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Book The Serpent s Tale

    Book Details:
  • Author : Ariana Franklin
  • Publisher : Penguin
  • Release : 2008-01-31
  • ISBN : 9781101207703
  • Pages : 416 pages

Download or read book The Serpent s Tale written by Ariana Franklin and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2008-01-31 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The follow-up to Mistress of the Art of Death- in the national bestselling series hailed as "the medieval answer to Kay Scarpetta and the CSI detectives." When King Henry II's mistress is found poisoned, suspicion falls on his estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. The king orders Adelia Aguilar, expert in the science of death, to investigate-and hopefully stave off civil war. A reluctant Adelia finds herself once again in the company of Rowley Picot, the new Bishop of St. Albans...and her baby's father. Their discoveries into the crime are shocking- and omens of greater danger to come.

Book We Need to Talk About Kevin

Download or read book We Need to Talk About Kevin written by Lionel Shriver and published by Catapult. This book was released on 2011-05-01 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The inspiration for the film starring Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly, this resonant story of a mother’s unsettling quest to understand her teenage son’s deadly violence, her own ambivalence toward motherhood, and the explosive link between them remains terrifyingly prescient. Eva never really wanted to be a mother. And certainly not the mother of a boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much–adored teacher in a school shooting two days before his sixteenth birthday. Neither nature nor nurture exclusively shapes a child's character. But Eva was always uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood. Did her internalized dislike for her own son shape him into the killer he’s become? How much is her fault? Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with Kevin’s horrific rampage, all in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin. A piercing, unforgettable, and penetrating exploration of violence and responsibility, a book that the Boston Globe describes as “impossible to put down,” is a stunning examination of how tragedy affects a town, a marriage, and a family.

Book Mistress of the Art of Death

Download or read book Mistress of the Art of Death written by Ariana Franklin and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2007-02-06 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The national bestselling hit hailed by the New York Times as a "vibrant medieval mystery...[it] outdoes the competition." In medieval Cambridge, England, Adelia, a female forensics expert, is summoned by King Henry II to investigate a series of gruesome murders that has wrongly implicated the Jewish population, yielding even more tragic results. As Adelia's investigation takes her behind the closed doors of the country's churches, the killer prepares to strike again.

Book The Serpent s Tale

    Book Details:
  • Author : Gregory McNamee
  • Publisher : University of Georgia Press
  • Release : 2000
  • ISBN : 9780820322254
  • Pages : 164 pages

Download or read book The Serpent s Tale written by Gregory McNamee and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “We travel the world,” writes Gregory McNamee, “and wherever we go there are snake stories to entertain us.” Here are some fifty diverse and unusual accounts of serpents from cultures across time and around the globe: snakes that talk, jump, and dance; snakes that transform into other creatures; snakes that just . . . watch. Many selections are drawn from the rich oral traditions of peoples in every clime that supports reptiles, from the Akimel O’odham of North America to the Mensa Bet-Abrahe of Africa to the Mungkjan of Australia. Included as well are such writings as prayers from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm, a poem by Emily Dickinson, and a journal entry by Charles Darwin. What we read about snakes in The Serpent’s Tale is just as fascinating for what it says about us, for there always will be something primordial about our connection to them. That bond is evident in these stories: in how we associate snakes with nature’s elemental forces, how we attribute special qualities to their eyes and skin, and how they preside over all phases of our existence, from creation to death to resurrection.

Book Hasib   The Queen of Serpents

Download or read book Hasib The Queen of Serpents written by David B. and published by NBM. This book was released on 2018-06-01 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Heir to the wise Daniel, Hâsib is a young woodcutter promised to a great future. When his greedy companions abandon him in the middle of the forest, he meets the Queen of Serpents. She then tells her story, a fabulous adventure filled with gods and demons, princes and prophets. From Kabul to Cairo, journeys intertwine with intrigues and spiritual quests while the fabulous nights follow one another. An enchanting and intricately designed interpretation of the story of Hâsib Karîm ad-Dîm, through which David B. opens for us the gates of the Thousand and One Nights. For mature readers.

