Dataset Viewer
query
stringclasses 249
values | book_title
stringlengths 3
200
| description
stringlengths 203
9.3k
| query_id
int64 0
248
| row_id
int64 0
2.59k
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
20th-century family saga | Counternarratives | Now in paperback, a bewitching collection of stories and novellas that are “suspenseful, thought-provoking, mystical, and haunting” (Publishers Weekly) Ranging from the seventeenth century to the present, and crossing multiple continents, Counternarratives draws upon memoirs, newspaper accounts, detective stories, and interrogation transcripts to create new and strange perspectives on our past and present. “An Outtake” chronicles an escaped slave’s take on liberty and the American Revolution; “The Strange History of Our Lady of the Sorrows” presents a bizarre series of events that unfold in Haiti and a nineteenth-century Kentucky convent; “The Aeronauts” soars between bustling Philadelphia, still-rustic Washington, and the theater of the U. S. Civil War; “Rivers” portrays a free Jim meeting up decades later with his former raftmate Huckleberry Finn; and in “Acrobatique,” the subject of a famous Edgar Degas painting talks back. | 0 | 0 |
20th-century family saga | Midnight Marriage | One of the 20 Most Romantic Books Ever, According to BookBub Members Inspired by real events, a secretly arranged marriage establishes a dynasty. After years in exile, Julian returns to claim a bride he doesn’t know. To his delight, he discovers she is everything he’d hoped for. Unaware they are already married, Deb is content with her independent life. Julian’s challenge is to have her accept him on his merit, even though she has no choice at all. The future of the Roxton dukedom depends upon it. Set in the opulent world of the Georgian aristocracy, Lucinda Brant delivers another lavish 18th century experience in her trademark style—heart-wrenching drama with a happily ever after. Character-driven romantic adventure Non-explicit, mild sensuality Story length 100,000 words (not including bonus material) Reviews Lucinda Brant’s sweeping family sagas are a perfect reminder of why I fell in love with historical romance —Cheryl Bolen, New York Times bestselling author You will once again be reminded why Lucinda Brant’s books are such a treasure. —SWurman, Night Owl Reviews 5 STAR TOP PICK The energy starts on page one and never lets up. Twists and turns, dramatic revelations, and some enjoyable chaos make this a book that keeps the reader turning pages. Highly recommended! — Fiona Ingram, Readers’ Favorite 5 STAR MEDAL WINNER Lucinda Brant fully immerses the reader in the world of Georgian England, keeping you turning pages, or listening late into the night as the case may be. For those historical romance fans who have been gobsmacked by Nicholas Boulton (as a narrator), I am thrilled to report that Alex Wyndham is every bit as good. His narrative voice is deep and lovely. I unreservedly recommend that you listen to Midnight Marriage.—Lady Wesley, Romantic Historical Reviews audiobook review Accolades B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree Readers’ Favorite Audiobook Silver Medal Winner Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Finalist | 0 | 1 |
20th-century family saga | Some Luck | NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres comes the first volume of an epic trilogy that takes us on a literary adventure through cycles of birth and death, passion and betrayal that will span a century in America. “Intimate.... Miraculous.... Staggering.... A masterpiece in the making.” —USA Today 1920, Denby, Iowa: Rosanna and Walter Langdon have just welcomed their firstborn son, Frank, into their family farm. He will be the oldest of five. Each chapter in this extraordinary novel covers a single year, encompassing the sweep of history as the Langdons abide by time-honored values and pass them on to their children. With the country on the cusp of enormous social and economic change through the early 1950s, we watch as the personal and the historical merge seamlessly: one moment electricity is just beginning to power the farm, and the next a son is volunteering to fight the Nazis. Later still, a girl we’d seen growing up now has a little girl of her own. | 0 | 2 |
20th-century family saga | For Adam's Sake | Winner of the New England Historical Association’s James P. Hanlan Book Award Winner the Association for the Study of Connecticut History’s Homer D. Babbidge Jr. Award “Incomparably vivid . . . as enthralling a portrait of family life [in colonial New England] as we are likely to have.”—Wall Street Journal In the tradition of Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s classic, A Midwife’s Tale, comes this groundbreaking narrative by one of America’s most promising colonial historians. Joshua Hempstead was a well-respected farmer and tradesman in New London, Connecticut. As his remarkable diary—kept from 1711 until 1758—reveals, he was also a slave owner who owned Adam Jackson for over thirty years. In this engrossing narrative of family life and the slave experience in the colonial North, Allegra di Bonaventura describes the complexity of this master/slave relationship and traces the intertwining stories of two families until the eve of the Revolution. Slavery is often left out of our collective memory of New England’s history, but it was hugely impactful on the central unit of colonial life: the family. In every corner, the lines between slavery and freedom were blurred as families across the social spectrum fought to survive. In this enlightening study, a new portrait of an era emerges. | 0 | 3 |
20th-century family saga | The Thorn Birds | “Beautiful….Compelling entertainment.” —New York Times One of the most beloved novels of all time, The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough’s sweeping family saga of dreams, titanic struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback, returns to enthrall a new generation. The Thorn Birds is a chronicle of three generations of Clearys—an indomitable clan of ranchers carving lives from a beautiful, hard land while contending with the bitterness, frailty, and secrets that penetrate their family. It is a poignant love story, a powerful epic of struggle and sacrifice, a celebration of individuality and spirit. Most of all, it is the story of the Clearys' only daughter, Meggie, and the haunted priest, Father Ralph de Bricassart—and the intense joining of two hearts and souls over a lifetime, a relationship that dangerously oversteps sacred boundaries of ethics and dogma. “A heart-rending epic…truly marvelous.” —Chicago Tribune | 0 | 4 |
20th-century family saga | Golden Age | From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres comes the much-anticipated final volume in the acclaimed The Last Hundred Years Trilogy, following Some Luck and Early Warning. A richly absorbing new novel that is “a monumental portrait of an American family and an American century…. Smiley’s plot is a marvel of intricacy that’s full of surprises.” —Los Angeles Times It’s 1987, and the next generation of Langdons is facing economic, social, and political challenges unlike anything their ancestors have encountered. Michael and Richie, twin sons of World War II hero Frank, work in the high-stakes worlds of government and finance—but their fiercest enemies may be closer to home. Charlie, the charmer, struggles to find his way; Guthrie is deployed to Iraq, leaving the Iowa family farm in the hands of his younger sister, Felicity—who, as always, has her own ideas. Determined to help preserve the planet, she worries that her family farm’s land is imperiled, and not only by the extremes of climate change. Moving seamlessly from the power-brokered 1980s and the scandal-ridden ‘90s to our own present moment and beyond, Golden Age combines intimate drama, emotional suspense, and an intricate view of history, bringing to a magnificent conclusion the epic trilogy of one unforgettable family. | 0 | 5 |
20th-century family saga | Homeland | From the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of North and South: The first in a saga about a German immigrant and his family’s rise in 20th-century America. The tide of the twentieth century is rising upon the world, and on its crest rides the Crown family. Young Pauli Kroner, freshly arrived in America from the streets of Berlin, makes his way to the mansion of his millionaire uncle in Chicago, looking to fulfill his dreams. His uncle, Joe Crown, is a self-made brewery tycoon who rules his domain with an iron hand—especially when it comes to his own family of defiantly rebellious children and a wife yearning for her own liberation. In this new world, Pauli will rise as his own man and find his destiny in the early days of motion pictures. Surrounded by relations close and distant, proud and vengeful, each struggling to find themselves at the dawn of a new era, he will witness and experience the violence of the Pullman Strike, and find love in the arms of a woman who can never be his as he follows the march of history, intertwined with such figures as the audacious Theodore Roosevelt, the ruthless Thomas Edison, the fading western icon Buffalo Bill, and many more. Named a New York Times Notable Book, Homeland is a “first-rate historical . . . chock-full of fascinating period detail, [Jakes’s] captivating story brings to life the sounds, smells and tastes of turn-of-the-century America in a manner comparable to Michener’s Hawaii and Doctorow’s Ragtime” (Publishers Weekly). This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Jakes including rare images from the author’s personal collection. | 0 | 6 |
20th-century family saga | First Comes Marriage | BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Mary Balogh's The Secret Mistress. Against the scandal and seduction of Regency England, New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh introduces an extraordinary family—the fiery, sensual Huxtables. Vanessa is the second daughter, proud and daring, a young widow who has her own reason for pursuing the most eligible bachelor in London. One that has nothing to do with love. Or does it? The arrival of Elliott Wallace, the irresistibly eligible Viscount Lyngate, has thrown the country village of Throckbridge into a tizzy. Desperate to rescue her eldest sister from a loveless union, Vanessa Huxtable Dew offers herself instead. In need of a wife, Elliott takes the audacious widow up on her unconventional proposal while he pursues an urgent mission of his own. But a strange thing happens on the way to the wedding night. Two strangers with absolutely nothing in common can’t keep their hands off each other. Now, as intrigue swirls around a past secret—one with a stunning connection to the Huxtables—Elliott and Vanessa are uncovering the glorious pleasures of the marriage bed…and discovering that when it comes to wedded bliss, love can’t be far behind. | 0 | 7 |
20th-century family struggles | Handbook of Contemporary Families | "Coleman and Ganong recruited an outstanding group of scholars to contribute to the Handbook of Contemporary Families. Authors represent a wide array of disciplines, and the topics touch on every aspect of family life. The organization of the book is excellent and the writing of high quality. Scholars and students alike will find the book a valuable resource." --Alan Booth, Penn State University "Marilyn Coleman and Larry Ganong have produced a comprehensive handbook exploring the changes and challenges confronting contemporary families. The chapters, written by some of the most distinguished social scientists studying families, give a balanced research-based analysis of some of the most contentious issues of our time." --E. Mavis Hetherington, University of Virginia "This useful handbook brings together many of the most important new findings and provocative ideas about America′s diverse and changing families. An excellent resource." --Stephanie Coontz, author of The Way We Really Are: Coming to Terms with America′s Changing Families What has happened to marriage and families? What is the current state of families? Where are families headed? Where is family scholarship headed? As families face challenges today brought on by events that have changed their perception of the world, there is a need for a clear assessment of what has happened to families in the past and an examination of some data-based theories about what is likely to happen in the future. The Handbook of Contemporary Families explores how families have changed in the last 30 years and speculates about future trends. Editors Marilyn Coleman and Lawrence H. Ganong, along with a multidisciplinary group of contributors, critique the approaches used to study relationships and families while suggesting modern approaches for the new millennium. The Handbook looks at how changes within the contemporary family have been reflected in family law, family education, and family therapy. Features of this Handbook: Examines a diverse array of families and relationships in which people live, including chapters on alternative lifestyles, gay and lesbian relationships, economically distressed families, religion and families, racial and ethnic diversity, a feminist vision for families, older families, and the effect of computers and other technology on family relationships Includes both a historical review and future speculation on the subjects covered in each chapter Interdisciplinary contributors representing a variety of fields such as history, family studies, sociology, law, therapy, social work, psychology, nursing, and human development The Handbook of Contemporary Families is an excellent resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, educators, and practitioners who study and work with families in several disciplines, including Family Science, Human Development and Family Studies, Sociology, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Social Work. | 1 | 8 |
20th-century family struggles | Class Struggle Or Family Struggle? | This study complements the burgeoning literature on South Korean economic development by considering it from the perspective of young female factory workers. In approaching development from this position, Kim explores the opportunity and exploitation that development has presented to female workers and humanizes the notion of the 'Korean economic miracle' by examining its impact on their lives. Kim looks at the conflicts and ambivalences of young women as they participate in the industrial work force and simultaneously grapple with defining their roles in respect to marriage and motherhood within conventional family structures. The book explores the women's individual and collective struggles to improve their positions and examines their links with other political forces within the labor movement. She analyses how female workers envision their place in society, how they cope with economic and social marginalisation in their daily lives, and how they develop strategies for a better future. | 1 | 9 |
20th-century family struggles | Labor Divided | Labor Divided is the first anthology on race, ethnicity and the history of American working-class struggles to give substantial attention to the experiences of African-American, Asian, and Hispanic workers as well as to the experiences of workers from European backgrounds. The essays in Labor Divided cover a time period of more than a century. They focus on the experiences of service workers as well as factory workers, women as well as men. Because the American labor force presently is absorbing significant numbers of workers from abroad, and especially Asian and Hispanic workers, this volume will be of great interest to readers seeking historical perspectives on contemporary economic developments. | 1 | 10 |
