![]() Jessica Cluess effortlessly juggles individual arcs for all five protagonists and explores thought-provoking questions about the relationship between nature and nurture. Dragon races and basilisk-hunting-aided by romantic drama and villainous face-offs-fuel the action, while the short chapters, narrated by perspectives that rotate among the five protagonists, drive momentum and tighten pacing. As certain death looms, they must unite to expose a sinister plot before the kingdom-and everyone they love-is destroyed.ĭespite clocking in at over 500 pages, House of Dragons moves at a fast clip. Although they know only one will be crowned and the other four will be killed, the competitors bond when a mysterious puppeteer begins toying with them, turning the atmosphere from cutthroat to cautious. ![]() The teens compete with their dragons in challenges that test their physical strength and political prowess. But instead of calling the eldest child of each house, as tradition dictates, a ragtag bunch of misfits have been selected: Emilia, a scholar with deadly powers Lucian, a repentant soldier who wants to be a monk Vespir, a servant and dragon trainer Ajax, a thief and Hyperia, a cunning and savage member of the nobility. ![]() In the kingdom of Etrusia where dragons fly, the emperor has died, and five teens must compete to become his successor. ![]()
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![]() ![]() It was as a mother she learnt the toughest lessons of all, and through them the value of friendship, family, and laughter to get her through the worst moments in life, as well as celebrate the best of them. As a hostess, she acquired great practical skills in throwing marvelous parties and looking after magnificent homes, and, as a lady in waiting, became well versed in diplomacy and etiquette. As a wife, she became a master in the art of keeping the peace, knowing when to pick her battles, when she needed help-and when to take a lover. ![]() Now in her ninth decade and at her happiest, she's keen to share everything her unexpected life has taught her-the wise, the hilarious, the poignant, and the illuminating. She has also survived the tragic loss of two of her sons and nursed a third son back from a coma. ![]() As she revealed in her memoir, it has been one of stark contrasts-from growing up in the splendor of Holkham Hall to living in a tent in the jungle of Mustique, from traveling the world with Princess Margaret to coping with her wildly unpredictable husband Lord Glenconner. Lady in Waiting brought us royal magic, beguiling insight, and jaw-dropping stories from life inside Anne Glenconner’s privileged circle, which though golden didn't always glitter. Bracing honesty, rare insight, and more revelations: the New York Times bestselling author of Lady in Waiting shares everything she's learned from her extraordinary and unexpected life. ![]() ![]() ![]() The original name of the novel comes from the word Madhorubaagan, the Tamil name for the androgynous form of Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology. The novel is set in the Tiruchengode town in Tamil Nadu, from which Murugan hails, and its main characters in the book belong to the Kongu Vellalar Gounder caste, which he himself belongs to. The idea for writing the novel came to Murugan on witnessing couples around him suffer due to the inability to have a child. Set during the colonial era in the Southern state of Tamil Nadu in India, it deals with the social stigma that a married couple faces due to their childlessness, and the lengths they go to conceive. Initially published by Kalachuvadu Publications in 2010, it was later translated into English by Aniruddhan Vasudevan and published in 2013 in India by Penguin Books, and in 2018 in the US by Grove Atlantic. ![]() ![]() One Part Woman ( Tamil: pronounced ) is a Tamil novel written by Indian author Perumal Murugan. ![]() ![]() Paine described the kings of England as mere usurpers who, like criminals, had seized power by force: His writing was powerful, dramatic and often scathing - especially when describing the monarchy. ![]() Paine's ability to write in plain language made his ideas accessible to colonists rich and poor. Few pamphlets have had so dramatic an effect on political events." General George Washington wrote to a friend in Massachusetts: "I find that Common Sense is working a powerful change there in the minds of many men. However, Paine's convincing arguments against the monarchy and British domination spread like wildfire throughout the colonies and turned the public tide toward independence. Although dissent among the colonists was growing over the British government's newly levied taxes and customs duties and the bloody battle at Concord, there was still talk of reconciliation among the colonists. ![]() "We have it in our power to begin the world over again." - Thomas Paine, Common SenseĬommon Sense was first published anonymously by Thomas Paine in January of 1776 and is regarded by many as the most important piece of writing of the American Revolution. ![]() ![]() ![]() Forget reading aloud-this story demands bombastic, full-volume performances.” ★ “Daywalt’s text, set in a range of expressive fonts, combines the heightened verbosity of vintage action comics with the swagger of backyard scuffles, and Rex composes wildly dramatic battle scenes against backdrops of thunderstorms, erupting volcanoes, and missile launches. ★ “The earnest gravity of the fighters’ quests paired with the mundane setting and melodramatic tone are perfectly balanced to produce a brand of purely absurd, sidesplitting humor that kids will gobble up.” A closer-to-perfect pairing couldn’t be imagined. ★ “Cheeky humor and prideful asides will have listeners in stitches. ![]() "The sort of story that makes children love to read." -School Library Journal (starred review) ![]() "Perfect for a guffawing share with younger sibs or buddy read." -BCCB (starred review) ![]() "Demands bombastic, full-volume performances." -Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Purely absurd, sidesplitting humor." -Booklist (starred review) "Will have listeners in stitches." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review) New York Times Bestseller! 5 Starred Reviews! New York Times Bestseller! 5 Starred Reviews! "Will have listeners in stitches." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review) The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors is a laugh-out-loud hilarious picture book and superhero style origin story for the classic game Rock, Paper, Scissors! ![]() ![]() ![]() The reader is given a glimpse of what it means to be a true ally. This story deals with systemic racism, life in “the Hood”, and what parents have to teach their children to do just to survive in their neighborhood. ![]() The two old friends reminisce, share a tender moment, and even play with the idea of what the future holds but that all comes to a tragic end in a split second. ![]() Khalil saves Starr, leading her out of the party to a quick getaway in his car. Their reconnection is interrupted by gunfire. The conviction of character that Starr possesses as well as her desire to be the friend she felt she should have been.Īt a house party, Starr is trying to fit in when thankfully a lifelong friend appears Khalil. ![]() The book falls under the Young Adult (YA) category, yet it deals with many issues that even an adult would find hard to deal with. Mix in the fact that the main character, Starr Carter, is a young African American teenager who is dating a rich white boy named Chris, a student-athlete at a private school on the other side of town and you have enough to set the scene on fire. “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas tells the story of living in two worlds simultaneously and trying to fit into both. Living in one world is hard enough, but living between two worlds is nearly impossible. ![]() ![]() From a red prayer rug to a blue hijab, readers will learn about a different colour of the Muslim world on each spread with a young Muslim girl and her family as a guide. ![]() With breathtaking illustrations and informative text, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns magnificently captures the world of Islam, celebrating its beauty and traditions for even the youngest readers. Now in board book, this picture book magnificently captures the colours of Islam and will inspire curiosity and conversations about world religions and cultures. ![]() ![]() ![]() But the only college that will interview him for a position is in a small town in Michigan where he feels like even MORE of a black sheep. Now, he’s finally getting his graduate degree and can look for a job as an English professor. The romance books I love are decidedly different from this pattern, and my latest discovery is no exception: In The Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish.įirst, here’s the gist: Daniel is a lifelong city boy, native to Philadelphia where he grew up as a black sheep in his family of mechanics. After a period of heartbreak and soul-searching, they’re reunited for their happily-ever-after (or at least happy-for-now) ending. ![]() Just as they think they’ve found love, life gets in the way and the two are parted. ![]() They’re thrown together regularly over a period of time, and that dislike turns to mutual appreciation and attraction. If you’re a big romance reader, you’re probably familiar with this storyline: two people meet and dislike each other on sight. ![]() ![]() ![]() About the authorīrianna Wiest is the bestselling author of 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think and The Mountain Is You. In the end, it is not the mountain we master, but ourselves. To scale our mountains, we actually have to do the deep internal work of excavating trauma, building resilience, and adjusting how we show up for the climb. ![]() But by extracting crucial insight from our most damaging habits, building emotional intelligence by better understanding our brains and bodies, releasing past experiences at a cellular level, and learning to act as our highest potential future selves, we can step out of our own way and into our potential.įor centuries, the mountain has been used as a metaphor for the big challenges we face, especially ones that seem impossible to overcome. This is why we resist efforts to change, often until they feel completely futile. Why we do it, when we do it, and how to stop doing it-for good.Ĭoexisting but conflicting needs create self-sabotaging behaviors. ![]() ![]() The choice of music is based on a disagreement with capitalism that asks us for more and makes us want more. We forget to recognize the dissonance that our disconnection from the environment creates within and beyond us. The artists state: “Creating our identities especially online gives us a false sense of control over ourselves. Jagiello, Agata Chwola, and Jarek Wasilewski, all from Poland but nowadays living abroad, meditate on the problems in their home country, since these have a huge impact on their lives. Under the collective name Looking For, Gosia M. Many of the lyrics, though they are over 100 years old, take listeners to still emerging grey undercurrents in the BLACK BOX EAST. Thoreaus view of walking in nature as a self-reflective activity invites readers to embark on their own ramble in order to gain a wild and dusky self. ![]() This sound piece is based on a rereading of classics of anarchist and ecological literature, by authors such as Thoreau, Goldman, and others. Thoreaus Walking story and the connection to human nature and nature itself walking with thoreau: man becoming one with nature wish to speak word for. ![]() |