In Japan, obsessive adult fans and collectors of manga and anime are known as otaku. When the underground otaku subculture first emerged in the 1970s, participants were looked down on within mainstream Japanese society as strange, antisocial loners. Today otaku have had a huge impact on popular culture not only in Japan but also throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States.Hiroki Azuma’s Otaku offers a critical, philosophical, and historical inquiry into the cha...

What are we to learn from the narratives in the Torah? A walking, talking snake. A tree that bears mysterious knowledge of Good and Evil. A mark upon Cain for all to see. The early narratives in the Book of Genesis are familiar to us from childhood, yet the meaning of these stories often seem maddeningly elusive. For example: By forbidding Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, did God really not want mankind to be able to distinguish right from wrong? This book examines the early...

The inspiration for the major motion picture starring Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain“Had me in its grips from the first page to the astonishing and jaw-dropping ending.” —Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today bestselling author of Woman On the EdgeA dark, intense domestic thriller about next-door neighbors whose close friendship is upended by a tragic accident, from the queen of Belgian crime.David and...

"Full of ambushes and firefights…From page one I knew I wanted to be a SEAL. The more I read, the more I wanted to see if I could measure up." —Mark Owen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of No Easy DayBecause it's a novel, the truth can be told. Because it's the truth, you'll never forget it...Gene Wentz's Men in Green Faces is the classic novel of Vietnam that inspired a generation of SEALs. Here is the stor...

Who does not ponder what inspires creativity? Why does one person excel as a doctor, another as an artist, and yet a third as a composer? Why do some fortunate people seem overly endowed with an abundance of creativity—this most precious of gifts—and others with little or none at all? Can creative inspiration be nurtured slowly and, suddenly, spring forth to mesmerize and enchant the world?In the words of Emanuel Ax, we are given "fascinating glimpses into the innermost thoughts of ...

In this pulse-pounding thriller, former Marine Raider Matthew Redd, “a force to be reckoned with” (Jack Carr) and “the go-to man in a bad situation” (Brad Taylor), must face his greatest fears and figure out how to escape when the one way out goes up in flames.Matthew Redd doesn’t go looking for trouble. But this time, it’s found him anyway . . . and he’s not the only one in the crosshairs.Late-summer wildfires are a fact of life in Montana. But as an infer...

Former London detective Jake Jackson finds his new life in the country threatened when women start disappearing in this beautifully written and deeply immersive novel that will challenge even the most diehard mystery lover’s deductive skills.A beautiful summer’s dayWhen young nurse Claire Davidson goes missing on the riverbank, the only clues left behind are her phone and shoes.A mystery that sweeps the nationPeople disappe...

After being cursed by an evil fairy, a princess falls into a deep sleep for a hundred years. Upon discovering her, a determined prince pledges to find a way to break the curse and awaken her from her slumber.

The Ethics of Remembering and the Consequences of Forgetting: Essays on Trauma, History, and Memory brings together scholars from a variety of disciplines that draw on multiple perspectives to address issues that arise at the intersection of trauma, history, and memory. Contributors include critical theorists, critical historians, psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, and a working artist. The authors use intergenerational trauma theory while also pushing and pulling at the edges of convention...

The first time the Donovan twins, Lucas and Jamie, saw a Canadian Northwest Mounted Police officer, they knew that’s what they wanted to be when they grew up. Years later, Lucas Donovan, now a member of the force, is on a mission to bring a ruthless serial killer to justice. For years Jack Emerson has eluded capture in the vast Canadian wilderness, but now Donovan has vowed that nothing on earth will stop him from seeing this man caught and punished. The oath is both personal and professio...

Even if you have already enjoyed Africa as tourists or presumed benefactors, start reading this book, you will not regret it. If you've never been there, better. It's an epitome of reconnaissance, it does not want to explain anything to you, just show you a piece with disenchanted eyes. It is a story of "work". The writer is a pragmatic architect sunk thirty years ago in the heart of the Congo. As an anatomopathologist would do on an anatomical table, he extracts from the subject (frozen, ...

Being beautiful or attractive is all-encompassingNo matter how curvy you may be, having acne scars all over your face and stretch marks all over your body can be a real deal-breaker.It has what it takes to turn off the light on your attractiveness.Life can be difficult for people suffering from acne or any other skin issue. It is not easy to hide your face from the world. A lot of people experience depression, low self-esteem, and lack of confidence ...