Book The Serpent s Revenge

Download or read book The Serpent s Revenge written by Sudha Murty and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2016-10-26 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How many names does Arjuna have? Why was Yama cursed? What lesson did a little mongoose teach Yudhisthira? The Kurukshetra war, fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas and which forced even the gods to take sides, may be well known, but there are innumerable stories set before, after and during the war that lend the Mahabharata its many varied shades and are largely unheard of. Award-winning author Sudha Murty reintroduces the fascinating world of India’s greatest epic through the extraordinary tales in this collection, each of which is sure to fill you with a sense of wonder and bewilderment.

Book The Serpent King

Download or read book The Serpent King written by Jeff Zentner and published by Ember. This book was released on 2017-06-06 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Named to ten BEST OF THE YEAR lists and selected as a William C. Morris Award Winner,The Serpent King is the critically acclaimed, much-beloved story of three teens who find themselves--and each other--while on the cusp of graduating from high school with hopes of leaving their small-town behind. Perfect for fans of John Green's Turtles All the Way Down. "Move over, John Green; Zentner is coming for you." —The New York Public Library “Will fill the infinite space that was left in your chest after you finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” —BookRiot.com Dill isn't the most popular kid at his rural Tennessee high school. After his father fell from grace in a public scandal that reverberated throughout their small town, Dill became a target. Fortunately, his two fellow misfits and best friends, Travis and Lydia, have his back. But as they begin their senior year, Dill feels the coils of his future tightening around him. His only escapes are music and his secret feelings for Lydia--neither of which he is brave enough to share. Graduation feels more like an ending to Dill than a beginning. But even before then, he must cope with another ending--one that will rock his life to the core. Debut novelist Jeff Zentner provides an unblinking and at times comic view of the hard realities of growing up in the Bible belt, and an intimate look at the struggles to find one’s true self in the wreckage of the past. “A story about friendship, family and forgiveness, it’s as funny and witty as it is utterly heartbreaking.” —PasteMagazine.com “A brutally honest portrayal of teen life . . . [and] a love letter to the South from a man who really understands it.” —Mashable.com “I adored all three of these characters and the way they talked to and loved one another.”—New York Times

Book The Serpent s Tale

    Book Details:
  • Author : Gary Crew
  • Publisher : Lothian Children's Books
  • Release : 2010
  • ISBN : 9780734410283
  • Pages : 32 pages

Download or read book The Serpent s Tale written by Gary Crew and published by Lothian Children's Books. This book was released on 2010 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a carefully designed, multi-layered picture book for older readers. At the most literal level of the story, a boy demands that his mother buy a bracelet or amulet at a fair in the town square. The artifact looks like a snake chasing or devouring its own tail in an endless cycle. Alone in his attic room, the boy puts the bracelet on and falls asleep. At this, the snake comes to life in the boy s dreaming, thus telling its story. Even as the boy sees visions in his dreaming, through his open attic window, we, the readers, look down on the town square and see high drama. Invaders attack the town and rob the boy s house as he sleeps, a girl is rescued from the attic window opposite, there are scenes of heroism and death these events might be what leads the boy to dispose of the charm when he wakes, taking it for a bad omen But what is real and what is not? Are the boy s fantastic snake-induced dreams the real events, or the events that we see at the real-life story level, taking place in the town square? The snake serves as a metaphor for story and narrative itself story as world-creating, eternal, terrifying at times, but sublimely beautiful.

Book The Serpent and the Moon

    Book Details:
  • Author : Princess Michael of Kent
  • Publisher : Simon and Schuster
  • Release : 2005-09-13
  • ISBN : 0743251067
  • Pages : 436 pages

Download or read book The Serpent and the Moon written by Princess Michael of Kent and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2005-09-13 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Set against the stunning backdrop of Renaissance France, The Serpent and the Moon is a true story of love, war, intrigue, betrayal, and persecution. At its heart is one of the world's greatest love stories: the lifelong devotion of King Henri II of France to Diane de Poitiers, a beautiful aristocrat who was nineteen years older than her lover. At age fourteen, Henri was married to fourteen-year-old Catherine de' Medici, an unattractive but extremely wealthy heiress who was to bring half of Italy to France as her dowry. When Catherine met Henri on her wedding day, she fell instantly in love, but Henri could see no one but the beautiful Diane. When Henri eventually became king, he and Diane ruled France as one. Meanwhile, Catherine took as her secret motto the words "Hate and Wait" and lived for the day Diane would die and she could win Henri's love and rule by his side. Fate had another plan. Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent, herself a descendant of both Catherine and Diane, imbues this seldom-told story with an insider's grasp of royal life. The Serpent and the Moon is a fascinating love story as well as a richly woven history of an extraordinary time.

