From the Edge of the Crowd


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Faces in the Crowd


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Electric Literature 25 Best Novels of 2014 Largehearted Boy Favorite Novels of 2014 "An extraordinary new literary talent."--The Daily Telegraph "In part a portrait of the artist as a young woman, this deceptively modest-seeming, astonishingly inventive novel creates an extraordinary intimacy, a sensibility so alive it quietly takes over all your senses, quivering through your nerve endings, opening your eyes and heart. Youth, from unruly student years to early motherhood and a loving marriage--and then, in the book's second half, wilder and something else altogether, the fearless, half-mad imagination of youth, I might as well call it—has rarely been so freshly, charmingly, and unforgettably portrayed. Valeria Luiselli is a masterful, entirely original writer."--Francisco Goldman In Mexico City, a young mother is writing a novel of her days as a translator living in New York. In Harlem, a translator is desperate to publish the works of Gilberto Owen, an obscure Mexican poet. And in Philadelphia, Gilberto Owen recalls his friendship with Lorca, and the young woman he saw in the windows of passing trains. Valeria Luiselli's debut signals the arrival of a major international writer and an unexpected and necessary voice in contemporary fiction. "Luiselli's haunting debut novel, about a young mother living in Mexico City who writes a novel looking back on her time spent working as a translator of obscure works at a small independent press in Harlem, erodes the concrete borders of everyday life with a beautiful, melancholy contemplation of disappearance. . . . Luiselli plays with the idea of time and identity with grace and intuition." —Publishers Weekly




The Crowd, the Critic, and the Muse


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Our creativity is inextricably entwined with our humanity. So what shall we make of the world?




Black Magic


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This five story bundle, edited and compiled by Decadent Fantasies Collection, contains the following hot short stories: - DIVING INTO DIVINATION - EMBRACE OF THE GODDESS - THE AWAKENING - THE FOG - THE JOURNEY BEGINS No spoilers, but you'll love this fantasy erotica stories!!! ◆ GENRE: Fantasy / Erotica ⚠ WARNING: This Book contains mature language and content intended for 18+ readers only!




Ana on the Edge


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Perfect for fans of George and Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World: a heartfelt coming of age story about a nonbinary character navigating a binary world. Twelve-year-old Ana-Marie Jin, the reigning US Juvenile figure skating champion, is not a frilly dress kind of kid. So, when Ana learns that next season's program will be princess themed, doubt forms fast. Still, Ana tries to focus on training and putting together a stellar routine worthy of national success. Once Ana meets Hayden, a transgender boy new to the rink, thoughts about the princess program and gender identity begin to take center stage. And when Hayden mistakes Ana for a boy, Ana doesn't correct him and finds comfort in this boyish identity when he's around. As their friendship develops, Ana realizes that it's tricky juggling two different identities on one slippery sheet of ice. And with a major competition approaching, Ana must decide whether telling everyone the truth is worth risking years of hard work and sacrifice.




Suffrage Parade


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Nabbed in the Nasturtiums


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Riches to rags … Chaos might be slowing … Only a new murder occurs … Sending her off the trail again … It’s been a tough few weeks since Robin and Mathew, Doreen’s ex-lawyer and her ex-husband, slid back into her life. Okay, so maybe Robin isn’t here any longer to cause torment, but Mathew is. And he’s not planning to leave Doreen alone anytime soon, although thankfully he’s gone back home for a while. Trying to recuperate looks doubtful for Doreen, when a local gardener is kidnapped, while picking nasturtiums for dinner. The case heats up when the missing man’s niece appears on Doreen’s doorstep, looking for help, including asking Doreen to accompany her to the police station. Not at all sure what’s going on, but willing to help someone in need—particularly after having been a suspect herself—Doreen tags along, looking to do her good deed for the day. But no good deed goes unpunished, and, when Mathew calls, Doreen gets more than she bargained for, including all the usual suspects: love, jealousy, and … greed. It takes everything from her feathered and furred critter team to keep her safe, as she digs to the bottom of yet another crazy case … cozy mystery; riches to rags; clean romance; animal mystery; cat and dog; mystery; Female sleuth; back yard mystery; Mystery; Animals; Parrots; Birds; Fun; amateur sleuths; mysteries with dogs; mysteries with Cats; Clean and wholesome;




On the Edge of Reason


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From the great Croatian writer: a masterly work of literature—hilarious, unforgiving, and utterly reasonable Until the age of fifty-two, the protagonist of On the Edge of Reason suffered a monotonous existence as a highly respected lawyer. He owned a carriage and wore a top hat. He lived the life of “an orderly good-for-nothing among a whole crowd of neat, gray good-for-nothings.” But, one evening, surrounded by ladies and gentlemen at a party, he hears the Director-General tell a lively anecdote of how he shot four men like dogs for trespassing on his property. In response, our hero blurts out an honest thought. From this moment, all hell breaks loose. Written in 1938, On the Edge of Reason reveals the fundamental chasm between conformity and individuality. As folly piles upon folly, hypocrisy upon hypocrisy, reason itself begins to give way, and the edge between reality and unreality disappears.




Crowd Simulation


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Research into the methods and techniques used in simulating crowds has developed extensively within the last few years, particularly in the areas of video games and film. Despite recent impressive results when simulating and rendering thousands of individuals, many challenges still exist in this area. The comparison of simulation with reality, the realistic appearance of virtual humans and their behavior, group structure and their motion, and collision avoidance are just some examples of these challenges. For most of the applications of crowds, it is now a requirement to have real-time simulations – which is an additional challenge, particularly when crowds are very large. Crowd Simulation analyses these challenges in depth and suggests many possible solutions. Daniel Thalmann and Soraia Musse share their experiences and expertise in the application of: · Population modeling · Virtual human animation · Behavioral models for crowds · The connection between virtual and real crowds · Path planning and navigation · Visual attention models · Geometric and populated semantic environments · Crowd rendering The second edition presents techniques and methods developed since the authors first covered the simulation of crowds in 2007. Crowd Simulation includes in-depth discussions on the techniques of path planning, including a new hybrid approach between navigation graphs and potential-based methods. The importance of gaze attention – individuals appearing conscious of their environment and of others – is introduced, and a free-of-collision method for crowds is also discussed.




Brooke and Daniel Psychological Thrillers Books 1-3


Book Description

Detective Jamie Brooke must overcome her personal tragedy and work alongside museum researcher Blake Daniel to solve a series of shocking murders against the backdrop of a divided London. 3 full-length psychological thrillers with a hint of the supernatural. DESECRATION Her daughter is dying ... and a killer with a fetish for body parts stalks London. As Detective Sergeant Jamie Brooke copes with the daily pain of watching her daughter suffer through her last days, she is assigned to a macabre murder case. The mutilated body of a young heiress is found within the London Royal College of Surgeons surrounded by medical specimen jars. An antique Anatomical Venus figurine is discovered beside the body and Jamie enlists the help of British Museum researcher, Blake Daniel, to look into its past. When personal tragedy strikes, Jamie has nothing left to lose and she must race against time to stop the mysterious Lyceum before they claim another victim. As Jamie and Blake delve into a macabre world of grave robbery, body modification, and the genetic engineering of monsters, they must fight to keep their sanity — and their lives. DELIRIUM “Those who the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.” Devastated by grief after the death of her daughter, Detective Sergeant Jamie Brooke returns to investigate the murder of a prominent psychiatrist in the old hospital of Bedlam in London. As she delves into the history of madness, museum researcher, Blake Daniel, helps with the case, only to discover that his own family is entwined with the shadowy forces that seek to control the minds of the mad. As the body count rises, and those she loves are threatened, Jamie discovers that the tendrils of conspiracy wind themselves into the heart of the British government. Can she stop the killer before madness takes its ultimate revenge? DEVIANCE Who is the sinner and who is the saint? Jamie Brooke is working as a private investigator in the London Borough of Southwark when the body of a priest is found in the ruins of Winchester Palace, his tattooed arms flayed, his mouth stuffed with feathers. Jamie begins the hunt for the skin collector with the help of museum researcher, Blake Daniel, who is haunted by visions of a terrifying past. As violence erupts, leaving a trail of bodies in its wake, Jamie and Blake must find the murderer before those they love are taken down in the chaos.