
    When he arrives at Clonliffe Seminary in the 1970s, it is a time in Ireland when priests are highly respected, and Odran believes that he is pledging his life to "the good."Forty years later, Odran's devotion is caught in revelations that shatter the Irish people's faith in the Catholic Church. He sees his friends stand trial, colleagues jailed, the lives of young parishioners destroyed, and grows nervous of venturing out in public for fear of disapproving stares and insults. At one point, he is even arrested when he takes the hand of a young boy and leads him out of a department store looking for the boy's mother.But when a family event opens wounds from his past, he is forced to confront the demons that have raged within the church, and to recognize his own complicity in their propagation, within both the institution and his own family.A novel as intimate as it is universal, A History of Loneliness is about the stories we tell ourselves to make peace with our lives. It confirms Boyne as one of the most searching storytellers of his generation.

The Borrowed


Chan Ho-Kei - 2014
    Along the way we meet Communist rioters, ultraviolent gangsters, stallholders at the city’s many covered markets, pop singers enmeshed in the high-stakes machinery of star-making, and a people always caught in the shifting balance of political power, whether in London or Beijing.A gripping and brilliantly constructed novel from a talented new voice in crime fiction, The Borrowed paints a dynamic portrait of Hong Kong and reveals just how closely the past and present are connected in this fascinating city.

The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures


Jayson Georges - 2014
    Western theology emphasizes forgiveness of sins, but people in the Majority World seek honor or spiritual power. In today’s globalized world, Christians need a three-dimensional gospel of God's innocence, honor, and power. Is your gospel 3D? Drawing from the author's mission experience and research, The 3D Gospel is a practical guide explaining many aspects of guilt, shame, and fear cultures: The main cultural characteristics How people function in everyday life The biblical narrative of salvation Doctrines of original sin and the atonement of Jesus Definitions of 40+ theological categories Key verses from scripture Two separate evangelistic approaches A contextualized form of Christian witness (truth, power, or community-encounter) Practical tips for relationships and communication

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell


Nadia Hashimi - 2014
    Their only hope lies in the ancient custom of bacha posh, which allows young Rahima to dress and be treated as a boy until she is of marriageable age. As a son, she can attend school, go to the market, and chaperone her older sisters.But Rahima is not the first in her family to adopt this unusual custom. A century earlier, her great-aunt, Shekiba, left orphaned by an epidemic, saved herself and built a new life the same way.Crisscrossing in time, The Pearl the Broke Its Shell interweaves the tales of these two women separated by a century who share similar destinies. But what will happen once Rahima is of marriageable age? Will Shekiba always live as a man? And if Rahima cannot adapt to life as a bride, how will she survive?

Stars Between the Sun and Moon: One Woman's Life in North Korea and Escape to Freedom


Lucia Jang - 2014
    However, there is nothing common about Jang. She is a woman of great emotional depth, courage, and resilience.Happy to serve her country, Jang worked in a factory as a young woman. There, a man she thought was courting her raped her. Forced to marry him when she found herself pregnant, she continued to be abused by him. She managed to convince her family to let her return home, only to have her in-laws and parents sell her son without her knowledge for 300 won and two bars of soap. They had not wanted another mouth to feed.By now it was the beginning of the famine of the 1990s that resulted in more than one million deaths. Driven by starvation—her family’s as well as her own—Jang illegally crossed the river to better-off China to trade goods. She was caught and imprisoned twice, pregnant the second time. She knew that, to keep the child, she had to leave North Korea. In a dramatic escape, she was smuggled with her newborn to China, fled to Mongolia under gunfire, and finally found refuge in South Korea before eventually settling in Canada.With so few accounts by North Korean women and those from its rural areas, Jang's fascinating memoir helps us understand the lives of those many others who have no way to make their voices known.

The Eye of the Sheep


Sofie Laguna - 2014
    He was the go-between, going between the animal kingdom and this one. I watched the waves as they rolled and crashed towards us, one after another, never stopping, always changing. I knew what was making them come, I had been there and I would always know."Meet Jimmy Flick. He's not like other kids. He finds a lot of the adult world impossible to understand - especially why his Dad gets so angry with him. Jimmy's mother Paula is the only one who can manage him. She teaches him how to count sheep so that he can fall sleep. She holds him tight enough to stop his cells spinning. It is only Paula who can keep Jimmy out of his father's way. But when Jimmy's world falls apart, he has no one else to turn to. He alone has to navigate the unfathomable world and make things right.Sofie Laguna's first novel, One Foot Wrong received rave reviews, sold all over the world and was longlisted for both the Miles Franklin and Prime Minister's Awards. In The Eye of the Sheep, her great originality and talent will again amaze and move readers. In the tradition of Room and The Lovely Bones, here is a surprising and brilliant novel from one of our finest writers.

Farewell Kabul: From Afghanistan to a More Dangerous World


Christina Lamb - 2014
    She crossed the Hindu Kush into Afghanistan with mujaheddin fighting the Russians and fell unequivocally in love with this fierce country of pomegranates and war, a relationship which has dominated her adult life.Since 2001, Lamb has watched with incredulity as the West fought a war with its hands tied, committed too little too late, failed to understand local dynamics and turned a blind eye as their Taliban enemy was helped by their ally Pakistan.Farewell Kabul tells how success was turned into defeat in the longest war fought by the United States in its history and by Britain since the Hundred Years War. It has been a fiasco which has left Afghanistan still one of the poorest nations on earth, the Taliban undefeated, and nuclear armed Pakistan perhaps the most dangerous place on earth.With unparalleled access to all key decision-makers in Afghanistan, Pakistan, London and Washington, from heads of state and generals as well as soldiers on the ground, Farewell Kabul tells how this happened.In Afghanistan, Lamb has travelled far beyond Helmand – from the caves of Tora Bora in the south to the mountainous bad lands of Kunar in the east; from Herat, city of poets and minarets in the west, to the very poorest province of Samangan in the north. She went to Guantánamo, met Taliban in Quetta, visited jihadi camps in Pakistan and saw bin Laden’s house just after he was killed. Saddest of all, she met women who had been made role models by the West and had then been shot, raped or forced to flee the country.This deeply personal book not only shows the human cost of political failure but explains how short-sighted encouragement of jihadis to fight the Russians, followed by prosecution of ill-thought-out wars, has resulted in the spread of terrorism throughout the Islamic world.

Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love


Samaa Habib - 2014
    An extremist faction of Islam bombs a church during a service. The one door in the back isn't big enough for five hundred people trying to escape. Some are killed. But after the chaos and fire and smoke, one young woman comes back to life.In this thrilling true tale, death does not have the final word. From the first time Samaa heard the Lord Jesus calling her out of Islam into faith in Him, till she met Him face to face in heaven, her life is marked by God's supernatural love and power. Full of hope and encouragement, and overflowing with Jesus' love, her riveting account reveals the power of God to break through any circumstance--and is a moving reminder that, in a place beyond what we can imagine, we have a Savior waiting to welcome us face to face.

The Tiger Queens: the Women of Genghis Khan


Stephanie Marie Thornton - 2014
    But it is the women who stand beside him who ensure his triumph....   After her mother foretells an ominous future for her, gifted Borte becomes an outsider within her clan. When she seeks comfort in the arms of aristocratic traveler Jamuka, she discovers he is the blood brother of Temujin, the man who agreed to marry her and then abandoned her long before they could wed.   Temujin will return and make Borte his queen, yet it will take many women to safeguard his fragile new kingdom. Their daughter, the fierce Alaqai, will ride and shoot an arrow as well as any man. Fatima, an elegant Persian captive, will transform her desire for revenge into an unbreakable loyalty. And Sorkhokhtani, a demure widow, will position her sons to inherit the empire when it begins to fracture from within. In a world lit by fire and ruled by the sword, the tiger queens of Genghis Khan come to depend on one another as they fight and love, scheme and sacrifice, all for the good of their family...and the greatness of the People of the Felt Walls.

A Man of Good Hope


Jonny Steinberg - 2014
    Among them was eight-year-old Asad Abdullahi. His mother murdered by a militia, his father somewhere in hiding, he was swept alone into the great wartime migration that scattered the Somali people throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the world.This extraordinary book tells Asad’s story. Serially betrayed by the people who promised to care for him, Asad lived his childhood at a skeptical remove from the adult world, his relation to others wary and tactical. He lived in a bewildering number of places, from the cosmopolitan streets of inner-city Nairobi to the desert towns deep in the Ethiopian hinterland.By the time he reached the cusp of adulthood, Asad had honed an array of wily talents. At the age of seventeen, in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, he made good as a street hustler, brokering relationships between hard-nosed businessmen and bewildered Somali refugees. He also courted the famously beautiful Foosiya, and, to the astonishment of his peers, seduced and married her.Buoyed by success in work and in love, Asad put twelve hundred dollars in his pocket and made his way down the length of the African continent to Johannesburg, South Africa, whose streets he believed to be lined with gold. And so began a shocking adventure in a country richer and more violent than he could possibly have imagined.A Man of Good Hope is the story of a person shorn of the things we have come to believe make us human—personal possessions, parents, siblings. And yet Asad’s is an intensely human life, one suffused with dreams and desires and a need to leave something permanent on this earth.

Wherever the River Runs: How a Forgotten People Renewed My Hope in the Gospel


Kelly Minter - 2014
    Her honest and engaging narrative pulls back the curtain on one of the most captivating places on earth as well as on parts of the gospel we may be able to recite but have never fully believed.For anyone feeling complacent in their American Christianity, Kelly’s story of the forgotten people of the Amazon and how they transformed her understanding of the gospel, is sure to inspire.

