and the Florida Crackers -the zany but lovable folks who populated the remote hamlet that was Marjorie Rawlings’ home. With a gift for humor and a venerable ear for dialect comes the author’s personal accounts of the people, scenery and wildlife of Cross Creek.Short Stories:A Crop Of BeansBenny and the Bird DogsJacob’s LadderThe PardonVarmintsThe EnemyGal Young UnAlligatorsA Plumb Clare ConscienceA Mother In MannvilleCocks Must Crow

    And, with each detour, she brushes up against the seemingly disparate lives of the city-dwellers, connecting them in unexpected ways.But the city is changing. As it does, it pushes her to the margins where she chances upon a series of apparent strangers – from a homeless man squatting in an abandoned hotel, to a shut-in hermit afraid to leave his house, to a convenience store worker searching for love. The cat orbits Tokyo’s denizens, drawing them ever closer.

    Broadly labeled yokai, these creatures come in infinite shapes and sizes, from tengu mountain goblins and kappa water spirits to shape-shifting foxes and long-tongued ceiling-lickers. Currently popular in anime, manga, film, and computer games, many yokai originated in local legends, folktales, and regional ghost stories.Drawing on years of research in Japan, Michael Dylan Foster unpacks the history and cultural context of yokai, tracing their roots, interpreting their meanings, and introducing people who have hunted them through the ages. In this delightful and accessible narrative, readers will explore the roles played by these mysterious beings within Japanese culture and will also learn of their abundance and variety through detailed entries, some with original illustrations, on more than fifty individual creatures. The Book of Yokai provides a lively excursion into Japanese folklore and its ever-expanding influence on global popular culture. It also invites readers to examine how people create, transmit, and collect folklore, and how they make sense of the mysteries in the world around them. By exploring yokai as a concept, we can better understand broader processes of tradition, innovation, storytelling, and individual and communal creativity.

    An earthquake occurring off the north-eastern coast of Japan - magnitude 9.0, duration six minutes - unleashed a 50-foot tsunami that within fifteen minutes had slammed its way ashore, rushing inland six miles, crushing all in its path - roads, airports, villages, trains, and buses - and triggering the slow, inexorable leak of radiation from five nuclear plants. This was just the beginning. The waves did not stop; nor did the aftershocks, which were themselves rolling earthquakes of terrifying magnitude, nor did the danger from radiation, which was controlled incrementally, until the meltdown began. One year on, the overwhelming sense of loss endures. Life goes on, but life is not the same. The writers in this collection seeks to explore the impact of this catastrophe through a variety of different means. The pieces - fiction and non-fiction, poetry and manage - reconceive the events of that day, imagine a future and a past, interpret dreams, impel purpose, pray for hope. Specific in reference, universal in scope, these singular, heartfelt contributions - by Yoko Ogawa, Ryu Murakami, Yoko Tawada, Kazumi Saeki and David Peace, among others - comprise an artistic record of a disaster which raises questions for all of us who live in the modern world.

    They each focus intently on their specific jobs: one studies moss, one shreds paper, and the other proofreads incomprehensible documents. Life in the factory has its own logic and momentum, and, eventually, the factory slowly expands and begins to take over everything, enveloping these poor workers. The very margins of reality seem to be dissolving: all forms of life capriciously evolve, strange creatures begin to appear… After a while—it could be weeks or years—the workers don’t even have the ability to ask themselves: where does the factory end and the rest of the world begin?Told in three alternating first-person narratives, The Factory casts a vivid—if sometimes surreal—portrait of the absurdity and meaninglessness of modern life. With hints of Kafka and unexpected moments of creeping humor, Hiroko Oyamada is one of the boldest writers of her generation.

