This is supposed to be a children’s book. It is selling in retirement communities where kids are illegal. It is selling very well in retirement communities in Arizona. One day the publisher called up and said “This is very strange. My regular publisher felt that it was not really a kid’s book and I ended up doing it with another publisher. Out popped Love You Forever, pretty much the way it is in the book. It was very strange having a song in my head that I couldn’t sing.įor a long time it was just a song but one day, while telling stories at a big theatre at the University of Guelph, it occurred to me that I might be able to make a story around the song. For a long time I had it in my head and I couldn’t even sing it because every time I tried to sing it I cried. I made that up after my wife and I had two babies born dead.
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Well-chosen illustrations and discreetly placed asides clarify his arguments without overwhelming or speaking down to readers. The illuminating discussion covers key figures such as the inventive da Vinci and the good-natured Erasmus-while showing no affection for covetous and gluttonous Henry VIII-as well as the high cost of the spread of religious dissent across Europe. Cahill (How the Irish Saved Civilization) cheerfully explains the enduring value of the Renaissance and Reformation movements to 21st century Western principles, injecting humor and a conversational style into well-written and easily accessible chapters centering on controversial issues and mesmerizing personalities. Between the late 15th century and the early 17th century, Luther nailed his 95 Theses to a church door, Henry VIII declared himself England’s supreme ruler, and Michelangelo created several masterpieces that still attract millions of tourists to Italy each year. In the latest episode of the highly recommended The Men Who Explain Miracles podcast, Dan talked about the experience of reading Hercule Poirot’s Christmas on a train and having to finish it in the station as the need to know what had happened was so strong. She does her best work in deciding which of a group of schoolgirls should be given the third degree, an interrogation which she conducts herself with the same determination and ruthlessness of George Smiley.ĭespite a plethora of policeman, it is Miss Marple with a woman’s eye, who is able to solve the case. This theme that it is possibly more important to identify a killer to prevent injustice to the innocent than to serve justice on the guilty is a recurring theme through Christie’s work including “The Four Suspects” from The Thirteen Problems. Miss Marple is motivated to help solve the case in order to remove the shadow of suspicion from the Bantrys. Things become even more confused when a second murder occurs. She had recent become the favourite of a wealthy elderly man who planned to adopt her, which put the rest of his family’s noses out of joint and provides the police with a number of suspects to investigate. It is quickly established that the dead girl is Ruby Keene, a dancer at a local hotel. This seems unlikely but when Colonel Bantry goes downstairs he finds it to be true. Mrs Bantry’s day begins with the maid announcing hysterically that there is a body in the library. McCann crafts Apeirogon out of a universe of fictional and nonfictional material. When Bassam and Rami learn of each other's stories, they recognize the loss that connects them and they attempt to use their grief as a weapon for peace. Their worlds shift irreparably after ten-year-old Abir is killed by a rubber bullet and thirteen-year-old Smadar becomes the victim of suicide bombers. They inhabit a world of conflict that colors every aspect of their daily lives, from the roads they are allowed to drive on, to the schools their daughters, Abir and Smadar, each attend, to the checkpoints, both physical and emotional, they must negotiate. From the National Book Award–winning and bestselling author of Let the Great World Spin comes an epic novel rooted in the real-life friendship between two men united by loss.Ĭolum McCann's most ambitious work to date, Apeirogon-named for a shape with a countably infinite number of sides-is a tour de force concerning friendship, love, loss, and belonging.īassam Aramin is Palestinian. But Anouk can never have those things, because she is not really human. Seventeen-year-old Anouk envies the human world, where people known as Pretties lavish themselves in fast cars, high fashion, and have the freedom to fall in love. “I lost myself in this magical book.” - Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval and Legendary “A darkly enchanting saga…bound to attract fans of Leigh Bardugo, Holly Black, and more.” - Entertainment Weekly GRIM LOVELIES absolutely dazzles." -Kendare Blake, #1 NYT bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series Part caper, part fairy tale, part opulent witch society, you'll be swept away by all of it. "A magical dash through the streets of Paris. Now that I think about it, having the book set in the modern world makes me feel like magic can be around any corner. I also liked the way that her training made Bear’s job easier. I liked seeing her adapt to that and shift her world view. There’s nothing difficult to understand (I promise), it’s just that Cassie has been trained as a scientist all her life and suddenly she’s in the middle of a fairy tale. I forget sometimes, but I did earn my biology degree back in the day, so to have that mixed in with a fairy tale was absolutely perfect for me. I enjoyed the way that this fairy tale has such a very scientific background. Can she be that brave for a woman she doesn’t even remember? When Cassie was younger, she believed these stories, but as she’s grown older, she hears them as a metaphor for her mother’s death.