But is this claim true? As historian Bart D. Ehrman shows in this informative and witty book, The Da Vinci Code is filled with numerous historical mistakes.Did the ancient church engage in a cover-up to make the man Jesus into a divine figure? Did Emperor Constantine select for the New Testament--from some 80 contending Gospels--the only four Gospels that stressed that Jesus was divine? Was Jesus Christ married to Mary Magdalene? Did the Church suppress Gospels that told the secret of their marriage? Bart Ehrman thoroughly debunks all of these claims. But the book is not merely a laundry list of Brown's misreading of history. Throughout, Ehrman offers a wealth of fascinating background information--all historically accurate--on early Christianity. He describes, for instance, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls; outlines in simple terms how scholars of early Christianity determine which sources are most reliable; and explores the many other Gospels that have been found in the last half century. In his engaging book, Ehrman separates fact from fiction, the historical realities from the flights of literary fancy. Anyone who would like to know the truth about the beginnings of Christianity and the real truth behind The Da Vinci Code will find this book riveting.

    In WHY ME WHY THIS WHY NOW, Robin Norwood uses compelling stories of real people to illuminate adversity's purpose at each stage of our spiritual evolution. The result is a highly personal guidebook for every seeker, a map of unfolding consciousness in which all readers will find themselves. By making esoteric principles and spiritual laws that apply to all of us understandable, Norwood helps her readers fulfil their own destiny. In her earlier books, Norwood showed how the roots of addictions stem from family dynamics. WHY ME WHY THIS WHY NOW takes readers on a more far-reaching journey, preparing them to join in today's global awakening to the next stage of human consciousness.

    But he's not the first.Take the American bombardier Louis Zamperini, who survived 47 days stranded at sea by catching and killing hungry sharks and drinking the warm blood of albatrosses ? only to be captured by the Japanese and horrifically tortured for years in their most brutal POW camps...Or Marcus Luttrell, a Navy SEAL who single-handedly took on a Taliban regiment before dragging his bleeding, bullet-ridden body for days through the harsh mountains of Afghanistan...Or Nando Parrado, one of the survivors of a horrific air-crash high in the ice-bound Andes, who only lived because he was willing to eat the flesh of his dead companions...In this gripping new book, Bear tells the stories of the adventurers, explorers, soldiers and spies whose refusal to quit in the most extreme situations has inspired him throughout his life. Some of them make uncomfortable reading - survival is rarely pretty. But all of them are tales of eye-watering bravery, death-defying resilience and extraordinary mental toughness by men and women who have one thing in common: true grit.What readers are saying about True Grit:***** 'Exhilarating . . . It kept me gripped throughout.'***** 'Inspirational stories of survival and endurance . . . kept me interested till the end.'***** 'To keep going, to keep hopeful, to never quit these are lessons in life that all of us need to hear.'

    He avoids relationships lasting more than a few hours and sets his sights on breaking out of this college town and opening a shop in Miami. Hailey Matthews is ready to leave her college days behind her except for one last hoorah, getting matching tattoos with her sorority sisters by the best artists in the Tri-state area at Steele Ink. After passing out twice a few minutes into the tattoo, Vic Steele refuses to touch her skin again, at least not with the tattoo gun. When she shows up at his shop day after day demanding he finish the tattoo he finally agrees with one stipulation, she goes out to dinner with him. They both get more than they bargained for when their feelings take them by surprise and Hailey finds herself in the midst of the full Vic Steele experience, but Vic’s playboy status comes back to haunt him threating to ruin it all. Will Hayley’s first ink be her last or will Vic leave a permanent scar?

    The wild card is the Exocet -- the enemy, close to acquiring the deadly French missile, will soon be capable of smashing British defenses -- and throwing the global balance of power into chaos.

     Jackson Walker hasn't had the best family life. Growing up in the foster system in Australia, it wasn’t until he met his college football coach that he understood what a normal family looked like. When he gets the call that Coach has passed away, he returns to California for the funeral and to find a place to honor the man. Hailey Montgomery threw herself into real estate soon after breaking up with her boyfriend nearly five years ago. She’s been working to build a name for herself and when the chance to make partner at her firm becomes available, she jumps at the chance. But the only way to achieve that distinction is to find a commercial property for the guy she’s nicknamed ‘Golden Boy’ from all the stories her father told about him. As spending time together brings them closer, the trust between them is called into question. Can they work through what’s happened in their individual pasts to create a relationship that will last?

    Michael Frescato, a sheriff in Paterson by day and a brownstone renovator by night, teaches Lily that heroes are often where you least expect them but where they are most needed. He is there for her when she needs a home and when she looks for help protecting children and their caseworkers. But Lily is committed to her long-term boyfriend, even though the spark has gone out of their relationship. As Lily gets to know Michael, she has to decide if he and his warm, close-knit family are exactly what she has always been looking for.

    Here are practical methods for developing self-recognition and identity in order to improve relationships with other people in one's personal and professional life. A superb example of communication, the book shows us where we are most likely to sabotage ourselves and offers simple suggestions for dealing with everyday problems.

