Download or read book The God of Smoke and Mirrors written by Samuel Emerson Buntz and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2020-09 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Simon Senlin, a sophomore at Wilbur College, discovers a dead professor when attempting to visit office hours. Despite the complacency of the local authorities, he soon finds that the reason for his professor's death is far darker than the merely sordid surface would indicate. Simon is drawn beyond the tranquil lawns of Wilbur College into a nexus of power, where budding techno-fascists lust after coveted Silicon Valley internships and ancient rites of dark magic fuse with modern technology. His investigations uncover an occult conspiracy, one that holds the attention span of the human race in the balance. Teaming up with his friend Emma and an eccentric professor who has harnessed the universe's fundamental forces, Simon attempts to prevent an apocalyptic reckoning. Together, they quest to save the integrity of human consciousness from the supernatural and technological forces arrayed against it.
Download or read book Land of Smoke and Mirrors written by Vincent Brook and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 2013-01-22 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unlike the more forthrightly mythic origins of other urban centers—think Rome via Romulus and Remus or Mexico City via the god Huitzilopochtli—Los Angeles emerged from a smoke-and-mirrors process that is simultaneously literal and figurative, real and imagined, material and metaphorical, physical and textual. Through penetrating analysis and personal engagement, Vincent Brook uncovers the many portraits of this ever-enticing, ever-ambivalent, and increasingly multicultural megalopolis. Divided into sections that probe Los Angeles’s checkered history and reflect on Hollywood’s own self-reflections, the book shows how the city, despite considerable remaining challenges, is finally blowing away some of the smoke of its not always proud past and rhetorically adjusting its rear-view mirrors. Part I is a review of the city’s history through the early 1900s, focusing on the seminal 1884 novel Ramona and its immediate effect, but also exploring its ongoing impact through interviews with present-day Tongva Indians, attendance at the 88th annual Ramona pageant, and analysis of its feature film adaptations. Brook deals with Hollywood as geographical site, film production center, and frame of mind in Part II. He charts the events leading up to Hollywood’s emergence as the world’s movie capital and explores subsequent developments of the film industry from its golden age through the so-called New Hollywood, citing such self-reflexive films as Sunset Blvd., Singin’ in the Rain, and The Truman Show. Part III considers LA noir, a subset of film noir that emerged alongside the classical noir cycle in the 1940s and 1950s and continues today. The city’s status as a privileged noir site is analyzed in relation to its history and through discussions of such key LA noir novels and films as Double Indemnity, Chinatown, and Crash. In Part IV, Brook examines multicultural Los Angeles. Using media texts as signposts, he maps the history and contemporary situation of the city’s major ethno-racial and other minority groups, looking at such films as Mi Familia (Latinos), Boyz N the Hood (African Americans), Charlotte Sometimes (Asians), Falling Down (Whites), and The Kids Are All Right (LGBT).
Download or read book Mockeries and Metamorphoses of an Aztec God written by Guilhem Olivier and published by . This book was released on 2008-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A study of Tezcatlipoca, one of the greatest but least understood Mesoamerican pantheon. Analyzing the sources and problems related to Tezcatlipoca's protean powers and shifting meanings, the author guides readers through the symbolic names of this great god, from his representation on skins and stones to his relationship to ritual knives and other deities.
Download or read book Smoke and Mirrors written by Dorothy Marie England and published by Forward Movement. This book was released on 1995-11 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this deceptively simple little book, Ms. England has made accessible for both professionals and the general public the theory linking neurochemical science to the behaviors and relational patterns observed in persons with addictions and those who love them. As a professional working with families ravaged by addiction, and as a member of Al-Anon seeking to grow and be a good steward of the life experiences that are mine, I am challenged by this book to seek ways to apply its techniques with clients and my own life...Ms. England's book reminds me in the particularly memorable way of any good story...that there is both danger and delight in this activity of living.
Download or read book Smoke and Mirrors written by Neil Gaiman and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-03-17 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The astonishing and impressive first collection of short stories from New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman An elderly widow finds the Holy Grail beneath an old fur coat in a second-hand store . . . A stray cat fights and refights a nightly battle to protect his adoptive family from an unimagiable evil . . . A young couple receives a wedding gift that will reveal a chilling alternate history of their marriage . . . Beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks, a frightened little boy bargains for his life with a most persistent troll . . . Such miraculous inventions and more await within Neil Gaiman’s first collection of short fiction, a gift of wonder and delight from one of the most unique literary artists of our day. In his capable hands, magic is no mere illusion, but a powerful means to reveal the nature of our humanity obscured in the smoke of our fears and anxieties . . . and reflected in the funhouse mirrors of our dreams.