Ĭassie has a chance to save her mother. Her grandmother has always told Cassie stories about her mom and how the family lost her to the North Wind and the Polar Bear King. Cassie Dasent is growing up in an Arctic research station with her dad and his team. While the publisher recommends the book for kids 8-12, it's best for readers nature enough to deal with the harsh realities of war.ĪLLIES begins before dawn on June 6, 1944, as two American soldiers, 16-year-old Dee Carpenter (a German immigrant) and his best friend, 17-year-old Sid Jacobstein, are boarding one of the boats that will take them and thousands of other Allied soldiers to the beaches of Normandy. Minorities in the novel are labeled with nicknames commonly used in the 1940s ("Yid," "spade," "coon," "boy") that the author makes clear are offensive. The Nazis force women and children into a church and set it on fire. Soldiers are blown up by underwater mines, "obliterated" by mortar shells, and cut down by machine guns. The violence builds as the day unfolds and becomes constant, vividly recounted, and sometimes unexpected, as characters that readers have come to know are killed or wounded. The novel interweaves the stories of young soldiers (two American infantrymen, two paratroopers from Canada, an African American medic, and a member of a British tank crew) and two young French girls. This is D-Day, just as the invasion of France by Allied forces fighting against Nazi Germany is about to begin. Parents need to know that Alan Gratz's novel, Allies, takes place from dawn until after nightfall on June 6, 1944. An alternative methodology, one that applies the sociology of mass movements rather than the prejudices of religion, removes ipso facto the contentiousness of religious debate and provides insights into-and new methods for countering-these movements’ appeal. 3 Common to both of these approaches is the base assumption that the problem of Daesh and al-Qaida should be defined in Islamic terms. The constant claim in those scenarios is that Islamist ideology not only misrepresents Islam, but it can also be viewed as “a virulent vision all its own, one that its adherents have created by plucking selections from centuries of traditions.” 2 However, this argument rarely extends far enough to give the “virulent vision” a name other than radical, or fundamental Islam, let alone suggest remedies. 1 Other attempts have been made to demonstrate that radical Islam is not Islam at all, except in the most superficial or perverted manner. Many theories attempt to define and offer solutions for dealing with the brand of radical Islam that fuels Middle Eastern movements such as Daesh. They looked at new research and existing data. They consulted authors of recent books that explored facets of the problem. Their work in First Amendment protections and social psychology, respectively, gave them the interest, tools and experience needed to investigate further. They questioned why this sudden intolerance and why now. Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt noticed an extreme uptick in the misapprehension of dangers on campus in the last few years. Whatever’s happening to our youth at this moment in time needs to be understood and addressed. The sharp increase in student sensitivity to perceived danger, the increasingly tribal us-vs.-them mentality, the intolerance of words and ideas, the tendency to catastrophize and the rapid rise in anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide attempts are problems for colleges and problems for the rest of us. What happens on campus does not stay on campus. “The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure” By Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. And despite her hatred of all humans, her magic requires that she make a bargain: the comb in exchange for a wish.īut what Kela wants most is for her mother to be alive. A Comb of Wishes - by Lisa Stringfellow 11.29When purchased online In Stock Add to cart About this item Specifications Dimensions (Overall):8.4 Inches (H) x 5.6 Inches (W) x 1.1 Inches (D) Weight. Middle grade readers will identify with Kela, who tries hard and means well, but often. So when Kela and her friend Lissy stumble across an ancient-looking comb in a coral cave, with all she’s already lost, Kela can’t help but bring home her very own found treasure.įar away, deep in the cold ocean, the mermaid Ophidia can feel that her comb has been taken. A COMB OF WISHES is a magical story with characters who feel very real. 325 Ratings Sure enough, the sea woman will come for what’s hers.Lisa Stringfellow’s spellbinding middle grade debut tells of a vengeful mermaid and a girl mourning her mother’s death and will enchant readers who loved Kacen Callender’s Hurricane Child or Christian McKay Heidicker’s Scary Stories for Young Foxes.Įver since her mother’s death, Kela feels every bit as broken as the shards of glass known as “mermaid’s tears” that sparkle on the Caribbean beaches of St. A Comb of Wishes by Lisa Stringfellow 4.20 avg. This Top Ten Indies Introduce title is now in paperback! Set on an invented Caribbean island, Lisa Stringfellow’s magical and emotionally resonant middle grade debut tells the tale of grieving twelve-year-old Kela, who unwittingly forms a connection to a fearsome mermaid who has the power to bring Kela's mother back to life. |