    But on a trip abroad she is struck by a strange illness, one that seems to have no physical cause. Meredith has always played by her own rules—and won—and now she must uncover the roots of this mystery ailment that threatens her future happiness. The answers lie buried somewhere in her forgotten past. And with the help of a caring psychiatrist, Meredith will have to peel back the layers of her most carefully designed and constructed creation: herself.

    At the same time, at Trinity College in Dublin, young American student Patrick Canavan falls in love with Francesca Contarini, who wears a strange cross around her neck. Twenty-four years later, Francesca has apparently drowned, and Canavan, now ex-CIA, has returned to Dublin to try to recapture his youthful peace of mind. But events from the past impinge on the present: just after Canavan realizes he is being watched by a sinister man with a strange tattoo, he discovers an old priest with his eyes gouged out. Then children are murdered and their hearts ripped from their bodies, and KGB agents have their heads shaved and covered with plastic bags.Teaming up with an Ethiopian priest, Canavan must decipher Hebrew, Greek, and Italian texts to detect the apparent reemergence of the secret Brotherhood, a twelfth century right-wing sect. Is the cult, founded on the teachings of James, out to seize the papacy, spread the word that Christ did not die on the cross, and reinitiate human sacrifice? And is Francesca actually dead? Easterman connects the threads of his complex narrative with riveting suspense: almost every chapter ends with a cerebral cliff-hanger guaranteed to speed readers on to the next page.

    Though Xander, Will and Kit may not be legitimate in the eyes of the aristocracy, their mother made sure that they each received a gentleman's education and knew how to make their way in the world...Despite being knighted for saving the Prince Regent's life, Sir Alexander Jones will never truly be accepted by the nobility. But if he's to find his long lost brother, Xander must win the first willing heiress he can find— and obtain the funds he needs to search London's darkest corners.Slandered and denied her rightful inheritance by the machinations of her unscrupulous uncle, Cleo Spencer has been living on a farm with only a meager stipend to support her and her brother. Only by marrying can Cleo access her funds and provide her younger brother the life he deserves.

    Ray Solomon is used to living life large. So naturally fate would decide to pull an ironic twist and land Ray as the resident doc in Westerly, North Carolina—the smallest town on earth. According to the locals, Westerly’s biggest claim to fame is a mysterious and mystical geological anomaly that spells imminent love for anyone who enters the town limits. Sounds like they’ve all been drinking way too much margaritas, but when you live in a one-horse town permanently stuck in a time warp you’ve gotta find something to amuse yourself. And no joke on the time warp thing. Seriously, it’ll be a damn miracle if his car doesn’t transform into a DeLorean. Working at the postage-stamp-sized Veteran’s Hospital is a challenge, but the biggest test of all? Keeping his hands and thoughts to himself when it comes to Fayth Collins—the sexy nurse with soft chocolate eyes and a body made for all things fantasy. Especially his. Spitfire Fayth isn’t one to swoon over a man with big city charm. Not even one as gorgeous as Ray. No, he’ll have to put in plenty of sweat equity to win her heart. Oh, and one other little thing. She’s a package deal. In other words, Ray has to contend with her entire extended family-- that just happen to live with her. Privacy? Hell, none of her roomies know the meaning of the word. Despite her making it clear they have no future, He refuses to take the hint. Ray would have to be crazy to pursue Fayth with the mountain of obstacles facing him, but he suddenly has an insatiable thirst only she can quench. They say people who are meant to be in Westerly never leaves. Because it looks like Ray is about to be its next victim...

    Two years after becoming a widow, Naomi Tisdale is determined to make a new life for herself in Oregon. She is not interested in marriage. In fact, she really just wants to be left alone. But when she meets her new neighbor, she is no longer interested in solitude, and she's determined to gain more than just his friendship.Aidan McKenzie knows immediately that Naomi is the woman he wants for a wife. With her beauty, charm, intelligence and willingness to work hard, she embodies everything he has been searching for. But scars from her first marriage remain, and Aidan wonders whether he can convince her to take a second chance on love.Publisher's Note: This historical western romance contains steamy, graphic scenes and a theme of power exchange.

    Their old friend from college days, Sam Sharp, who has since become a successful screenplay writer, drops by unexpectedly on the way to Los Angeles. Sam is fuming over a scathing profile of himself by Fanny Tarrant, one of the new breed of pugnacious interviewers, in that day's newspaper. Together, Sam and Adrian plan to take revenge on the journalist, though Adrian is risking what he values most: his privacy. What follows is unexpected and upsetting for all of them, including Fanny.David Lodge's delicious novella examines with characteristic wit and insight the tensions between private life and public interest in contemporary culture.

    A fiery and gorgeous Hungarian, he made women swoon at soirees and left a trail of broken hearts behind him. Anne, a countess and talented young pianist whose mother has just died of cholera, hears Franz Liszt in concert and is swept up in his allure. The enigmatic Marie d'Agoult, a friend of Anne's late mother, takes her under her wing and introduces her to the artistic world -- despite the objections of Anne's sullen and sorrowful father. Anne soon finds herself in the midst of dangerous intrigues, discovering a family secret so shocking that her father will go to any lengths to protect it. With the ominous presence of Paris's most deadly epidemic looming over every turbulent event, Liszt's Kiss is a rich evocation of a remarkable period as seen through the eyes of a sensitive young artist.