So says the Marquis de Sade, philosopher and pornographer. His virtuous Justine, who keeps to the rules, is rewarded with rape and humiliation; his Juliette, Justine's triumphantly monstrous antithesis, viciously exploits her sexuality.With brilliance and wit, Angela Carter takes on these outrageous figments of de Sade's extreme imagination and transforms them into symbols of our time: The Hollywood sex goddesses, mothers and daughters, pornography, even the sacred shrines of sex and marriage lie devastatingly exposed before our eyes.Author Bio: Angela Carter (1940-1992) was best known for her subversive short stories, including her most famous collection, The Bloody Chamber. Carter translated the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, and wrote the screenplay for Neil Jordan's 1984 film, The Company of Wolves, based on her short story.

    The celebrated Macedonian king has been one of the most enduring figures in history. He was a general of such skill and renown that for two thousand years other great leaders studied his strategy and tactics, from Hannibal to Napoleon, with countless more in between. He flashed across the sky of history like a comet, glowing brightly and burning out quickly: crowned at age nineteen, dead by thirty-two. He established the greatest empire of the ancient world; Greek coins and statues are found as far east as Afghanistan. Our interest in him has never faded. Alexander was born into the royal family of Macedonia, the kingdom that would soon rule over Greece. Tutored as a boy by Aristotle, Alexander had an inquisitive mind that would serve him well when he faced formidable obstacles during his military campaigns. Shortly after taking command of the army, he launched an invasion of the Persian empire, and continued his conquests as far south as the deserts of Egypt and as far east as the mountains of present-day Pakistan and the plains of India. Alexander spent nearly all his adult life away from his homeland, and he and his men helped spread the Greek language throughout western Asia, where it would become the lingua franca of the ancient world. Within a short time after Alexander’s death in Baghdad, his empire began to fracture. Best known among his successors are the Ptolemies of Egypt, whose empire lasted until Cleopatra. In his lively and authoritative biography of Alexander, classical scholar and historian Philip Freeman describes Alexander’s astonishing achievements and provides insight into the mercurial character of the great conqueror. Alexander could be petty and magnanimous, cruel and merciful, impulsive and farsighted. Above all, he was ferociously, intensely competitive and could not tolerate losing—which he rarely did. As Freeman explains, without Alexander, the influence of Greece on the ancient world would surely not have been as great as it was, even if his motivation was not to spread Greek culture for beneficial purposes but instead to unify his empire. Only a handful of people have influenced history as Alexander did, which is why he continues to fascinate us.

    In The Best Minds of My Generation - a compilation of lectures from the course, expertly edited by renowned Beats scholar, Bill Morgan - Ginsberg gives us the convoluted origin story of the 'Beat' idea. Amongst anecdotes of meeting Kerouac, Burroughs and other figures for the first time, Ginsberg elucidates the importance of music, and particularly jazz rhythms, to Beat writing, discusses their many influences - literary, pharmaceutical and spiritual - and paints a portrait of a group who were leading a literary revolution. A unique document that works both as historical record and unconventional memoir, The Best Minds of My Generation is a vivid, personal and eye-opening look at one of the most important literary movements of the twentieth century.

    The name conjures up J.K. Rowling's wondrous world of magic that has captured the imaginations of millions on both the printed page and the silver screen with bestselling novels and blockbuster films. The true magic found in this children's fantasy series lies not only in its appeal to people of all ages but in its connection to the greater world of classic literature. Harry Potter's Bookshelf: The Great Books Behind the Hogwarts Adventures explores the literary landscape of themes and genres J.K. Rowling artfully wove throughout her novels-and the influential authors and stories that inspired her. From Jane Austen's Emma and Charles Dickens's class struggles, through the gothic romances of Dracula and Frankenstein and the detective mysteries of Dorothy L. Sayers, to the dramatic alchemy of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and William Shakespeare, Rowling cast a powerful spell with the great books of English literature that transformed the story of a young wizard into a worldwide pop culture phenomenon.

    This book is for people of all ages,  religions, and cultures who have a desire and a  willingness to change the thoughts in their minds.

    How do we explain our newfound cultural investment in empathy and social justice? For decades, Joseph Campbell had defined our cultural aspirations in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, emphasizing the value of seeking glory and earning immortality. His work became the playbook for Hollywood, with its many male-centric quest narratives. Challenging the models in Campbell's canonical work, Maria Tatar explores how heroines, rarely wielding a sword and deprived of a pen, have flown beneath the radar even as they have been bent on social missions. Using the domestic arts and storytelling skills, they have displayed audacity, curiosity, and care as they struggled to survive and change the reigning culture. Animating figures from Ovid's Philomela, her tongue severed yet still weaving a tale about sexual assault, to Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander, a high-tech wizard seeking justice for victims of a serial killer, The Heroine with 1,001 Faces creates a luminous arc that takes us from ancient times to the present.

    She loves her loyal lodger and cleaner Melina (sharp as a tack), and her daughters Scarlet (loud, vegan, activist) and Ruby (quiet, musician, boffin). She even loves her husband Rob, despite him deciding to cycle across Africa. For a year. But life as the only responsible adult has left Chrissie stressed and overworked, so much so that she is almost relieved when her mum calls her home to Devon to help with the struggling family vineyard. Almost.Chrissie gives herself a year: if she can make it through until then, maybe they can celebrate as a family with their own fizz? But adjusting to West Country life may take more than she bargained for...