20th-century family struggles | Parenting Matters | Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States. | 1 | 11 |
20th-century family struggles | Emile Durkheim on the Family | "This valuable source for a systematic and comprehensive understanding of Durkheim′s ideas on the family constitutes a major addition to the literature on the family, social theory, women′s studies, and family law. Highly recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above." -CHOICE Emile Durkheim on the Family is intended to bring attention to this classical sociologist′s work on the family. Durkheim′s writings in this area are little known, but the family was nevertheless one of his primary interests, the subject of an intended book that was never written. Durkheim′s ideas on the family appear only in scattered sources and a number of those sources have not been translated into English. Durkheim′s Sociology of the family has not heretofore been presented and analyzed holistically. The purpose of Lamanna′s book is to bring together Durkheim′s ideas on the family from diverse sources and to present his family sociology systematically and comprehensively. Quotations from Durkheim′s writing or speaking enrich the analysis. Durkheim′s work on the family is situated in its historical context and comparisons are drawn to present-day sociology of the family is situated in its historical context and comparisons are drawn to present-day sociology of the family and family issues. Chapter topics include: Durkheim′s life and times His evolutionary theory of the family Methodologies for studying the family The changing relationship of kin Conjugal family and the state The interior of the family Family policy Gender Sexuality An examination of Durkheim′s work on the family reveals its close connections to his wee-known books and theories. Emile Durkheim on the Family should interest audiences in sociology of the family, social theory, family science, European intellectual history women′s studies, legal history, and those generally interested in family studies and / or nineteenth and early twentieth century Europe. | 1 | 12 |
20th-century family struggles | Family, Ties and Care | Families international – the new milestone How may care be secured—particularly in ageing societies, how may families, relatives and friends support each other and live together beyond market reasons? How can social welfare be secured? How do different countries and different cultures solve the problems they may or may not, now or in days to come, share with other countries and cultures? Families, as is found in this publication by internationally renowned experts, are the base and well of society’s fortune in a humane paradigm. Furthermore, it is the very backbone of lifelong solidarity in inter-generational relations, and the very place where the readiness of taking on care and responsibility are experienced and learned. The publication’s underlying idea opens up two perspectives: on the one hand, differences and similarities in family life forms are chiselled out on the base of an international cooperation. Simultaneously, the international authors are called upon to express their ideas about their own country’s future more distinctly and clearly; thus, distinctions and similarities of the respective paths of development are rather easily perceived. | 1 | 13 |
20th-century family struggles | The Neutered Mother, The Sexual Family and Other Twentieth Century Tragedies | Calling for nothing less than a radical reform of family law and a reconception of intimacy, The Neutered Mother, The Sexual Family, and Other Twentieth Century Tragedies argues strongly against current legal and social policy discussions about the family because they do not have at their core the crucial concepts of caregiving and dependency, as well as the best interests of women and children. The Neutered Mother scrutinizes the definitions of family and mother throughout the volume while paying close attention to issues of race, class and sexuality. In addition, Fienman convincingly contests society's refusal to dignify, support and respond to the needs of caregivers and illustrates the burden they must bear due to this treatment. This book is a crucial step toward defining America's most pressing social policy problems having to do with women, motherhood and the family. | 1 | 14 |
20th-century family struggles | Keeping Heart | “After saying our good-byes to friends and neighbors, we all got in the cars and headed up the hill and down the road toward a future in Ohio that we hoped would be brighter,” Otis Trotter writes in his affecting memoir, Keeping Heart: A Memoir of Family Struggle, Race, and Medicine. Organized around the life histories, medical struggles, and recollections of Trotter and his thirteen siblings, the story begins in 1914 with his parents, Joe William Trotter Sr. and Thelma Odell Foster Trotter, in rural Alabama. By telling his story alongside the experiences of his parents as well as his siblings, Otis reveals cohesion and tensions in twentieth-century African American family and community life in Alabama, West Virginia, and Ohio. This engaging chronicle illuminates the journeys not only of a black man born with heart disease in the southern Appalachian coalfields, but of his family and community. It fills an important gap in the literature on an underexamined aspect of American experience: the lives of blacks in rural Appalachia and in the nonurban endpoints of the Great Migration. Its emotional power is a testament to the importance of ordinary lives. | 1 | 15 |
20th-century family struggles | Impact of Family Bonds | Impact of Family Bonds explores the pivotal role of family relationships in fostering individual well-being and driving societal growth. It examines how strong family bonds contribute to psychological resilience and emotional regulation, essential skills that enable individuals to navigate challenges and contribute positively to their communities. The book emphasizes that the strength of a nation truly begins at home, highlighting the reciprocal relationship between family support and the overall health of society. The book delves into attachment theory and family systems theory, demonstrating how secure attachments within families foster resilience. It also analyzes how family communication patterns impact individual and relational health, and how families instill prosocial behaviors and civic responsibility. By integrating perspectives from developmental psychology, sociology, and public policy, the book provides a holistic understanding of the multifaceted impact of family bonds. The book progresses from foundational concepts to actionable strategies, offering practical advice for families, educators, and policymakers. It emphasizes the importance of family-friendly policies and provides evidence-based approaches to strengthening family bonds. Ultimately, Impact of Family Bonds encourages readers to recognize family not just as a personal matter, but as a vital social institution. | 1 | 16 |
Absurd fantasy adventure | Blind Girl | Stumbling blindly through too many ups and downs wasn’t how Rosie was hoping her life would turn out. With her sight still gone, it becomes harder and harder to find her way. Still, she’s determined to heal as many cursed citizens as she can find, restoring their lives to them at much painful cost to her. While Dub remains firm that Rosie will remain blind until Kerdik obeys him, her plans for Avalon’s redemption never waver. It isn’t until the other two Brothers of Destruction surface that she realizes her best efforts might not be enough. "Blind Girl" is book nine of a 14-part fantasy romance series written by USA Today Bestselling Author Mary E. Twomey. Google Subjects: paranormal romance, French folklore, fairytales, myths and legends, fairy tales, young adult, YA, high school, paranormal, romance, paranormal books, YA paranormal fantasy, YA paranormal romance series, series or anthology, magic, coming of age, epic fantasy series, YA magic, fantasy and magic, YA coming of age, YA ebook, ebook, YA high school romance, YA teen, teen book, YA urban fantasy, YA shifters, YA shifter romance, french folklore 101, french culture, creole, urban fantasy series, teen magic, YA paranormal fantasy, YA ebooks, YA books, YA series, YA urban fantasy romance, teen and young adult books, teen books for girls in high school, teen love triangle, paranormal, paranormal fantasy, young adult urban fantasy, young adult fantasy, young adult teen, young adult witches, young adult coming of age romance, young adult fantasy and magic, fantasy romance, demigods and superheroes, free first in series | 2 | 17 |
Absurd fantasy adventure | When Graveyards Yawn | When the Change came, people stopped aging, the dead rose from their graves, it started raining and it’s been raining ever since. But a guy's still got to make a living doesn't he? MURDER IS STILL MURDER IN GREASETOWN - A dead lawyer enters the office of Wildclown Investigations and hires the detective to find his killer. Wildclown and his dead sidekick Elmo soon find themselves entangled in a battle for control of a secret that offers either hope or doom for humanity. WHEN GRAVEYARDS YAWN takes the reader to a unique setting that mixes gothic horror with the two-fisted pragmatism of a hard-boiled detective novel. | 2 | 18 |
Absurd fantasy adventure | The Enchantment Emporium | The bestselling author of the Blood Books delivers a masterful new urban fantasy. Alysha Gale is a member of a family capable of changing the world with the charms they cast. Then she receives word that she's inherited her grandmother's junk shop in Calgary, only to discover upon arriving that she'll be serving the fey community. And when Alysha learns just how much trouble is brewing in Calgary, even calling in the family to help may not be enough to save the day. | 2 | 19 |
Absurd fantasy adventure | Ugly Girl | "Ugly Girl" is book one of an 11-part fantasy romance series, which is based in French folklore. Rosie Avalon doesn’t know what to make of the bounty hunter who barreled into her life and turned everything on its head. When he lifts her concealment, Rosie goes from having a face that makes people cringe, to being suddenly beautiful. Bastien promises she’ll be safe when he takes her to a world teeming with Fae, Retifs, Brownies and the like, but with a target on her back and too many broken parts in this new magical world, Rosie isn’t sure a safe place exists under her evil mother’s rule. Now with everyone trying to use her for gifts she never knew she had, Rosie wonders if life was better back when she was the ugly girl. | 2 | 20 |
Absurd fantasy adventure | Mogworld | In a world full to bursting with would-be heroes, Jim couldn't be less interested in saving the day. His fireballs fizzle. He's awfully grumpy. Plus, he's been dead for about sixty years. When a renegade necromancer wrenches him from eternal slumber and into a world gone terribly, bizarrely wrong, all Jim wants is to find a way to die properly, once and for all. On his side, he's got a few shambling corpses, an inept thief, and a powerful death wish. But he's up against tough odds: angry mobs of adventurers, a body falling apart at the seams — and a team of programmers racing a deadline to hammer out the last few bugs in their AI. *Mogworld is the debut novel from video-game icon Yahtzee Croshaw (Zero Punctuation)! With an exclusive one-chapter preview of Yahtzee Croshaw's next novel, Jam—coming to bookstores in October 2012! *Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw's video review site, Zero Punctuation, receives over 2,500,000 unique hits a month, and has been licensed by G4 Television. *Yahtzee's blog receives about 150,000 hits per day. "The first legitimate breakout hit from the gaming community in recent memory." -Boing Boing | 2 | 21 |
Absurd fantasy adventure | Stupid Girl | "Stupid Girl" is book four of an 11-part series, which is based in French folklore.Barely able to lift her head, Rosie is taken away from Morgan le Fae's clutches. The haven of Province 9 is a welcome respite while Rosie tries to get back on her feet. With her father still bedridden, Kerdik takes it upon himself to do all he can to liberate King Urien. Though dangers from the borders threaten to tear the fragile kingdom apart, it's the threats from inside the castle that are most catastrophic. While Rosie tries to help Lane unite her kingdom, she learns secrets about the Untouchables that could undo all they've worked to rebuild. Everyone warns her that relying on Kerdik will end badly, but trusting Bastien just might be the biggest danger of all. | 2 | 22 |
Absurd fantasy adventure | A Peculiar Peril | A Peculiar Peril is a head-spinning epic about three friends on a quest to protect the world from a threat as unknowable as it is terrifying, from the Nebula Award–winning and New York Times bestselling author of Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer. Jonathan Lambshead stands to inherit his deceased grandfather’s overstuffed mansion—a veritable cabinet of curiosities—once he and two schoolmates catalog its contents. But the three soon discover that the house is filled with far more than just oddities: It holds clues linking to an alt-Earth called Aurora, where the notorious English occultist Aleister Crowley has stormed back to life on a magic-fueled rampage across a surreal, through-the-looking-glass version of Europe replete with talking animals (and vegetables). Swept into encounters with allies more unpredictable than enemies, Jonathan pieces together his destiny as a member of a secret society devoted to keeping our world separate from Aurora. But as the ground shifts and allegiances change with every step, he and his friends sink ever deeper into a deadly pursuit of the profound evil that is also chasing after them. | 2 | 23 |
Absurd fantasy adventure | The Philosophical Strangler | "Mighty Greyboar, the world's greatest professional strangler, is dissatisfied with his lot in life. When he learns that there is a Supreme Philosophy of Life, Greyboar the Strangler is born again."--Jacket. | 2 | 24 |
Absurd fantasy adventure | One Good Knight | Return to the Five Hundred Kingdoms, where a damsel can rescue herself, thank you… Princess Andromeda knows that any problem can be solved with a bit of research. So when a dragon storms the kingdom of Acadia, she decides it’s time to hit the books. Despite all her research, the only acceptable answer she can find is sacrificing a fair maiden—for Acadia is governed by “Tradition,” a rule that cannot so easily be sundered. Then she is picked as the sacrifice and must take matters into her own hands. With the help of her champion, Sir George, Andromeda sets out in search of the dragon’s lair, wanting nothing more than to change her fate. But to do so will take the strongest of wills, knowledge, quick wits and a refusal to give up, no matter what happens along the way… Previously Published. Read the Tale of Five Hundred Kingdoms Series by Mercedes Lackey: Book 1: The Fairy Godmother Book 2: One Good Knight Book 3: Fortune’s Fool Book 4: The Snow Queen Book 5: The Sleeping Beauty Book 6: Beauty and the Werewolf | 2 | 25 |
Absurdist existential novel | The Stranger | With the intrigue of a psychological thriller, The Stranger—Camus's masterpiece—gives us the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach. With an Introduction by Peter Dunwoodie; translated by Matthew Ward. Behind the subterfuge, Camus explores what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd" and describes the condition of reckless alienation and spiritual exhaustion that characterized so much of twentieth-century life. “The Stranger is a strikingly modern text and Matthew Ward’s translation will enable readers to appreciate why Camus’s stoical anti-hero and devious narrator remains one of the key expressions of a postwar Western malaise, and one of the cleverest exponents of a literature of ambiguity.” —from the Introduction by Peter Dunwoodie First published in 1946; now in translation by Matthew Ward. | 3 | 26 |
