Precocious, self-conscious and preternaturally gifted, young Bruno, born and raised in a habitat at the local zoo, falls under the care of a university primatologist named Lydia Littlemore. Learning of Bruno's ability to speak, Lydia takes Bruno into her home to oversee his education and nurture his passion for painting. But for all of his gifts, the chimpanzee has a rough time caging his more primal urges. His untimely outbursts ultimately cost Lydia her job, and send the unlikely pair on the road in what proves to be one of the most unforgettable journeys -- and most affecting love stories -- in recent literature. Like its protagonist, this novel is big, loud, abrasive, witty, perverse, earnest and amazingly accomplished. The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore goes beyond satire by showing us not what it means, but what it feels like be human -- to love and lose, learn, aspire, grasp, and, in the end, to fail.

    Here, Wallace turns his critical eye with equal enthusiasm toward Roger Federer and Jorge Luis Borges; Terminator 2 and The Best of the Prose Poem; the nature of being a fiction writer and the quandary of defining the essay; the best underappreciated novels and the English language's most irksome misused words; and much more.Both Flesh and Not restores Wallace's essays as originally written, and it includes a selection from his personal vocabulary list, an assembly of unusual words and definitions.

    His writing exposes and illumines the wounds that Nazi destructiveness left on language. John Felstiner's sensitive and accessible book is the first critical biography of Celan in any language. It offers new translations of well-known and little-known poems—including a chapter on Celan's famous "Deathfugue"—plus his speeches, prose fiction, and letters. The book also presents hitherto unpublished photos of the poet and his circle.Drawing on interviews with Celan's family and friends and his personal library in Normandy and Paris, as well as voluminous German commentary, Felstiner tells the poet's gripping story: his birth in 1920 in Romania, the overnight loss of his parents in a Nazi deportation, his experience of forced labor and Soviet occupation during the war, and then his difficult exile in Paris. The life's work of Paul Celan emerges through readings of his poems within their personal and historical matrix. At the same time, Felstiner finds fresh insights by opening up the very process of translating Celan's poems.To present this poetry and the strain of Jewishness it displays, Felstiner uncovers Celan's sources in the Bible and Judaic mysticism, his affinities with Kafka, Heine, Hölderlin, Rilke, and Nelly Sachs, his fascination with Heidegger and Buber, his piercing translations of Shakespeare, Dickinson, Mandelshtam, and Apollinaire. First and last, Felstiner explores the achievement of a poet surviving in his mother tongue, the German language that had passed, Celan said, "through the thousand darknesses of deathbringing speech."

    It's just another month in Max. Here we are with the exciting 3rd installment of the brutal Prison Days series. Working in this environment can desensitize some to the point where the 'horrific' is nothing more than a hiccup and the outrageous is seen as normal. But murder is murder and shit still is shit. Headlining this month's stories is a prisoner with a taste for something you have to read to believe; the demise of a young father and one unfortunate prisoner who gets into a very sticky situation. Plus all the usual fights, abuse and downright nasty exchanges between officers and prisoners. If you think you've heard it all before, guess again. Some of the experiences this month have even surprised me, and I really did think that I'd heard it all before.

    Morgan is a new kind of male hero, imperfect and uncertain, who—like his favorite football team—is fumbling forward into uncertainty. The 2013 Silver Medal Winner for Popular Fiction from the Independent Publisher Book Awards. Initially, Chuck worries he’ll never have a relationship again, that he could stand in the lobby of a brothel with a hundred dollar bill plastered to his forehead and still not get lucky. But as his emotionally raw, 365-day odyssey unfolds, Chuck gradually relearns to live on his own, navigating the minefield of issues faced by the suddenly single—new routines, awkward dates, and even more awkward sex. Clown will attract fans of the new breed of novelists that includes Nick Hornby, Jonathan Tropper and Tom Perrotta. Like others in that distinguished group, Robert Steven Williams delivers a painfully honest glimpses into the modern male psyche while writing about both sexes with equal ease and grace in a way that’s both hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. "Williams has written a terrific novel. His book pulls back the curtain on male masculinity--showing us what a guy really goes through when dealing with the difficult mess of his beloved spouse's infidelity and the ensuing divorce. Williams' characters give us the real-deal: a gut wrenching and often humorous look, showing us the everyday horrors of what it's like to start all over again as one approaches middle age." - Suzan-Lori Parks, winner Pulitzer Prize for Drama "Robert Steven Williams has written a novel of tremendous honesty, humor, and insight. His story of Chuck Morgan, cast adrift on the rocky shoals of dating when his wife of twenty years suddenly leaves him, does for men what Bridget Jones's Diary did for women." - Joy Johannessen, editor for Alice Sebold, Amy Bloom, Michael Cunningham and My Year as a Clown "When we first meet Chuck Morgan, he's broken, twisted and confused. And that's what makes him so interesting. Like other intriguing literary heroes, he is at his best after life has knocked him to the ground, forcing him to find a new way to be strong again; damaged maybe, but more confident this time, with a kinder, more open heart." - Jimmie Dale Gilmore, The Flatlanders