Culture Care


Makoto Fujimura - 2014
    Culture is a garden to be cultivated."Many bemoan the decay of culture. But we all have a responsibility to care for culture, to nurture it in ways that help people thrive. In Culture Care artist Makoto Fujimura issues a call to cultural stewardship, in which we become generative and feed our culture's soul with beauty, creativity, and generosity. We serve others as cultural custodians of the future.This is a book for artists, but artists come in many forms. Anyone with a calling to create—from visual artists, musicians, writers, and actors to entrepreneurs, pastors, and business professionals—will resonate with its message. This book is for anyone with a desire or an artistic gift to reach across boundaries with understanding, reconciliation, and healing. It is a book for anyone with a passion for the arts, for supporters of the arts, and for "creative catalysts" who understand how much the culture we all share affects human thriving today and shapes the generations to come.

Persuasive Pro Life: How to Talk about Our Culture's Toughest Issue


Trent Horn - 2014
    Either we think the subject is too impolite, or we don't want to be branded an intolerant fanatic, or we're afraid we won't represent the pro-life side well enough. With a little knowledge and a few practical and proven techniques, you can become a bold and effective advocate for life.Drawing on over a decade as a pro-life organizer, Horn cuts through the diversions of the "pro-choice" side in order to accurately frame the legal, historical, and medical issue surrounding abortion. He demonstrates with vivid personal examples from years of campus activism the importance of being charitable in all abortion discussions. We must be not just warriors for the pro-life cause, he says, but ambassadors for it.The struggle over abortion has never been hotter, and the stakes could not be higher. Read Persuasive Pro-Life today and never again be afraid to speak up for the precious and fundamental right to life.

A Time to Dance


Padma Venkatraman - 2014
    This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit. Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance—so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who’s grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.

Princess Hair


Sharee Miller - 2014
    They wear Braids, Blowouts, Afros and Twists! And every Princess loves her Princess Hair!

Not My Girl


Christy Jordan-Fenton - 2014
    Based on the true story of Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, and complemented by evocative illustrations, Not My Girl makes the original, award-winning memoir, A Stranger at Home, accessible to younger children. It is also a sequel to the picture book When I Was Eight. A poignant story of a determined young girl’s struggle to belong, it will both move and inspire readers everywhere.

A Kitchen in France: A Year of Cooking in My Farmhouse


Mimi Thorisson - 2014
    She found wonderful ingredients—from local farmers and the neighboring woods—and, most important, time to cook. Her cookbook chronicles the family’s seasonal meals and life in an old farmhouse, all photographed by her husband, Oddur. Mimi’s convivial recipes—such as Roast Chicken with Herbs and Crème Fraîche, Cèpe and Parsley Tartlets, Winter Vegetable Cocotte, Apple Tart with Orange Flower Water, and Salted Butter Crème Caramel—will bring the warmth of rural France into your home.

Chasing a Croatian Girl: A Survivor's Tale


Cody McClain Brown - 2014
    And they all were right, Croatia is all they say and more. However, if you only limit yourself to gazing over azure sea or visiting a bunch of old ruins, you will never find out how the real Croatians actually live amongst the bloody history of wars gone by and beauty of the land of sea and light.However, Cody McClain Brown, not-so-average American guy who met a not-so-average Croatian girl and managed to woo her, (a lengthy affair that ended up in marriage) will tell you what life here is all about. There is the endless coffee-drinking, there are dangers of mysterious drafts that lurk behind every open window, there are mothers-in-law, ubiquitous pillars of society and the absolute importance of wearing slippers, but there is also the meaning of friendship and life being lived in a slower, more connected way. His insightful, humorous and open-minded anecdotes will make you feel as if you lived here, at least for a short while. And maybe make you wish to visit us again!

Diamond Boy


Michael Williams - 2014
    Soon Patson is working in the mines himself, hoping to find his girazi--the priceless stone that could change his life forever. But when the government's soldiers comes to Marange, Patson's world is shattered.Set against the backdrop of President Robert Mugabe's brutal regime in Zimbabwe, Diamond Boy is the story of young man who succumbs to greed but finds his way out through a transformative journey to South Africa in search of his missing sister, in search of freedom, and in search of himself.

Eleanor Marx: A Life


Rachel Holmes - 2014
    Hers was the first English translation of Flaubert's Mme Bovary. She pioneered the theatre of Henrik Ibsen. She was the first woman to lead the British dock workers' and gas workers' trades unions. For years she worked tirelessly for her father, Karl Marx, as personal secretary and researcher. Later she edited many of his key political works, and laid the foundations for his biography. But foremost among her achievements was her pioneering feminism. For her, sexual equality was a necessary precondition for a just society.Drawing strength from her family and their wide circle, including Friedrich Engels and Wilhelm Liebknecht, Eleanor Marx set out into the world to make a difference - her favourite motto: 'Go ahead!' With her closest friends - among them, Olive Schreiner, Havelock Ellis, George Bernard Shaw, Will Thorne and William Morris - she was at the epicentre of British socialism. She was also the only Marx to claim her Jewishness. But her life contained a deep sadness: she loved a faithless and dishonest man, the academic, actor and would-be playwright Edward Aveling. Yet despite the unhappiness he brought her, Eleanor Marx never wavered in her political life, ceaselessly campaigning and organising until her untimely end, which - with its letters, legacies, secrets and hidden paternity - reads in part like a novel by Wilkie Collins, and in part like the modern tragedy it was.

Bird


Crystal Chan - 2014
    When she meets John, a mysterious new boy in her rural Iowan town, those secrets start to come out.

The Undocumented Mark Steyn


Mark Steyn - 2014
    For decades, Mark Steyn has dazzled readers around the world with his raucous wit and brutal honesty. Whether he's sounding off on the tyranny of political correctness, the existential threat of Islamic extremism, the "nationalization" of the family, or the "near suicidal stupidity" of America's immigration regime, Steyn is always provocative—and often laugh-out-loud hilarious. The Undocumented Mark Steyn gathers Steyn's best columns in a timeless and indispensable guide to the end of the world as we know it.

Cora Cooks Pancit


Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore - 2014
    One day, however, when her older sisters and brother head out, Cora finally gets the chance to be Mama's assistant chef. And of all the delicious Filipino dishes that dance through Cora's head, she and Mama decide to make pancit, her favorite noodle dish. With Mama's help, Cora does the grown-up jobs like shredding the chicken and soaking the noodles (perhaps Mama won't notice if she takes a nibble of chicken or sloshes a little water on the floor). Cora even gets to stir the noodles in the pot carefully-- while Mama supervises. When dinner is finally served, her siblings find out that Cora did all their grown-up tasks, and Cora waits anxiously to see what everyone thinks of her cooking.

Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices


Lisa CharleyboySierra Edd - 2014
    Truly universal in its themes, Dreaming In Indian will shatter commonly held stereotypes and challenge readers to rethink their own place in the world. Divided into four sections, ‘Roots,’ ‘Battles,’ ‘Medicines,’ and ‘Dreamcatchers,’ this book offers readers a unique insight into a community often misunderstood and misrepresented by the mainstream media.Additional authors: Julia Shaw, Raquel Simard, Alida Kinnie Starr, Arigon Starr, Kris Statnyk, Patty Stein, Aja Sy, Tanya Tagaq Gillis, Adriane Tailfeathers, Kit Thomas, Michelle Thrush, Faith Turner, Jeffrey Veregge, Tonya-Leah Watts, Shannon Webb-Campbell, Abigail Whiteye, Jade Willoughby and Darrel Yazzie Jr.

Beautiful Moon


Tonya Bolden - 2014
    He has forgotten to say his prayers. Outside his window, a beautiful harvest moon illuminates the city around him and its many inhabitants. As the moon slowly makes its way across the heavens, the boy offers a simple prayer for the homeless, the hungry, and others.Critically acclaimed author Tonya Bolden teams up with award‑winning illustrator Eric Velasquez to create a richly painted and emotionally complex book that celebrates prayer and kindness while recognizing the diversity of the world around us.

Scattered Links


M. Weidenbenner - 2014
    Scattered Links is a novel that pulls its characters from the gutters and, in the end, celebrates the tenacity of the human spirit. Thirteen-year-old Oksana lives on the streets of Russia with her pregnant mama and abusive aunt—both prostitutes. When Mama swells into labor, Oksana makes a decision to save herself from abandonment, a decision that torments her forever. But her plan fails when her aunt dumps her in an orphanage before she has the chance to say goodbye to her mama or tell her the secret that haunts her.Scattered Links is a story of family and the consequences that come from never learning how to love, of a girl’s inability to bond with her adopted family and the frustrations that follow. How can a child understand the mechanics of forming a healthy relationship when she never had a mother who answered her cries, held her when she was frightened, fed her when she was hungry, or loved her unconditionally?Only when the child meets a rescued abused horse, and recognizes the pain in his eyes, does she begin to trust again.

Liberty or Death


David Cook - 2014
    One hundred thousand peasants have risen up against the Crown to the tales of men, women and children butchered as traitors. It is whispered that the feared and despised ghosts of Oliver Cromwell’s New Model army have returned seeking bloodshed, and no one is safe.Major Lorn Mullone, a man forged by war and torn by past failures, is sent by the government to apprehend Colonel Black, a dangerous and shadowy figure, who is harming the fragile peace talks with his own murderous retribution.In a race against time, Lorn must journey across a country riven by fighting, where at the walled town of New Ross, he discovers a new horror.In the desperate battle for peace, Lorn must survive for the sake of Ireland's future.Liberty or Death is an authentic historical story set against the brutal backdrop of Ireland's Great Rebellion, the first novella in The Soldier Chronicles series.