Absurdist existential novel | The Rebel | By one of the most profoundly influential thinkers of our century, The Rebel is a classic essay on revolution that resonates as an ardent, eloquent, and supremely rational voice of conscience for our tumultuous times. For Albert Camus, the urge to revolt is one of the "essential dimensions" of human nature, manifested in man's timeless Promethean struggle against the conditions of his existence, as well as the popular uprisings against established orders throughout history. And yet, with an eye toward the French Revolution and its regicides and deicides, he shows how inevitably the course of revolution leads to tyranny. Translated from the French by Anthony Bower. | 3 | 27 |
Absurdist existential novel | Re-Thinking Character in the Theatre of the Absurd | Using the character as a central element, this volume provides insights into the Theatre of the Absurd, highlighting its specific key characteristics. Adopting both semiotic-structuralist and mathematical approaches, its analysis of the absurdist character introduces new models of investigation, including a possible algebraic model operating on the scenic, dramatic and paradigmatic level of a play, not only exploring the relations, configurations, confrontations, functions and situations but also providing necessary information for a possible geometric model. The book also takes into consideration the relations established among the most important units of a dramatic work, character, cue, décor and régie, re-configuring the basic pattern. It will be useful for any reader interested in analyzing, staging or writing a play starting from a single character. | 3 | 28 |
Absurdist existential novel | A Little History of Literature | From The Epic of Gilgamesh to Harry Potter, this rollicking romp through the world of literature reveals how writings from all over the world can transport us and help us to make sense of what it means to be human. | 3 | 29 |
Absurdist existential novel | The First Man | From the Nobel Prize-winning author comes the story of Jacques Cormery, a boy who lived a life much like his own, with the sights, sounds and textures of a childhood steeped in poverty and a father's death yet redeemed by the beauty of Algeria and the boy's attachment to his mother. "A work of genius." —The New Yorker Published thirty-five years after its discovery amid the wreckage of the car accident that killed Camus, The First Man is the brilliant consummation of the life and work of one of the 20th century's greatest novelists. Translated from the French by David Hapgood. "The First Man is perhaps the most honest book Camus ever wrote, and the most sensual...Camus is...writing at the depth of his powers...It is "Fascinating...The First Man helps put all of Camus's work into a clearer perspective and brings into relief what separates him from the more militant literary personalities of his day...Camus's voice has never been more personal." —The New York Times Book Review | 3 | 30 |
Absurdist existential novel | Camus and Sartre | Until now it has been impossible to read the full story of the relationship between Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Their dramatic rupture at the height of the Cold War, like that conflict itself, demanded those caught in its wake to take sides rather than to appreciate its tragic complexity. Now, using newly available sources, Ronald Aronson offers the first book-length account of the twentieth century's most famous friendship and its end. Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre first met in 1943, during the German occupation of France. The two became fast friends. Intellectual as well as political allies, they grew famous overnight after Paris was liberated. As playwrights, novelists, philosophers, journalists, and editors, the two seemed to be everywhere and in command of every medium in post-war France. East-West tensions would put a strain on their friendship, however, as they evolved in opposing directions and began to disagree over philosophy, the responsibilities of intellectuals, and what sorts of political changes were necessary or possible. As Camus, then Sartre adopted the mantle of public spokesperson for his side, a historic showdown seemed inevitable. Sartre embraced violence as a path to change and Camus sharply opposed it, leading to a bitter and very public falling out in 1952. They never spoke again, although they continued to disagree, in code, until Camus's death in 1960. In a remarkably nuanced and balanced account, Aronson chronicles this riveting story while demonstrating how Camus and Sartre developed first in connection with and then against each other, each keeping the other in his sights long after their break. Combining biography and intellectual history, philosophical and political passion, Camus and Sartre will fascinate anyone interested in these great writers or the world-historical issues that tore them apart. | 3 | 31 |
Absurdist existential novel | Existentialism For Beginners | Existentialism For Beginners is an entertaining romp through the history of a philosophical movement that has had a broad and enduring influence on Western culture. From the middle of the Nineteenth Century through the late Twentieth Century, existentialism informed our politics and art, and still exerts its influence today. Tracing the movement’s beginnings with close-up views of seminal figures like Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky and Nietzsche, Existentialism For Beginners follows its intellectual and literary trail to German philosophers Jaspers and Heidegger, and finally to the movement’s flowering in post-World-War-II France thanks to masterworks by such giants as Jean Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Simone de Beauvoir, plus many others. Illustrations throughout — at once lighthearted and gritty — help readers explore and understand a style of thinking that, while pervasive in its influence, is often seen as obscure, difficult, cryptic and dark. Existentialism For Beginners draws the movement’s many diverse elements together to provide an accessible introduction for those who seek a better understanding of the topic, and an enjoyable historical review packed with timeless quotes from existentialism’s leading lights. | 3 | 32 |
Absurdist existential novel | The Made-Up Man | "Scapellato's blend of existential noir, absurdist humor, literary fiction, and surreal exploration of performance art merges into something special. . . . The Made-Up Man is a rare novel that is simultaneously smart and entertaining." —Gabino Iglesias, NPR Stanley had known it was a mistake to accept his uncle Lech’s offer to apartment-sit in Prague—he’d known it was one of Lech’s proposals, a thinly veiled setup for some invasive, potentially dangerous performance art project. But whatever Lech had planned for Stanley, it would get him to Prague and maybe offer a chance to make things right with T after his failed attempt to propose. Stanley can take it. He can ignore their hijinks, resist being drafted into their evolving, darkening script. As the operation unfolds it becomes clear there’s more to this performance than he expected; they know more about Stanley’s state of mind than he knows himself. He may be able to step over chalk outlines in the hallway, may be able to turn away from the women acting as his mother or the men performing as his father, but when a man made up to look like Stanley begins to play out his most devastating memory, he won’t be able to stand outside this imitation of his life any longer. Immediately and wholly immersive, Joseph Scapellato’s debut novel, The Made-Up Man, is a hilarious examination of art’s role in self-knowledge, a sinister send-up of self-deception, and a big-hearted investigation into the cast of characters necessary to help us finally meet ourselves. | 3 | 33 |
Absurdist existential novel | The Myth of Sisyphus And Other Essays | One of the most influential works of this century, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays is a crucial exposition of existentialist thought. Influenced by works such as Don Juan and the novels of Kafka, these essays begin with a meditation on suicide; the question of living or not living in a universe devoid of order or meaning. With lyric eloquence, Albert Camus brilliantly posits a way out of despair, reaffirming the value of personal existence, and the possibility of life lived with dignity and authenticity. | 3 | 34 |
Absurdist existential novel | The absurd in literature | Neil Cornwell's study, while endeavouring to present an historical survey of absurdist literature and its forbears, does not aspire to being an exhaustive history of absurdism. Rather, it pauses on certain historical moments, artistic movements, literary figures and selected works, before moving on to discuss four key writers: Daniil Kharms, Franz Kafka, Samuel Beckett and Flann O'Brien. The absurd in literature will be of compelling interest to a considerable range of students of comparative, European (including Russian and Central European) and English literatures (British Isles and American) – as well as those more concerned with theatre studies, the avant-garde and the history of ideas (including humour theory). It should also have a wide appeal to the enthusiastic general reader. | 3 | 35 |
Accidental spy thriller | BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY | BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY . . . In Philadelphia 1776 as the American Revolutionary war is breaking out, Betsy Ross wonders what really happened the night of the munitions warehouse explosion that killed her beloved husband John Ross. Was the explosion an accident or was the warehouse fire intentionally set? When the authorities refuse to investigate the crime, Betsy vows to solve the mystery herself but is soon drawn into Philadelphia’s dangerous underworld of spies and double agents working for both the British and the Patriots. Ultimately she has no choice but to trust the wrong man, but will she lose her life, or the lives of those she holds dear, in the process? “BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY will leave you breathless with anticipation wondering if Betsy will succeed in her mission to bring down the ruthless double spy intent on thwarting the rebel cause.” -Richard Whitaker, historian. "A truly suspenseful and thrilling tale with an intelligent and feisty heroine whom we are all familiar with from our knowledge of American history. What fun to envision Betsy Ross living as a single woman in Philadelphia in 1776. Ms. Clay has written a clever and imaginative tale providing Betsy the opportunity to use both her talent as a seamstress, and an intuitive woman, to solve a real-life crime that even today remains an American mystery" - Melissa Frederick, historical author. “From the talented pen of Marilyn Clay, fast becoming known as a premier historical suspense author, comes yet another skillful and exciting masterpiece. Characters in Clay’s novels spring to life as they draw you into their world, allowing you to live the stories right along with them. BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY is among the first, if not the first, novel ever written for adults featuring Betsy Ross, a legendary icon in American history as the heroine!” - Janet Stewart, American Historical Preservation Society. "One of the most suspenseful tales of spying and espionage cleverly interwoven into a stunningly realistic depiction of the Revolutionary war, featuring life as it was in 1776 for normal, everyday citizens caught up in a drama they had no choice but to endure." - Pat Beardon, historian. "This is the sort of historical novel you don't want to see end. I sat up long into the night reading this book. I only hope Ms. Clay intends to write a sequel! Thoroughly enjoyed, thoroughly recommended!"- Andrea Walsh. BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY is also available in print from major online retailers, and in audio from Google Books. (Author note: All of the 1776 Revolutionary war events depicted in BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY, including the names of British ships, General's names, battle locations, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin's spymaster activities, are all historically accurate, however history does not substantiate that the person known as Betsy Ross ever engaged in covert activity.) Other historical suspense mysteries by MARILYN CLAY include: DANGEROUS DECEPTIONS: A COLONIAL JAMESTOWN NOVEL, and SECRETS AND LIES also set in colonial Jamestown; both novels originally released in hardcover. Secrets And Lies has been released in paperback as A PETTICOAT AND LAMBSKIN GLOVES. MARILYN CLAY is also the author of seven Regency romance novels, and ten novels in the new critically-acclaimed Miss Juliette Abbott Regency-set Mysteries Series: MURDER AT MORLAND MANOR, MURDER IN MAYFAIR, MURDER IN MARGATE, MURDER AT MEDLEY PARK, MURDER IN MIDDLEWYCH, MURDER IN MAIDSTONE, MURDER AT MONTFORD HALL, MURDER ON MARSH LANE, MURDER IN MARTINDALE and MURDER AT MARLEY CHASE. STALKING A KILLER by Marilyn Clay is a contemporary murder mystery set near Dallas, Texas. All of author Marilyn Clay's novels are clean, wholesome and suitable for teen and young adult readers. | 4 | 36 |
Accidental spy thriller | American Spy | “American Spy updates the espionage thriller with blazing originality.”—Entertainment Weekly “There has never been anything like it.”—Marlon James, GQ “So much fun . . . Like the best of John le Carré, it’s extremely tough to put down.”—NPR NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY CHICAGO TRIBUNE AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Time • NPR • Entertainment Weekly • Esquire • BuzzFeed • Vulture • Real Simple • Good Housekeeping • The New York Public Library What if your sense of duty required you to betray the man you love? It’s 1986, the heart of the Cold War, and Marie Mitchell is an intelligence officer with the FBI. She’s brilliant, but she’s also a young black woman working in an old boys’ club. Her career has stalled out, she’s overlooked for every high-profile squad, and her days are filled with monotonous paperwork. So when she’s given the opportunity to join a shadowy task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the charismatic revolutionary president of Burkina Faso whose Communist ideology has made him a target for American intervention, she says yes. Yes, even though she secretly admires the work Sankara is doing for his country. Yes, even though she is still grieving the mysterious death of her sister, whose example led Marie to this career path in the first place. Yes, even though a furious part of her suspects she’s being offered the job because of her appearance and not her talent. In the year that follows, Marie will observe Sankara, seduce him, and ultimately have a hand in the coup that will bring him down. But doing so will change everything she believes about what it means to be a spy, a lover, a sister, and a good American. Inspired by true events—Thomas Sankara is known as “Africa’s Che Guevara”—American Spy knits together a gripping spy thriller, a heartbreaking family drama, and a passionate romance. This is a face of the Cold War you’ve never seen before, and it introduces a powerful new literary voice. NOMINATED FOR THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD • Shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize “Spy fiction plus allegory, and a splash of pan-Africanism. What could go wrong? As it happens, very little. Clever, bracing, darkly funny, and really, really good.”—Ta-Nehisi Coates “Inspired by real events, this espionage thriller ticks all the right boxes, delivering a sexually charged interrogation of both politics and race.”—Esquire “Echoing the stoic cynicism of Hurston and Ellison, and the verve of Conan Doyle, American Spy lays our complicities—political, racial, and sexual—bare. Packed with unforgettable characters, it’s a stunning book, timely as it is timeless.”—Paul Beatty, Man Booker Prizewinning author of The Sellout | 4 | 37 |
