Higher Worlds

Now betrayed by the Emperor he once protected, master swordsman Saukendar leaves the way of the sword behind him forever - so he thinks. When a headstrong peasant girl burning to avenge her murdered family demands that he train her, Saukendar is faced with a momentous choice. Send Taizu away, never see her again - or join her and destroy the tyrant who has nearly destroyed them both.

The Marvel of Martyrdom takes a broad perspective on self-sacrifice and martyrdom, bringing together religion, popular culture, history, psychology, and mythology. Stories of individuals both famous (Gandhi) and obscure (Rodrigo Rosenberg) intertwine with research on altruism, happiness, and radicalization to terrorism. The changing landscape of the book's setting - from The Roman Empire to 19th-century Russia to Nazi Germany to post-World War II India to present day Ukraine - makes the power of self-sacrifice and martyrdom come alive.

Predating written language and marching on through human history, the desire for ever-better timekeeping has spurred technological innovation and sparked theories that radically reshaped our understanding of the universe and our place in it.

In April 1945, Linz was one of Nazi Germany's most vital assets. It was a crucial transportation hub and communications center, with railyards brimming with war materiel destined for the front lines. Linz was also the town Hitler claimed as home and had long intended to remake as the cultural capital of Europe, filling its planned Fuehrermuseum with world-famous art stolen from his conquered territories.

Commanded by Captain Howes Norris, the Sharon headed for the whaling grounds of the northwestern Pacific. At Pohnpei Island, 12 men from the Sharon deserted the ship, leaving her critically shorthanded. After steering for New Zealand to recruit more crew, the men on lookout raised a school of sperm whales. Two boats gave chase, each with a crew of six. Five men were left on board the Sharon: Norris, three pacific Islanders, and a Portuguese boy named Manuel.

Here is the story of how, beginning well before the advent of machine production in the 1780s, these men captured ancient trades and skills in Asia, combined them with the expropriation of lands in the Americas and the enslavement of African workers to crucially recast the disparate realms of cotton that had existed for millennia. We see how industrial capitalism then reshaped these worlds of cotton into an empire, and how this empire transformed the world.

Fred's life was on autopilot, but that abruptly changed. He finds himself in a new world, with strange people and fearsome monsters. The Brall take one look at Fred and expect him to die within hours. However, there is more to Fred than even he knows. He struggles to stay alive, as he uses his knowledge from Earth to strengthen the fragmented Brall Empire. Along the way, he gains powerful allies and inadvertently provokes and inspires a ruthless General. Can Fred save the Brall and bring stability to the Empire? Start reading now! Part 1

As President Barack Obama's adviser on Russian affairs, Michael McFaul helped craft the United States' policy known as "reset" that fostered new and unprecedented collaboration between the two countries. And then, as US ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, he had a front-row seat when this fleeting, hopeful moment crumbled with Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency. This riveting inside account combines history and memoir to tell the full story of US-Russia relations from the fall of the Soviet Union to the new rise of the hostile, paranoid Russian president.

Survival was only the beginning. Alec West and his team have finally found sanctuary within the arcane-protected city of Bastion. But peace never lasts. When a scout patrol vanishes near a mysterious Obelisk-born structure, Bastion’s council calls on Alec’s battle-hardened squad to investigate. What starts as a rescue turns into a desperate race against time. Buried in the ruins lies a Progenitor-class artifact—a Trial Key capable of rewriting fate itself. And when one of their own is mortally wounded, Alec must lead his team into an otherworldly dungeon known as the Tower of Teeth ...

University sophomore Miwako Sumida has hanged herself, leaving those closest to her reeling. In the months before her suicide, she was hiding away in a remote mountainside village, but what, or whom, was she running from? To Ryusei, a fellow student at Waseda; Chie, Miwako's best friend; and Fumi, Ryusei's older sister, Miwako was more than the blunt, no-nonsense person she projected to the world. Heartbroken, Ryusei begs Chie to take him to the village where Miwako spent her final days.

With his trademark brilliance, generosity of spirit, and clear pastoral calling, Brian McLaren synthesizes an accessible and inviting understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.

The greatest challenges facing humankind, according to Deirdre Nansen McCloskey, are poverty and tyranny, both of which hold people back. Arguing for a return to true liberal values, this engaging and accessible book develops, defends, and demonstrates how embracing the ideas first espoused by 18th-century philosophers like Locke, Smith, Voltaire, and Wollstonecraft is good for everyone. In McCloskey's view, liberalism leads to equality, but equality does not necessarily lead to liberalism - and the fixation of the left on inequality is counterproductive.

Former middle school teacher and teachers' advocate Taylor Mali struck a chord with his passionate response to a man at a dinner party who asked him what kind of salary teachers make - a poetic rant that has been seen and forwarded millions of times on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Based on the poem that inspired a movement, What Teachers Make is Mali's sharp, funny, reflective, critical call to arms about the joys of teaching and why teachers are so vital to America today.

France, 1939: A talented singer, Ruth Lacroix has left Maine to live with her aunt and uncle, dreaming of performing at the Casino de Paris. But with the outbreak of war, and the heartbreaking news that her cousin has been killed by German forces, that goal is supplanted by another—to support France in any way she can.

Inspired by the consciousness-shifting traditions that have moved seekers for generations, Material Girl, Mystical World is a fabulous adventure in the "Now Age": a sophisticated upgrade on cosmic thinking for women who know that a closetful of designer shoes can happily coexist with a deeply meaningful life.

Servant to the God of Death, now a prisoner of war. Keres' chains are in the hands of her enemy and he’s bringing her to heel. As twists of fate entangle her, she must learn to play the strings or become the spell-bound puppet. The bargain for freedom, a bond forged in darkness. The deadly game between Gods and mortals has only just begun. ADVANCE PRAISE: "Anastasia King has a wicked and creative mind and I was beside myself for numerous parts of this read. Looking forward to more installments of this series and I cannot recommend this enough. The writing is immaculate. The plot is very ...

No function is more important to an organization than marketing (strategic influence), and nobody has done it more effectively that Jesus Christ. If the most influential man in history (Jesus Christ) taught a class on marketing (strategic influence), what would he say? Whether as a politician trying to win more votes, a pastor trying to get more members, a businessperson trying to sell more products or services, or a non-profit trying to recruit more supporters...we’re all marketers that are trying to strategically influence the world around us.

Prepare to embark on an exhilarating journey to the outer limits of human understanding, where the veil between dreams and reality is tantalizingly thin. Within this cosmic realm, ethereal dimensions intersect with our own, giving rise to enigmatic phenomena that defy conventional explanation. Join us as we unravel the mysteries of UFOs and unearthly visitors, delving into the secrets of their origins and motivations. From the luminous orbs that dance on the fringes of perception to the awe-inspiring spacecraft that traverse the cosmos, prepare to be captivated by a world where the ordinary...

Since 2001, the US Department of State has been sending hip hop artists abroad to perform and teach as goodwill ambassadors. There are good reasons for this: Hip hop is known and loved across the globe, acknowledged and appreciated as a product of American culture. Hip hop has from its beginning been a means of creating community through artistic collaboration, fostering what hip hop artists call building.

1920s Germany: Though the world has changed in the wake of the Great War, it is still ruled by men. Even a woman as resourceful and intelligent as Niki Rittenhaus needs alliances in order to survive. Her marriage to Rickard Länger, a movie producer for Berlin's Passport Pictures, seems convenient for them both. When Rickard succumbs to increasing pressure from the Nazis to make propaganda movies, a horrified Niki turns away from her own film aspirations and instead, begins to write.