Download or read book Tezcatlipoca written by Elizabeth Baquedano and published by University Press of Colorado. This book was released on 2015-01-15 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tezcatlipoca: Trickster and Supreme Deity brings archaeological evidence into the body of scholarship on “the lord of the smoking mirror,” one of the most important Aztec deities. While iconographic and textual resources from sixteenth-century chroniclers and codices have contributed greatly to the understanding of Aztec religious beliefs and practices, contributors to this volume demonstrate the diverse ways material evidence expands on these traditional sources. The interlocking complexities of Tezcatlipoca’s nature, multiple roles, and metaphorical attributes illustrate the extent to which his influence penetrated Aztec belief and social action across all levels of late Postclassic central Mexican culture. Tezcatlipoca examines the results of archaeological investigations—objects like obsidian mirrors, gold, bells, public stone monuments, and even a mosaic skull—and reveals new insights into the supreme deity of the Aztec pantheon and his role in Aztec culture.
Download or read book The Smoking Mirror written by David Bowles and published by Ifwg Publishing. This book was released on 2016-03-15 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Carol and Johnny Garza are 12-year-old twins whose lives in a small Texas town are forever changed by their mother's unexplained disappearance. Shipped off to relatives in Mexico by their grieving father, the twins soon learn that their mother is a nagual, a shapeshifter, and that they have inherited her powers. In order to rescue her, they will have to descend into the Aztec underworld and face the dangers that await them. American Library Association, 2016 Pura Belpre Author Honor winning novel.
Download or read book Smoke in Mirrors written by Jayne Ann Krentz and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2002-10-29 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A con artist and seductress, Meredith Spooner lived fast—and died young. But her final scam—embezzling more than a million dollars from a college endowment fund—is coming back to haunt Leonora Hutton. The tainted money is stashed away in an offshore account for Leonora. And while she wants nothing to do with the cash, she discovers two other items in the safe-deposit box: a book about Mirror House—the place where Meredith engineered her final deception and a set of newspaper stories about an unsolved murder that occurred there thirty years ago. Now Leonora has an offer for Thomas Walker, another victim of Meredith’s scams and seductions. She’ll hand over the money—if he helps her figure out what’s going on. Meredith had described Thomas as “a man you can trust.” But in a funhouse-mirror world of illusion and distortion, Leonora may be out of her league…
Download or read book Unanswered Discussion Guide written by Nancy Fitzgerald and published by . This book was released on 2014-09-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you ever dared wonder if there really is a God and if so, who and where he is? Does one religion have favor with GOD and some secret pathway to happiness and heaven? IF THERE IS ONE TRUE GOD... WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DIFFERENT RELIGIONS each promising to have some unique inside track? If God is so good as some claim, why does He allow many of us to suffer while others prosper?
Download or read book A Little Book of Francis of Assisi written by Don Mullan and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These reflective quotations capture the essence of Saint Francis' joyful simplicity and his unconditional appreciation for all creatures. The convenient size makes this an ideal gift book.
Download or read book Lead for God s Sake written by Todd Gongwer and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2011-10-24 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you’ve ever asked yourself why you do what you do, or wondered what your purpose is in life, this book is for you. The lives of an intensely-driven basketball coach, an ultra-successful CEO, and an unassuming janitor all intersect in this captivating parable about leadership, relationships, and the pursuit of success. An unforgettable story packed with profound truths, LEAD . . . for God’s Sake! will challenge you to think deeply about who you are as a leader, what success means to you, and why you do what you do. Whether you’re leading a business, a team, or your own family, this book is the first and most important step to becoming the leader you were meant to be.
Download or read book Symbolism written by George Stover and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-03-22 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Symbolism is the practice of investing things with symbolic meaning. It is a system of symbols and symbolic representations.Symbolism: Smoke & Mirrors in Modern Society compares traditional biblical understanding with the world of cult and the occult symbolism and belief.