    But time continues to unfurl, whether we like it or not. Now, ten years later…

    Here are myths of gods, heroes and warriors; legends of Buddha, and of the goddess Benten and the god Daikoku; tales of the sea and of Mount Fuji; accounts of superstitions and supernatural beings; observations on the spiritual properties of fans, flowers, dolls and butterflies and much more.The collection begins with the early myths of Japan, which the author describes as "quaint, beautiful, quasi-humorous." These are followed by legends celebrating early heroes and warriors, and the earliest examples of the Japanese romance, "The Bamboo-Cutter and the Moon-Maiden." Many of the legends that follow reflect a poetic love of beauty and of nature. But as the author points out, "there is plenty of crude realism in Japanese legend. We are repelled by the Thunder God's favorite repast, amazed by the magical power of foxes and cats; and the story of 'Hōïchi-the-Earless' and of the corpse-eating priest afford striking examples of the combination of the weird and the horrible."Thirty-two full-page illustrations offer compelling images of Buddha and the Dragon; A Kakemono Ghost; The Jelly-Fish and the Monkey; The Firefly Battle; Tokoyo and the Sea Serpent; Sengen, the Goddess of Mount Fuji; and other subjects of these timeless myths. In addition, the author has included several invaluable appendixes that offer a helpful note on Japanese poetry, a listing of gods and goddesses, a genealogy of The Age of the Gods, and an index of poetical quotations.

    With the arrival of a new baby sister in the house, he worries his parents may not love him as much as they used to...But when a teenage girl shows up and tells Kun that she is his sister from the future, it may be that there's more to this new relationship than Kun ever could've dreamed!

    Though a trained physician, he refuses to accept a medical license due to his hatred and mistrust of the medical community's hypocrisy and corruption. This leads Black Jack to occasional run-ins with the authorities, as well as from gangsters and criminals who approach him for illegal operations. Black Jack charges exorbitant fees for his services, the proceeds from which he uses to fund environmental projects and to aid victims of crime and corrupt capitalists. But because Black Jack keeps his true motives secret, his ethics are perceived as questionable and he is considered a selfish, uncaring devil. The Black Jack series is told in short stories. Each volume will contain 16-20 stories, each running approximately 20-24 pages in length.Black Jack is recognized as Osamu Tezuka's third most famous series, after Astro Boy and Kimba, the White Lion.

    The novel follows the (mis)adventures of its travel-addicted protagonist Zack, and in that respect is similar thematically to Alex Garland's 'The Beach' or Gregory David Roberts' 'Shantaram.' Accordingly, the reader is viscerally transported into the surreal realms of Roppongi, as Zack attempts to come to terms with a series of life-changing events unfolding at rapid pace. In the process, the novel punches through the impossibly glamorous surface of Roppongi and plunges the reader deep into its seedy underbelly ... showing a disturbing side of Japan not often written about in the English language.

    The texts were written between the ninth and the seventeenth centuries and convey each author's underlying sense of the world and what is to be valued in it. Four Huts presents original translations by Burton Watson—one of the most respected translators of Chinese and Japanese literature. The qualities that emerge from these writings are an awareness of impermanence, love of nature, fondness for poetry and music, and an appreciation of the quiet life. Four Huts features eleven brush paintings by artist Stephen Addiss.

    P. Lovecraft's stories includes 52 short stories and novellas all in one Kindle book. This edition has a fully linked active Table of Contents, with date written for each story and novella on the title pages. Table of ContentsThe Alchemist (1916)The Beast in the Cave (1918)Beyond the Wall of Sleep (1919)Dagon (1919)Memory (1919)The Picture in the House (1919)The White Ship (1919)The Cats of Ulthar (1920)The Doom That Came to Sarnath (1920)Nyarlathotep (1920)Polaris (1920)The Statement of Randolph Carter (1920)The Street (1920)Ex Oblivione (1921)Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family (1921)The Nameless City (1921)The Terrible Old Man (1921)The Tree (1921)Celephais (1922)The Music of Erich Zann (1922)The Tomb (1922)Hypnos (1923)The Lurking Fear (1923)I. The Shadow On The ChimneyII. A Passer In The StormIII. What The Red Glare MeantIV. The Horror In The EyesWhat the Moon Brings (1923)In the Vault (1925)He (Weird Tales, 1926)The Moon-Bog (Weird Tales, 1926)The Colour Out of Space (1927)The Horror at Red Hook (Weird Tales, 1927)Pickman's Model (Weird Tales, 1927)Cool Air (1928)The Call of Cthulhu (Weird Tales, 1928)I. The Horror In ClayII. The Tale of Inspector LegrasseIII. The Madness from the SeaThe Dunwich Horror (Weird Tales 1929)The Silver Key (Weird Tales, 1929)The Strange High House in the Mist (Weird Tales, 1931)The Whisperer in the Darkness (Weird Tales, 1931)The Other Gods (1933)The Dreams in the Witch House (Weird Tales, 1933)From Beyond (1934)The Quest of Iranon (1935)The Haunter of the Dark (Weird Tales, 1936)The Shadow out of Time (Astonishing Stories, 1936)The Shunned House (Weird Tales, 1937)The Thing on the Doorstep (Weird Tales, 1937)Azathoth (1938)The Book (1938)The Descendant (1938)The Evil Clergyman (Weird Tales, 1939)The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (Weird Tales, 1941)I. A Result and a PrologueII. An Antecedent and a HorrorIII. A Search and an EvocationIV. A Mutation and a MadnessV. A Nightmare and a CataclysmThe Shadow over Innsmouth (Weird Tales, 1942)The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (The Arkham Sampler, 1948)