Accidental spy thriller | An Ordinary Spy | Written in the style of a CIA-censored intelligence report, a tale of two embattled spies follows their extraordinary efforts to protect their informants and traces new agent Mart Ruttenberg's investigation into a former operative's suspicious termination | 4 | 38 |
Accidental spy thriller | An Accidental Spy | Some secrets change the world... Once a privileged heiress, Annabelle Ross is now struggling to hold her home and her life together through the devastation of the War Between the States. But with a forced marriage and a desolate future on the horizon, her hopes are beginning to dwindle. When she discovers an encrypted note on a dying soldier, she seizes the opportunity to use it to deliver a message of her own. Instead, she’s mistaken for a spy and captured. Now her only chance to escape is the handsome soldier in charge of discovering her secrets. After his brother is captured by enemy soldiers, Matthew Daniels vows to rescue him at any cost. When a secret society offers him a chance for retribution, Matthew must decide between his loyalties and his convictions. To prove himself, he’ll have to first unmask the spirited spy holding the key to their plans or risk losing his brother forever. ★ Book one of three. The Accidental Spy series is an adventurous romantic trilogy following Annabelle Ross and Matthew Daniels. Please note these books must be read in order and that while each book has a complete storyline, the overall plot is completed throughout the trilogy. ★ An Accidental Spy is a 2020 rewrite of the previously published title Leveraging Lincoln (The Liberator Series book one) Don't miss these other titles from Bestselling Christian author Stephenia H. McGee Ironwood Plantation Family Saga The Whistle Walk Heir of Hope Missing Mercy The Accidental Spy Series *previously The Liberator Series An Accidental Spy A Dangerous Performance A Daring Pursuit Stand Alone Historical In His Eyes Eternity Between Us The Heart of Home The Secrets of Emberwild Stand Alone Time Travel Her Place in Time The Hope of Christmas Past The Back Inn Time Series A Wagon Train Weekend Falling for the Fifties A Colonial Courtship A Castle for Christmas Contemporary The Cedar Key (2021 Faith, Hope, and Love Award Winner) | 4 | 39 |
Accidental spy thriller | A Spy in the Struggle | An Amazon Best of the Month Selection The Washington Post Featured Thriller That Will Have You On The Edge Of Your Seat Bustle’s Most Anticipated Reads for December Book Riot Featured Hispanic Heritage Month Book CrimeReads Most Anticipated Crime Books of Fall 2020 Novel Suspects Featured December New Release "A passionately felt stand-alone with an affecting personal story at its center." —The Washington Post Winner of the International Latino Book Award, Aya de Leon, returns with a thrilling and timely story of feminism, climate, and corporate justice—as one successful lawyer must decide whether to put everything on the line to right the deep inequities faced in one under-served Bay Area, California community. Since childhood, Yolanda Vance has forged her desire to escape poverty into a laser-like focus that took her through prep school and Harvard Law. So when her prestigious New York law firm is raided by the FBI, Yolanda turns in her corrupt bosses to save her career—and goes to work for the Bureau. Soon she's sent undercover at Red, Black, and Green—an African-American “extremist” activist group back in her California college town. They claim a biotech corporation fueled by Pentagon funding is exploiting the neighborhood. But Yolanda is determined to put this assignment in her win column, head back to corporate law, and regain her comfortable life... Until an unexpected romance opens her heart—and a suspicious death opens her eyes. Menacing dark money forces will do anything to bury Yolanda and the movement. Fueled by memories of who she once was—and what once really mattered most—how can she tell those who’ve come to trust her that she’s been spying? As the stakes escalate, and one misstep could cost her life, Yolanda will have to choose between betraying the cause of her people or invoking the wrath of the country’s most powerful law enforcement agency. “Part of a new wave of espionage fiction from authors of color and women, many of whom place emphasis on the disturbing nature of being forced to spy on one’s own.” —Crime Reads, Most Anticipated Books of Fall | 4 | 40 |
Accidental spy thriller | The Unexpected Spy | A highly entertaining account of a young woman who went straight from her college sorority to the CIA, where she hunted terrorists and WMDs "Reads like the show bible for Homeland only her story is real." —Alison Stewart, WNYC "A thrilling tale...Walder’s fast-paced and intense narrative opens a window into life in two of America’s major intelligence agencies" —Publishers Weekly (starred review) When Tracy Walder enrolled at the University of Southern California, she never thought that one day she would offer her pink beanbag chair in the Delta Gamma house to a CIA recruiter, or that she’d fly to the Middle East under an alias identity. The Unexpected Spy is the riveting story of Walder's tenure in the CIA and, later, the FBI. In high-security, steel-walled rooms in Virginia, Walder watched al-Qaeda members with drones as President Bush looked over her shoulder and CIA Director George Tenet brought her donuts. She tracked chemical terrorists and searched the world for Weapons of Mass Destruction. She created a chemical terror chart that someone in the White House altered to convey information she did not have or believe, leading to the Iraq invasion. Driven to stop terrorism, Walder debriefed terrorists—men who swore they’d never speak to a woman—until they gave her leads. She followed trails through North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, shutting down multiple chemical attacks. Then Walder moved to the FBI, where she worked in counterintelligence. In a single year, she helped take down one of the most notorious foreign spies ever caught on American soil. Catching the bad guys wasn’t a problem in the FBI, but rampant sexism was. Walder left the FBI to teach young women, encouraging them to find a place in the FBI, CIA, State Department or the Senate—and thus change the world. | 4 | 41 |
Accidental spy thriller | Espionage in British Fiction and Film since 1900 | Espionage in British Fiction and Film Since 1900 traces the history and development of the British spy novel from its emergence in the early twentieth century, through its growth as a popular genre during the Cold War, to its resurgence in the early twenty-first century. Using an innovative structure, the chapters focus on specific categories of fictional spying (such as the accidental spy or the professional) and identify each type with a vital period in the evolution of the spy novel and film. A central section of the book considers how, with the creation of James Bond by Ian Fleming in the 1950s, the professional spy was launched on a new career of global popularity, enhanced by the Bond film franchise. In the realm of fiction, a glance at the fiction bestseller list will reveal the continuing appeal of novelists such as John le Carré, Frederick Forsyth, Charles Cumming, Stella Rimington, Daniel Silva, Alec Berenson, Christopher Reich—to name but a few—and illustrates the continued fascination with the spy novel into the twenty-first century, decades after the end of the Cold War. There is also a burgeoning critical interest in spy fiction, with a number of new studies appearing in recent years. A genre that many believed would falter and disappear after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet empire has shown, if anything, increased signs of vitality. While exploring the origins of the British spy, tracing it through cultural and historical events, Espionage in British Fiction and Film Since 1900 also keeps in focus the essential role of the “changing enemy”—the chief adversary of and threat to Britain and its allies—in the evolution of spy fiction and cinema. The book concludes by analyzing examples of the enduring vitality of the British spy novel and film in the decades since the end of the Cold War. | 4 | 42 |
Accidental spy thriller | The Accidental Time Traveller | Winner of the Scottish Children's Book Award 2013 Younger Readers (8-11 years) category. I'm not mad, ok? I know this sounds off the wall, but I was just walking to the corner shop and this girl almost got hit by a car. She grabbed hold of me and told me her name's Agatha Black and she's here from the past. At first I thought she was nuts but maybe it's true. She doesn't get traffic, she's freaked out by photos and she's terrified of TV. And she knows about the past -- body snatchers, making fires, and pet monkeys. Her dad does a bit of time travel. But obviously, he's not very good at it. I mean, he got her lost. Now it's me that has to get her back ? to 1812! | 4 | 43 |
Accidental spy thriller | The Accidental Spy | This is the story of how David Rupert, a bored trucking manager from New York, took a vacation to Ireland and ended up rising to the very top of the Real IRA, all while working for the FBI and British intelligence. He became one of Britain's most valued spies, brought down the entire IRA structure, and made $10 million dollars in the process. Along the way he found himself in the most extraordinary and terrifying situations. He was involved in major terrorist operations, set up an Iraqi sting operation and was organizing U.S. arms shipments with a man being trained to kill the then British prime minister, Tony Blair. | 4 | 44 |
Accidental spy thriller | Betsy Ross | A NEW, revised and expanded addition of the popular novel, BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY by Marilyn Clay. This edition contains three brand new chapters making the book a total of 340 pages.Betsy Griscom falls in love with John Ross while both young people are employed as apprentices at Webster's Upholstery Shop in Philadelphia. Three years after the couple marry, a warehouse explosion kills Betsy's beloved husband John. Betsy soon begins to wonder if the explosion was an accident or was the warehouse fire intentionally set? Was someone attempting to steal the Patriot weapons stored there? When the authorities refuse to investigate the crime, Betsy determines to uncover the truth, but finds herself deep in Philadelphia's dangerous and confusing underworld of spies and double agents. Ultimately she has no choice but to trust the wrong man, but will she lose her life, or the lives of those she holds dear, in the process? BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY is a gripping tale of one woman's courage during the pivotal year of 1776 in our nation's history. "I made every effort to remain true to historical events, such as the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, and battles fought in colonial New York and New Jersey. In my story Betsy interacts with real-life historical figures George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and her siblings, Sarah, Rachel and George, as well as her future husband, privateer Captain Joseph Ashburn. I consulted diaries and letters written by American Revolutionary generals and soldiers who lived then. I hope readers will enjoy imagining how Betsy's life 'might have been' in the year 1776, keeping in mind that the premise of my story is fictional. History does not substantiate that Betsy Ross ever engaged in any sort of covert activity." - author, Marilyn Clay "One of the most suspenseful tales of spying and espionage cleverly interwoven into a stunningly realistic depiction of the Revolutionary war featuring life as it was in 1776 for normal, everyday citizens caught up in a drama they had no choice but to endure." . . . Pat Beardon, historian. “BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY will leave you breathless with anticipation wondering if Betsy will succeed in her mission to bring down the ruthless double spy intent on thwarting the rebel cause. Chock full of authentic historical details about the Revolutionary war. Highly recommended!” . . . Richard Whitaker, historian. “From the talented pen of Marilyn Clay, fast becoming known as a premier historical suspense author, comes yet another exceptional tale. Characters in Clay's novels spring to life as they draw you into their world, allowing you to live their stories right along with them. In addition, BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY is, I believe, the first novel ever written for adults featuring Betsy Ross as the heroine.” - Janet Stewart. “That American icon Betsy Ross might have spied on the British for the Patriots during the Revolutionary war is not a stretch. Loyalist customers would have frequented Betsy's upholstery shop in Philadelphia presenting her with the perfect opportunity to listen and learn, which is exactly what she does in this clever, suspenseful, and beautifully written tale that had me in its grip from page one. I laughed and cried with Betsy and her beloved sister Sarah as the story unfolded and reached a most satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended!” – Melissa Frederick, author "This is the sort of historical novel you don't want to see end. I sat up long into the night reading this book. I only hope Ms. Clay intends to write a sequel! Thoroughly enjoyed, thoroughly recommended!" - Andrea Walsh, author. "Ms. Clay's historical suspense novels always please. Her Colonial Jamestown novels have been praised and recommended by both Booklist and the Library Journal. BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY is no exception. Very highly recommended." - Beth Finley, author. | 4 | 45 |
Airship pirate heist | The City of Splendors | The tour of the Realms’ most powerful cities continues with this action-packed adventure set in Waterdeep, where intrigue and secrets abound In the streets of Waterdeep, conspiracies run like water through the gutters, bubbling beneath the seeming calm of the city’s life. As a group of young, foppish lords discovers there is a dark side to the city they all love, a sinister mage and his son seek to create perverted creatures to further their twisted ends. With Waterdeep facing imminent danger, these spoiled younger sons must set aside their lives of luxury to become a fearless band of heroes. And across it all sprawls the great city itself. A hub of brawling, drinking, laughing, and living life to the fullest—even in the face of death. | 5 | 46 |
