Download or read book Peony and a Scary Irony written by Abby Reede and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2023-04-26 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tracy is still floating on cloud nine after getting married to the handsome detective in her small town. Her joy overflows when he surprises her with the destination of their honeymoon... Alaska! The sights and sounds in Alaska leave Tracy speechless and grateful for the many blessings in her life. When there is a sudden commotion at an event the newlyweds are attending, Tracy first thinks it's all part of the show. Until a chilling scream alerts the audience to a grave tragedy... the death of the resort's owner. Things go from bad to worse, when Tracy's husband, Warren, is identified as a prime suspect and arrested. How could the trip of a lifetime turn into a nightmare from hell? Tracy is left feeling alone, confused and angry as she wonders how things could change so quickly in her life. But she knows Warren didn't do it. But the most of the town thinks he did. And in a town where she discovers that tourists are usually blamed for any scandals, she knows she has to snap out of her self-imposed pity party and find the truth. But the wall of resistance she meets at every turn leaves her doubting if she'll ever find the truth. The clock is ticking... all evidence seems to point at the wrong person... will she help to find the killer or become their next victim? If you want to enjoy a light-hearted read, with an amateur female sleuth and a gripping murder mystery with a touch of romance, then you'll love Tracy Adams and all the friendly and not-so-friendly characters in Fern Grove. ***No cliffhanger, swearing or graphic scenes!*** Get your copy of Peony and a Scary Irony to discover how events unfold in this cozy murder mystery.
Download or read book The Jade Peony written by Wayson Choy and published by D & M Publishers. This book was released on 2009-12-01 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three siblings tell the stories of their very different childhoods in Vancouver's Chinatown before and during World War II.
Download or read book Peony in Love written by Lisa See and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2011-05-04 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Peony has neither seen nor spoken to any man other than her father, a wealthy Chinese nobleman. Nor has she ever ventured outside the cloistered women's quarters of the family villa. As her sixteenth birthday approaches she finds herself betrothed to a man she does not know, but Peony has dreams of her own. Her father engages a theatrical troupe to perform scenes from The Peony Pavilion, a Chinese epic opera, in their garden amidst the scent of ginger, green tea and jasmine. 'Unmarried girls should not be seen in public,' says Peony's mother, but her father allows the women to watch from behind a screen. Here, Peony catches sight of an elegant, handsome man and is immediately bewitched. So begins her unforgettable journey of love, desire, sorrow and redemption.
Download or read book All My Puny Sorrows written by Miriam Toews and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling author of Women Talking, a "wrenchingly honest, darkly funny novel" (Entertainment Weekly). Elf and Yoli are sisters. While on the surface Elfrieda's life is enviable (she's a world-renowned pianist, glamorous, wealthy, and happily married) and Yolandi's a mess (she's divorced and broke, with two teenagers growing up too quickly), they are fiercely close-raised in a Mennonite household and sharing the hardship of Elf's desire to end her life. After Elf's latest attempt, Yoli must quickly determine how to keep her family from falling apart while facing a profound question: what do you do for a loved one who truly wants to die? All My Puny Sorrows is a deeply personal story that is as much comedy as it is tragedy, a goodbye grin from the friend who taught you how to live.
Download or read book Unlucky Clover written by Kiwi Rat and published by Peach Flower House. This book was released on 2024-04-30 with total page 646 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After his execution, a detested crown prince discovers himself in the past without his status and power but with enough knowledge to seek revenge. Executed for crimes he did not commit, Crown Prince William Dran Evronsworth regresses to a time when he was just Willow, an unrecognized shepherd in the province. Determined to achieve revenge against the one who betrayed him, Willow returns to the capital a little (but not that much) wiser, gathering strange allies along the way. Why is Ny, an insignificant beggar, constantly putting himself in life or death situations? Who is the girl who speaks with crows? Also, there's an apocalypse brewing.