Book The Serpent s Secret  Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond  1

Download or read book The Serpent s Secret Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond 1 written by Sayantani DasGupta and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2018-02-27 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From New York Times bestselling author comes a world packed with action and adventure, perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Soman Chainani. MEET KIRANMALA:INTERDIMENSIONAL DEMON SLAYER(Only she doesn't know it yet.)On the morning of her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala is just a regular sixth grader living in Parsippany, New Jersey . . . until her parents mysteriously vanish and a drooling rakkhosh demon slams through her kitchen, determined to eat her alive. Turns out there might be some truth to her parents' fantastical stories-like how Kiranmala is a real Indian princess and how she comes from a secret place not of this world.To complicate matters, two crush-worthy princes ring her doorbell, insisting they've come to rescue her. Suddenly, Kiran is swept into another dimension full of magic, winged horses, moving maps, and annoying, talking birds. There she must solve riddles and battle demons all while avoiding the Serpent King of the underworld and the Rakkhoshi Queen in order to find her parents and basically save New Jersey, her entire world, and everything beyond it . . .

Book The Serpent s Shadow

Download or read book The Serpent s Shadow written by Rick Riordan and published by Puffin Books. This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Carter and Sadie Kane face the impossible task of defeating Apophis, the serpent of chaos, before he can destroy the mortal world. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink civil war, the Gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos.

Book The Serpent s Secret

Download or read book The Serpent s Secret written by Sayantani Dasgupta and published by Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyo. This book was released on 2018 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First in a new series. "Never a dull moment for our ordinary-girl-turned-demon-fighting-princess Kiranmala in this hilarious, action-packed romp. Also, there is snot. It's, like, everywhere."--Lisa McMann, "New York Times"-bestselling author of The Unwanteds series.

Book A Dragon s Head and a Serpent s Tail

Download or read book A Dragon s Head and a Serpent s Tail written by Kenneth M. Swope and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2013-04-29 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The invasion of Korea by Japanese troops in May of 1592 was no ordinary military expedition: it was one of the decisive events in Asian history and the most tragic for the Korean peninsula until the mid-twentieth century. Japanese overlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi envisioned conquering Korea, Ming China, and eventually all of Asia; but Korea’s appeal to China’s Emperor Wanli for assistance triggered a six-year war involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers and encompassing the whole region. For Japan, the war was “a dragon’s head followed by a serpent’s tail”: an impressive beginning with no real ending. Kenneth M. Swope has undertaken the first full-length scholarly study in English of this important conflict. Drawing on Korean, Japanese, and especially Chinese sources, he corrects the Japan-centered perspective of previous accounts and depicts Wanli not as the self-indulgent ruler of received interpretations but rather one actively engaged in military affairs—and concerned especially with rescuing China’s client state of Korea. He puts the Ming in a more vigorous light, detailing Chinese siege warfare, the development and deployment of innovative military technologies, and the naval battles that marked the climax of the war. He also explains the war’s repercussions outside the military sphere—particularly the dynamics of intraregional diplomacy within the shadow of the Chinese tributary system. What Swope calls the First Great East Asian War marked both the emergence of Japan’s desire to extend its sphere of influence to the Chinese mainland and a military revival of China’s commitment to defending its interests in Northeast Asia. Swope’s account offers new insight not only into the history of warfare in Asia but also into a conflict that reverberates in international relations to this day.

Book Zahhak the Legend of the Serpent King

Download or read book Zahhak the Legend of the Serpent King written by Ahmad Sadri and published by . This book was released on 2018-10-02 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the first time ever, a tale from the Persian Book of Kings springs to life in this stunningly produced and ingeniously crafted pop up book. Zahhak: The Legend of the Serpent King retells the myth of the misguided Prince Zahhak who is easily swayed by the devil to murder his father and usurp the thrown. Cursed with monstrous snakes that grow out of the king's shoulders, the Serpent King grows infamous throughout the land for his treachery and oppression. He rules for one thousand years before a noble and valiant Feraydun gains the strength and army to defeat the unjust King. The fantastic world of Zahhak: The Legend of the Serpent King literally pops off the page with intricately crafted spreads, two pop-up folds per page, and complex construction that will delight readers young and old with every turn of the page.