Airship pirate heist | The Fantasy Writer's Handbook | As a writer and avid reader of fantasy, I've always been fascinated by the power of imagination and the limitless possibilities of world-building. That's why I wrote The Fantasy Writer's Handbook, a comprehensive guide to crafting unforgettable stories that transport readers to magical worlds full of wonder, danger, and adventure. In this book, you'll find 1250 writing prompts across 25 subgenres of fantasy, each designed to help you unleash your creativity and take your world-building skills to the next level. Whether you're interested in epic quests, mythical creatures, or supernatural powers, there's a prompt for every type of fantasy writer. Each prompt comes with detailed instructions and helpful tips for developing your characters, creating rich and vivid settings, and building a compelling plot that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Whether you're a seasoned writer looking for new inspiration or a beginner seeking guidance on the basics of fantasy writing, The Fantasy Writer's Handbook has something for everyone. So, if you're ready to embark on a journey into the world of fantasy and unleash your creativity, then grab a copy of The Fantasy Writer's Handbook today and start building the world of your dreams! | 5 | 47 |
Airship pirate heist | The Encyclopedia of Hammer Films | Dracula and Frankenstein. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. These are just a few of the icons of Hammer Films. To horror fans, the name “Hammer” conjures visions of hissing vampires and buxom beauties in low-cut negligees. But Britain’s Hammer Film Productions, Ltd., was much more than just a fright factory. For more than thirty years, the company turned out neatly crafted entries in a variety of genres, ranging from comedies to pirate yarns, murder mysteries to war pictures. At the heart of Hammer’s remarkable success was its access to American financing and American theaters. But more than that, the individuals behind the scenes knew how to make good films on tight budgets. These pictures have withstood the test of time and continue to be enjoyed all over the world. The Encyclopedia of Hammer Films details the surprising story of Britain’s most successfulindependent film company and includes Entries on all of Hammer’s feature films, featurettes, and television episodes, including staff, production details, US and UK release data, cast, synopses, reviews, behind-the-scenes quotes, and US financial participation Capsule biographies of directors, producers, technicians, and actors––including the lovely ladies of Hammer glamour Special entries on Hammer-related topics, including “tax shelter” companies, Hammerscope, the British Board of Film Censors, and the recent Hammer reboot An annotated appendix of more than 150 unrealized Hammer projects A chronological, annotated listing of every production and coproduction from the company’s inception in 1934 An invaluable resource, this volume includes snapshots of the men and women who made the studio a success—including Peter Cushing, Terence Fisher, Christopher Lee, Ingrid Pitt, and Jimmy Sangster—as well as such iconic films as The Curse of Frankenstein, The Devil Rides Out, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, and Vampire Circus. With more than six hundred entries, The Encyclopedia of Hammer Films is a must-have for every fan of this unique studio. | 5 | 48 |
Airship pirate heist | Flotsam | Captain Talis just wants to keep her airship crew from starving, and maybe scrape up enough cash for some badly needed repairs. When an anonymous client offers a small fortune to root through a pile of atmospheric wreckage, it seems like an easy payday. The job yields an ancient ring, a forbidden secret, and a host of deadly enemies. Now on the run from cultists with powerful allies, Talis needs to unload the ring as quickly as possible. Her desperate search for a buyer and the fallout from her discovery leads to a planetary battle between a secret society, alien forces, and even the gods themselves. Talis and her crew have just one desperate chance to make things right before their potential big score destroys them all. | 5 | 49 |
Airship pirate heist | Arm of the Sphinx | Senlin continues his ascent up the tower in the word-of-mouth phenomenon fantasy series about one man's dangerous journey through a labyrinthine world. "One of my favorite books of all time" -- Mark Lawrence on Senlin Ascends The Tower of Babel is proving to be as difficult to reenter as it was to break out of. Forced into a life of piracy, Senlin and his eclectic crew are struggling to survive aboard their stolen airship as the hunt to rescue Senlin's lost wife continues. Hopeless and desolate, they turn to a legend of the Tower, the mysterious Sphinx. But help from the Sphinx never comes cheaply, and as Senlin knows, debts aren't always what they seem in the Tower of Babel. Time is running out, and now Senlin must choose between his friends, his freedom, and his wife. Does anyone truly escape the Tower? | 5 | 50 |
Airship pirate heist | Steal the Sky | Murder and mayhem derail a con-man’s carefully laid schemes in this swashbuckling debut that blends elements of Firefly and steampunk Detan Honding, a wanted conman of noble birth and ignoble tongue, has found himself in the oasis city of Aransa. He and his trusted companion, Tibs, may have pulled off one too many cons against the city’s elite and need to make a quick escape. They set their sights on their biggest heist yet—the gorgeous airship of the exiled commodore Thratia. But in the middle of his scheme, a face changer known as a doppel starts murdering key members of Aransa’s government. The sudden paranoia makes Detan’s plans of stealing Thratia’s ship that much harder. And with this sudden power vacuum, Thratia can solidify her power and wreak havoc against the Empire. But the doppel isn’t working for Thratia and has her own intentions. Did Detan accidentally walk into a revolution and a crusade? He has to be careful—there’s a reason most people think he’s dead. And if his dangerous secret gets revealed, he has a lot more to worry about than a stolen airship. File Under: Fantasy [ Sky Heist | Doppel Vision | Knives Out | Up Up and Away ] | 5 | 51 |
Airship pirate heist | Airships | While some choose to sail the seas and oceans seeking trade, adventure, and fame, others are more daring and sail the skies of their worlds. Discover the wonders of flight and the beauty of sailing the winds from many different methods and in many different forms. After all, no one race dominates the skies?save those that need no ships and jealously guard their skies. Like sea captains traversing dangerous waters and unknown menaces, airship captains must face the wrath of the aerial realms in the forms of dragons and other invisible dangers that pose great risk to their airships Airships provides all the rules necessary to bring flying ships into any campaign setting. Construction rules, combat, aerial and 3D movement, and other essential information is all covered. Also included are deck plans and specifications for a number of ships. Airships will bring new heroes to the fore when a village under siege cries "Look! Up in the sky!" | 5 | 52 |
Airship pirate heist | Retribution Falls | Sky piracy is a bit out of Darian Frey’s league. Fate has not been kind to the captain of the airship Ketty Jay—or his motley crew. They are all running from something. Crake is a daemonist in hiding, traveling with an armored golem and burdened by guilt. Jez is the new navigator, desperate to keep her secret from the rest of the crew. Malvery is a disgraced doctor, drinking himself to death. So when an opportunity arises to steal a chest of gems from a vulnerable airship, Frey can’t pass it up. It’s an easy take—and the payoff will finally make him a rich man. But when the attack goes horribly wrong, Frey suddenly finds himself the most wanted man in Vardia, trailed by bounty hunters, the elite Century Knights, and the dread queen of the skies, Trinica Dracken. Frey realizes that they’ve been set up to take a fall but doesn’t know the endgame. And the ultimate answer for captain and crew may lie in the legendary hidden pirate town of Retribution Falls. That’s if they can get there without getting blown out of the sky. | 5 | 53 |
Airship pirate heist | The Iron Jackal | A big slice of non-stop, action-packed, wise-cracking fun from the Ketty Jay, and Captain Darien Frey. Things are finally looking good for Captain Frey and his crew. The Ketty Jay has been fixed up good as new. They've got their first taste of fortune and fame. And, just for once, nobody is trying to kill them. In fact, she's offered them a job - one that will take them deep into the desert heart of Samarla, the land of their ancient enemies. To a place where the secrets of the past lie in wait for the unwary. Even Trinica Dracken, Frey's ex-fiancée and long-time nemesis, has given up her quest for revenge. Secrets that might very well cost Frey everything. Join the crew of the Ketty Jay on their greatest adventure yet: a story of mayhem and mischief, roof-top chases and death-defying races, murderous daemons, psychopathic golems and a particularly cranky cat. This time, Frey's in a race against the clock for the ultimate prize: to save his own life. | 5 | 54 |
Alchemy and intrigue | A Secret Alchemy | The cruel fate of the Princes in the Tower is one of the most fascinating—and most troubling—of all England's historical murder mysteries. But what was the truth behind the deaths of the young Edward V and his brother, Dickon, taken from their mother, Elizabeth Woodville, King Edward IV's beautiful widow, and their guardian, Anthony Woodville? And what about the man who would become King Richard III? In a brilliant feat of historical daring, the acclaimed author of The Mathematics of Love reimagines the tragedy of the youngest victims of the Wars of the Roses. Through the voices of Elizabeth, Anthony, and Una—a historian who herself knows grief, betrayal, and secret love—Emma Darwin re-creates the lethal power struggles into which the boys were born, their heart-wrenching imprisonment, and the ultimate betrayal of their innocence. | 6 | 55 |
Alchemy and intrigue | The Accidental Alchemist | "Filled with magic, intrigue, and humor, this series is sure to delight fans of cozy mysteries and urban fantasy."―Book Riot A chance for a new beginning in Portland, Oregon. A stowaway from Paris. Can alchemist Zoe Faust solve the mystery of an ancient book in time to save her new friend? Unpacking her belongings in her new fixer-upper house, alchemist Zoe Faust can't help but notice she's picked up a stowaway. Dorian Robert-Houdin is a living, breathing gargoyle―not to mention a master of French cuisine―and he needs Zoe's expertise to unlock the secrets of a centuries-old text. Zoe, who's trying to put her old life behind her, isn't so sure she wants to reopen her alchemical past...until a crime committed on her front porch leaves her no choice. Don't miss the first novel in the award-winning series from USA Today bestselling author Gigi Pandian! Includes recipes! Praise Winner of the Left Coast Crime Lefty Award. "Zoe and Dorian are my new favorite amateur-sleuth duo!" ―New York Times bestselling author Victoria Laurie "A whimsical and charming supernatural mystery."―Mystery Scene "Mysterious, captivating, and infused with the rich history of the Northwest...fantastic." ―Portland Book Review "This reviewer is eagerly anticipating more from this series, and a return of a cast more fun than an episode of Portlandia."―RT Book Reviews "Pandian...launches a supernatural cozy series that hits high marks for a modern twist on an ancient practice. Amusing supporting characters and historical details solidify this engaging mystery." ―Library Journal "[A] lighthearted supernatural mystery...Pandian sets this series apart from other fluffy paranormal mysteries with Zoe's cute nonhuman sidekick and some mouthwatering vegan recipes." ―Publishers Weekly "Readers won't want to put this book down." ―Vegetarian Journal "[A]n eccentric and charming cast of characters readers are going to want to spend more time with." ―RT Book Reviews Online "A magical, whimsical cozy that will delight readers who enjoy Juliet Blackwell and Heather Weber mysteries!"―Agatha Award-winning author Avery Aames (aka Daryl Wood Gerber) "Gigi Pandian's pen never disappoints." ―New York Times bestselling author Juliet Blackwell | 6 | 56 |
Alchemy and intrigue | The Masquerading Magician | The second book in the Anthony Award-winning Accidental Alchemist Mystery Series by USA Today bestselling author Gigi Pandian. When alchemist Zoe Faust gives herself a rare night out to attend a classic magic show that reminds her of her youth, she realizes the stage magicians are much more than they seem. A murder at the theater leads back to a string of unsolved robberies and murders in Portland’s past, and a mystery far more personal than Zoe and Dorian the gargoyle ever imagined. Can Zoe solve a mystery from Portland’s past and unlock an ancient alchemy book’s secrets soon enough to save her best friend from being trapped in stone forever? <i>Includes recipes!</i> "People who enjoy character driven stories with mystery, magic, supernatural creatures, and historical intrigue will greatly enjoy this inventive, well-written tale." —Portland Book Review | 6 | 57 |
Alchemy and intrigue | Alchemy Tried in the Fire | Winner of the 2005 Pfizer Prize from the History of Science Society. What actually took place in the private laboratory of a mid-seventeenth century alchemist? How did he direct his quest after the secrets of Nature? What instruments and theoretical principles did he employ? Using, as their guide, the previously misunderstood interactions between Robert Boyle, widely known as "the father of chemistry," and George Starkey, an alchemist and the most prominent American scientific writer before Benjamin Franklin as their guide, Newman and Principe reveal the hitherto hidden laboratory operations of a famous alchemist and argue that many of the principles and practices characteristic of modern chemistry derive from alchemy. By analyzing Starkey's extraordinary laboratory notebooks, the authors show how this American "chymist" translated the wildly figurative writings of traditional alchemy into quantitative, carefully reasoned laboratory practice—and then encoded his own work in allegorical, secretive treatises under the name of Eirenaeus Philalethes. The intriguing "mystic" Joan Baptista Van Helmont—a favorite of Starkey, Boyle, and even of Lavoisier—emerges from this study as a surprisingly central figure in seventeenth-century "chymistry." A common emphasis on quantification, material production, and analysis/synthesis, the authors argue, illustrates a continuity of goals and practices from late medieval alchemy down to and beyond the Chemical Revolution. For anyone who wants to understand how alchemy was actually practiced during the Scientific Revolution and what it contributed to the development of modern chemistry, Alchemy Tried in the Fire will be a veritable philosopher's stone. | 6 | 58 |
Alchemy and intrigue | Heavenly Intrigue | Heavenly Intrigue is the fascinating, true account of the seventeenth-century collaboration between Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe that revolutionized our understanding of the universe–and ended in murder.One of history’s greatest geniuses, Kepler laid the foundations of modern physics with his revolutionary laws of planetary motion. But his beautiful mind was beset by demons. Born into poverty and abuse, half-blinded by smallpox, he festered with rage, resentment, and a longing for worldly fame. Brahe, his mentor, was a flamboyant aristocrat who had spent forty years mapping the heavens with unprecedented accuracy–but he refused to share his data with Kepler. With Brahe’s untimely death in Prague in 1601, rumors flew across Europe that he had been murdered. But it took twentieth-century forensics to uncover the poison in his remains, and the detective work of Joshua and Anne-Lee Gilder to identify the prime suspect–the ambitious, envy-ridden Kepler himself. A fast-paced, true-life account that reads like a thriller, Heavenly Intrigue is a remarkable feat of historical re-creation. | 6 | 59 |