The Golden Hairpin


侧侧轻寒 - 2014
    At seventeen, she’s on the run, accused of murdering her family to escape an arranged marriage. Driven by a single-minded pursuit, she must use her skills to unmask the real killer…and clear her name.But when Huang Zixia seeks the help of Li Shubai, the Prince of Kui, her life and freedom are bargained: agree to go undercover as his eunuch to stop a serial killer and to undo a curse that threatens to destroy the Prince’s life.Huang Zixia’s skills are soon tested when Li Shubai’s betrothed vanishes. With a distinctively exquisite golden hairpin as her only clue, Huang Zixia investigates—and discovers that she isn’t the only one in the guarded kingdom with a dangerous secret.

The Mission of God: A Manifesto of Hope


Joseph Boot - 2014
    Today, Western culture is facing an epochal turning point. Having largely abandoned the triune God and His Word in private and public life, the edifice of our civilization is crumbling. The humanistic and utopian architects of our "progressive" order erroneously assumed that our social order could remain stable and flourish without its foundation. The coming decades will accelerate our rapid decadent demise into pagan religion, economic decline and social decay, unless a renewal of Christian vitality is seen in the church by a recovery of biblical faith and truth for every area of life. The Mission of God is a clarion call for Christians and God's church to awaken and recover a full-orbed gospel and comprehensive faith that recognizes and applies the salvation-victory and lordship of Jesus Christ to all creation; from the family, to education, evangelism, law, church, state and every other sphere. Boot shows that the only hope for our time is the reign of Jesus Christ and His kingdom, arguing that, like a mustard seed, this kingdom grows as believers declare the good news and assert the crown rights of Christ the king, in the power and grace of the Holy Spirit.

His Name Was Ben


Paulette Mahurin - 2014
    Based on real events, Ben and Sara discover that when all else fails, healing can come in the most unexpected ways. Chilling and heart wrenching, His Name Was Ben is a triumph over the devastating circumstances and fear experienced when faced with a terminal illness. In this narrative, the power of love conquers shadows and transforms the very nature and meaning of what it is to be fully alive. From the award winning, best-selling author of, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap, comes a story filled with soul and passion that will leave the reader thinking about it for days after the last page is closed.“Paulette Mahurin compassionately renders an insightful tale about love and life in the moment, when a moment is all there is. Both ordinary and extraordinary, Sara and Ben kept me up at night rooting for them, as did Mahurin of course, a writer of exceptional heart, for her tender and wise depiction of love against all odds. A rare pleasure, His Name Was Ben is not to be missed.”—Lee Fullbright, author of The Angry Woman Suite “Against the biggest of obstacles a couple can face, the positive message is that it is never too late to start living.” –Christoph Fischer author of Sebastian.

The Miting


Dee Yoder - 2014
    Like many her age, she has lots of questions, but the temporary flight of freedom known as rumspringen is not the answer for her. She does not desire Englisher fashion, all-night parties, movies, or lots of boyfriends. Leah is seeking to understand her relationship with God, to deepen and broaden her faith by joining a Bible study hosted by an ex-Amish couple. She wants to know why Amish life is the only lifestyle her family accepts, why the church has so many rules, and . . . most disturbing, how godly men can allow her best friend to be abused in her own home. In the pressure-cooker environment of church and family, Leah is not allowed to ask these questions. When finally she reaches the breaking point, she walks away from the Old Order Amish life that is all she has known. Though adapting amiably to the Englisher world, Leah is tormented with homesickness. Returning to the community, however, entails a journey of pain and sorrow Leah could never have imagined. The miting--shunning--that will now be Leah's unendurable oppression every day is beyond her most devoted attempts to believe or understand. All the bishop and her family ask is that she abandon her practice of reading the Bible. Is that a price she is willing to pay?

The Ayahuasca Test Pilots Handbook: The Essential Guide to Ayahuasca Journeying


Chris Kilham - 2014
    Ayahuasca, the Amazonian psychoactive plant brew, has become vastly popular. Once the sole purview of shamans and indigenous native people in the great Amazon rainforest, ayahuasca is now becoming well known—and widely used—around the globe. Today, foreigners from all over the world flock in ever-burgeoning numbers to the steamy Amazon, drinking bitter ayahuasca with shamans and curanderos in order to access its potent healing and spirit-enlivening effects. What began as a mere trickle of visitors in the 1980s has become a surging riptide of seekers. Chris Kilham (Fox News's "Medicine Hunter") has worked closely with South American shamans for two decades and has sat in ayahuasca ceremonies with at least 20 different shamans. Through his "Ayahuasca Test Pilots" program, Kilham has brought numerous people to the Amazon to engage in ceremonies with maestro ayahuasceros. Clear, concise, straightforward, and well informed, The Ayahuasca Test Pilots Handbook is an indispensable guide for anyone curious about this unusual plant medicine.

The Art of Guardians of the Galaxy


Marie Javins - 2014
    Reilly, Glenn Close as Commander Rael and Benicio Del Toro as the Collector.

Soldier of Change: From the Closet to the Forefront of the Gay Rights Movement


Stephen Snyder-Hill - 2014
    policy on gays serving in the military, was repealed in September 2011, soldier Stephen Snyder-Hill (then Captain Hill) was serving in Iraq. Having endured years of this policy, which passively encouraged a culture of fear and secrecy for gay soldiers, Snyder-Hill submitted a video to a Republican primary debate (held two days after the repeal). In the video he asked for the Republicans’ thoughts regarding the repeal and their plans, if any, to extend spousal benefits to legally married gay and lesbian soldiers. His video was booed by the audience on national television. Soldier of Change captures not only the media frenzy that followed that moment, placing Snyder-Hill at the forefront of this modern civil rights movement, but also his twenty-year journey as a gay man in the army: from self-loathing to self-acceptance, to the most important battle of his life–protecting the disenfranchised. Since that time, Snyder-Hill has traveled the country with his husband, giving interviews on major news networks and speaking at universities, community centers, and pride parades, a champion of LGBT equality.

Green Is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors


Roseanne Thong - 2014
    Children discover all the bright colors in their Hispanic American neighborhood.

The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing


Mira Jacob - 2014
    Now, twenty years later, in the heat of a New Mexican summer, Thomas has begun having bizarre conversations with his dead relatives and it's up to Amina-a photographer in the midst of her own career crisis-to figure out what is really going on. But getting to the truth is far harder than it seems. From Thomas's unwillingness to talk, to Kamala's Born Again convictions, to run-ins with a hospital staff that seems to know much more than they let on, Amina finds herself at the center of a mystery so thick with disasters that to make any headway at all, she has to unravel the family's painful past.

Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend


Christo Brand - 2014
    Raised in a multi-ethnic farming community, Afrikaner Christo Brand was confused and saddened when he first confronted the realities of South African apartheid.  Conscripted into the military at 18, Brand chose to serve as a prison guard rather than embrace the brutality and danger inherent in the work of soldiers and policemen.  Assigned to the maximum security facility on remote Robben Island, Brand was given charge of the country's most infamous inmate: Nelson Mandela.  For 12 years Brand watched Mandela scrub floors, empty his toilet bucket, grieve over the deaths of family and friends yet remain as strong as any freedom fighter in history.  Won over by Madiba's charm and authentic concern for the well-being of others, Brand became Mandela's confidant and at times accomplice.  Celebrating triumphs and suffering through many setbacks, the two men formed an unlikely bond, one that would endure until Mandela's death. Told with candor and reverence, Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend is both a meditation on friendship and a moving testament to the dedication, determination and—most of all—humanity exuded by one of the world's great leaders.

The Spider and the Stone: A Novel of Scotland’s Black Douglas


Glen Craney - 2014
    Isabelle MacDuff prays to escape a fate worse than death. And while their fellow Scots scrap over the empty throne, the brutal Edward Longshanks of England invades the weakened northern kingdom.Yet one young warrior--who will become feared by his enemies as the Black Douglas--stands in the path of three Plantagenet monarchs. Their clans are sworn rivals, but James pursues the ravishing Isabelle, whose forefathers for centuries have inaugurated kings on the hallowed Stone of Destiny. Their world is upturned when James befriends Robert Bruce, a bitter foe of the MacDuffs. Both James and Isabelle must make agonizing decisions that will draw the armies to the bloody field of Bannockburn.Here is the story of the remarkable events following the execution of William Wallace of Braveheart fame. Set during the Bruce wars of independence, The Spider and the Stone is the unforgettable saga of the star-crossed love, religious intrigue, fierce friendship in arms, and heroic sacrifice that preserved Scotland's freedom during its time of greatest peril. -- Chaucer Award First-Place Historical Fiction-- Foreword Finalist Book-of-the-Year Historical Fiction-- indieBRAG Medallion -- BTS Magazine Reader's Choice Honorable Mention

Walking Home


Eric Walters - 2014
         13-year-old Muchoki and his younger sister, Jata, can barely recognize what's become of their lives. Only weeks ago they lived in a bustling Kenyan village, going to school, playing soccer with friends, and helping at their parents' store. But sudden political violence has killed their father and destroyed their home. Now, Muchoki, Jata, and their ailing mother live in a tent in an overcrowded refugee camp. By day, they try to fend off hunger and boredom. By night, their fears about the future are harder to keep at bay. Driven by both hope and desperation, Muchoki and Jata set off on what seems like an impossible journey: to walk hundreds of kilometers to find their last remaining family.

'Twas Nochebuena


Roseanne Thong - 2014
    Make tasty tamales and hang colorful adornos (decorations) on the walls. Gather to sing festive canciones (songs) while sipping champurrado (hot chocolate). After the midnight feast has been served and the last gifts have been unwrapped, it’s time to cheer, “Feliz Navidad and to all a good night!”Savor the magic of Nochebuena with a holiday tale you’ll want to read again and again.