Download or read book Peony Pavilion Onstage written by Catherine Swatek and published by U OF M CENTER FOR CHINESE STUDIES. This book was released on 2002 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores responses to Tang Xianzu's classic play The Peony Pavilion (Mudan ting) from three distinct segments of its public-literati playwrights; professional performers of Kun opera; and quite recently, directors and audiences outside China. Catherine Swatek first examines two adaptations of the play by Tang's contemporaries, which point to the unconventionality of the original work. She goes on to explore how the play has been changed in later adaptations, up to its most recent productions by Peter Sellars and Chen Shi-Zheng in the United States and Europe. Catherine Swatek is Associate Professor, University of British Columbia. She has published several articles on premodern Chinese drama and on female representation in Chinese opera.
Download or read book The Essential Earthman written by Henry Mitchell and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2003-01-24 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The most soul-satisfying gardening book in years." --New York Times (March 1982, reviewing the 1981 cloth edition from IU Press). "Genuinely a classic..." --Los Angeles Times (on the occasion of Houghton Mifflin's paperback edition, which came out in 1994). "Is there anyone alive with the slightest interest in gardening who doesn't know that Henry Mitchell is one of the funniest and most truthful garden columnists we've got?" --Allen Lacy "Mitchell is a joy to read. He has tried and failed, persevered and triumphed, and he has many sound recommendations for us fumblers and failures." --Celestine Sibley, in the Atlanta Constitution. "Henry Mitchell is one of America's most entertaining and enlightening garden writers.... 'Garden writer' fails, in truth, to describe this man. He gardens and he writes--the former, if we take him at his word, with lust and loathing, foolhardiness and finesse; the latter with gentle irony and consummate skill." --Pacific Horticulture "Mitchell mixes practical advice, encouragement, philosophic consolation and wit. He is the neighbor you wish you could talk to over the back fence." --House and Garden Henry Mitchell was to gardening what Izaak Walton was to fishing. The Essential Earthman is a collection of the best of his long-running column for the Washington Post. Although he offered invaluable tips for novice as well as seasoned gardeners, at the heart of his essays were piquant observations: on keeping records; the role of trees in gardens (they don't belong there); how a gardener should weather the winter; on shrubs, bulbs, and fragrant flowers--and about observation itself. Here's one example: Marigolds gain enormously in impact when used as sparingly as ultimatums. Henry Mitchell came to his subject with reverence, passion, humor, and a contagious enthusiasm tempered only by his sober knowledge of human frailty. The Essential Earthman is for all who love gardening--even those who only dream of doing it.
Download or read book The Phantom Heroine written by Judith T. Zeitlin and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2007-06-30 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The "phantom heroine"—in particular the fantasy of her resurrection through sex with a living man—is one of the most striking features of traditional Chinese literature. Even today the hypersexual female ghost continues to be a source of fascination in East Asian media, much like the sexually predatory vampire in American and European movies, TV, and novels. But while vampires can be of either gender, erotic Chinese ghosts are almost exclusively female. The significance of this gender asymmetry in Chinese literary history is the subject of Judith Zeitlin’s elegantly written and meticulously researched new book. Zeitlin’s study centers on the seventeenth century, one of the most interesting and creative periods of Chinese literature and politically one of the most traumatic, witnessing the overthrow of the Ming, the Manchu conquest, and the subsequent founding of the Qing. Drawing on fiction, drama, poetry, medical cases, and visual culture, the author departs from more traditional literary studies, which tend to focus on a single genre or author. Ranging widely across disciplines, she integrates detailed analyses of great literary works with insights drawn from the history of medicine, art history, comparative literature, anthropology, religion, and performance studies. The Phantom Heroine probes the complex literary and cultural roots of the Chinese ghost tradition. Zeitlin is the first to address its most remarkable feature: the phenomenon of verse attributed to phantom writers—that is, authors actually reputed to be spirits of the deceased. She also makes the case for the importance of lyric poetry in developing a ghostly aesthetics and image code. Most strikingly, Zeitlin shows that the representation of female ghosts, far from being a marginal preoccupation, expresses cultural concerns of central importance.
