There are wars and sieges, scandals and seductions, fountains playing in deserted squares and crowds thronging the markets.And there is a dark undertone too, of shadowy corners and dead ends, prisons and punishment.The language and way of thinking of the Venetians sets them aside from the rest of Italy. They are an island people, linked to the sea and to the tides rather than the land.'The moon rules Venice,' Ackroyd writes: 'It is built on ocean shells and ocean ground; it has the aspect of infinity.It is the floating world... changing and variable and accidental.'This book, like a magic gondola, transports its readers to thatsensual, surprising realm. We could have no better guide - reading Ackroyd's Venice is, in itself, a glorious journey and the perfect holiday.

    Each book is also offered as a separate book on Amazon.The Few: Book 1Gunnery Sergeant Jacob McCardle is the commander of the Marine Detachment at the US Embassy, New Delhi, when the president of the United States arrives on an official visit, the same man who, as a Congressman, sponsored the bill that had decimated the Corps in a cost-cutting effort. As the president arrives, the embassy is attacked and isolated by a mob of nationalists. With the Indian government seemingly unwilling to take action to restore order and with an ambitious vice-president seizing this as an opportunity to move up to the White House, it is up to Gunny McCardle and his small band of Marines to keep the president alive. Faced with tremendous odds, Gunny has to lead his Marines in an almost impossible task. That is nothing new to the US Marines. Impossible tasks are the Corps' forte. But can his small detachment keep up the tradition of the Corps and succeed despite tremendous odds?The Proud: Book 2After the events at the US Embassy in New Delhi, the Marines are being brought back as a combat unit. Newly commissioned 2dLt Anthony Niimoto, a hero of the embassy takeover, is with the first Marine battalion to get back into the deployment cycle. Assigned to anti-piracy, this is supposed to be a dull deployment. But when a US ship is seized by Somali pirates, it's First Platoon, K 3/6 at the tip of the spear. With SSgt Davidson, an ex-Ranger who returns to his Marines roots, the two of them must lead their platoon into harms way, ever conscious of Black Hawk Down, the Battle of Mogadishu. Was Tony Niimoto a one-shot wonder in New Delhi, or does he really have what it takes to be a leader of Marines?The Marines: Book 3China is growing in power and in need of raw materials. When an aggressive general, with encouragement from an unnamed puppet master in the Politburo, moves to seize the Spratly Islands from The Philippines and Taiwan, the Marines of the 15th MEU are the only unit in position to do anything about it. What makes things more difficult is that the Chinese have made great strides in cyber-warfare that have negated America's technological superiority. What will be the result of years of letting China manufacture electronic components and even parts for the US aircraft, satellites, and communications systems?"Every Marine is a rifleman" has never been more true when the ultimate weapon in the nation's arsenal is the basic infantryman. But can Captain Tony Niimoto, a hero of both the embassy takeover in New Delhi and the hostage rescue in Somalia, lead his company against an overwhelming force of the finest of the People's Liberation Army? Can Sergeant Harrington Steptoe, Sergeant "Jay" McNamara, and First Lieutenant Peter Van Slyke step up into the mantle of leadership when all the odds are against them?

    How did the woman end up buried, all alone, in that particular spot in the Cabardès hills?And why was her back broken?AD 777Septimania, on the coast of the Mediterranean SeaSeventeen-year-old Nanthild must marry Count Bellon of Carcassonne, a Visigoth, as part of his peace agreement with Charlemagne. As a wise-woman, she continues to visit those in need of her help during Bellon's frequent absences.But dangers lurk on her journeys...Readers of Kate Mosse and Barbara Erskine might enjoy the tale of Love Lost in Time.

    They hate each other, and only they know why. EX-HOOKER AND COKE HEAD: Callie Carter is on the run - with one million dollars stolen from her evangelist husband's bank. CORRUPT, SADISTIC POLICE CAPTAIN Clarence Jefferson wants to get his hands on the preacher's money. But even more, he wants to break Cicero apart, to find out the real reason why he has spent years hunting his brother like a mad dog. BAD CITY BLUES - Tim Willock's breathtaking first novel is raw, powerful, unforgettable.