Above the East China Sea


Sarah Bird - 2014
    Above the East China Sea tells the entwined stories of two teenaged girls, an American and an Okinawan, whose lives are connected across seventy years by the shared experience of profound loss, the enduring strength of an ancient culture, and the redeeming power of family love. Luz James, a contemporary U.S. Air Force brat, lives with her strictly-by-the-rules sergeant mother at Kadena Air Base in Okianawa. Luz’s older sister, her best friend and emotional center, has just been killed in the Afghan war. Unmoored by her sister’s death and a lifetime of constant moving from base to base, Luz turns for the comfort her service-hardened mother cannot offer to the “Smokinawans,” the “waste cases,” who gather to get high every night in a deserted cove. When even pills, one-hitters, Cuervo Gold, and a growing crush on Jake Furusato aren’t enough to soften the unbearable edge, the desolate girl contemplates taking her own life.In 1945, Tamiko Kokuba, along with two hundred of her classmates, is plucked out of her elite girls’ high school and trained to work in the Imperial Army’s horrific cave hospitals. With defeat certain, Tamiko finds herself squeezed between the occupying Japanese and the invading Americans. She believes she has lost her entire family, as well as the island paradise she so loved, and, like Luz, she aches with a desire to be reunited with her beloved sister. On an island where the spirits of the dead are part of life and your entire clan waits for you in the afterworld, suicide offers Tamiko the promise of peace. As Luz tracks down the story of her own Okinawan grandmother, she discovers that, if she surrenders to the most unbrat impulse and allows herself to connect completely with a place and its people, the ancestral spirits will save not only Tamiko but her as well. Propelled by a riveting narrative and set at the very epicenter of the headline-grabbing clash now emerging between the great powers, Above the East China Sea is at once a remarkable chronicle of how war shapes the lives of conquerors as well as the conquered and a deeply moving account of family, friendship, and love that transcends time.

Ex-Muslim: How One Daring Prayer to Jesus Changed a Life Forever


Naeem Fazal - 2014
    But he didn’t just reveal himself; he turned Naeem Fazal’s world upside down. Moving from Kuwait to Charleston, South Carolina, had been an adventure. Surrendering his life to Jesus Christ was actual treason. And yet, Jesus brought Fazal the most powerful peace he had ever experienced: “It filled the room. It grew roots in my heart and in my soul. It intoxicated me.” In this riveting memoir, Fazal describes how God used extraordinary means to bring a young, underachieving, Muslim immigrant through Desert Storm, across the oceans, into college, and ultimately to pastor a Christian church in North Carolina. He demonstrates that no character flaw, no distance, no cultural chasm is too great for Jesus to reach across. Fazal is candid about his shortcomings, practical about the challenges of cross-cultural engagement, and ultimately inspiring that God is capable of far more than we have grown to expect. He says, “Jesus consistently, stubbornly refuses to limit himself to my expectations. Which makes getting to know him an unfolding adventure of epic proportions.” Whether you are a Muslim, Christian, or neither, Ex-Muslim makes a compelling case that life with Jesus Christ is a true adventure.

Dark Girls


Bill Duke - 2014
    In Dark Girls, celebrities such as Lupita Nyong'o, Vanessa Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Judge Mablean Ephriam, Brandi and Karli Harvey, and over seventy-five other outstanding women share intimate insights into what their dark skin means to them.Filled with gorgeous photographs, this thoughtful, sophisticated, alluring, and uplifting collection captures the elegance of dark skin—joyfully showcasing that we truly are beautiful for who we are.

The God of Sno Cone Blue


Marcia Coffey Turnquist - 2014
    Medallion.Story summary: Something is odd about Grace. She has mismatched eyes, one dark and one light. She thinks she's seen God. When her mother dies, she begins to get letters from her, as if from the grave. The letters tell of her mother's life before she married Grace's father, in time, confessing fiercely guarded family secrets. "I wasn't always a Preacher's Wife... I made mistakes along the way."Looking back, as a middle-aged woman, Grace relives those transformative years, coming of age in the 1960s as the daughter of The Reverend Thad Carsten and his much-younger wife, Sharon. When they move to a new neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, Sharon is healthy and Grace takes turmoil in stride: a new school, her backward neighbors, the simmering Vietnam War and political unrest. On the whole, life is sublime-until Sharon gets sick and dies. Then Grace's world turns upside down.Days after Sharon is gone, the letters to her daughter start coming, delivered mysteriously in the dark of night. Grace finds them-addressed to her-and devours every word, desperate to figure out who's delivering them. As she struggles with questions of loss and faith, she begins to butt heads with the preacher, increasingly focused on the mysterious messenger and her mother's letters. The handwritten pages arrive periodically as Grace matures, fostering a strange mother daughter relationship.Early on, the letters offer motherly advice, but increasingly they shift their focus to Sharon's early teens, eventually confessing a forbidden young adult romance. By then, Grace is desperate for the rest of the story, searching everywhere for her mother's writings, until finally there's a breakthrough. When she reads the last of the letters-and an astonishing truth-she embarks on a journey that changes her life and perspective forever.What did Sharon confess in the last letter to her daughter? How does it affect their unusual mother daughter relationship? As Grace runs away to trace her mother's past and teenage romance, what will she find?With its elements of romance and mystery, The God of Sno Cone Blue, sometimes searched as "Snow" Cone Blue is best described as contemporary women's fiction, though its strong central male character also appeals to men. The novel's storyline and mother daughter relationship are fitting Inspirational Fiction, and its passion and coming of age tale are appropriate for teenagers and young adults.* USA Today Bestselling Author Linda Needham on this inspirational fiction story: "The God of Sno Cone Blue is a joyous celebration of a young girl's journey to womanhood. Grace is a modern match for Tom Sawyer, with a grand spirit and enough spunk to weather the heartache of losing her mother at a tender age. Along the way, she gains the wisdom to recognize the breadth of her mother's love through a series of posthumous, sometimes shocking letters delivered in the years that follow. With a driving style and a colorful cast of eccentric characters, author Marcia Coffey Turnquist fiercely delivers equal parts laughter, sorrow and the kind of joy that will stay with you long after you've finished the book."*Author Rod Gramer on this novel fraught with family secrets: "Marcia has created a compelling character in Grace, one whose great personal loss is redeemed by a great personal discovery."*Portland Society Page editor Elisa Klein on the story's mystery and romance: "Surprises abound and the twists and turns kept me flipping pages late into the night as I curled up in my favorite chair to drink it all in."*Award-winning artist D.K. Lubarsky on this coming of age novel: "A masterful storyteller, Turnquist takes you on a magical journey of discovery in this poignant tale of innocence and growing up. The God of Sno Cone Blue is a delightful read."

Did Jesus Rise From The Dead?


William Lane Craig - 2014
    . . perhaps Jesus was comatose. Or perhaps his body was stolen. Or maybe the women arrived at the wrong tomb . . . they were grieving, after all; it would have been an honest mistake. There are any number of explanations. Dr. William Lane Craig uses well-documented historical facts to explore the evidence that surrounds the days following Jesus’ crucifixion. Without assuming “the Bible says so,” Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? presents positive religious, cultural, and historical evidence for the reality of the resurrection while breaking down the six most common hypotheses used to explain the unusual events that unfolded from the moment Christ breathed his last. Thoroughly researched, yet deftly digestible, Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? belongs in the library of any apologist, skeptic, or seeker.

Along the Tapajós


Fernando Vilela - 2014
    Here, the homes are on stilts and everyone travels around by boat—even to school! When the rainy season comes, they must leave their village and relocate to higher ground for a while. But after moving this year, Cauã and Inaê realize they’ve left behind something important: their pet tortoise, Titi! Unlike turtles, tortoises can’t swim, and Cauã and Inaê are really worried. So the pair sneaks back at night on a journey along the river to rescue him. Will they be able to save Titi?This picture book, first published in Brazil, offers kids a unique look into the lives of children who live along Brazil’s beautiful Tapajós River.

Northkill


Bob Hostetler - 2014
    Along with other members of their church, they settled in the Northkill Amish Mennonite community on the Pennsylvania frontier between civilization and wilderness and built a home near Northkill Creek.For eighteen years the community lived at peace. Then, with the French and Indian War raging, the Hochstetlers’ way of life was brutally shattered. Early on the morning of September 20, 1757, their home was attacked by a party of Delaware and Shawnee warriors allied with the French. Facing certain death with his wife and children, Jakob made a wrenching choice that tore apart his family and changed all of their lives forever.Northkill is closely based on an inspiring true story well-known among the Amish and Mennonites. It has been documented in many publications and in contemporary accounts preserved in the Pennsylvania State Archives and in private collections.

Blood in the Fields: Ten Years Inside California's Nuestra Familia Gang


Julia Reynolds - 2014
    Born in the prisons of California in the late 1960s, Nuestra Familia expanded to control drug trafficking and extortion operations throughout the northern half of the state, and left a trail of bodies in its wake. Award-winning journalist Julia Reynolds tells the gang’s story from the inside out, following young men and women as they search for a new kind of family, quests that usually lead to murder and betrayal. Blood in the Fields also documents the history of Operation Black Widow, the FBI’s questionable decade-long effort to dismantle the Nuestra Familia, along with its compromised informants and the turf wars it created with local law enforcement agencies. Reynolds used her unprecedented access to gang members, both in and out of prison, as well as undercover wire taps, depositions, and court documents to weave a gripping, comprehensive history of this brutal criminal organization and the lives it destroyed.

Fashionable Selby


Todd Selby - 2014
    The subjects include a mix of the avant-garde, the traditional, the must-haves, and the totally unexpected. Chapters on individual artists bring readers inside their studios, workshops, and homes, and include Selby’s signature photographs and watercolors of not only the artists and their environments, but also the things that inspire them, the materials they use, their creative process, the people who work alongside them, and the final pieces. From the showroom of one of the Antwerp Six to the studios of Central St. Martins in London to a punk knitter in Brooklyn, Selby captures some of fashion’s biggest names, rising stars, and best-kept secrets.

