but the burden of dealing with the past and trying to believe in a future is lessened by the presence of Ila, whose bright spirit and hunger for life gives him hope. He's even begun to nourish dreams about Ila until the arrival of their countryman, Jory. Try as he might, Vaniok finds it hard to accept this intense, unforgetting newcomer whose presence is vaguely accusatory and whose past is shadowed in mystery. That Ila seems fascinated by the new arrival doesn't make things better.PIn his novel The Fourteenth Day, K.C. Frederick presents a richly imagined story of three exiles who must live, dream, and remember in a place that will always be somewhere else.  (less)

the Karun River, which flows out of the Zagros Mountains into the Persian Gulf. brbr The Iranian government fears a Jewish supremacy group, consisting of Jewish bankers and business men, with ties to the US and high officials in the UN, are clandestinely preparing for a new-world financial order which will relegate them to carpet weavers when their oil runs out in a couple of decades. To maintain control of its destiny and its sovereignty, Iran believes it must develop nuclear weapons. brbr An international military group, called the Alliance, consisting of Canadian, British and American intelligence, have created a special project of cyberstrategists to 'chip' nuclear warheads under construction in Iran and insert computer viruses and logic bombs into various Iranian computer systems. The Alliance has engaged the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq Iran, an insurgent or terrorist group that resists the current regime, to meet its objectives. The Americans provide American-Iranian SEALS supported by the Mujahedeen to attack the Bushehr nuclear power plant to collect a spent fuel sample and to create a diversion for the 'chipping' of the nuclear warheads. brbr Major Benjamin, code name Aaron Solomon, is also a Jew, works for CSIS, and is the Alliance's officer who befriends Joshua and asks him to carry the computer chips, disguised as Canadian collar pins, to Iran and to deliver them as a gift to a friend there. brbr Joshua leaves Canada grappling with a self-identity complex, a subliminal guilt about his Jewish past and a crazed-concept that the world may be heading rapidly into a prophetic embattlement which is promoted by Aaron Solomon and Joshua's mother-in-law, typifying beliefs promoted by Christ@H±ë…¸Rÿ¾Û€  (less)

life. In this delightful collection of journal entries, autobiographical essays, criticism, and prose poetry, the poet reveals once again his fondness for odd juxtapositions that reveal hidden and unexpected connections.PIn the title essay, Simic -- whom critic Helen Vendler has called the best political poet on the American scene -- reflects on his family's experiences of their war-torn homeland during World War II and the frightening familiarity of the recent tragic events in the region. The collection has many hilarious moments, such as Simic's memoir of his first days in New York City as a young poet and painter, impressions from his poet's notebook, and first lines from his unwritten books. The book also contains reflections on dreams, insomnia, and the night sky, and considers the work of poets Jane Kenyon and Ingeborg Bachmann, and of visual artists Saul Steinberg and Holly Wright.  (less)

prosperity, one that places importance on the fulfillment of the heart and soul rather than on monetary gain. In The Creating True Prosperity Workbook, she gives readers a practical companion to help them integrate this new concept into their lives.PShakti believes that most people, regardless of their wealth, experience a lack of prosperity -- what she defines as having enough of what we truly need. With this in mind, she examines the pitfalls of monetary wealth and how it does not necessarily lead to happiness and prosperity. Her approach is fresh and original; she dismantles the cause-and-effect relationship that most people construct around money and happiness, and she challenges us to truly pay attention to our longings, follow them to their roots, and separate them from false desires or addictions.PIn her own unique and stimulating way, Shakti explores and contrasts three traditional philosophies about wealth and prosperity: materialism, the transcendent spiritual viewpoint, and the popular New Age approach. She borrows from and acknowledges all three, but comes to a new definition in which money is a mirror -- a reflection of energy and consciousness in every individual's life.PGoing beyond the conventional preoccupation with money, Shakti puts together a convenient and organized system to help the reader examine his or her relationship with money. She explains how money can be a teacher-- showing where one needs to develop more balance in one's life. Based on Shakti's popular book, this large-format workbook is simple, fun, and effective, involving the reader step-by-step in many exercises, meditations, affirmations, and other techniques that actually produce powerful@ë…¸Rÿ¾Û€  (less)

