Murmured Conversations


Book Description

Revealing the central place of Buddhist philosophy in medieval Japanese artistic practices, this text illuminates the significance of each section of the treatise within the context of waka and renga poetics, and the role of Buddhism in the contemporary understanding of cultural practices such as poetry.




Territory of Light


Book Description

From one of the most significant contemporary Japanese writers, a haunting, dazzling novel of loss and rebirth “Yuko Tsushima is one of the most important Japanese writers of her generation.” —Foumiko Kometani, The New York Times I was puzzled by how I had changed. But I could no longer go back . . . It is spring. A young woman, left by her husband, starts a new life in a Tokyo apartment. Territory of Light follows her over the course of a year, as she struggles to bring up her two-year-old daughter alone. Her new home is filled with light streaming through the windows, so bright she has to squint, but she finds herself plummeting deeper into darkness, becoming unstable, untethered. As the months come and go and the seasons turn, she must confront what she has lost and what she will become. At once tender and lacerating, luminous and unsettling, Yuko Tsushima’s Territory of Light is a novel of abandonment, desire, and transformation. It was originally published in twelve parts in the Japanese literary monthly Gunzo, between 1978 and 1979, each chapter marking the months in real time. It won the inaugural Noma Literary Prize.




The French Prize


Book Description

Acclaimed, award-winning author James L. Nelson - praised as "a master of both his period and the English language" by Patrick O'Brian - returns to the world of sea and sail in this page-turning historical novel. Jack Biddlecomb has much to live up to, being as he is the eldest son of the esteemed Captain Isaac Biddlecomb, wealthy merchant captain, leading light of the War for American Independence, and newly-minted congressman. Jack finds himself off to a promising start, however, when he's given command of the merchant vessel Abigail bound from Philadelphia for Barbados. But even before the docklines are cast off, the voyage, which should have been routine, begins to look like a stormy passage indeed. Jack is saddled with two passangers, one as unpleasant as he is highborn, the other a confidant of the Abigail's owner who cannot help but meddle in the running of the ship. What's more, with the French making prizes of American merchantmen, Abigail's owner has armed the ship and instructed Jack to fight if need be, thrusting the first-time captain and his small crew into a naval war for which they are totally unprepared. What Jack does not know, but soon begins to suspect, is that he is being used as part of a bigger plot, one that will have repercussions on an international scale.




The Lie


Book Description

For Terrell Matheus, the decision to lie about his brother's death is an immediate reaction to the panic he feels at having shot him. What he has not considered when placing the blame on a truck full of white boys are the ramifications—the near riots and the vigilante anger that threaten innocent men. Terrified to admit his guilt, he watches in dismay as schoolmates make a public display of support, and in horror as his uncle seeks vengeance. Finally, unable to live with his lie and the anger it creates in the town's black community, he is forced to come to terms with the terrible truth and the incalculable hurt he has caused his parents, who have effectively lost both sons with a single shot. Though he is not sent to jail, Terrell finds himself in a prison of another kind. Shunned by former friends and forced to live away from home, he finds unexpected solace in the friendship of his dead brother's girlfriend, who stands by him as he struggles to rebuild his life. Set in Evansville, Indiana, in the mid-1970s, The Lie is imbued with a perfect sense of time and place. It is a startling and controversial novel about family, redemption, and the price of honesty.