Portrait of Stella


Susan Wüthrich - 2014
    Jemima Ashton is desperate to discover her real identity. With scant information and the burning question 'who am I?', she embarks on an incredible journey of detection. On learning of her late mother Stella's disappearance during WWII, she retraces her footsteps across the globe and at a distant vineyard, unearths a family she had no idea existed. While treading a path of narrow-minded bigotry, scandalous revelations emerge of two families inextricably linked by one woman and the drastic steps they took to hide the truth. ‘A powerful story of love and loss spanning two generations’ Frances di Plino - author of the Paolo Storey Crime Series

Band of Giants: The Amateur Soldiers Who Won America's Independence


Jack Kelly - 2014
    Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin are known to all; men like Morgan, Greene, and Wayne are less familiar. Yet the dreams of the politicians and theorists only became real because fighting men were willing to take on the grim, risky, brutal work of war. We know Fort Knox, but what about Henry Knox, the burly Boston bookseller who took over the American artillery at the age of 25? Eighteen counties in the United States commemorate Richard Montgomery, but do we know that this revered martyr launched a full-scale invasion of Canada? The soldiers of the American Revolution were a diverse lot: merchants and mechanics, farmers and fishermen, paragons and drunkards. Most were ardent amateurs. Even George Washington, assigned to take over the army around Boston in 1775, consulted books on military tactics. Here, Jack Kelly vividly captures the fraught condition of the war—the bitterly divided populace, the lack of supplies, the repeated setbacks on the battlefield, and the appalling physical hardships. That these inexperienced warriors could take on and defeat the superpower of the day was one of the remarkable feats in world history.

Eat Dat New Orleans: A Guide to the Unique Food Culture of the Crescent City


Michael Murphy - 2014
    It highlights nearly 250 eating spots—sno-cone stands and food carts as well as famous restaurants—and spins tales of the city’s food lore, such as the controversial history of gumbo and the Shakespearean drama of restaurateur Owen Brennan and his heirs.Both first-time visitors and seasoned travelers will be helped by a series of appendixes that list restaurants by cuisine, culinary classes and tours, food festivals, and indispensable “best of” lists chosen by an A-list of the city’s food writers and media personalities, including Poppy Tooker, Lolis Eric Elie, Ian McNulty, Sara Roahen, Marcelle Bienvenu, Amy C. Sins, and Liz Williams.

Twenty-Two Cents: Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank


Paula Yoo - 2014
    Includes an afterword and author's sources"--

She Wore Red Trainers


Na'ima B. Robert - 2014
    And, although Ali is still coming to terms with the loss of his mother and exploring his identity as a Muslim, and although Amirah has sworn never to get married, they can't stop thinking about each other. Can Ali and Amirah ever have a halal "happily ever after"?

Johnny Nothing


Ian Probert - 2014
    The poorest boy in school has just inherited £1 million. But there is a catch: If he can hold on to his cash for a whole year he will earn ten times that amount. Enter Felicity MacKenzie, the ugliest, sweatiest, vilest, cruelest, hairiest mother in the western world. When she steals her son’s money and goes on the spending spree to end all spending sprees it seems that Johnny Nothing will stay poor forever. However, Johnny has a plan – he will imprison his parents and force them to do homework and go to bed early as punishment. Join Johnny Nothing, Bill and Ben the bouncer men, Ebenezer Dark and a cast of literally dozens in (probably) the funniest book you will (most likely) ever read in (some of) your lifetime. Learn why solicitors like handbags; why dead people are windier than the North Sea; why parents dislike electrocution; and what happens to you after you die. Johnny Nothing: Book 01 in a series of less than two from best-selling author Ian Probert.

Facing Leviathan: Leadership, Influence, and Creating in a Cultural Storm


Mark Sayers - 2014
    It is the reinvocation of two great heresies, one rooted in an attempt to reach for godlikeness, the other bowing before the sea monster of the chaotic deep.Today’s leader must answer many challenging questions including:What does it mean to lead in a cultural storm?How do I battle the darkness in my own heart?Is there such a thing as a perfect leader?Weaving a history of leadership through the Enlightenment, Romanticism, tumultuous 19th-century Paris, and eventually World War II, cultural commentator Mark Sayers brings history and theology together to warn of the dangers yet to come, calling us to choose a better way.

We All Count: A Book of Cree Numbers


Julie Flett - 2014
    We all count. (from back cover)In this board book, Cree/Metis author Julie Flett beautifully illustrates simple English phrases demonstrating Cree Culture. Along the way, readers can practice counting using the Cree language.

The Illustrated Life Of Paul


Charles L. Quarles - 2014
    Paul’s influence upon the early church’s most cherished convictions is so clear and powerful that some scholars have dared to describe him as the founder of Christianity. Paul had a greater impact on the formation of the Christian church than any other apostle. He wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament so that nearly half of the New Testament documents bear his name. Although some of Paul’s letters are brief compared to other New Testament books, his epistles compromise approximately one-fourth of the total volume of the New Testament. Approximately sixteen chapters of the Book of Acts focus on Paul’s persecution of the church, conversion, missionary labors, arrest and imprisonment. When these chapters are combined with Paul’s letters, Paul may be recognized as the author or subject of nearly one-third of the New Testament. Paul was not only the most effective Christian missionary and church planter in history, but also the most significant and influential interpreter of Jesus’ teachings and of the significance of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and return. This book introduces readers to this amazing man and his incredible story. It explains the background of each of Paul’s letters and offers a summary of the beliefs of one of the keenest theological minds in the history of the church. All along, it enables the reader an opportunity to step into the world of Paul with over 150 photos, maps, illustrations, and charts.

The River Runs Salt, Runs Sweet: A Young Woman's Story of Love, Loss and Survival


Jasmina Dervisevic-Cesic - 2014
    How could she talk to the boy she liked without making a fool of herself? Would she find the right shoes to wear to the high school party? She had heard the old stories about World War II, when neighbor turned against neighbor, but she never gave them a second thought. That had all happened ages ago and she was living in a modern Yugoslavian city were Serbs and Muslims were close friends. Then Yugoslavia started to break apart, the national army turned its guns against its own people and Jasmina had to grow up fast. The River Runs Salt, Runs Sweet is a young woman’s powerful and inspiring memoir of love, loss and survival during The Bosnian War. The innocent paid the greatest price in Bosnia. More than half of the four million residents in Bosnia became refugees, an estimated 100,000 people were killed and 20,000-50,000 women were raped, many of them repeatedly. The Bosnians didn’t ask for NATO or UN troops—just the means to defend themselves from genocide so they didn’t have to fight tanks with old hunting rifles. Jasmina wrote her story to bear witness to what happened to her country and to the people she loved and lost. But as she wrote, she came to understand that her story was about much more. Everyone experiences loss. Everyone, even in peacetime, loses loved ones. Everyone feels jostled or even violated by events beyond their control. Everyone suffers the losses of disillusionment and betrayal, sooner or later. As she thought about the things that kept her going in the worst of times, Jasmina began to understand that her story was about more than Bosnia. It was about how we manage to endure, to support one another and to recover from the most difficult of trials. “My losses happened to come all at once—personally, physically and emotionally. I lost some of my faith in humanity when I discovered that people who were your best friends one day could conspire to destroy you the next. And there were more losses beyond that. Ultimately, I lost almost everything that many of us would call a normal life. Yet here I am, on the road back not only to a normal life, but perhaps a happy one...” There are many who have endured the suffering Jasmina experienced as a young woman, but survival is our most basic instinct. What sets her apart is that in the midst of genocide, her humanity survived. And in her remarkable story, we can find lessons and inspiration to help us persevere when we encounter turbulent times of our own.

New Lone Wolf and Cub, Volume 1


Kazuo Koike - 2014
    Ogami Itto, the Lone Wolf, and his nemesis, Yagyu Retsudo, lie dead on the field of their titanic duel. Ogami's young son, Daigoro, will not leave his father side, and none dare help the child, none save Togo Shigetada, a samurai on a desperate and deadly mission of his own! Written by legendary series creator Kazuo Koike, illustrated by Hideki Mori ("Bokko"), translated by Dana Lewis.

A Shelter of Others


Charles Dodd White - 2014
    As Mason and Lavada set forth to recover themselves, they remain entrenched in the rural and rugged landscape that bore them and their haunted histories. This moving story tells of the families we’re borne into, the families we make for ourselves, and how tightly woven are the ties that bind.“Charles Dodd White’s writing is dark, gothic and steeped in a voice that is all his own. A Shelter of Others confronts what it means to be human.” Frank Bill, author of Donnybrook“It would be easy to draw comparisons to Harry Crews, Ron Rash, or James Salter, but to do so would overlook a voice uniquely his own. Charles Dodd White whittles language down to its most beautiful form. His prose has been pared to poetry. Simple as that.” David Joy, author of Where All Light Tends To Go

Under a Turquoise Sky


Lisa Carter - 2014
    . . the vast, untamed wilderness of the Navajo Reservation.Transporting Kailyn to New Mexico may not be as easy as Aaron would like. Kailyn is a high-maintenance Southern belle who is determined to assert her independence at every step. Although Aaron's job is to protect her from the dangers that could get them both killed, Kailyn is getting to him. As an undercover agent, Aaron has grown adept at playing many roles. But will he be able to embrace his true identity and God's plan for his life in order to keep Kailyn alive?

And the Sun Always Sets


Danny Odato - 2014
    Mariyum tells the story of her life in a small Pakistani village, of her love of books and learning, and the challenges of living with a father who has given up on his family's future. But the harsh reality of her world suddenly emerges, and she and her soul mate, Faisal, must embark on a journey to escape the corruption and oppression of their community-to live by their own merits and on their own terms. Their path is full of treachery, deceit, and more obstacles than they imagined, and they soon discover that it may not be their destiny to live by their own decisions in this modern world. In And the Sun Always Sets, a suspenseful and romantic tale, Mariyum and Faisal eventually decide to take desperate measures in order to be together...no matter what the cost.

Emma Learns to Sprout


Shir Guez - 2014
    Sprouting is a great way to provide your children with more vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in a fun, quick, simple and cheap way! It doesn't require anything but basic dishes that are available in every kitchen. Sprouting makes favorite foods healthier, and the legumes' sprouts can be used raw in a salad or as a snack, and they also make a great alternative in any recipes that contain legumes. In addition to its enormous health benefits, sprouting makes a great parent-child activity. It's also good to know that sprouting makes legumes easier to digest. Therefore, it may help those who have a problem digesting legumes. * According to the USDA database, sprouted legumes contains dozens and even hundreds percentages more of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients per calorie than legumes that weren't sprouted.

Briarwood Cottage


JoAnn Ross - 2014
    Can the magic of the Emerald Isle and the Lady reunite these two wounded hearts?

Crucify!: Why the Crowd Killed Jesus


Timothy J. Stoner - 2014
    One Sunday morning in Jerusalem Jesus's admirers choke the streets celebrating his arrival, and five days later they are in a frenzy crying out for his blood.This book addresses this inexplicable reversal and faces the question: if the current image of Jesus is accurate, if he was a model of tolerance and inclusivity; an other-worldly Savior; a Jewish revolutionary intent on defending the poor against the powerful, how do we explain this mass defection?What is it about Jesus that made His family think Him insane, His followers want to arrest Him and His friends and neighbors attempt to kill Him? And why, after 2,000 years, does His name still provoke such controversy and hostility? Perhaps there is something about this man that we do not know.

Anton Chekhov's Selected Stories (Norton Critical Editions)


Anton ChekhovHarvey Pitcher - 2014
    6,” “The Lady with the Little Dog,” “Anna on the Neck,” “The Name-Day Party,” “The Kiss,” An Incident at Law,” and “Elements Most Often Found in Novels, Short Stories, Etc.” This edition features twenty-five brand-new translations, commissioned expressly for this volume from Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, Peter Constantine, Rosamund Bartlett, Michael Henry Heim, among others. Twenty translations have been selected from the published work of such master translators as Patrick Miles and Harvey Pitcher, Ann Dunnigan, and Ronald Hingley. Seven additional translations are by Constance Garnett, substantially revised by Cathy Popkin. All stories are annotated to clarify unfamiliar material and to point out differences in the translators’ strategies."Life and Letters" includes a rich selection of Chekhov’s letters, some in English for the first time, some with previously redacted passages restored, as well as Aileen Kelly’s portrait of Chekhov.“Criticism” explores the wide range of approaches and interpretations in two sections. “Approaches” juxtaposes five different perspectives on how to read Chekhov, represented by Peter Bitsilli, Alexander Chudakov, Robert Louis Jackson, Vladimir Kataev, and Radislav Lapushin. “Interpretations” contains ten divergent readings of stories in this edition. Case studies include Michael Finke on “At Sea”; Cathy Popkin on “[A Nervous] Breakdown”; Julie de Sherbinin on “Peasant Women”; Liza Knapp on “Ward No. 6”; Robert Louis Jackson on “Rothschild’s Fiddle” and “The Student”; Wolf Schmid on “The Student”; John Freedman on “Man in a Case,” “Gooseberries,” and “About Love”; Caryl Emerson on “A Calamity,” “Anna on the Neck,” “About Love,” and “The Lady with the Little Dog”; and Rufus Mathewson on “The Lady with the Little Dog” and “The Beauties.”A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are included, as is a postscript on the translators and their work. A special section, “Comparison Translations,” gives passages from selected stories in multiple translations.

Stop the Coming Civil War: My Savage Truth


Michael Savage - 2014
    Not between the states, but between true patriots who believe in our nation's founding principles and those he believes are working every day to undermine them and change the very nature of the country. Michael Savage is convinced we face more than just political differences. He believes the split between right and left is possibly irreversible unless we understand what's destroying American values and how to stop it. This fervent warning offers the Savage truth - a call to action in the voting booth - in order to defend the freedoms our Constitution so brilliantly established.

This Is the World: A Global Treasury


Miroslav Sasek - 2014
    Sasek’s most popular children’s travel books. From London to Hong Kong, Sydney to San Francisco, readers will delight in this charming journey through the world’s great cities. With deft strokes of his paintbrush and a witty voice to match, master illustrator and storyteller M. Sasek captured the essence of the world’s major capitals and brought them to life for an entire generation of young readers. Now, more than fifty years later, those same readers are passing these stories down to their children and their children’s children, and Sasek’s This is series has officially reached iconic status. Collected here for the first time in one affordable volume are some of Sasek’s most beloved adventures. From Notre Dame in Paris to a trolley car in the hills of San Francisco, with stops for sausages in Munich and a yacht race in Sydney, this book takes children and adults alike on a whirlwind trip to some of the world’s greatest destinations. An inspirational travelogue that introduces readers to the art, architecture, music, food, and traditions of multiple cities and countries, This is the World is the perfect book for international commuters and would-be travelers of all ages. This anthology includes excerpts from: This is New York, This is Paris, This is Greece, This is London, This is Australia, This is Texas, This is Munich, This is Rome, This is Britain, This is Hong Kong, This is Israel, This is San Francisco, This is Edinburgh, This is Venice, This is Washington D.C., and This is Ireland.

Forgiveness


Mark Sakamoto - 2014
    On the other side of the country, Mitsue Sakamoto and her family felt their pleasant life in Vancouver starting to fade away after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.Ralph found himself one of the many Canadians captured by the Japanese in December 1941. He would live out his war in a prison camp, enduring beatings, starvation, electric feet and a journey on a hell ship to Japan, watching his friends and countrymen die all around him. Mitsue and her family were ordered out of their home and were packed off to a work farm in rural Alberta, leaving many of their possessions behind. By the end of the war, Ralph was broken but had survived. The Sakamotos lost everything when the community centre housing their possessions was burned to the ground, and the $25 compensation from the government meant they had no choice but to start again.Forgiveness intertwines the compelling stories of Ralph MacLean and the Sakamotos as the war rips their lives and their humanity out of their grasp. But somehow, despite facing such enormous transgressions against them, the two families learned to forgive. Without the depth of their forgiveness, this book's author, Mark Sakamoto, would never have existed.

Gotta Find a Home: Conversations with Street People


Dennis Cardiff - 2014
    Documenting their stories will, I hope, introduce them to the public in a non-threatening way. Some panhandlers look intimidating, but that disappears when one sees them laugh. A typical day for me involves taking the bus and walking two blocks to work. I pass Joy’s spot every day. I usually sit and talk with her for twenty to thirty minutes. Chester and Hippo may drop by to chat. Most afternoons, depending on weather, I walk two blocks to the park where the group of panhandlers varies in size from two to twenty or more. They don’t panhandle at the park. Like a soap opera, every day is different; some scenarios will carry over a few days or weeks. People will disappear for weeks or months due illness, rehab programs or incarceration. When I met Joy I was going through an emotional crisis. Meeting her and her friends – worrying about them and whether or not they would be able to eat and find a place to sleep – took my mind off my problems, that then, seemed insignificant. It was truly a life changing experience.

Bourbon Street: A History


Richard Campanella - 2014
    A fascinating investigation into the mile-long urban space that is Bourbon Street, Richard Campanella's comprehensive cultural history spans from the street's inception during the colonial period through three tumultuous centuries, arriving at the world-famous entertainment strip of today.Clearly written and carefully researched, Campanella's book interweaves world events--from the Louisiana Purchase to World War II to Hurricane Katrina--with local and national characters, ranging from presidents to showgirls, to explain how Bourbon Street became an intriguing and singular artifact, uniquely informative of both New Orleans's history and American society.While offering a captivating historical-geographical panorama of Bourbon Street, Campanella also presents a contemporary microview of the area, describing the population, architecture, and local economy, and shows how Bourbon Street operates on a typical night. The fate of these few blocks in the French Quarter is played out on a larger stage, however, as the internationally recognized brands that Bourbon Street merchants and the city of New Orleans strive to promote both clash with and complement each other.An epic narrative detailing the influence of politics, money, race, sex, organized crime, and tourism, Bourbon Street: A History ultimately demonstrates that one of the most well-known addresses in North America is more than the epicenter of Mardi Gras; it serves as a battleground for a fundamental dispute over cultural authenticity and commodification.

Lucky Go Happy: Make Happiness Happen!