     The manual consists of  fourteen cryptic, symbolic statements that many have tried to decipher over the course of thousands of years.  I believe the fourteen statements of the Emerald Tablet to be a symbolic guide to a far greater treasure than the conversion of lead into gold. I believe it to be, instead, a symbolic guide to the awakening of the human spirit. I believe it to be a guide to the conversion of a base and petty human being into an awakened soul, the likes of which we have seen in the Jesuses and the Buddhas of our world.  In the Christian Bible, it is said that Adam fell into a deep sleep. Nowhere in that Bible does it say that he woke back up. The purpose of the Emerald Tablet, I believe, is that very awakening.

     Maddock, Bones, and the crew of the Sea Foam set out for a legendary island in the Pacific, the final resting place of a wealth of treasure vessels. Standing in their way are mercenaries, cage fighters, drug gangs, mystics, and powers beyond their understanding. But no danger is more grave than what lies in wait. Praise for David Wood and the Dane Maddock Adventures “Dane and Bones.... Together they're unstoppable. Rip roaring action from start to finish. Wit and humor throughout. Just one question - how soon until the next one? Because I can't wait.” Graham Brown, author of Shadows of the Midnight Sun “A twisty tale of adventure and intrigue that never lets up and never lets go!” Robert Masello, author of Bestiary and Blood and Ice “What an adventure! A great read that provides lots of action, and thoughtful insight as well, into strange realms that are sometimes best left unexplored.” Paul Kemprecos, author of the NUMA Files “A page-turning yarn blending high action, Biblical speculation, ancient secrets, and nasty creatures. Indiana Jones better watch his back!” Jeremy Robinson, author of SecondWorld “With the thoroughly enjoyable way Mr. Wood has mixed speculative history with our modern day pursuit of truth, he has created a story that thrills and makes one think beyond the boundaries of mere fiction and enter the world of 'why not'?” David Lynn Golemon, Author of Ancients “Let there be no confusion: David Wood is the next Clive Cussler. Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop until the last mystery plays out in the final line.” Edward G. Talbot, author of 2012: The Fifth World “I like my thrillers with lots of explosions, global locations and a mystery where I learn something new. Wood delivers! Recommended as a fast paced, kick ass read.” J.F. Penn, author of Desecration “Dourado is a brisk read, reminiscent of early Cussler adventures, and perfect for an afternoon at the beach or a cross-country flight. You'll definitely want more of Maddock.” Sean Ellis- Author of Into the Black

    Part One holds 12 stories of Family Annihilators - men who murder their entire family. It is more common than you might think. Part Two is called A Six Pack of Murder which is a random collection of six more true crime stories of murder.

    Deciding that taking a leap into the unknown was better than making no decision at all, they borrowed a little money from some good friends, packed up their belongings and headed to a mobile home site just outside Cannes. Whilst there, they would look for work with the hope of settling in the region. What no one bothered to tell France’s newest arrivals was that the people they were about to be interviewed by and eventually work for were all blisteringly, yet deliciously mad. Whilst minding his own business in the garden belonging to one of these certifiable lunatics, Brent gets adopted by a dog with his own obsession, maintaining the author's theory that sanity is an extremely rare commodity in the south of France.

    This study guide includes a detailed Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Character Descriptions, Objects/Places, Themes, Styles, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion on The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett.