    But Witold Rybczynski disagrees, and in The Look of Architecture, he makes a compelling case for the importance of style to the mother of the arts. This is a book brimming with sharp observations--that form does not follow function; that the best architecture is not timeless but precisely of its time; that details do not merely complement the architecture--details are the architecture. But the heart of the book illuminates the connection between architecture, interior decoration, and fashion. Style is the language of architecture, Rybczynski writes, and fashion represents the wide and swirling cultural currents that shape and direct that language. The two--style and fashion--are intimately linked; indeed, architecture cannot escape fashion. To set these ideas in sharp relief, he shows us how style and fashion have been expressed in the work of major architects including Frank Gehry, Mies van der Rohe, Charles McKim, Allan Greenberg, Robert Venturi, Enrique Norten, and many others. He helps us see their works anew and ultimately to look afresh at our surroundings. Style is one of the enduring--and endearing--aspects of architecture, Rybczynski concludes. Furthermore, an architecture that recognizes the importance of style would not be as introspective and self-referential as are so many contemporary buildings. It would be part of the world: Not architecture for architects, but for the rest of us.

    One of the most celebrated living architects, Ando is best known for crafting serenely austere structures that fuse Japanese building traditions with Western modernism. His minimalist masterworks-geometric forms clad in silky-smooth exposed concrete-are suffused with natural light and set in perfect harmony with the landscape. In these highlights from lectures delivered at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Architecture, Ando candidly describes his experiences as a largely self-taught practitioner, tracing his development from an early interest in the traditional building craft of his native Japan through his political awakening in the turbulent 1960s to his current stature as one of the world's foremost architects. In addition to exploring his aesthetic influences and working process, Ando offers students a road map not only for maintaining professional integrity, but also for becoming effective agents of change in the world.

    Why did she get acquitted? Why did the jurors see George as a suspect? Why did they think she was a good mother? And how on God's green earth did they miss the suffocation search? There are surprisingly good answers for all of these questions. I argue in this book that not only did the prosecution hide evidence from the jury, but that the evidence points to Casey being factually innocent as well. Regardless of whether you agree with my viewpoint, I guarantee you'll learn something you didn't know before about this infamous case.

    

    Known throughout the world as the guru who encouraged an entire generation to "turn on, tune in, and drop out," he draws on wit, humor, and skepticism to debunk the power of psychotherapy and to advocate reprogramming the brain with psychedelics. Discussing how various drugs affect the brain, how to change behavior, and how to develop creativity, he also delves into psychopharmacological catalyzing, fear of potential, symbol and language imprinting, and brain reimprinting with Hinduism, Buddhism, and LSD.

    Nell has learned the hard way that she doesn't have anything to offer a man. Her future is here in Arizona, running her dude ranch, by herself…until Tyler Jacobs arrives. But Nell's not about to mistake kindness for love. Not again. Yet could denying her own desire destroy her one chance for happiness? SUTTON With one glance of his piercing black eyes, rancher Quinn Sutton makes an indelible mark on Amanda Callaway, and she finds herself increasingly fascinated by her new neighbor. She quickly learns that the gruff single father isn't only devastatingly handsome, but he also insists on having his ranch run according to his rules—it's Sutton's way or the highway. But Amanda has her own secrets and plans to keep her distance. If only she weren't falling for her unlikely hero….

    The skeleton, muscles and joints are covered with descriptions of differences between female and male anatomy.This is a reproduction of a 1852 British publication and may contain non-standard spellings and characters. The work has been proof-read and edited to remove typographical errors and reformat the text for the Kindle. All images have been cleaned and resized.

