Christmas for a Goddess


Book Description

Sometimes, even a Goddess needs a touch of magic… Aikaterina has lived since the dawn of time. Her species was born at the same time as the universe, yet she yearns for something more. Her experiences with the Valdier, Sarafin, Curizan, and especially the Dragonlings, has left her craving something she never expected—a sense of belonging. Bear Running Wolf is shocked when he discovers a beautiful, alien woman standing in the snow-covered woods on Paul Groves’ Ranch. He knows that not all the visitors to the ranch are human… he just never expected to meet a woman from another world. Two lonely and lost souls from different worlds have only one wish—not to be alone. Can the magic of Christmas heal them, even if it is only for a short time?




A Cliché Christmas


Book Description

2014 American Christian Fiction Writers' Genesis Award Finalist Writing happy endings is easy. Living one is the hard part. Georgia Cole--known in Hollywood as the "Holiday Goddess"--has made a name for herself writing heartwarming screenplays chock-full of Christmas clichés, but she has yet to experience the true magic of the season. So, when her eccentric grandmother volunteers her to direct a pageant at Georgia's hometown community theater, she is less than thrilled. To make matters worse, she'll be working alongside Weston James, her childhood crush and the one man she has tried desperately to forget. Now, facing memories of a lonely childhood and the humiliation of her last onstage performance, seven years earlier, Georgia is on the verge of a complete mistletoe meltdown. As Weston attempts to thaw the frozen walls around her heart, Georgia endeavors to let go of her fears and give love a second chance. If she does, will she finally believe that Christmas can be more than a cliché?




Shiksa Goddess


Book Description

Celebrated playwright and magnetic wit Wendy Wasserstein has been firmly rooted in New York’s cultural life since her childhood of Broadway matinees, but her appeal is universal. Shiksa Goddess collects thirty-five of her urbane, inspiring, and deeply empathic essays–all written when she was in her forties, and all infused with her trademark irreverent humor. The full range of Wasserstein’s mid-life obsessions are covered in this eclectic collection: everything from Chekhov, politics, and celebrity, to family, fashion, and real estate. Whether fretting over her figure, discovering her gentile roots, proclaiming her love for ordered-in breakfasts, lobbying for affordable theater, or writing tenderly about her very Jewish mother and her own daughter, born when she was forty-eight and single, Wasserstein reveals the full, dizzying life of a shiksa goddess with unabashed candor and inimitable style.




Christmas at the Cove


Book Description

Secrets are never discovered during the holidays, right? That's what these five best friends are banking on as they gather once again to Five Island Cove for what they hope will be a Christmas to remember. AJ has a real boyfriend now, and he's really coming to the cove to meet her friends and family. She's turned into a domestic goddess as she preps to host Christmas at a rental that will hold everyone for the holidays. But beneath the bulky sweaters, AJ has a secret she won't be able to keep hidden forever. Eloise is happily wearing her diamond ring, and she can't wait to spoil Aaron's children rotten over the holidays. But when he calls and says there's been an accident, Eloise will never look at Christmas the same. Robin's just found out her husband needs a new fishing boat or he could sink while at sea. But they don't have the money to replace such a big-ticket item, and she's praying for a miracle this Christmas. Kelli comes to the cove on a one-way ticket and more than she and her son need for a couple of weeks, but she's too humiliated to tell her friends that she is not cut out for a polyamorous relationship and that her husband has chosen that lifestyle over her. Alice, struggling to make ends meet for the first time in her life, wants to be the one to bring them all together, bind up their broken hearts, and make Christmas wishes come true. When a mysterious benefactor allows her to do just that, she wonders what the ultimate price will be. Because she knows better than anyone that everything has a price, and nothing comes for free... Gather for the holidays with these five best friends as they celebrate Christmas at the cove, continue to find themselves and their future, and support each other through thick and thin.




Venus and Aphrodite


Book Description

A cultural history of the goddess of love, from a New York Times bestselling and award-winning historian. Aphrodite was said to have been born from the sea, rising out of a froth of white foam. But long before the Ancient Greeks conceived of this voluptuous blonde, she existed as an early spirit of fertility on the shores of Cyprus -- and thousands of years before that, as a ferocious warrior-goddess in the Middle East. Proving that this fabled figure is so much more than an avatar of commercialized romance, historian Bettany Hughes reveals the remarkable lifestory of one of antiquity's most potent myths. Venus and Aphrodite brings together ancient art, mythology, and archaeological revelations to tell the story of human desire. From Mesopotamia to modern-day London, from Botticelli to Beyoncé, Hughes explains why this immortal goddess continues to entrance us today -- and how we trivialize her power at our peril.




The Story of the Return of God and the Arrival of Goddess


Book Description

The time has come for humanity to triumph over sin. This triumph will come by one of two means: Either there will be a literal destruction of human life and a new life wave begun; on this generation of human beings will turn away from its present morality and put war and other tyrannies aside. Internationalism will replace nationalism, production will be geared to need, and extortion in the name of God will be ended. A perpetual end to war among human beings can begin among you at this time. All that is required is that you insist that your governments sign a treaty of no war with each other. Let this treaty at first be for a specified number of years — twenty-five or fifty years. Then during these years of no war, let all technology of the Earth be directed toward creating a decent standard of living for all people. Remember, peace is dead and will remain so, so long as you think in terms that set nation against nation. I know that this truth is most painful for many of you — that peace is dead and so too will life on Earth be, unless internationalism replaces nationalism and other self-isms. The matter is entirely in your hands. There is one humanity on/in Earth. The resources of the Earth are for all to share.




God Loves You: Some Restrictions May Apply


Book Description

God Loves You: Some Restrictions May Apply (and Many Other Christian Dilemmas) is written by a fairly well-educated, extensively travelled former Southern Baptist Bible Banger (SB3), professional layman, retired military intelligence officer, and keen observer of the human condition who happens to be fascinated with what we believe, why, and the effects of those beliefs on society. This is an appeal to honesty in the terms of epistemological disquisition, a critical analysis of the major truth claims of religion (especially Christianity), apologetic justifications, and foundational documents. Written from 2008 until 2018, parts of this book were written on four continents, in twenty-five countries, including an active combat zone (so forget the lie about no atheists in foxholes), and a number of the United States. The book’s focus is religion, but the implications are applicable to all dogmatic belief systems. The emphasis on religion is because it is perhaps the most pervasive and sublime crystallization of systematic dogmatic thinking in the human condition. This book is not intended for a single audience but for several. It is to serve as a reference work for unbelievers who simply don’t know how to articulate their unbelief. It is a position statement of why the author no longer believes. For those who are on the fence and might need a source against which to evaluate their own questions it may be helpful. And finally, it is for the devoutly religious for two reasons, to explain why not everyone agrees with them, and to appeal for them to at least be honest when articulating their own beliefs.




How Christmas Became Christmas


Book Description

In some respects, the contrasts of Christmas are what make it the most delightful time of the year. It is a time of generosity, kindness and peace on earth, with broad permission to indulge in food, drink and gifts. On the other hand, Christmas has become a battleground for raging culture wars, marred by debates about how it should be celebrated and acknowledged as a uniquely Christian holiday. This text argues that much of the animosity is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the holiday's core character. By tracing Christmas's origins as a pagan celebration of the winter solstice and its development in Europe's Christianization, this history explains that the true "reason for the season" has as much to do with the earth's movement around the sun as with the birth of Christ. Chapters chronicle how Christmas's magic and misrule link to the nativity, and why the carnival side of the holiday appears so separated from traditional Christian beliefs.




Nigella Christmas


Book Description

Nigella Christmas comprises reliable, practical, easy-to-follow recipes and inspiring and reassuring advice, presented in a gorgeous package that will make this the ultimate gift to yourself, your family and friends. Nigella Christmas will surely become an all-time perennial favourite, the book we will all reach for – for minimum stress and maximum enjoyment – at holiday season. Recipes include everything from Christmas cakes and puddings to quick homemade presents (cookies and chutneys); food to cook and freeze ahead; oven slow-cooking; “hero” ingredients; as well as party food and drinks. And, of course, exciting and inspiring variations for the Main Event – from traditional turkey, festive ham and special trimmings; to a Swedish or Polish Christmas à la Nigella; to a vegetarian Christmas feast.




The Christmas Encyclopedia, 4th ed.


Book Description

From the manger of Jesus Christ to the 21st century, this encyclopedia explores more than 2,000 years of Christmas past and present through 966 entries packed with a wide variety of historical and pop-culture subjects. Entries detail customs and traditions from around the world as well as classic Christmas movies, TV series/specials and animated cartoons. Arranged alphabetically by entry name, the book includes the historical background of popular sacred and secular songs as well as accounts of beloved literary works with Christmas themes from such noted authors as Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Hans Christian Andersen, Pearl Buck, Henry Van Dyke and others. All things Christmas are available here in one comprehensive volume.




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