Download or read book Emmet Otter s Jug Band Christmas written by Russell Hoban and published by Doubleday Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2017-10-24 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Celebrate Christmas with the inspiration for the beloved Jim Henson film — in print after over 40 years. In 1977, when Jim Henson debuted the now-classic film Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, few knew it was based on a story written and illustrated by Russell and Lillian Hoban, creators of Bread and Jam for Frances and other treasured children's books. With an enduring score by the great Paul Williams, the movie remains a holiday tradition in homes across America. Now the book that started it all is back in print, in a beautiful gift edition that will thrill Muppets fans young and old. Inspired by the classic tale "The Gift of the Magi," the story begins in a poor country cottage, as Emmet Otter dreams of buying Ma a piano for Christmas, while Ma dreams of buying Emmet a guitar. When a village talent contest is announced, both imagine their dreams coming true. But what they don't imagine finding is their real reward — the power of love, family, and hope in hard times. It is a story that reaches into a reader's heart and reminds us all that fortune favors the brave. A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year "[A] welcome reissue of the Hobans' 1971 story . . . Colorful illustrations of the close-knit animal community contain plenty of warmth." —The Horn Book
Download or read book The Hollow Gods written by A. J. Vrana and published by The Parliament House. This book was released on 2020-07-28 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2023 Ontario Author Project Winner in Adult Fiction Rich with folklore and paranormal intrigue, The Hollow Gods is an atmospheric supernatural thriller that will satisfy lovers of Hannah Whitten's FOR THE WOLF, especially those craving a fable with a darker touch. hr Black Hollow is a town with a dark secret. For centuries, residents have foretold the return of the Dreamwalker—an ominous figure from local folklore said to lure young women into the woods and possess them. Yet the boundary between fact and fable is blurred by a troubling statistic: occasionally, women do go missing. And after they return, they almost always end up dead. When Kai wakes up next to the lifeless body of a recently missing girl, his memory blank, he struggles to clear his already threadbare conscience. Miya, a floundering university student, experiences signs that she may be the Dreamwalker's next victim. Can she trust Kai as their paths collide, or does he herald her demise? And after losing a young patient, crestfallen oncologist, Mason, embarks on a quest to debunk the town's superstitions, only to find his sanity tested. A maelstrom of ancient grudges, forgotten traumas, and deadly secrets loom in the foggy forests of Black Hollow. Can three unlikely heroes put aside their fears and unite to confront a centuries-old evil? Will they uncover the truth behind the fable, or will the cycle repeat? "The writing sizzles with menace, and the dark mythology A.J. Vrana weaves from dreams and nightmares is unlike any I've ever encountered, in and out of books." – Katya de Becerra, author of OASIS and WHAT THE WOODS KEEP "Utterly consuming with palpable emotion, an engaging mystery, and absolutely delicious tension, this is one that lingers after you’ve turned the final page, an itch that needs to be scratched." – Verified Reviewer "I would highly recommend this book for anyone with interest in folklore, magical realism, and a dark touch of horror. An absolutely stunning debut from this author. I have pre-ordered my own copy of the book, and I am very much looking forward to the second book in The Chaos Cycle." – Verified Reviewer "The Hollow Gods is a striking debut about guilt, grief, and how the past sometimes finds a way to come back to haunt us. The roots of this story will be familiar to those who enjoy reading about fairytales and folklore, but Vrana has added her own touch to the genre that allows this novel to hold its own against the greats." – Verified Reviewer "A gem of a book. Can’t wait for the next one." – Verified Reviewer "Vrana crafts a unique local mythology and draws from existing lore to create a sense of creeping dread." – Publisher’s Weekly hr The Chaos Cycle Duology is best enjoyed in this order: Book 1: The Hollow Gods Book 2: The Echoed Realm
Download or read book Haunted written by Chuck Palahniuk and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2005-05-03 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Haunted is a novel made up of twenty-three horrifying, hilarious, and stomach-churning stories. They’re told by people who have answered an ad for a writer’s retreat and unwittingly joined a “Survivor”-like scenario where the host withholds heat, power, and food. As the storytellers grow more desperate, their tales become more extreme, and they ruthlessly plot to make themselves the hero of the reality show that will surely be made from their plight. This is one of the most disturbing and outrageous books you’ll ever read, one that could only come from the mind of Chuck Palahniuk.