Alchemy and intrigue | Chantress | Lucy’s Chantress magic will make her the most powerful—and most hunted—girl in England in this “richly and thoughtfully written” story (Publishers Weekly). “Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted Lucy ever since she was shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. But on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing along—and she is swept into darkness. When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England. Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion… Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic. | 6 | 60 |
Alchemy and intrigue | Strange Alchemy | When 114 people go missing on Roanoke Island in what seems like an eerie repeat of what happened hundreds of years before, seventeen-year-olds Miranda and Grant may be the key to the mysteries past and present. | 6 | 61 |
Alchemy and intrigue | Legal Alchemy | Is scientific information misused by this country's court system and lawmakers? Today more than ever before, lawyers, politicians, and government administrators are forced to wrestle with scientific research and to employ scientific thinking. The results are often less than enlightened. In Legal Alchemy, David Faigman explores the ways the American legal system incorporates scientific knowledge into its decision making. Praised by both legal and scientific communities when it first appeared in hardcover, Legal Alchemy shows how science has been used and misused in a variety of settings, including • The Courtroom—from the O. J. Simpson trial to the Dow Corning silicone breast implant lawsuit to landmark cases such as Roe v. Wade. • The Legislature—where Congress uses scientific information to help enact legislation about clean air, cloning, and government science projects like the space station and the superconducting super collider. • Government Agencies—who use science to determine policy on a variety of topics, from regulating sport utility vehicles to reintroducing gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park. As Faigman describes these and other important cases, he provides disturbing evidence that many judges, juries, and members of Congress simply don't understand the science behind their decisions. Finally, he offers suggestions on how the science and legal professions can overcome their miscommunication and work together more effectively. | 6 | 62 |
Alchemy and intrigue | An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors | An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors is Curtis Craddock's delightful and engrossing fantasy debut featuring a genius heroine and her guardian, a royal musketeer, which Brandon Sanderson calls, "A great read!" Born with a physical disability, no magical talent, and a precocious intellect, Princess Isabelle des Zephyrs has lived her life being underestimated by her family and her kingdom. The only person who appreciates her true self is Jean-Claude, the fatherly musketeer who had guarded her since birth. All shall change, however, when an unlikely marriage proposal is offered, to the second son of a dying king in an empire collapsing into civil war. But the last two women betrothed to this prince were murdered, and a sorcerer-assassin is bent on making Isabelle the third. Isabelle and Jean-Claude plunge into a great maze of prophecy, intrigue, and betrayal, where everyone wears masks of glamour and lies. Step by dangerous step, Isabelle must unravel the lies of her enemies and discovers a truth more perilous than any deception. “A setting fabulous and strange, heroes to cheer for, villains to detest, a twisty, tricky plot — I love this novel!” —Lawrence Watt Evans “A thrilling adventure full of palace intrigue, mysterious ancient mechanisms, and aerial sailing ships!” —David D. Levine At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied. | 6 | 63 |
Alchemy and intrigue | The Alchemy of Menopause | Women are desperate for support during peri-menopause. This workbook offers a positive and empowering approach that will guide women through a deep process to a place of inner strength and wisdom. It will help women understand how the physical experiences of menopause are the body's way of triggering profound transformation and self realization. Menopause is not a disease it is an initiation. Now is the time to take back and redefine this momentous passage in our lives! This book offers a framework based on C. G. Jung's concepts of inner alchemy within which women can safely and coherently work with the transmuting power of peri-menopause to become more fully who they really are and take their place as healers and leaders in a world that is crying out for the crone's wisdom. Essential oils are suggested as guides along the way as there is nothing more powerful, yet safe and easy to use to explore our psyches than aromas. | 6 | 64 |
Ancient Rome intrigue | Life, Myth, and Art in Ancient Rome | Inspired by the achievements of the ancient Greeks, the Romans made their city the center of an empire unsurpassed in size and influence for more than a thousand years. Its rich legacy shaped the medieval world and continues to amaze us today. Life, Myth, and Art in Ancient Rome celebrates the many achievements of Roman culture and delves into its fascinating dark side. Romans erected structures so well-built and engineered that they still stand millennia later, yet these same buildings also showcased blood sports as public entertainment. The Romans instituted just government, impartial legal and political institutions, and concepts of citizenship, yet its population included slaves as well as patricians and plebeians, and was often riven by intrigue, superstition, and savagery. This volume is a richly illustrated introduction to a fascinating, at times paradoxical, civilization and its art and architecture, ranging from magnificent temples and aqueducts, to exquisite mosaics and jewelry. Placing the art in its cultural context, the author covers themes that have long inspired the Western imagination, including the rise and fall of emperors, the life and death of the gladiator, the belief in omens and prophecy, and, ultimately, the establishment of Christianity. | 7 | 65 |
Ancient Rome intrigue | Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome | Describes the people, places, and events of Ancient Rome, describing travel, trade, language, religion, economy, industry and more, from the days of the Republic through the High Empire period and beyond. | 7 | 66 |
Ancient Rome intrigue | Augustus | The acclaimed historian and author of Caesar presents “a first-rate popular biography” of Rome’s first emperor, written “with a storyteller’s brio” (Washington Post). The story of Augustus’ life is filled with drama and contradiction, risky gambles and unexpected success. He began as a teenage warlord whose only claim to power was as the grand-nephew and heir of the murdered Julius Caesar. Mark Antony dubbed him “a boy who owes everything to a name,” but he soon outmaneuvered a host of more experienced politicians to become the last man standing in 30 BC. Over the next half century, Augustus created a new system of government—the Principate or rule of an emperor—which brought peace and stability to the vast Roman Empire. In this highly anticipated biography, Goldsworthy puts his deep knowledge of ancient sources to full use, recounting the events of Augustus’ long life in greater detail than ever before. Goldsworthy pins down the man behind the myths: a consummate manipulator, propagandist, and showman, both generous and ruthless. Under Augustus’ rule the empire prospered, yet his success was constantly under threat and his life was intensely unpredictable. | 7 | 67 |
Ancient Rome intrigue | Human Rights in Ancient Rome | The concept of human rights has a long history. Its practical origins, as distinct from its theoretical antecedents, are said to be comparatively recent, going back no further than the American and French Bills of Rights of the eighteenth century. Even those landmarks are seen as little more than the precursors of the twentieth century starting-point - the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948. In this unique and stimulating book, Richard Bauman investigates the concept of human rights in the Roman world. He argues that on the theoretical side, ideas were developed by thinkers such as Cicero and Seneca and on the pragmatic side, practical applications were rewarded mainly through the law. He presents a comprehensive analysis of human rights in ancient Rome and offers enlightening comparisons between the Roman and twentieth century understanding of human rights. | 7 | 68 |
Ancient Rome intrigue | Roman Blood | In the unseasonable heat of a spring morning in 80 B.C., Gordianus the Finder is summoned to the house of Cicero, a young advocate staking his reputation on a case involving the savage murder of the wealthy, sybaritic Sextus Roscius. Charged with the murder is Sextus's son, greed being the apparent motive. The punishment, rooted deep in Roman tradition, is horrific beyond imagining. The case becomes a political nightmare when Gordianus's investigation takes him through the city's raucous, pungent streets and deep into rural Umbria. Now, one man's fate may threaten the very leaders of Rome itself. | 7 | 69 |
Ancient Rome intrigue | Ancient Rome | "Focusing on six momentous turning points that helped to shape Roman history, Simon Baker's gripping narrative charts the rise and fall of the world's first superpower - a political machine unmatched in its brutality, its genius, its lust for power." --DUST JACKET. | 7 | 70 |
Ancient Rome intrigue | The Rise of Rome | NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE KANSAS CITY STAR From Anthony Everitt, the bestselling author of acclaimed biographies of Cicero, Augustus, and Hadrian, comes a riveting, magisterial account of Rome and its remarkable ascent from an obscure agrarian backwater to the greatest empire the world has ever known. Emerging as a market town from a cluster of hill villages in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., Rome grew to become the ancient world’s preeminent power. Everitt fashions the story of Rome’s rise to glory into an erudite page-turner filled with lasting lessons for our time. He chronicles the clash between patricians and plebeians that defined the politics of the Republic. He shows how Rome’s shrewd strategy of offering citizenship to her defeated subjects was instrumental in expanding the reach of her burgeoning empire. And he outlines the corrosion of constitutional norms that accompanied Rome’s imperial expansion, as old habits of political compromise gave way, leading to violence and civil war. In the end, unimaginable wealth and power corrupted the traditional virtues of the Republic, and Rome was left triumphant everywhere except within its own borders. Everitt paints indelible portraits of the great Romans—and non-Romans—who left their mark on the world out of which the mighty empire grew: Cincinnatus, Rome’s George Washington, the very model of the patrician warrior/aristocrat; the brilliant general Scipio Africanus, who turned back a challenge from the Carthaginian legend Hannibal; and Alexander the Great, the invincible Macedonian conqueror who became a role model for generations of would-be Roman rulers. Here also are the intellectual and philosophical leaders whose observations on the art of government and “the good life” have inspired every Western power from antiquity to the present: Cato the Elder, the famously incorruptible statesman who spoke out against the decadence of his times, and Cicero, the consummate orator whose championing of republican institutions put him on a collision course with Julius Caesar and whose writings on justice and liberty continue to inform our political discourse today. Rome’s decline and fall have long fascinated historians, but the story of how the empire was won is every bit as compelling. With The Rise of Rome, one of our most revered chroniclers of the ancient world tells that tale in a way that will galvanize, inform, and enlighten modern readers. Praise for The Rise of Rome “Fascinating history and a great read.”—Chicago Sun-Times “An engrossing history of a relentlessly pugnacious city’s 500-year rise to empire.”—Kirkus Reviews “Rome’s history abounds with remarkable figures. . . . Everitt writes for the informed and the uninformed general reader alike, in a brisk, conversational style, with a modern attitude of skepticism and realism.”—The Dallas Morning News “[A] lively and readable account . . . Roman history has an uncanny ability to resonate with contemporary events.”—Maclean’s “Elegant, swift and faultless as an introduction to his subject.”—The Spectator “[An] engaging work that will captivate and inform from beginning to end.”—Booklist | 7 | 71 |
Ancient Rome intrigue | SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome | New York Times Bestseller A New York Times Notable Book Named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Foreign Affairs, and Kirkus Reviews Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award (Nonfiction) Shortlisted for the Cundill Prize in Historical Literature Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize (History) A San Francisco Chronicle Holiday Gift Guide Selection A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Selection A sweeping, "magisterial" history of the Roman Empire from one of our foremost classicists shows why Rome remains "relevant to people many centuries later" (Atlantic). In SPQR, an instant classic, Mary Beard narrates the history of Rome "with passion and without technical jargon" and demonstrates how "a slightly shabby Iron Age village" rose to become the "undisputed hegemon of the Mediterranean" (Wall Street Journal). Hailed by critics as animating "the grand sweep and the intimate details that bring the distant past vividly to life" (Economist) in a way that makes "your hair stand on end" (Christian Science Monitor) and spanning nearly a thousand years of history, this "highly informative, highly readable" (Dallas Morning News) work examines not just how we think of ancient Rome but challenges the comfortable historical perspectives that have existed for centuries. With its nuanced attention to class, democratic struggles, and the lives of entire groups of people omitted from the historical narrative for centuries, SPQR will to shape our view of Roman history for decades to come. | 7 | 72 |
Ancient Rome saga | Mistress of Rome | The first in an unforgettable historical saga from the New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Briar Club. “So gripping, your hands are glued to the book, and so vivid it burns itself into your mind’s eye and stays with you long after you turn the final page.”—Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author First-century Rome: One young woman will hold the fate of an empire in her hands. Thea, a captive from Judaea, is a clever and determined survivor hiding behind a slave’s docile mask. Purchased as a toy for the spoiled heiress Lepida Pollia, Thea evades her mistress’s spite and hones a secret passion for music. But when Thea wins the love of Rome’s newest and most savage gladiator and dares to dream of a better life, the jealous Lepida tears the lovers apart and casts Thea out. Rome offers many ways for the resourceful to survive, and Thea remakes herself as a singer for the Eternal ’City’s glittering aristocrats. As she struggles for success and independence, her nightingale voice attracts a dangerous new admirer: the Emperor himself. But the passions of an all-powerful man come with a heavy price, and Thea finds herself fighting for both her soul and her destiny. Many have tried to destroy the Emperor: a vengeful gladiator, an upright senator, a tormented soldier, a Vestal Virgin. But in the end, the life of Rome’s most powerful man lies in the hands of one woman: the Emperor’s mistress. | 8 | 73 |