    imagination applied with delicate rather than broad strokes'. So wrote the award winning Japanese author Kyoko Nakajima of her story, Things Remembered and Things Forgotten, a piece that illuminates, as if by throwing a switch, the layers of wartime devastation that lie just below the surface of Tokyo's insistently modern culture.The ten acclaimed stories in this collection are pervaded by an air of Japanese ghostliness. In beautifully crafted and deceptively light prose, Nakajima portrays men and women beset by cultural amnesia and unaware of how haunted they are - by fragmented memories of war and occupation, by fading traditions, by buildings lost to firestorms and bulldozers, by the spirits of their recent past.

    Yoel Hoffmann explores the attitudes and customs surrounding death in historical and present-day Japan and gives examples of how these have been reflected in the nation's literature in general. The development of writing jisei is then examined—from the poems of longing of the early nobility and the more "masculine" verses of the samurai to the satirical death poems of later centuries. Zen Buddhist ideas about death are also described as a preface to the collection of Chinese death poems by Zen monks that are also included. Finally, the last section contains three hundred twenty haiku, some of which have never been assembled before, in English translation and romanized in Japanese.

     Favorite Classic Fairy Tales Retold in Simple Language! Having raised three children and spent countless evenings and weekends with her 5 grandchildren and their neighboring little friends, Beatrice Wood knows exactly what it means to be a busy parent. She advises parents that no matter how busy they are at work or at home, they ought to spend a little quality time with their children every day. Reading a story to them for 5 or 10 minutes is a wonderful way to do this. In this Book Series you will find her personal collection of 32 famous fairy tales and stories from around the world, voted by her children and grandchildren to be the family’s most favorite. Fairy tales from the greatest storytellers that have ever been as well as folk tales and lesser-known stories from unknown authors. These family favorites were shortened and re-written in a simple language that kids will understand. Moreover, all 4 books of the collection have illustrations to keep children's attention. 4 Good Reasons to Buy this Book! This book contains some of the most favorite classic fairy tales which are: Shortened to 5-7 minutes in length, for the busy mom or dad’s convenience. Formatted for ease of use on your Kindle. Appropriate for ages from 6 to 12 and also very pleasantly readable for grownups! Rewritten in a simple and attractive style, but still containing words that will encourage your children’s vocabulary development. Contents: THE FISH AND THE RING RIQUET WITH THE TUFT (THE UGLY PRINCE) RUMPELSTILZCHEN THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS THE FROG PRINCE THE ROSE TREE THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA THE GYPSY QUEEN Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ with illustrations! Buy Now with 1-Click! More Books in the Fairy Tales Collections 5 MINUTE BEDTIME STORIES FOR CHILDREN VOL.1 --> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W22Q7WO Contents: HOW THE OLD WOMAN GOT HER WISH THREE SILLIES THE MILLER, HIS SON AND THEIR DONKEY ARMADILLO’S SONG JACK HANNAFORD TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO LAZY JACK THE STORY WITHOUT AN END THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES WHAT WE PLANT, WE WILL EAT Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ <