Polar Obsession


Book Description

Striking photography of the polar regions and fauna found there.




Love of the Egoist


Book Description

"I wanted to play with you... punish you. But now, I want to ruin your world and turn it pitch black. Isolate you so you don't have anything left except me. And remember, it's your own fault."* * * Isolation. Loneliness. Endless silence stretching into eternity.This is the personal living hell of police detective, Kuon Leiris.His punishment for ruining the Black Duke's deal.But when nights come, it gets worse... Cruelty. Care. Brutality. Affection. Constant mind games where he can do nothing, but give in.Yugo pours his every corrupt desire into his prey, testing the limits of their twisted relationship. Do you dare enter a dark world where safe-words don't exist?




Roar of the Sea


Book Description

A swashbuckling narrative of treachery and obsession involving pirates, fur seals, competing governments, and near war. "In Roar of the Sea, [Deb Vanasse] writes with verve and dramatic impact, reconstructing the narrative of Elliott's tenacious crusade in a way that will transport the reader back to the cacophonous seal rookeries, to the bloody, blubber-slicked decks of the sealing ships, and to the elegant meeting rooms of the nation's capital. While bringing deserved attention to Elliott for his wildlife conservation work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Vanasse ends with a sobering challenge: those seal rookeries on the Pribilof Islands are now facing new human-caused threats—and could use 21st century advocates." —The Daily Astorian/Coast Weekend "Now comes a fascinating, full history of the fur seal story, pitting artist and advocate Henry Wood Elliott against the most famous of the seal pirates, a man named Alex MacLean, and a whole host of ill-informed and corrupt business and political titans. Deb Vanasse, a former Alaskan who now lives in Oregon and is the author of many previous books—including Wealth Woman, about the Klondike gold rush—has done extensive research to illuminate the historical characters, the difficulties of reaching an international agreement to protect wildlife, and the significance of that treaty today." —Anchorage Daily News Over a century ago, treachery in Alaska's Bering Sea twice brought the world to the brink of war. The US seized Canadian vessels, Great Britain positioned warships to strike the US, and Americans killed Japanese pirates on US soil—all because of the northern fur seals crowded together on the tiny Pribilof Islands. The herd's population plummeted from 4.7 million to 940,000 in the span of eight years while notorious seafarers like Alex MacLean (who inspired Jack London's The Sea-Wolf) poached indiscriminately. Enter an unlikely crusader to defend the seals: self-taught artist and naturalist Henry Wood Elliott, whose zeal and love for the animals inspired him to go against all odds and take on titans of the sea. Winning seemed impossible, and yet Elliott managed to expose corruption and set the course for modern wildlife protections that are all the more relevant today as the world grapples with mass extinction. Carefully written and researched, Roar of the Sea reveals the incredible hidden history of how one lone activist existing in the margins prevailed against national governments and corporate interests in the name of wildlife conservation.




Luxurious Networks


Book Description

From precious jade articles to monumental stone arches, Huizhou salt merchants in Jiangnan lived surrounded by objects in eighteenth-century China. How and why did these businessmen devote themselves to these items? What can we learn about eighteenth-century China by examining the relationship between merchants and objects? Luxurious Networks examines Huizhou salt merchants in the material world of High Qing China to reveal a dynamic interaction between people and objects. The Qianlong emperor purposely used objects to expand his influence in economic and cultural fields. Thanks to their broad networks, outstanding managerial skills, and abundant financial resources, these salt merchants were ideal agents for selecting and producing objects for imperial use. In contrast to the typical caricature of merchants as mimics of the literati, these wealthy businessmen became respected individuals who played a crucial role in the political, economic, social, and cultural world of eighteenth-century China. Their life experiences illustrate the dynamic relationship between the Manchu and Han, central and local, and humans and objects in Chinese history.




The Purity Myth


Book Description

The United States is obsessed with virginity - from the media to schools to government agencies. This panic is ensuring that young women's ability to be moral agents is absolutely dependent on their sexuality. Jessica Valenti, executive editor of Feministing.com and author of Full Frontal Feminism and Yes Means Yes, addresses this poignant issue in her latest book, The Purity Myth. Valenti argues that the country's intense focus on chastity is extremely damaging to young women. Through in depth analysis of cultural stereotypes and media messages, Valenti reveals that powerful messages - ranging from abstinence curriculum to ''Girls Gone Wild'' commercials - place a young woman's worth entirely on her sexuality. Morals are therefore linked purely to sexual behavior, as opposed to values like honesty, kindness, and altruism. Valenti approaches the topic head-on, shedding light on chastity in a historical context, abstinence-only education, pornography, and public punishments for those who dare to have sex, among other critical issues. She also offers solutions that pave the way for a future without a damaging emphasis on virginity, including a call to rethink male sexuality and reframing the idea of ''losing it.'' With Valenti's usual balance of intelligence and wit, The Purity Myth presents a powerful and revolutionary argument that girls and women, even in this day and age, are overly valued for their sexuality, and that this needs to stop.




Noah's Seal


Book Description

Noah waits all day for Nana's boat to be ready so that they can go seal spotting. He waits and waits, and eventually takes matters into his own hands, building his very own seal out of sand-it's almost as good as the real thing. But it isn't long before a storm whips up, his seal is washed away, and Nana packs up ready to leave. Noah loses all hope that he'll ever spot a real-life seal, until something special happens.




SEALs of Shadow Force: Spy Division Covert Collection


Book Description

Three thrilling SEAL novels of Romantic Suspense Dive into the Covert Collection and experience a world where love and danger collide. Under the supervision of Beatrice Reese, the SEALs, spies, and tech experts of Shadow Force International risk their lives every day against terrorists, crime lords, and serial killers. Along the way, they fight to protect the ones they love and gain their happily-ever-afters. The Covert Collection includes three fast-paced, action-packed, romantic suspense novels: Covert Affairs, Covert Tactics, and Covert Obsession. All three stories are filled with sexy heroes, strong heroines, and heartfelt romance. Click now to go undercover with the heroes of the spy division and embark on your next thrilling romantic suspense today!




Seals Desire


Book Description

Navy SEAL teams with a sexy NCIS agent undercover as a stripper to find a missing naval officer. Navy SEAL Remy LaDue wants Mitchell Sanders, but hasn't made a move since he slept with her the night of his buddy, her former boyfriend's funeral. A year later, his plan to be her Valentine date runs amuck when he finds her undercover as a stripper at a local club. NCIS agent Mitchell Sanders never wanted to settle, dedicated to her job and justice is finally ready to commit to the SEAL she accidentally fell in love with. When her friend, a female navy officer, goes missing she puts her love life on hold and goes undercover to find her friend, only to discover her SEAL is back in town and threatening to blow her cover. Remy and Mitchell join forces to find her friend and uncover a human trafficking organization in the darkest heart of Virginia Beach while their attraction for each other burns hotter than the sun.




Covert Tactics, A Thrilling Military Romance, SEALs of Shadow Force: Spy Division, Book 5


Book Description

Their attraction can't be denied, but will giving in to it cost them everything? Amelia Thorpe and Rory Tephra are struggling to move on from their pasts and dancing around their mutual and oh-so-steamy attraction. Shifting from being Rory’s physical therapist to his girlfriend is no easy task for Amelia. When she’s mugged on her way to her first date with him and left with partial amnesia, she wrestles with more than her recall. Rory, the former SEAL and undercover agent, is avoiding his feelings for the sassy physical therapist who has given him back the use of his legs, but becomes convinced the attack wasn’t random and her lost memories hold the key to why. Working together, they expose a dangerous child abduction ring—and Amelia begins to remember things from her past better left forgotten. With danger lurking around every corner, trusting each other becomes paramount. The strength of their relationship is tested beyond the breaking point, but as they draw ever closer to the truth, they must put their lives on the line and confront a killer from her past. Grab your copy today!




Code Over Country


Book Description

A hard-hitting exposé of SEAL Team 6, the US military’s best-known brand, that reveals how the Navy SEALs were formed, then sacrificed, in service of American empire. The Navy SEALs are, in the eyes of many Americans, the ultimate heroes. When they killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011, it was celebrated as a massive victory. Former SEALs rake in cash as leadership consultants for corporations, and young military-bound men dream of serving in their ranks. But the SEALs have lost their bearings. Investigative journalist Matthew Cole tells the story of the most lauded unit, SEAL Team 6, revealing a troubling pattern of war crimes and the deep moral rot beneath authorized narratives. From their origins in World War II, the SEALs have trained to be specialized killers with short missions. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan became the endless War on Terror, their violence spiraled out of control. Code Over Country details the high-level decisions that unleashed the SEALs’ carnage and the coverups that prevented their crimes from coming to light. It is a necessary and rigorous investigation of the unchecked power of the military—and the harms enacted by and upon soldiers in America’s name.