A Time for Heroes


Book Description

War makes heroes of men, but at what price? Sure to enthral fans of Masters of the Air and Fall of Giants, A Time for Heroes is a magnificent, sweeping, three-generation historical epic encompassing both World Wars, about heroism, the romance of aviation and the conflict between fathers and sons. As the twentieth century dawns, Guv Sutro, against his father's will, becomes a pioneer of aviation, a fighter ace on the Western Front during the Great War and a record-breaker between the wars. From his first flight in a primitive glider over the fields of Sussex, helped by the dogged loyalty of his friend Stan Kemp, he charts his ruthless course to fame and adulation. But with the outbreak of World War Two 'the best of Old England' begins to crumble. Guv's son Tim is fighting a more covert war, desperate to shed the burden of his father's reputation, while Tim's childhood companion Will Kemp, the son Guv felt he deserved, is fighting heroically, against overwhelming odds, as a Spitfire pilot. The fates of the men are bound together in the monumental ambitions and terrible tragedies of an age of heroes. What readers are saying about A Time for Heroes 'A beautifully told epic of human love and error. A truly great read' 'Highly entertaining, with great action scenes and moments of gut-wrenching excitement. A very human novel, about people and strife, and survival in extreme circumstances that have universal resonances' '[Frank Barnard] is without doubt the Wilbur Smith of the skies'




Haunted Potomac River Valley


Book Description

Before European colonists first dipped their toes in our "Nation's River," it succored generations of American Indians, who added their own stories and often stained its banks with their blood. Revolutionary War ghosts haunt its length, from Shepherdstown to Saint George's Island. Harpers Ferry is home to more than one nineteenth-century haunt, and ghosts of Civil War soldiers linger in the river's upper reaches. Former residents still reside in historic buildings in Sterling, Arlington and Alexandria. Point Lookout, at the mouth of the river, is the most haunted site in Maryland. While the Potomac has weathered horrors and tragedies, many residents did not. Author David W. Thompson tells their stories.




Mind of a Killer


Book Description

From the Amazon #1 bestselling author of Blatant Lies comes a pulse-pounding novel where the deadliest weapon is a mind. In a town gripped by fear, Detective Reece Cannon is pulled into the heart of a chilling investigation. Two women have been brutally murdered, but curiously, their deaths resemble a spiderweb of cold cases. A disturbing manifesto surfaces. With every tick of the clock, the body count climbs and the nightmare only intensifies. The investigation spirals even deeper when riddles begin appearing at Reece's home. Someone close to her is the next target. But can Reece outsmart a predator whose mind is always one step ahead? Can she delve deep enough into the . . . Mind of a Killer?




The Suicide Index


Book Description




The Fate of a Flapper


Book Description

The Fate of a Flapper, the second mystery in this captivating new series, takes readers into the dark, dangerous, and glittering underworld of a 1920's Chicago speakeasy. A 2019 Agatha Award Nominee for "Best Historical Mystery"! After nine months as a cigarette girl at the Third Door, one of Chicago’s premier moonshine parlors, Gina Ricci feels like she's finally getting into the swing of things. The year is 1929, the Chicago Cubs are almost in the World Series, neighborhood gangs are all-powerful, and though Prohibition is the law of the land, the Third Door can't serve the cocktails fast enough. Two women in particular are throwing drinks back with abandon while chatting up a couple of bankers, and Gina can't help but notice the levels of inebriation and the tension at their table. When the group stumbles out in the early morning, she tries to put them out of her head. But once at home that night, Gina's sleep is interrupted when her cousin Nancy, a police officer, calls—she's found a body. Gina hurries over to photograph the crime scene, but stops short when she recognizes the body: it’s one of the women from the night before. Could the Third Door have served the woman bad liquor? Or, Gina wonders, could this be murder? As the gangs and bombings draw ever closer, all of Chicago starts to feel like a warzone, and Gina is determined to find out if this death was an unlucky accident, or a casualty of combat.




Emotional Tales of Romance


Book Description

The stories you are about to read are set in diverse landscapes, from bustling cities to serene countryside, from magical realms to the heart of ordinary daily life. They span different periods and cultures, reflecting the timeless and borderless nature of love. Despite their varied settings and circumstances, each story shares a common thread: the exploration of the human heart and its boundless capacity for love. As you embark on this journey through "Emotional Tales of Romance," you will encounter characters who are vulnerable yet strong, passionate yet considerate, and ultimately, deeply human. Each story invites you to witness the myriad ways love can shape our lives, from the exhilarating highs to the heart-wrenching lows. Whether you are a hopeless romantic or a skeptical realist, these tales are bound to resonate with you in some way, offering both escape and reflection.