    In spite of seeming completeness, he suffered from inner chaos and restlessness which resulted in constant panic attacks. And suddenly everything stopped and he was helpless. He recognizes his incurable illness and decides to end his life but fortunately he fails before the attempt. But, his destiny unfolds a rare experience and he sees things which he thought did not exist. He leaves everything that he possessed behind and sets off on a random journey. Jako travels and experiences things which were beyond his imagination. He meets people who deceive and delude him, though he travelled to find answers, Jako returns home with treachery and delusion. On his way back, Jako reaches a small town with an isolated beach. He stays there meets a mysterious traveler; at first, Jako was confused to consider this man as a guardian angel or a mentalist. But as time passes they get along and this mysterious man solves all the riddles that surround Jako. They both sit at the beach and discuss life, Destiny, Freewill, Dreams, Dejavu's, Reality, Hypocrisy, Philosophy, Pleasure, God, Beauty, Love, Infatuation, Psychology, Wisdom, Intellect, Happiness, Boredom. Jako throws strange questions at this man and he answers them with wise stories. Jako answers all his questions by himself. Jako finishes his remarkable journey and returns home rehabilitated. P.S. : Kindly write a few words/lines review about this book. It will inspire others to read it.

    Where we don't, we read, we ask, we learn and then, we solve! What happens when there are no answers though? When nobody in the world knows! When we see the need to invent Gods even if we can't discover Him. Through a string of poems, the author narrates such an experience with his non-verbal and autistic daughter, Enya. What started as a week of babysitting for him soon became a seeking to change her into 'normal'. But, that seeking ended up transforming the seeker!The narrative in the form of poetry touches upon the revelation that comes out of desperation of not finding an answer at all and therefore, the thoughts getting tired of themselves and the mind taking a back seat. In that silence, the author says, things become clear and all aspects of life show their inter-relation! The intellect gives way to the intelligence, the body and mind as 'me' gives way to the world as 'me'! The mind map once seen, one starts to see the true nature of the 'me' and that perspective and clarity make everything clear and possible in life...

    In the center of the village, the local cemetery might at first seem rather ordinary. Old gravestones lean in every direction, watched over by statues of angels. There are rumors, however, that the cemetery in Rippon hides one very dark secret. Could it be that this is where the Devil himself is buried? After running away from home in search of a fresh start, Samantha Marker can't afford to be picky about finding a new job. When she's hired to look after Rippon's cemetery, she thinks she can simply hide away from society and get on with her life. She soon discovers, however, that Rippon has begun to attract some very unwelcome attention. Dark forces are determined to recover the Devil's body, and they'll stop at nothing in their quest. Even if that means bringing about the end of the world. Thrown into a battle she doesn't even understand, Sam finds herself up against demons, ghosts and other nightmares. As if those dangers aren't bad enough, there's also the distinct possibility that all these battles might accidentally cause the Devil to rise from his grave. Even as she tries to save the world, however, Sam also has to deal with the consequences of a terrible mistake that she made long ago. How can she save humanity when she's already abandoned the one person who needs her even more? Grave Girl: The Complete Trilogy is an omnibus edition containing the three books in the Grave Girl trilogy: Grave Girl (2013), Raven Revivals (2014) and The Gravest Girl of All (2018).

    Its starting point is the annual Turing Test, which pits artificial intelligence programs against people to determine if computers can “think.”Named for computer pioneer Alan Turing, the Tur­ing Test convenes a panel of judges who pose questions—ranging anywhere from celebrity gossip to moral conundrums—to hidden contestants in an attempt to discern which is human and which is a computer. The machine that most often fools the panel wins the Most Human Computer Award. But there is also a prize, bizarre and intriguing, for the Most Human Human.In 2008, the top AI program came short of passing the Turing Test by just one astonishing vote. In 2009, Brian Christian was chosen to participate, and he set out to make sure Homo sapiens would prevail.The author’s quest to be deemed more human than a com­puter opens a window onto our own nature. Interweaving modern phenomena like customer service “chatbots” and men using programmed dialogue to pick up women in bars with insights from fields as diverse as chess, psychiatry, and the law, Brian Christian examines the philosophical, bio­logical, and moral issues raised by the Turing Test.One central definition of human has been “a being that could reason.” If computers can reason, what does that mean for the special place we reserve for humanity?

    She invites him to ‘go and live a better life without me’. He must start again, and alone.And so it is that Sam finds himself deep in the English countryside in a cold but characterful old house, remote and encircled by hills, in the employment and company of an older, wiser man, a man as fond of mystery as he is of enlightenment. What is the purpose of the seemingly hopeless task set for Sam in the house’s ancient library? What is the secret of the unused room? And where does a life lose its way or gain its meaning?The combe is home to a truth born of fraud, a building made of light, and a family wrecked by recklessness: loss and love reverberate around the house and around the novel, providing pleasure, pain and purpose. Combe Hall is a house designed to honour and to enthral. And this very fine debut novel does exactly the same.