Download or read book The Book of Mirrors written by E. O. Chirovici and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-02-21 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An elegant, page-turning thriller in the vein of Night Film and Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, this tautly crafted novel is about stories: the ones we tell, the ones we keep hidden, and the ones that we’ll do anything to ensure they stay buried. When literary agent Peter Katz receives a partial book submission entitled The Book of Mirrors, he is intrigued by its promise and original voice. The author, Richard Flynn, has written a memoir about his time as an English student at Princeton in the late 1980s, documenting his relationship with the protégée of the famous Professor Joseph Wieder. One night just before Christmas 1987, Wieder was brutally murdered in his home. The case was never solved. Now, twenty-five years later, Katz suspects that Richard Flynn is either using his book to confess to the murder, or to finally reveal who committed the violent crime. But the manuscript ends abruptly—and its author is dying in the hospital with the missing pages nowhere to be found. Hell-bent on getting to the bottom of the story, Katz hires investigative journalist John Keller to research the murder and reconstruct the events for a true crime version of the memoir. Keller tracks down several of the mysterious key players, including retired police detective Roy Freeman, one of the original investigators assigned to the murder case, but he has just been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Inspired by John Keller’s investigation, he decides to try and solve the case once and for all, before he starts losing control of his mind. A trip to the Potosi Correctional Centre in Missouri, several interviews, and some ingenious police work finally lead him to a truth that has been buried for over two decades...or has it? Stylishly plotted, elegantly written, and packed with thrilling suspense until the final page, The Book of Mirrors is a book within a book like you’ve never read before.
Download or read book Holy Fire written by R.T. Kendall and published by Charisma Media. This book was released on 2014-01-07 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Debate about the Holy Spirit has been around for a long time. In Holy Fire, best-selling author and respected theologian R. T. Kendall sets the record straight about the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives and in the life of the church.
Download or read book God According to God written by Gerald Schroeder and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-05-26 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A scientist and author combines scientific research and biblical study to present a new paradigm of how to understand God.
Download or read book Freshwater written by Akwaeke Emezi and published by Grove Press. This book was released on 2018-02-13 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” Honoree Finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for a Debut Novel Shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize A New York Times Notable Book The astonishing debut novel from the acclaimed bestselling author of The Death of Vivek Oji, You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, and Pet, Freshwater tells the story of Ada, an unusual child who is a source of deep concern to her southern Nigerian family. Young Ada is troubled, prone to violent fits. Born “with one foot on the other side,” she begins to develop separate selves within her as she grows into adulthood. And when she travels to America for college, a traumatic event on campus crystallizes the selves into something powerful and potentially dangerous, making Ada fade into the background of her own mind as these alters—now protective, now hedonistic—move into control. Written with stylistic brilliance and based in the author’s realities, Freshwater dazzles with ferocious energy and serpentine grace.
Download or read book Bourbon Empire written by Reid Mitenbuler and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-05-10 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Pulls aside the curtain of puffery to show . . . the business of liquor to be every bit as fascinating as the fictions in which the distillers love to swaddle themselves.” —Wayne Curtis, The Wall Street Journal Walk into a well-stocked liquor store and you’ll see countless whiskey brands, each boasting an inspiring story of independence and heritage. And yet, more than 95% of the nation’s whiskey comes from a small handful of giant companies with links to organized crime, political controversy, and a colorful history that is far different than what appears on modern labels. In Bourbon Empire, Reid Mitenbuler shows how bourbon, America’s most iconic style of whiskey, and the industry surrounding it, really came to be—a saga of shrewd capitalism as well as dedicated craftsmanship. Mitenbuler traces the big names—Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Evan Williams, and more—back to their origins, exploring bourbon’s founding myths and great successes against the backdrop of America’s economic history. Illusion is separated from reality in a tale reaching back to the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, when the ideologies of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton battled to define the soul of American business. That debate continues today, punctuated along the way by Prohibition-era bootleggers, the liquor-fueled origins of NASCAR, intense consolidation driven by savvy lobbying, and a Madison Avenue plot to release five thousand parrots—trained to screech the name of a popular brand—into the nation’s bars. Today, the whiskey business takes a new turn as a nascent craft distilling movement offers the potential to revolutionize the industry once again. But, as Mitenbuler shows, many take advantage of this excitement while employing questionable business practices, either by masquerading whiskey made elsewhere as their own or by shortcutting the proven production standards that made many historic brands great to begin with. A tale of innovation, success, downfall, and resurrection, Bourbon Empire is an exploration of the spirit in all its unique forms, creating an indelible portrait of both American whiskey and the people who make it.