Ancient Rome saga | The Rise of Rome : Books One to Five | Romulus and Remus, the rape of Lucretia, Horatius at the bridge, the saga of Coriolanus, Cincinnatus called from his farm to save the state -- these and many more are stories which, immortalized by Livy in his history of early Rome, have become part of our cultural heritage. This new annotated translation includes maps and an index and is based on R. M Ogilvie's Oxford Classical text, the best to date. - ;`the fates ordained the founding of this great city and the beginning of the world's mightiest empire, second only to the power of the gods' Romulus and Remus, the rape of Lucretia, Horatius at the bridge, the saga of Coriolanus, Cincinnatus called from his farm to save the state - these and many more are stories which, immortalised by Livy in his history of early Rome, have become part of our cultural heritage. The historian's huge work, written between 20 BC and AD 17, ran to 12 books, beginning with Rome's founding in 753 BC and coming down to Livy's own lifetime (9 BC). Books 1-5 cover the period from Rome's beginnings to her first great foreign conquest, the capture of the Etruscan city of Veii and, a few years later, to her first major defeat, the sack of the city by the Gauls in 390 BC. - | 8 | 74 |
Ancient Rome saga | Imperium | From the bestselling author of Fatherland and Pompeii, comes the first novel of a trilogy about the struggle for power in ancient Rome. In his “most accomplished work to date” (Los Angeles Times), master of historical fiction Robert Harris lures readers back in time to the compelling life of Roman Senator Marcus Cicero. The re-creation of a vanished biography written by his household slave and righthand man, Tiro, Imperium follows Cicero’s extraordinary struggle to attain supreme power in Rome. On a cold November morning, Tiro opens the door to find a terrified, bedraggled stranger begging for help. Once a Sicilian aristocrat, the man was robbed by the corrupt Roman governor, Verres, who is now trying to convict him under false pretenses and sentence him to a violent death. The man claims that only the great senator Marcus Cicero, one of Rome’s most ambitious lawyers and spellbinding orators, can bring him justice in a crooked society manipulated by the villainous governor. But for Cicero, it is a chance to prove himself worthy of absolute power. What follows is one of the most gripping courtroom dramas in history, and the beginning of a quest for political glory by a man who fought his way to the top using only his voice—defeating the most daunting figures in Roman history. | 8 | 75 |
Ancient Rome saga | Empress of the Seven Hills | A tale of love, power and intrigue from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Briar Club. Powerful, prosperous, and expanding ever farther into the untamed world, the Roman Empire has reached its peak under the rule of the beloved Emperor Trajan. But neither he nor his reign can last forever... Brash and headstrong, Vix is a celebrated ex-gladiator returned to Rome to make his fortune. The sinuous, elusive Sabina is a senator's daughter who craves adventure. Sometimes lovers, sometimes enemies, Vix and Sabina are united by their devotion to Trajan. But others are already maneuvering in the shadows. Trajan's ambitious Empress has her own plans for Sabina. And the aristocratic politician Hadrian—who is both the Empress's ruthless protégé and Vix's mortal enemy—has ambitions he confesses to no one, ambitions rooted in a secret prophecy. When Trajan falls, they all will be caught in a deadly whirlwind that may seal their fates, and that of the entire Roman Empire... | 8 | 76 |
Ancient Rome saga | The First Man in Rome | With extraordinary narrative power, New York Times bestselling author Colleen McCullough sweeps the reader into a whirlpool of pageantry and passion, bringing to vivid life the most glorious epoch in human history. When the world cowered before the legions of Rome, two extraordinary men dreamed of personal glory: the military genius and wealthy rural "upstart" Marius, and Sulla, penniless and debauched but of aristocratic birth. Men of exceptional vision, courage, cunning, and ruthless ambition, separately they faced the insurmountable opposition of powerful, vindictive foes. Yet allied they could answer the treachery of rivals, lovers, enemy generals, and senatorial vipers with intricate and merciless machinations of their own—to achieve in the end a bloody and splendid foretold destiny . . . and win the most coveted honor the Republic could bestow. | 8 | 77 |
Ancient Rome saga | Conspiracies of Rome | Rome, 609 AD Empire is a fading memory. Repeatedly fought over and plundered, the City is falling into ruins. Killers prowl by night. Far off, in Constantinople, the Emperor has other concerns as The Church is beginning to flex its own imperial muscle. Enter Aelric of England: young and beautiful, sexually uninhibited, heroic, if ruthlessly violent - and hungry for the learning of a world that is dying around him. A deadly brawl outside Rome sucks him straight into the high politics of Empire. Soon, Aelric is involved in a race against time to find answers before he ends up as just another corpse in the gutter. Praise for the Novels of Richard Blake 'Fascinating to read, very well written, an intriguing plot and I enjoyed it very much.' - Derek Jacobi, star of I Claudius and Gladiator 'Vivid characters, devious plotting and buckets of gore are enhanced by his unfamiliar choice of period.... Nasty, fun and educational.' - The Daily Telegraph 'He knows how to deliver a fast-paced story and his grasp of the period is impressively detailed.' - The Mail on Sunday 'A rollicking and raunchy read . . . Anyone who enjoys their history with large dollops of action, sex, intrigue and, above all, fun will absolutely love this novel.' - Historical Novels 'It would be hard to over-praise this extraordinary series, a near-perfect blend of historical detail and atmosphere with the plot of a conspiracy thriller, vivid characters, high philosophy and vulgar comedy.' - The Morning Star Richard Blake is a pseudonym for Sean Gabb, who is an historian, writer and university lecturer. He lives in Kent with his wife and daughter. | 8 | 78 |
Ancient Rome saga | Roma | Spanning a thousand years, and following the shifting fortunes of two families though the ages, this is the epic saga of Rome, the city and its people. Weaving history, legend, and new archaeological discoveries into a spellbinding narrative, critically acclaimed novelist Steven Saylor gives new life to the drama of the city's first thousand years — from the founding of the city by the ill-fated twins Romulus and Remus, through Rome's astonishing ascent to become the capitol of the most powerful empire in history. Roma recounts the tragedy of the hero-traitor Coriolanus, the capture of the city by the Gauls, the invasion of Hannibal, the bitter political struggles of the patricians and plebeians, and the ultimate death of Rome's republic with the triumph, and assassination, of Julius Caesar. Witnessing this history, and sometimes playing key roles, are the descendents of two of Rome's first families, the Potitius and Pinarius clans: One is the confidant of Romulus. One is born a slave and tempts a Vestal virgin to break her vows. One becomes a mass murderer. And one becomes the heir of Julius Caesar. Linking the generations is a mysterious talisman as ancient as the city itself. Epic in every sense of the word, Roma is a panoramic historical saga and Saylor's finest achievement to date. | 8 | 79 |
Ancient Rome saga | Daughters of Rome | A fast-paced historical novel about two women with the power to sway an empire, from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Briar Club. A.D. 69. The Roman Empire is up for the taking. Everything will change—especially the lives of two sisters with a very personal stake in the outcome. Elegant and ambitious, Cornelia embodies the essence of the perfect Roman wife. She lives to one day see her loyal husband as Emperor. Her sister Marcella is more aloof, content to witness history rather than make it. But when a bloody coup turns their world upside-down, both women must maneuver carefully just to stay alive. As Cornelia tries to pick up the pieces of her shattered dreams, Marcella discovers a hidden talent for influencing the most powerful men in Rome. In the end, though, there can only be one Emperor...and one Empress. | 8 | 80 |
Ancient Rome saga | Roman Blood | In the unseasonable heat of a spring morning in 80 B.C., Gordianus the Finder is summoned to the house of Cicero, a young advocate staking his reputation on a case involving the savage murder of the wealthy, sybaritic Sextus Roscius. Charged with the murder is Sextus's son, greed being the apparent motive. The punishment, rooted deep in Roman tradition, is horrific beyond imagining. The case becomes a political nightmare when Gordianus's investigation takes him through the city's raucous, pungent streets and deep into rural Umbria. Now, one man's fate may threaten the very leaders of Rome itself. | 8 | 81 |
Ancient Rome saga | Lady of the Eternal City | From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Briar Club comes a historical saga about obsession, betrayal, and destiny. Sabina may be Empress of Rome, but she still stands poised on a knife’s edge. She must keep the peace between two deadly enemies: her husband Hadrian, Rome’s brilliant and sinister Emperor; and battered warrior Vix, her first love. But Sabina is guardian of a deadly secret: Vix’s beautiful son Antinous has become the Emperor’s latest obsession. Empress and Emperor, father and son will spin in a deadly dance of passion, betrayal, conspiracy, and war. As tragedy sends Hadrian spiraling into madness, Vix and Sabina form a last desperate pact to save the Empire. But ultimately, the fate of Rome lies with an untried girl, a spirited redhead who may just be the next Lady of the Eternal City.... | 8 | 82 |
Ancient legend revival | The Return of the Repressed | This study analyzes mythic narratives, found in the 8th century midrashic text Pirqe de-Rabbi Eliezer (PRE), that were excluded, or ‘repressed’, from the rabbinic canon, while preserved in the Pseudepigrapha of the Second Temple period. Examples include the role of the Samael (i.e. Satan) in the Garden of Eden, the myth of the Fallen Angels, Elijah as zealot, and Jonah as a Messianic figure. The questions are why these exegetical traditions were excluded, in what context did they resurface, and how did the author have access to these apocryphal texts. The book addresses the assumptions that underlie classic rabbinic literature and later breaches of that exegetical tradition in PRE, while engaging in a study of the genre, dating, and status of PRE as apocalyptic eschatology. | 9 | 89 |
Ancient legend revival | Babylon | Babylon: for eons its very name has been a byword for luxury and wickedness. 'By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept', wrote the psalmist, 'as we remembered Zion'. One of the greatest cities of the ancient world, Babylon has been eclipsed by its own sinful reputation. For two thousand years the real, physical metropolis lay buried while another, ghostly city lived on, engorged on accounts of its own destruction. More recently the site of Babylon has been the centre of major excavation: yet the spectacular results of this work have done little displace the many other fascinating ways in which the city has endured and reinvented itself in culture. Saddam Hussein, for one, notoriously exploited the Babylonian myth to associate himself and his regime with its glorious past. Why has Babylon so creatively fired the human imagination, with results both good and ill? Why has it been so enthralling to so many, and for so long? In exploring answers, Michael Seymour' s book ranges extensively over space and time and embraces art, archaeology, history and literature. From Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar, via Strabo and Diodorus, to the Book of Revelation, Brueghel, Rembrandt, Voltaire, William Blake and modern interpreters like Umberto Eco, Italo Calvino and Gore Vidal, the author brings to light a carnival of disparate sources dominated by the powerful and intoxicating idea of depravity. Yet captivating as this dark mythology was and has continued to be, at its root lies a remarkable and sophisticated imperial civilization whose complex state-building, law- making and religion dominated Mesopotamia and beyond for millennia, before its incorporation into the still wider empire of the Achaemenid kings. | 9 | 90 |
Ancient legend revival | Heroic Revivals from Carlyle to Yeats | This book reassesses the cultural and political dimensions of the Irish Revival's heroic ideal and explores its implications for the construction of Irish modernity. By foregrounding the heroic ideal, it shows how the cultural landscape carved out by these writers is far from homogenous. | 9 | 91 |
Ancient legend revival | Yeats, Revival, and the Temporalities of Irish Modernism | Yeats, Revivalism, and the Temporalities of Irish Modernism offers a new understanding of a writer whose revivalist commitments are often regarded in terms of nostalgic yearning and dreamy romanticism. It counters such conventions by arguing that Yeats's revivalism is an inextricable part of his modernism. Gregory Castle provides a new reading of Yeats that is informed by the latest research on the Irish Revival and guided by the phenomenological idea of worldmaking, a way of looking at literature as an aesthetic space with its own temporal and spatial norms, its own atmosphere generated by language, narrative, and literary form. The dialectical relation between the various worlds created in the work of art generate new ways of accounting for time beyond the limits of historical thinking. It is just this worldmaking power that links Yeats's revivalism to his modernism and constructs new grounds for recognizing his life and work. | 9 | 92 |
Ancient legend revival | The Arthurian Revival | Discrete inquiries into 15 forms of the Arthurian legends produced over the last century explore how they have altered the tradition. They consider works from the US and Europe, and those aimed at popular and elite audiences. The overall conclusion is that the "Arthurian revival" is an ongoing event, and has become multivalent, multinational, and multimedia. Originally published in 1992. | 9 | 93 |
Ancient legend revival | Border Crossings | Borderlands, boundaries and frontiers are crucibles for diverse cultures and multiple alternative histories. Nowhere is this truer than in the debateable lands between nation states in what is commonly known as the British Isles. This collection takes the reader on an imaginative journey inside the borders, offering a fresh perspective on the liminality of these porous and contested terrains and the liminal peoples therein. Implicitly or explicitly, the contributors to this volume, in one way or another acknowledge that the term ‘borderland’ is imprecise, ambiguous and never neutral, and due to its liminal status, a crucible for multiple and competing identities. As the essays in this collection show, these borders don’t have to be geographical, but can extend to any cultural, psychic or social terrain which exists beyond or between accepted categories, power structures, nations or states. This collection concerns itself with Borders Theory in its multifarious manifestations from pre-history to the present day. Border Crossings draws together a number of key researchers in their respective fields and enables a dialogue between different disciplines and theoreticians. More generally, in its disciplinary and theoretical scope, the collection links with a number of other works, whilst its focus on England, Ireland and Scotland maintains its distinctiveness and addresses an area of comparative critical neglect. | 9 | 94 |