    Lily Baldwin, Carmen Caine, Ceci Giltenan, Amy Jarecki, Tarah Scott and Sue-Ellen Welfonder writing at Allie Mackay HIGHLAND THUNDER by Lily Baldwin A STORM IS COMING... Although she faces tragic loss, Brenna will never succumb to grief or fear, nor will she surrender to the one man she despises--the very man who now has the power to control her destiny. Like the storms that rage unchecked over the moors, her fury is about to be unleashed. A HIDDEN LOVE... He does not look at her or speak to her, and most importantly, he does not touch her. These are the rules Duncan set for himself long ago to ensure his affection for his best friend's wife remained undetected. But under the weight of a land besieged by war, the walls he erected to shield his heart crumble. THE BEDEVILED HEART by Carmen Caine Wed and widowed seven times, he had come to believe that sharing his name alone would consign a woman to an early grave. So, on the sunny spring day Cameron encounters a delightfully devious, bright-eyed lass selling charmed stones in one of Stirling's alehouses, he tosses her a shilling, thinking only to steal a kiss. But it is a kiss that will change his life forever. HIGHLAND COURAGE by Ceci Giltenan Her parents want a betrothal, but Mairead MacKenzie can't get married without revealing her secret and no man will wed her once he knows. Tadhg Matheson admires and respects the MacKenzies. While an alliance with them through marriage to Mairead would be in his clan's best interest, he knows Laird MacKenzie seeks a closer alliance with another clan. When Tadhg learns of her terrible shyness and her youngest brother's fears about her, Tadhg offers for her anyway. KNIGHT IN HIGHLAND ARMOR by Amy Jarecki Grieving from the death of his wife, Lord Colin Campbell listens to the cries of his newborn son whilst penning a missive to the king. With no marriage prospects, Colin petitions his majesty for help in finding a stepmother. Never again will he fall in love—the death of a woman brings more pain than losing a whole contingent of men on the battlefield. Feisty, quick tongued and smart, Margaret Robinson is delighted when her father receives a messenger from the king…until she discovers what news he brings. In a sennight, she will wed the notorious Black Knight—her life is about to end. MY HIGHLAND LORD by Tarah Scott London Heiress kidnapped by the Marquess of Ashlund, read the headlines. Yet no one tried to save her. Phoebe Wallington was seven years old when a mass assassination attempt rocked Regency England. Her father was the only accused traitor to elude capture. Seventeen years later, the one man who could prove her father's innocence is dead. Now as a grown woman and a British spy, she's no closer to learning what really happened that day. Phoebe's quest for the truth takes a sudden turn when she's kidnapped by a suspected traitor. But Kiernan MacGregor, the Marquess of Ashlund, may not live long enough to stand trial. Someone wants him dead…and Phoebe stands in the killer's way. The only way to save her reputation and protect Kiernan is to marry him. SOME LIKE IT KILTED by Sue-Ellen Welfonder writing as Allie Mackay A ghost’s home is his castle – and she’s about the storm the gates. A woman’s heart needs a loving home. Mindy Menlove lives in a castle that was transported stone by stone from Scotland to Pennsylvania. When her fiancé dies in scandal and Mindy decides to sell the gloomy estate, her plans soon unravel. She’s bound for the Hebrides, a place she’d hoped to avoid.

    

    These crippling fears are laid to rest through insightful discussions of personal experiences, the struggles of famous artists, and the rewards of producing art that comes from an authentic creative core. Providing sensitive reassurances that these struggles are normal, these essays encourage artists to focus on the development of their crafts and find inspiration to work through self-doubt.

    But Lilias never abandoned her artistic talent, and now you can enjoy page after page of inspiring artwork, with all the vivid colors and characer of the Algerian landscape, complete with her own thoughts and spiritual wisdom. A Blossom in the Desert is truly a book that belongs on your coffee table, to give you encouragement time and again as you ponder Lilias's challenges and how she persevered to inspire the song, "Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus." This hardcover gift book is 240 pages of full color, inspirational art, and meditations, with a satin bookmark.