Paul Van Der Merwe - 2014
     Readers wanting to make happiness happen for themselves or those around them will gain insight into being happier - and being happy more often.Happiness, emotions and positive psychology are abstract concepts that are generally difficult to explain and understand.Adopting a unique approach, Lucky Go Happy unpacks these abstract concepts using the odd elementary graph and image, which when conveyed to readers through a fable makes for an informative and entertaining read for young and old.Lucky Go Happy follows the adventures of Lucky the Rat who has been sent into the African Bush by King Lion, to discover what makes other animals happy.Through various encounters with remarkable characters, Lucky captures some reviving new takes on happiness which he has to present to King Lion in a report before the next rainy season. King Lion hopes to regain his own happiness after reading the report.Lucky Go Happy will:- demonstrate how we lose more than 70 percent of potential happy time by living for weekends only- explain how contentment can yield the same amount of happiness as ecstasy- provide concrete proof that money can never - and will never - make us happy- highlight why it is absolutely essential to be unhappy at times-- illustrate why a midlife crisis happens- show that happiness is not around the next corner; it is here and now,- andhelp you understand how happiness works.Rather than waiting for happiness, you can make it happen for yourself and for those around you!Visit www.luckygohappybook.com

The House at Zaronza


Vanessa Couchman - 2014
    A tragic love story buried for four generations. A quest to unravel the past.Corsica 2010The death of Rachel's mother leaves unsolved questions about her ancestors. Will Rachel find the answers she desperately seeks on the island of Corsica, where her grandmother was born?Corsica 1900sIn a remote Corsican village, a bundle of hidden letters from the 1900s comes to light more than a hundred years later. The tale unfolds of a passionate love affair between the village school master and Maria, the daughter of a wealthy family. But Maria's parents have other plans for her future.Must Maria see her dreams crumble, or can she escape her destiny? And does she hold the key to the enigma of Rachel's ancestors?The House at Zaronza is Book 1 of the Tales of Corsica series: historical novels set in the same house on this stunning Mediterranean island.*This edition is reissued with minor editorial changes and a new cover.*

Come To The Oaks: The Story of Ben and Tobias


Bryan T. Clark - 2014
    Snatched abruptly from his homeland and enslaved into the Antebellum South, grand homes and majestic oak trees meant little to him. Now he is considered the property of other men, but his spirit would not be broken. The awkward Benjamin Nathanael Lee lives a privileged life. His father owns the largest tobacco plantation south of the Mason Dixon line. Ben wants little to do with the harsh realities of running a plantation—that is, until he meets Tobias, the one person that changes everything for him. Wealth, greed, and power brought them together. The same now threatens to separate them forever. The two men are on the verge of losing the one thing that matters: their love for one another. Against the odds, they steal off and embark on a journey to find freedom: the freedom to love one another and to live a life without the chains of slavery. Come to the Oaks is the tale of a forbidden romance—a love forged by two young men as they journey through a land that is tearing itself apart.

Far as the Eye Can See


Robert Bausch - 2014
    After the war, he sets his sights on California, but only makes it to Montana. As he stumbles around the West, from the Wyoming Territory to the Black Hills of the Dakotas, he finds meaning in the people he meets-settlers and native people-and the violent history he both participates in and witnesses. Far as the Eye Can See is the story of life in a place where every minute is an engagement in a kind of war of survival, and how two people-a white man and a mixed-race woman-in the midst of such majesty and violence can manage to find a pathway to their own humanity.Robert Bausch is the distinguished author of a body of work that is lively and varied, but linked by a thoughtfully complicated masculinity and an uncommon empathy. The unique voice of Bobby Hale manages to evoke both Cormac McCarthy and Mark Twain, guiding readers into Indian country and the Plains Wars in a manner both historically true and contemporarily relevant, as thoughts of race and war occupy the national psyche.

A Murder Country


Brandon Daily - 2014
    But for Josiah Fuller, William Corvin, and the Rider in the Appalachian backwoods and small towns of the late nineteenth century, there is nothing but a world where bloodshed is paid for in blood, and violence is the ultimate law of the land.When seventeen-year-old Josiah Fuller comes home to find his parents hanged and mutilated and the family house burned to the ground, he sets off to find the man responsible for their murders and avenge their deaths. His journey takes him through new towns and wildernesses he has not seen before. He meets people who show him the realities of living in a violent world, forcing Josiah to decide what is most important to him: vengeance or grace.Years after running away from home as a young boy, William Corvin returns with his new bride to take over the family's coal mining operation. Though he is haunted by the violence of his past, he sets out to live a peaceful life and start a family there. However, Corvin's hopes of peace are challenged when a horrible act of violence causes him to revert back to the man he once was.After being visited by an angel in a dream years earlier, the Rider has become a man with violence in his blood, believing himself to be appointed by God to collect the souls of sinners. He travels around on his horse, killing whoever he feels is deserving of God's wrath and vengeance. These three men move along their own individual paths, their stories intersecting with one another, continually searching for an understanding of the violent world in which they live and their own actions within that world.The novel examines the power and fragility of belief and conviction within humans, showing how one small act often leads to consequences that reach far beyond anyone's imagining.

The Ghanaian Goldilocks


Tamara Pizzoli - 2014
    Like traditional kente cloth, West African culture and themes are woven seamlessly into the story of a boy with sun lightened hair named Kofi, better known to his friends and family as Goldilocks. Like the Goldilocks in the traditional tale, Kofi has been known to get into some trouble here and there, but it's an unexpected visit to a neighbor's house that teaches him a valuable lesson of a lifetime.

The River's Song


Suchen Christine Lim - 2014
    While Ping goes to university in America, Weng is sent to prison for his part in local protests.Many years later, Ping returns to a country transformed by prosperity. Gone are the boatmen and hawkers who once lived along the river. In their place, rise luminous glass and steel towers proclaiming the power of the city state. Can Ping face her former lover and reveal the secret that has separated them for over thirty years?

Once upon a Mulberry Field


C.L. Hoang - 2014
    The startling news resurrects ghosts of fallen comrades and haunting memories of the great love he once knew.Shocking revelations from his visitor uncover a missing part of Roger’s life he never dreamed possible. Peeling back one layer at a time, he delves into a decades-old secret in search of answers and traces of a passion unfulfilled.From the jungles of Vietnam through the minefields of the heart, "Once upon a Mulberry Field" follows one man’s journey to self-discovery, fraught with disillusionment and despair but ultimately redeemed by the power of love.

Currency of the Heart


Loree Lough - 2014
    Desperate to keep bill collectors from the door, she secretly sells valuable possessions piece by piece, and hopes Denver’s elite never discover that his lavish lifestyle left her a near pauper. She’s unaware that as her husband lay dying, successful rancher Sloan Remington made him a promise. And Sloan guards her secretsas carefully as he looks after her safety.When fire devours Sterling Hall, leaving her homeless and penniless, he brings her to Remington Ranch to manage his household. His kindness makes Shaina beholden to him … and threatens to expose the secret that could destroy him. Will trials and tragedies bring Sloan and Shaina together?Or will secrets—and the cost of exposing them—drive them apart forever?

The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond


Brenda Woods - 2014
    Her mom is white, and her dad, who died before she was born, was black. She attends a mostly white school where she sometimes feels like a brown leaf on a pile of snow. She’s tired of people asking if she’s adopted. Now that Violet’s eleven, she decides it’s time to learn about her African American heritage. And despite getting off to a rocky start trying to reclaim her dad’s side of the family, she can feel her confidence growing as the puzzle pieces of her life finally start coming together. Readers will cheer for Violet, sharing her joy as she discovers her roots.

Horse Raid: The Making of a Warrior


Paul Goble - 2014
    No man can help another to be brave, says grandfather to fourteen-year-old Lone Bull, but through brave deeds you may become a leader one day. Lone Bull wanted to be a warrior and he knew he could be victorious in a horse raid if only given the chance! But when Lone Bull s father refuses to let his son and his best friend join the raid, what do the young boys do? They set off to follow the group with the help of grandfather! Will it all end in disaster? Master storyteller, Paul Goble, brings to life this exciting and timeless coming-of-age story of Lone Bull, a young Lakota boy eager to join the warriors on a horse raid against the Crow. This newly revised edition features digitally enhanced artwork, completely revised text, a brand new layout, and a fascinating foreword from world famous storyteller, Joseph Bruchac."

Other People's Countries: A Journey into Memory


Patrick McGuinness - 2014
    Let me take you down the alleys that lead into its past. To a town peopled with eccentrics, full of charm, menace and wonder. To the days before television, to Marie Bodard’s sweetshop, to the Nazi occupation and unexpected collaborators. To a place where one neighbour murders another over the misfortune of pigs and potatoes. To the hotel where the French poet Verlaine his lover Rimbaud, holed up whilst on the run from family, creditors and the law.This exquisite meditation on place, time and memory is an illicit peek into other people’s countries, into the spaces they have populated with their memories, and might just make you revisit your own in a new and surprising way.

Otros valles


Jamie Berrout - 2014
    It is, at turns: a literary novel that reflects on the act of writing poetry; a sci-fi novel that describes the unreal consequences of the surveillance and militarization of the border; a trans lesbian erotic novel and catalog of fantasies; a trans woman's memoir that relates her struggles to be accepted by her family, find community in the deep South, and untangle the shame around her body and her nonbinary identity; a political novel that critically examines the role of race in the narrator's communities and in her own life as a non-Black Latina learning about anti-Blackness; a Latin@ slice-of-life novel that is steeped in the culture, folklore, and supernatural reality of a Mexican family living on the border.

Freedom from Speech


Greg Lukianoff - 2014
    While the legal protections of the First Amendment remain strong, the culture is obsessed with punishing individuals for allegedly offensive utterances. And academia – already an institution in which free speech is in decline – has grown still more intolerant, with high-profile “disinvitation” efforts against well-known speakers and demands for professors to provide “trigger warnings” in class.In this Broadside, Greg Lukianoff argues that the threats to free speech go well beyond political correctness or liberal groupthink. As global populations increasingly expect not just physical comfort but also intellectual comfort, threats to freedom of speech are only going to become more intense. To fight back, we must understand this trend and see how students and average citizens alike are increasingly demanding freedom from speech.

Lancaster County Target


Kit Wilkinson - 2014
    When the masked killer spots her, she's overpowered--and left for dead. Handsome doctor Blake Jamison vows to keep her safe while investigating the mysterious patient's death. But when he and Abby uncover a connection between the murder and the long-held secret of his adoption and possible Amish birth, the killer begins targeting them both. Amish-born Abby slowly learns to trust Blake with her life. But it may be too late to protect her heart from the high-society doctor who is sure to leave her behind.