PFaith is an inexhaustible subject. Every Christian's heart yearns to possess this tremendous asset to spiritual victory. The basis of faith is knowledge of God's existence and an understanding of His love. I believe that there has never yet been a man who has fathomed its depths or realized its potentials.PIn this book, I share primary principles you need to know to have (faith) function properly in your life.PEndorsed by Christian leaders such as Kenneth Copeland, Billy Joe Daugherty, R.W. Shambach and Rod Parsley, and forwarded by Rod Parsley. Faith Can Change Your World is a timeless classic filled with wisdom and revelation.  (less)

koro, and dance mania. Psychiatrists making these diagnoses draw heavily on Eurocentric values and assumptions.PIn Malaysia and Indonesia, when startled, ordinarily shy, stolid elderly Malay women will suddenly swear profusely, mimic the gestures of others, and may be induced into automatic obedience. During this latter state, victims of latah will do anything they are told: strip naked in public, slap themselves in the face, or crawl on the floor and growl like an animal. Bartholomew also looks closely at koro-genital-shrinking epidemics among men in parts of Asia who believe their penises will disappear. Women are sometimes affected, believing their breasts or vaginas are being sucked into their bodies. A third study looks at the frenzied St. Vitus's dance, which swept across medieval Europe as masses of people joined in public orgies and wild dances.PExotic Deviance examines Otherness with an emphasis on Western understanding and acceptance, explaining that these behaviors are rational outcomes of unfamiliar symbol systems and world-views and are a testament to the power of human imagination and creativity. This book will appeal to psychiatrists, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists and anyone interested in the diversity of human cultural practices.  (less)

Catholic Faith, Catholic Family she presents solid, practical, and fun ways to strengthen the faith of families today. Using prayer, rituals, celebrations, and activities, she gives parents a bountiful resource for nurturing the practices and traditions of their Catholic faith and fostering a Christian lifestyle.PSr. Kathleen shows how families can find holiness in their everyday lives and create a Catholic atmosphere with minimal changes to their daily routines. Topics covered include: living the faith, prayer customs and blessings, family projects, and extensive seasonal activities. Also included are ideas for honoring special days within the family, along with rituals and prayer services to fit various themes and events, and a helpful appendix of traditional Catholic prayers and devotions.  (less)

to teenaged girls.brbrThere had been a fight--over a boy--and the other girl, Carmen Acosta, had been suspended. But her friends were still around, and Deena wanted something to defend herself with.brbrNot long afterward Estelle is called to Carmen Acosta's home. When she arrives, Carmen's father, Freddie, is in police custody and an unconscious Carmen is on the way to the hospital beat to a pulp. It is, of course, hard to believe that young Deena is responsible. Estelle has many other suspects to choose from, since the Acosta family holds the record for the number of domestic violence calls the police have received. The question is, which of the other four children or which parent is responsible? Or is it someone else entirely?brbrHavill draws his readers into the life of this small border county in New Mexico. Estelle is not only an undersheriff, she is the mother of two delightful little boys, the wife of a warm and likeable surgeon, Mexican-American like herself, and the daughter of a wise old woman whose life has been spent south of the border. But the threats from Havill's fans would have been dire if he had dispensed with Billl Gastner, the dearly loved former sheriff. Bill may officially be retired, but he's quick to give Estelle the value of his experience when she needs it, and proud to have been chosen by the Guzman boys to be their surrogateiabuelo/i--grandfather. This is an author who never puts a foot wrong.br/divDIVDIVDIVDIVLiterate, lively, and sharply observed as ever. Mystery fans who haven't yet made the trip to Posadas County, consider yourselves deprived. --IKirkus Reviews/IBR/DIV/DIV/DIVDIV /DIVDIVDIV[A]bsorbing small town procedural…of course, the real protag?ðõÂ? (öÿ¾Û€  (less)