Book The Serpent and the Pearl

Download or read book The Serpent and the Pearl written by Kate Quinn and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2013-08-06 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A gripping novel about history’s most infamous family—The Borgias—and an innocent girl pulled into their treacherous rise to power, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Briar Club. Rome, 1492. The Holy City is drenched with blood and teeming with secrets. A pope lies dying and the throne of God is left vacant, a prize awarded only to the most virtuous—or the most ruthless. The Borgia family begins its legendary rise, chronicled by an innocent girl who finds herself drawn into their dangerous web… Vivacious Giulia Farnese has floor-length golden hair and the world at her feet: beauty, wealth, and a handsome young husband. But she is stunned to discover that her glittering marriage is a sham, and she is to be given as a concubine to the ruthless, charismatic Cardinal Borgia: Spaniard, sensualist, candidate for Pope—who is passionately in love with her. Two trusted companions will follow her into the Pope's shadowy harem: Leonello, a cynical bodyguard bent on bloody revenge against a mysterious killer, and Carmelina, a fiery cook with a past full of secrets. But as corruption thickens in the Vatican and the enemies begin to circle, Giulia and her friends will need all their wits to survive in the world of the Borgias.

Book The Essex Serpent

    Book Details:
  • Author : Sarah Perry
  • Publisher : HarperCollins
  • Release : 2017-06-06
  • ISBN : 0062666398
  • Pages : 420 pages

Download or read book The Essex Serpent written by Sarah Perry and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2017-06-06 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NOW AN APPLE TV+ SERIES A Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction * Winner of the British Book Awards Fiction Book of the Year and overall Book of the Year *A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of The Year * Waterstones Book of the Year * Costa Book Award Finalist “A novel of almost insolent ambition—lush and fantastical, a wild Eden behind a garden gate...it’s part ghost story and part natural history lesson, part romance and part feminist parable. I found it so transporting that 48 hours after completing it, I was still resentful to be back home.” —New York Times London, 1893. When Cora Seaborne’s brilliant, domineering husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was an unhappy one, and she never suited the role of society wife. Seeking refuge in fresh air and open space, she leaves the metropolis for coastal Essex, accompanied by her inquisitive and obsessive eleven-year-old son, Francis, and the boy’s nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend. Once there, they hear rumors that after nearly three hundred years, the mythical Essex Serpent, a fearsome creature that once roamed the marshes, has returned. When a young man is mysteriously killed on New Year’s Eve, the community’s dread transforms to terror. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, is immediately enthralled, certain that what locals think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species. Eager to investigate, she is introduced to parish vicar William Ransome, who is equally suspicious of the rumors but for different reasons: a man of faith, he is convinced the alarming reports are caused by moral panic, a flight from the correct and righteous path. As Cora and William attempt to discover the truth about the Essex Serpent’s existence, these seeming opposites find themselves inexorably drawn together in an intense relationship that will change both of them in ways entirely unexpected. And as they search for answers, Cora’s London past follows her to the coast, with striking consequences. Told with exquisite grace and intelligence, The Essex Serpent masterfully explores questions of science and religion, skepticism and faith, but it is most of all a celebration of love, and the many different—and surprising—guises it can take.

Book The Serpent s Spell

Download or read book The Serpent s Spell written by Rae St. Clair Bridgman and published by FriesenPress. This book was released on 2021-04-08 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unbeknownst to ten-year-old Wil Wychwood, he comes from a long line of mages. But with the death of his grandmother and his world upended, Wil moves to live with “the Aunts” and finds himself in MiddleGate – where buses drive through brick walls and leaning houses dot streets named Wog’s Hollow and Half Moon Lane. The four-hundred-and-ninety-four-year-old school, Gruffud’s Academy, is out of this world too. With classes in numeristics, botanicals, cartology and verbology, and textbooks like "Magykal Spelling, Grammar and Palaver," this is no ordinary school. Yet something dark brews beneath the veneer of this idyllic hidden city. When Wil and his cousin Sophie rescue the sacred snakes of Narcisse, they find themselves swept up in a dangerous plot. The secret society known as the Serpent’s Chain is on the loose, and Wil is carrying the very thing they’ve been searching for. "Beware the Serpent’s Chain," they were told, but what does that mean? What dangers await Wil and Sophie as they unravel this wicked mystery?