Ancient legend revival | The Myth of the Masters Revived | This book examines the lives of the famous Russian painter, thinker, and mystic Nikolai Roerich and his wife, Elena Roerich, the “mother” of Agni Yoga esoteric teaching. Extensively researched, it focuses on the couple’s spiritual quest, resulting in their gradual transformation under the influence of theosophy, spiritualism and Elena’s psychic “fiery experience” into mystics and gurus who fashioned their new version of the “myth of the Masters,” the invisible guides of humanity. Special attention is given to N. Roerich’s travels in Central Asia and Far East, his cultural and public activities and particularly his Buddho-Communist utopia. The myth of the Masters revived will appeal to those interested in New Age esotericism, mysticism, and Russian thought in the first half of the 20th century. | 9 | 95 |
Ancient legend revival | The Islandman | This book concerns Tomás O'Crohan of the Blasket Islands and offers a radical reinterpretation of this iconic Irish figure and his place in Gaelic literature. It examines the politics of Irish culture that turned O'Crohan into «The Islandman» and harnessed his texts to the national political project, presenting him as an instinctual, natural hero and a naïve, almost unwilling writer, and his texts as artefacts of unselfconscious, unmediated linguistic and ethnographic authenticity. The author demonstrates that such misleading claims, never properly scrutinised before this study, have been to the detriment of the author's literary reputation and that they have obscured the deeply personal and highly idiosyncratic purpose and nature of his writing. At the core of the book is a recognition that what O'Crohan wrote was not primarily a history, nor an ethnography, but an autobiography. The book demonstrates that the conventional reading of the texts, which privileges O'Crohan's fisherman identity, has hidden from view the writer protagonist inscribed in the texts, subordinating his identity as a writer to his identity as a peasant. The author shows O'Crohan to have been a literary pioneer who negotiated the journey from oral tradition into literature as well as a modern, self-aware man of letters engaging deliberately and artistically with questions of mortality. | 9 | 96 |
Ancient prophecy fulfilled | Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel | Using comparative anthropology to get at the social dimensions of prophetic activity, Robert Wilson's study brings the study of Isrealite prophecy to a new level. Looking at both modern societies and Ancient Near Eastern ones, Wilson sketches the nature of prophetic activity, its social location, and its social functions. He then shows how these features appear in Israelite prophecy and sketches a history of prophecy in Israel. | 10 | 97 |
Ancient prophecy fulfilled | Ancient Prophecy | Ancient Prophecy: Near Eastern, Biblical, and Greek Perspectives is the first monograph-length comparative study on prophetic divination in ancient Near Eastern, biblical, and Greek sources. Prophecy is one of the ways humans have believed to become conversant with what is believed to be superhuman knowledge. The prophetic process of communication involves the prophet, her/his audience, and the deity from whom the message allegedly comes from. Martti Nissinen introduces a wealth of ancient sources documenting the prophetic phenomenon around the ancient Eastern Mediterranean, whether cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia, the Hebrew Bible, Greek inscriptions, or ancient historians. Nissinen provides an up-to-date presentation of textual sources, the number of which has increased substantially in recent times. In addition, the study includes four analytical comparative chapters. The first demonstrates the altered state of consciousness to be one of the central characteristics of the prophets' public behavior. The second discusses the prophets' affiliation with temples, which are the typical venues of the prophetic performance. The third delves into the relationship between prophets and kings, which can be both critical and supportive. The fourth shows gender-inclusiveness to be one of the peculiar features of the prophetic agency, which could be executed by women, men, and genderless persons as well. The ways prophetic divination manifests itself in ancient sources depend not only on the socio-religious position of the prophets in a given society, but also on the genre and purpose of the sources. Nissinen contends that, even though the view of the ancient prophetic landscape is restricted by the fragmentary and secondary nature of the sources, it is possible to reconstruct essential features of prophetic divination at the socio-religious roots of the Western civilization. | 10 | 98 |
Ancient prophecy fulfilled | Ancient Prophecies Revealed | This book shows over 500 biblical prophecies in the order of when they were fulfilled. These include pre-flood times though the first Coming of Jesus and into the Middle Ages. The heart of this book is the 53 prophecies fulfilled between 1948 and 2008. The last 11 prophecies between 2008 and the Tribulation are also given. All these are documented and interpreted from the Ancient Church Fathers. The Ancient Church Fathers, including disciples of the 12 apostles, were firmly premelinnial, pretribulational, and very Pro-Israel | 10 | 99 |
Ancient prophecy fulfilled | Expecting Armageddon | The expectation of an end to time and the yearning for a millennial paradise have been recurring themes in Western religious thought. But when we speak of expectation of the world's end we are mindful of the fact that generation after generation of millenarians have been disappointed. Their endtime hopes and prophecies have not come true. What happens, one might ask, when prophecies fail? Does failure spell the end of the very movements that embrace such expectations? The aim of this anthology is to gather together in one volume the essential research from the fields of sociology and psychology that seeks to answer this intriguing question as first raised by Festinger in his 1956 work, When Prophecy Fails. Cross-cultural and comparative, this collection chronicles forty years of research into failed prophecy and response to the attending cognitive dissonance it produces that is at once timely and informative. | 10 | 100 |
Ancient prophecy fulfilled | Helping Jesus Fulfill Prophecy | It's obvious that Jesus fulfilled prophecies about the promised Messiah - or so the gospels make it seem. But the real story is more complex, and more compelling. In hindsight we can see that Jesus had help fulfilling prophecy. The gospel writers skillfully manipulated prophecies - carefully lifting them out of context, creatively reinterpreting them, even rewriting them - to match what Jesus would do in fulfilling them. The evangelists also used the prophecies themselves to shape the very stories that show their fulfillment. This book describes in detail how Christian authors helped Jesus fulfill prophecy. Studies of Greek oracles, the Dead Sea Scrolls, translations of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek and Aramaic, and the writings of Josephus explore the interpretive techniques that paved the way for the New Testament's manipulation of prophecy. This book analyzes how the belief that Jesus fulfilled prophecy became an argument to justify a new notion: the view that Christians had replaced Jews as God's chosen people. An aggressive anti-Judaism is analyzed in chapters on patristic theologians such as Justin Martyr and Augustine, who embedded it into the argument from prophecy. The book concludes with an ethical argument for whyChristians should retire the argument from prophecy. | 10 | 101 |
Ancient prophecy fulfilled | Understanding End Times Prophecy | Many Christians think of end times prophecy as a gigantic, intimidating puzzle -- difficult to piece together and impossible to figure out. But every puzzle can be solved if you approach it the right way. Paul Benware compares prophecy to a picture puzzle. Putting the edge pieces together first builds the 'framework' that makes it easier to fit the other pieces in their place. According to Benware, the framework for eschatology is the biblical covenants. He begins his comprehensive survey by explaining the major covenants. Then he discusses several different interpretations of end times prophecy. Benware digs into the details of the Rapture, the Great Tribulation, the judgements and resurrections, and the millennial kingdom. But he also adds a unique, personal element to the study, answering questions as: -Why study bible prophecy? -What difference does it make if I'm premillenial or amillenial? If what the Bible says about the future puzzles you, Understanding End Times Prophecy will help you put together the pieces and see the big picture. | 10 | 102 |
Ancient prophecy fulfilled | Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy | After twenty years of research, Dr. J. Barton Payne has compiled the one complete guide to Biblical prophecy. From the prediction of Adam's death in Genesis 2: 17 to the prophecy of mankind's perpetual worship of God in the new heaven and earth (Psalm 72:5), the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL PROPHECY discusses every verse of prophetic matter in Scripture. It identifies every probable point of fulfillment whether in the past, present, or still in the future. The first 144 pages of the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL PROPHECY set forth a systematic approach to the subject of Biblical prophecy and the legitimate place for prediction in it. The ENCYCLOPEDIA is arranged according to the 66 books of the Bible. In each book, all the verses on one prophetic theme are treated in one combined discussion. For example: The 12 verses of Genesis that foretell God's granting of the land of Canaan to the descendants of Abraham are discussed together. It is then shown how the promise was fulfilled in the days of Joshua. One of the ENCYCLOPEDIA'S concluding summaries lists all the 737 major subjects that appear in Biblical prediction, with the books and paragraphs in which each is found. This way, each prophecy can be traced from its first appearance in the Bible to its last. Among the many features is a complete list of all the Scriptural prophecies pertaining to Christ. No other book has ever examined Biblical prophecy so thoroughly or presented it in such a balanced perspective as the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL PROPHECY. -1,817 entries covering all the Biblical predictions in both the Old and New Testaments -A complete discussion of all 8,352 predictive verses in the Bible -14 tables, including three on the Book of Revelation -Bibliography -4 summaries -4 statistical appendixes -5 complete indexes An indispensable tool for students of the Bible, for students in theological seminaries and Bible colleges, for pastors as a reference guide, and for concerned lay people. The ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL PROPHECY is certain to bring a fresh understanding and rewarding insights of the bible. | 10 | 103 |
Ancient prophecy fulfilled | The Middle East in Bible Prophecy | The Arab Spring, the continuing Israel - Palestine conflict... why does the Middle East dominate the news headlines so often? One obvious answer is oil, the lifeblood of our modern world. The crucial importance of oil alone ensures that the Middle East will remain in the headlines for years. The Middle East is also the birthplace of the world's three great monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It has also been the battlefield for each religion—trying to control the territory they consider holy. Nowhere are these conflicts more obvious than in Israel, and specifically in Jerusalem. Whether you understand it or not, events in the Middle East are destined to affect the lives of every person on earth! Bible prophecy gives us the clues to understand what will happen. This ebook, "The Middle East in Bible Prophecy", will help you better understand the troubled history of the Middle East—and its tumultuous future. Chapters in this ebook: -- Introduction: Worlds in Turmoil -- The Middle East: Worlds in Collision -- The Sons of Abraham -- The Rise and Fall of Ancient Israel -- The Four Empires of Daniel's Prophecies -- The Coming of Islam -- The Jews: From the Dispersion to the Modern Israeli State -- The Creation of the Modern Middle East -- A Rising Tide of Arab Nationalism -- Fundamentalist Islam Resurges -- Anger Mounts Following Gulf War -- Not Enemies Forever -- "Why Do People Hate Us So Much?" -- War and Peace in the Middle East -- What Is the "Abomination of Desolation"? -- Prophecy of an Arab Confederation -- What Should You Do? Inside this Bible Study Aid ebook: "It’s impossible to understand the present Middle East without a knowledge of the three great religions that emanate from the area—Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These three faiths all trace their spiritual roots back to the same individual, Abraham." "However, conflict between Christians and Muslims has been a constant theme of history for 14 centuries." "Many other factors have contributed to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and subsequent terrorism, including the Israeli-Palestinian problem and the domination of American culture." "After so much death and destruction, and centuries of war and unrest in the Middle East, imagine what a difference the second coming of Jesus Christ will make." | 10 | 104 |
Ancient prophecy fulfilled | Every Prophecy of the Bible | From one of the most respected theological minds of the twentieth century, this revised and updated classic book on biblical prophecy uses solid biblical evidence to explain over 1,000 key prophecies of Scripture, including those that point to events still to come. A global pandemic, wars and uprisings, and economic instability have many of us wondering: Is this the end of the world? Now you don’t have to be a biblical scholar to answer that question. In Every Prophecy of the Bible, Dr. John F. Walvoord offers clear explanations for prophecies from Genesis through Revelation. This fascinating book: Explores how past, present, and future fit together in God’s perfect design Explains how 50 percent of biblical prophecies have already happened Places each prophecy into historical and current context Celebrates the accuracy of God’s Word Offers hope and peace in troubled times Don’t just wonder about the signs of the times. Understand them. Every Prophecy of the Bible is a faith-affirming, highly readable guide about prophecies already fulfilled, those yet to come, and what they mean for us today. | 10 | 105 |
End of preview. Expand
in Data Studio
The queries in this dataset were generated by ChatGPT asking for the most popular book genres and then asking to generate queries of max 3 words to search for books by mood or theme about those genres.
Books titles and descriptions were obtained from Google Books API.
Data cleaning:
- Remove descriptions smaller than 200 chars
- Remove queries with less than 7 books
- Downloads last month
- 37