Download or read book Wedding Ring written by Emilie Richards and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2013-04-01 with total page 493 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Richards pieces together each woman's story as artfully as a quilter creates a quilt... Transcendent, endowed with warmth and compassion."—Booklist Three generations of women discover the healing gift of family, memories and love Needing time to contemplate her troubled marriage, Tessa MacRae agrees to spend the summer helping her mother and grandmother clean out the family home in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. But the three women have never been close. Helen, the family matriarch, is domineering and sharp-tongued. Nancy, Tessa's mother, appears to be little more than a social climber. And Tessa herself is in turmoil following a family tragedy that has affected them all. Now, with the gift of time, Tessa's eyes are opened, and she begins to see her mother and grandmother for the flawed but courageous women they are. As she restores a vintage wedding ring quilt pieced by her grandmother and quilted by her mother, the secrets that have shadowed their lives unfold at last. And each woman discovers that sometimes you have to clean house to find the things you thought were lost forever. Previously published
Download or read book Cinder written by Marissa Meyer and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2013-01-08 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Queen Levana is a ruler who uses her 'glamour' to gain power. but long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story - a story that has never been told ... until now.
Download or read book The Fragrance of God written by Vigen Guroian and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2006-02-21 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this literary gem Vigen Guroian chronicles not merely the changing seasons but the course of his own life as he and his family move from Maryland to a new home near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Leaving the old garden behind and cultivating another garden become an emblem of our journey through life, marked as it is by both bitter losses and sweet new blessings. While deeply personal, The Fragrance of God vividly unfolds the great biblical themes of the grandeur of God s creation, the senses as paths to experiencing God, and the garden as a place of birth, death, and renewal. Laced throughout with quotations from Guroian s beloved church fathers and replete with theological reflection, The Fragrance of God will lead readers down a path of deeper insight into the creation and the Creator.
Download or read book Snow Flower and the Secret Fan written by Lisa See and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2011-10-17 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lily is the daughter of a humble farmer, and to her family she is just another expensive mouth to feed. Then the local matchmaker delivers startling news: if Lily's feet are bound properly, they will be flawless. In nineteenth-century China, where a woman's eligibility is judged by the shape and size of her feet, this is extraordinary good luck. Lily now has the power to make a good marriage and change the fortunes of her family. To prepare for her new life, she must undergo the agonies of footbinding, learn nu shu, the famed secret women's writing, and make a very special friend, Snow Flower. But a bitter reversal of fortune is about to change everything.
Download or read book The Priory of the Orange Tree written by Samantha Shannon and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2019-02-26 with total page 849 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Get ready for Samantha Shannon's new novel, A Day of Fallen Night, coming in February 2023! The New York Times bestselling "epic feminist fantasy perfect for fans of Game of Thrones" (Bustle). NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY: AMAZON (Top 100 Editors Picks and Science Fiction and Fantasy) * CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY * BOOKPAGE * AUTOSTRADDLE A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens. The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction--but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic. Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
Download or read book Becoming Madame Mao written by Anchee Min and published by HMH. This book was released on 2001-04-15 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the national bestselling author of Red Azalea: “Extraordinary . . . Min lets [Madame Mao] be seen as never before. Bottom line: riveting” (People). In a sweeping, erotically charged story, Anchee Min creates a finely nuanced portrait of one of the most fascinating, and vilified, women of the twentieth century. Madame Mao is almost universally known as the “white-boned demon”—ambitious, vindictive, and cruel—whose bid to succeed her husband led to the death of millions. But Anchee Min’s story begins with a young girl named Yunhe, the unwanted daughter of a concubine who ignored her mother’s pleas and refused to have her feet bound. It was the first act of rebellion for this headstrong, beautiful, and charismatic girl, who would find fame as an actress in Shanghai, and later fall in love and marry Mao Zedong. The great revolutionary leader proved to be an inattentive husband with a voracious appetite for infidelity, but the couple stayed together through the Communist victory, the disastrous Great Leap Forward, and the chaos of the Cultural Revolution. Min uses historical facts and her lush, penetrating psychological imagination to take us beyond the myth of the person who so greatly influenced an entire generation of Chinese. The result is a complex portrait of a woman who railed against the confines of her culture, whose deep-seated insecurities propelled her to reinvent herself constantly, and whose ambition was matched only by her ferocious, never-to-be-fulfilled need to be loved. “Sheer poetry.” —The Wall Street Journal “A magnificent book: consequential, significant, beautiful . . . The true heroine is writer Anchee Min.” —San Diego Union-Tribune