also an adolescent like any other, trying to find her identity and figure out her place in the world. One night Chester, a visionary homeless man (or an insane one, depending on your point of view) sees Francesca hovering over the river, bathed in celestial light. Days later, as Francesca serves meals to the needy in a local cafe, Chester falls to his knees before her in adoration. Word spreads, hordes of followers converge, and the result is a catastrophic storm of fervent belief and doubt, the relentless and perpetual desire for salvation, possible miracles, and an adolescent trapped by events far beyond her control.pThe Annunciation of Francesca Dunn is a beautifully crafted tale about people who pin their hopes for spiritual salvation on a young girl; and how, slowly, surely, and tragically, she comes to believe that she is the divine being they want her to be. At stake for each is nothing less than the fundamental belief in the structure of the world, and the balance between the miraculous and the mundane.pNarrating by turns are four disparate characters who tell the story as they see it: Chester, who smells fear, disease, and holiness and appoints himself Francesca's protector and follower; Anne Dunn, Francesca's paleobotanist mother who places her faith in Darwin and natural selection; Sid, the schoolmate, who wants to use Francesca's new circumstances for her own profit; and Francesca herself, whobecomes increasingly deluded by the adoration bestowed upon her.pAt once powerful, tender, and humorous, The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn is an astonishing and resonant work from an exciting new talent. With each of its gentle revelations, the novel brings an unforgettable cast of characters to v?è  (less)

literary heavyweights like James Joyce, Thomas Mann, and T. S. Eliot, as well as more populist writers like Arthur Conan Doyle, Kingsley Amis, and John Updike. Carey also discusses masterpieces like F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Gunter Grass's The Tin Drum, alongside lesser-known works like D. H. Lawrence's Twilight in Italy and George Orwell's Coming Up for Air.PIn a series of intelligent and fast-moving essays -- each devoted to a single book -- Carey mixes criticism, biography, and cultural context about each selection with illuminations on the author's inspiration and how each work was written. The end result is a book that no one who is passionate about reading should be without.  (less)

them came face to face with phenomena not readily explainable, phenomena that changed the course of their lives, their work, and, at times, of human history.PIn this impressive book, Antoinette Bosco has collected a kaleidoscope of stories about real people from all walks of life who experienced what might be called a remarkable coincidence in their lives. Are the patterns of their life stories really random? Or, as the author believes, is there an underlying design common to all, a design that reveals the hand and the presence of Someone who cares? I think the Creator has a great sense of compassion and humor, and sometimes, like a loving parent, God expresses this to us mortals by whispering -- Surprise!'PThese fascinating stories not only relate extraordinary events but reveal the profound humanity of the persons involved -- their courage, their weakness, their faith, their fear, their needs, their love. This book will appeal to all who seek inspiration, who need a boost in their faith in God and in people, or who just want to enjoy some great true stories. An excellent resource for those who teach through story.  (less)

the recognition and understanding of depression in themselves or a sister, best friend, or cousin, "The Seven Beliefs opens the door for healing in a poignant, powerful way.P"The Seven Beliefs shows Latinas that confronting and overcoming depression is possible if they look at each aspect of their lives, step-by-step.P"The Seven Beliefs begins with a call to Believe in Yourself, which lays the groundwork for all the other beliefs. Readers are subsequently asked to Believe in the Signs, helping to clarify the difference between feeling the sad aftereffects of a hard day and standing at the edge of the emotional abyss generally associated with clinical depression. Readers are also shown that they must believe in the health of their Body and Spirit, and that a strongly rooted sense of Hispanic cultural Traditions can often act as a built-in support system, innate and enduring.PIn a friendly, easy-to-read format that combines medical guidance with traditional wisdom, "The Seven Beliefs encourages Latinas to confront depression in an assertive and empowering way. Using stories and letters from patients they have encountered, the authors show readers how to take charge of their lives so that they can become physically, emotionally, and spiritually balanced women.  (less)