Celtic Tree Magic: Ogham Lore and Druid Mysteries


Danu Forest - 2014
    Enrich your spiritual practice with authentic Celtic wisdom and practical techniques. Written by a Druid witch and Celtic shaman, Celtic Tree Magic shows you how to:Practice ogham divination, charms, and spells Work with each tree's magical correspondences and healing attributes Make salves, tinctures, ointments, and green crafts Find tree spirit allies in nature and the otherworld Fashion wands and other magical tools With exercises, hands-on tips, and an accessible exploration of folklore and myth, this lovely and lyrical handbook provides practical skills and deeper understandings for beginners and intermediate practitioners.Praise: A trusted and guiding hand through the Celtic forests of wisdom and magic.--Kristoffer Hughes, author of The Book of Celtic Magic and founder of the Anglesey Druid OrderThis lovely work offers a truly experiential journey...It offers the reader a richer understanding of nature and self.--Philip Carr-Gomm, Chosen Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids and author of Druid MysteriesDanu Forest has made masterful use of the original sources...I heartily commend this book.--Nicholas R. Mann, author of Druid Magic

The Lady Paranorma


Vincent Marcone - 2014
    Estranged from the rest of the townsfolk, an eccentric lady is haunted by ghostly whispers, and follows their eerie call to an unusually happily ever after.

Queens: A Culinary Passport: Exploring Ethnic Cuisine in New York City's Most Diverse Borough


Andrea Lynn - 2014
    And while Manhattan gets Michelin stars and Brooklyn gets blogger hype, real culinary fanatics know that authentic ethnic food experiences happen in the restaurants of Queens. There, New York's celebrated ethnic diversity is the most potent, with more than one million foreign-born residents. This means food lovers can travel the globe without using any vacation time: take a culinary tour of China, sip a frappe in Greece, dine on authentic Italian sausage—all without ever leaving Queens!Queens: A Culinary Passport welcomes visitors to the borough, serving as your guide to more than 40 hand-picked ethnic restaurants and food stands, complete with chef profiles and recipes for recreating signature dishes at home. Also included are highlights of not-to-be-missed hidden spots, like ethnic grocery stores stocked with multicultural essentials, fresh-from-the-sea fish markets, and delis that turn out freshly made mozzarella and sopressata.For Queens novices, the book includes easy-to-follow subway directions and even detailed neighborhood walking tours, ensuring that your next trip to Italy, India, Greece, Latin America, and China is only a borough away.

The Downstairs Maid


Rosie Clarke - 2014
     When her father becomes ill, Emily Carter finds herself sent into service at Priorsfield Manor in order to provide the family with an income. He will be the Lord of the Manor... Emily strikes up an unlikely friendship with the daughters of the house, as well as Nicolas, son of the Earl. But as the threat of war comes ever closer, she becomes even more aware of the vast differences between upstairs and downstairs, servant and master... If you like Downton Abbey you’ll love this!

Because I Am a Girl: I Can Change the World


Rosemary McCarney - 2014
    Because I am a Girl is a global initiative from Plan International to end gender inequality, promote girls' rights and lift millions of girls out of poverty. Plan helped the UN declare October 11th the -International Day of the Girl- to recognize and advocate for girls' rights globally. This book illustrates the Because I am Girl call to change by telling stories of girls around the world. They begin by telling us -Because I am a girl, I eat if there is food left over when everyone is done- and -I am the Poorest of the Poor.- But it ends with the inspiring section -Because I am a Girl, I can change the world.- Each part begins with one real girl's story, illustrated with Plan's amazing photographs.

A Zany Slice of Italy


Ivanka Di Felice - 2014
     Although initially drawn to Italy for its art, architecture, and Vogue, often described in other books, it is evident that still lifes and stilettos do not hold this author’s attention as much as living people do. The author’s open, sympathetic viewpoint captures the characters’ quirky charm and the local color. Although you wouldn’t call this a philosophical book, how the author observes and deals with individuals and situations in her life shows that she follows her own philosophy, one that is worth looking into. While the author is not so naïve as to think that all Italians’ lives flow as smoothly as their olive oil, she has not met anyone in Italy who is bitterly disappointed with life. So pour yourself a glass of Italian wine, add a dose of accordion music, and spend some time in Ivanka Di Felice’s Italy. This book can be read as a stand-alone or feel free to tag along for more laugh out loud adventures in Italy by reading A Zany Slice of Tuscany and Zany Renovations. THIS IS NOW ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS. Italy without FAMIGLIA isn't really Italy! - Whistlers Mom TOP 500 REVIEWER If you enjoy ex-pat stories, you've probably read a pile of books by people who've moved to Italy. They marvel at the ancient wonders. They do battle with horrendously complicated Italian bureaucracy. They agonize over tardy repairmen. They spend most of their time with other ex-pats, but have cute stories to tell about the natives and they ALL consider themselves experts on Italian life. These people know NOTHING! Italian life is about family and this author knows all about Italian families because she married into one. Her handsome husband was born in Canada to Italian parents. Then he married a woman who was in love with him and with the idea of living in Italy and slowly she chipped away at his resistance until he agreed to move to his ancestral village. And there she meets the FAMIGLIA - an assortment of grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins who believe that Italy is the ONLY place to live and that there can never be too much food or wine or too many loud, crowded family gatherings. Eventually the young couple relocates to Tuscany and their adventures continue as they locate a house, buy a car, get to know the neighbours, seek work, and (of course) entertain visiting relatives. This is the true Italy.No matter how much you've read about Italy and Italians, this will be a real eye-opener and you'll have to stop so often to laugh that it will take you much longer to read than you anticipate.

Down South: Bourbon, Pork, Gulf Shrimp & Second Helpings of Everything


Donald Link - 2014
    In Down South he combines his talents to unearth true down home Southern cooking so everyone can pull up a seat at the table and sample some of the region’s finest flavors.     Link rejoices in the slow-cooked pork barbecue of Memphis, fresh seafood all along the Gulf coast, peas and shell beans from the farmlands in Mississippi and Alabama, Kentucky single barrel bourbon, and other regional standouts in 110 recipes and 100 color photographs. Along the way, he introduces all sorts of characters and places, including pitmaster Nick Pihakis of Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ, Louisiana goat farmer Bill Ryal, beloved Southern writer Julia Reed, a true Tupelo honey apiary in Florida, and a Texas lamb ranch with a llama named Fritz.      Join Link Down South, where tall tales are told, drinks are slung back, great food is made to be shared, and too many desserts, it turns out, is just the right amount.

The Night Before Hanukkah


Natasha Wing - 2014
    The seventeenth title in Natasha Wing's bestselling series, The Night Before Hanukkah captures all the joy and love in one of the most wonderful times of the year!

Historia Discordia: The Origins of the Discordian Society


Adam Gorightly - 2014
    Chronicling Discordianism’s halcyon days, Historia Discordia presents a fun and freewheeling romp through rare photos, holy tracts, art collages, and fnords, many of which appear for the first time in print. _______________________ “Like communication-god Thoth with his yammering ape, like the all-important noise that Count Korzybski assures us must accompany our every signal, no harmony is possible without an acknowledgement and understanding of discord. Born from the bowling-alley epiphanies of Greg Hill and Kerry Thornley, its disruptive teachings disseminated through the incendiary writings of Robert Anton Wilson and other Eristic luminaries, the Discordian Society has unexpectedly become a landmark of gleefully aggressive sanity in a chaotic and incoherent world. Through this book, we can all involve ourselves in their gloriously constructive quarrel.” —Alan Moore

Nona & Me


Clare Atkins - 2014
    Yapas.They are also best friends. It doesn’t matter that Rosie is white and Nona is Aboriginal: their family connections tie them together for life.Born just five days apart in a remote corner of the Northern Territory, the girls are inseperable, until Nona moves away at the age of nine. By the time she returns, they’re in Year 10 and things have changed. Rosie has lost interest in the community, preferring to hang out in the nearby mining town, where she goes to school with the glamorous Selena, and Selena’s gorgeous older brother Nick.When a political announcement highlights divisions between the Aboriginal community and the mining town, Rosie is put in a difficult position: will she be forced to choose between her first love and her oldest friend?

Uncle Sam Can't Count: A History of Failed Government Investments, from Beaver Pelts to Green Energy


Burton W. Folsom Jr. - 2014
    Draining the Treasury of cash, they impede economic growth, and hurt the very companies receiving aid.Why does federal aid seem to have a reverse Midas touch? As the Folsoms reveal, federal officials don't have the same abilities or incentives as entrepreneurs. In addition, federal control always equals political control of some kind. What is best for politicians is not often what works in the marketplace. Politicians want to win votes, and they can do so by giving targeted CEOs benefits while dispersing costs to others.Filled with examples of government failures and free market triumphs, from John Jacob Astor to the Wright Brothers, World War II amphibious landing craft to Detroit, Uncle Sam Can't Count is a hard-hitting critique of government investment that demonstrates why business should be left exclusively to private entrepreneurs.

Where Bears Roam the Streets


Jeff Parker - 2014
    But Russia squirms under the pressure of any attempt to pin it down. In the midst of social and financial upheaval, the more Parker sought answers the more the questions kept coming: What was Russia? How did it work? How did people live? How could they eat kholodetz (meat jelly)? Did love mean something different to them than it meant to us? Why did so many women leave the country to marry strangers? What good did knowing Pushkin by heart do them? Why did the police keep robbing him?The four years at the heart of this book focus largely on the period between 2008 and 2012 and the revealing friendship Parker made with a young barkeep and draft dodger named Igor. The book became the story of Igor, as a metaphor for Russia, in crisis. While Igor is not the model Perestroika generation man nor some kind of Putin-era everyman, he is, like The Big Lebowski, a man for his time and place. What Parker has created is the story of Igor as refracting mirror for the story of Russia, told with intelligence, humour and no small amount of misadventure.