    Cole's harrowing account of his life spent in the ER and on the battlegrounds, fighting to save lives. In addition to his gripping stories of treating victims of gunshot wounds, stabbings, attempted suicides, flesh-eating bacteria, car crashes, industrial accidents, murder, and war, the book also covers the years during Cole's residency training when he was faced with 120-hour work weeks, excessive sleep deprivation, and the pressures of having to manage people dying of traumatic injury, often with little support.Unlike the authors of other medical memoirs, Cole trained to be a surgeon in the military and served as a physician member of a Marine Corps reconnaissance unit, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and on a Navy Reserve SEAL team. From treating war casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq to his experiences as a civilian trauma surgeon treating alcoholics, drug addicts, criminals, and the mentally deranged, TRAUMA is an intense look at one man's commitment to his country and to those most desperately in need of aid.

    They will be yours for Cowboy Ever After.... I’m Forever Yours by Kathleen Ball Lee Ann Simpson left the Big M Ranch for the bright lights of San Antonio but now she’s back disillusioned by the underhanded tactics of her boss. Handsome Rancher Gunther Marlboro washed his hands of Lee Ann the day she left him behind but now she’s back looking defeated by the world. Can Gunther show Lee Ann how to trust again and most importantly how to love again? Always, Cowboy by Allison Merritt The past is better left behind, unless it offers a brighter future. Brody Longtree's first love was bull riding, but he loved beauty queen Libby Dempsey equally as hard. When her pageant dreams died in an embarrassing display of nerves, Libby made a new, cowboy-free life for herself. Despite the differences in their lives, they mesh together, the way Brody always knew they would. Snow Bird Springs: Cooper by Cheryl Gorman After witnessing the murder of her sister and brother-in-law, Wren Hathaway goes on the run with her infant niece. When her car breaks down in Snow Bird Springs, Colorado she must keep her identity a secret. Cooper Elias Slade is up for re-election as sheriff. After learning her identity, he debates whether to turn her in or discover the truth. Can Wren and Cooper find a way through the danger surrounding them or will they lose not only their hearts…but their lives? Redeeming Dreams by Melissa Keir Jeannette Redding captured America’s hearts when she won gold with the US Women’s Olympic Swim Team, but no one knew the hidden past she couldn’t escape. Her dream of starting over in Whisper, Colorado might derail if her past comes to light. Tanner Brock lost his passion for building when his vengeful ex-wife destroyed his company and career. He started over doing odd jobs for The Heartsong Ranch but never dreamed he’d work with his hands again. As Jeannette and Tanner discover their passion, can they find a way to make their dreams come true, or will they lose out on love and a brighter future? Acceptance by Lyssa Layne Heart of the South lead singer Noah "Jonesy" Jones is soaring toward the title of King of Country Music that his buddy Lee Maverick left for him to fill. Remy Smith is enjoying her job behind the scenes at a local radio station until her boss thrusts her in front of the microphone. When she's assigned to cover the Red, Wine, and Boom County Music Festival, she is not happy at all, thanks to her strong disdain for country music. Jonesy, always the one to save a damsel in distress, helps Remy survive her first interviews without being eaten alive. Despite her opposition to his choice of music, Remy decides to give him a chance. When Remy's co-worker decides to break the news about their relationship, Remy quickly pulls away and Jonesy may never know why Remy hates country music. Marin’s Montana Man by D’Ann Lindun After her ex-husband cheats on her, Marin Deni has no intention of ever falling in love again. When a friend’s brother arrives in town for a wedding, Marin’s resolve waffles. Can a sexy cowboy break through her defenses? After a broken marriage leaves Wade Wainwright distrustful of women, can he let down his guard to love again?

    From interviews with celebrities such as Leonard DiCaprio and Keanu Reeves; to obituaries for Kurt Cobain and River Phoenix; to writings on social issues—including the touchstone piece “AIDS: Words from the front”; Smothered in Hugs spans three decades of journalism from Dennis Cooper.

    Beginning with: "It was Sappho who first called eros 'bittersweet.' No one who has been in love disputes her. What does the word mean?", Carson examines her subject from numerous points of view and styles, transcending the constraints of the scholarly exercise for an evocative and lyrical meditation in the tradition of William Carlos William's Spring and All and William H. Gass's On Being Blue.

    The results are nothing less than an education in the ways literature grips its readers and, at times, transforms their lives. Imagining Characters is indispensable, a work of criticism that returns us to the books it discusses with renewed respect and wonder.

    Based on John Dewey's lectures on esthetics, delivered as the first William James Lecturer at Harvard in 1932, Art as Experience has grown to be considered internationally as the most distinguished work ever written by an American on the formal structure and characteristic effects of all the arts: architecture, sculpture, painting, music, and literature.

    

    One of the first Melvilleans to advance what has since become known as the "theory of the two Moby-Dicks," Olson argues that there were two versions of Moby-Dick, and that Melville's reading King Lear for the first time in between the first and second versions of the book had a profound impact on his conception of the saga: "the first book did not contain Ahab," writes Olson, and "it may not, except incidentally, have contained Moby-Dick." If literary critics and reviewers at the time responded with varying degrees of skepticism to the "theory of the two Moby-Dicks," it was the experimental style and organization of the book that generated the most controversy.