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The Vanishing of Joni Blackwood: A brilliantly chilling and thrilling mystery debut novel
by Lisa Rookes'This is an absolute page-turner, I'm actually on pins waiting for the story to unfold and my anxiety is through the roof. And what a jaw-swinging, heart-palpitating ending this book has, too! This was an easy 5 star for me.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐The debris from the party the night before is scattered underneath the village tree and across the cobbles. Red wine stains the ground like blood. And Joni has vanished.My mother used to say our village was built on the roots of The Gallows Tree, that they're underneath the ground, under all of our houses. It used to scare me as a kid. Thick, snaking roots squirming under me. No matter how far you ran, they could tunnel after you. And when the bones of a small child are unearthed in the church graveyard, I have to wonder how many secrets are running through our village, like the roots of the tree.And I wonder if Joni can really outrun hers.And I wonder if I can really outrun mine.The Vanishing of Joni Blackwood is an utterly compelling mystery with a twist you won't see coming. Perfect for fans of C J Tudor, Caroline Mitchell and Erin Kelly.Read what everyone is saying about Joni Blackwood:'I meannnnn I am currently jaw to the floor. I was not expecting that very end twist!!! This was such a wild ride and I honestly don't feel a review can do the twists and turns justice, you just need to go and read it... Small town... drama... it's got it all.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐'Creepy, dark, and twisted!' Sharon Bolton, author of The Craftsman'A brilliantly chilling mystery novel. Super creepy! Lisa's got a really great voice... Strange in the best way. Loved it.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'This one is for all the gothic thriller fans... A gripping, pacy read with bold characters, gasp-out-loud twists, and an ending you'll never see coming.' Carly Reagon, author of The Toll House'The plot drew me in instantly and I knew I couldn't put it down until I knew the truth of Joni Blackwood, a very tense and suspenseful read.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Arun and the Royal Rumpus
by Eoin RedahanWould you rather have the body of a tiger and the head of a boy, or the body of a boy and the head of a tiger?(Arun wants to know)When Arun, a twelve-year-old mischief maker hiding in the mountains, finds out about the plot to capture the crazy King Lalu, he vows to stop the vicious Vin and his thugs - by joining them. Armed only with a pea-shooter, Arun journeys through treacherous terrain, eerie forests, rushing rivers and even the sewers of Asamana with the help of the quick-tempered Krishma and scrappy Sai. Whether it's outsmarting the brutes, stealing a grouchy giant's keys, or trotting down a narrow mountain ledge on a one-eyed pony, Arun is ready to brave it all to save the king. Brimming with humour and adventure, this is not just one boy's gritty tale of friendship, family and mayhem- it's a downright royal rumpus!
Coins in Rivers: Poems
by Rochelle PotkarIf I were a country and you my journalist I would have shot you down a street and left you to bleed.Fierce and unflinching, Rochelle Potkar's poetry springs from the deeply personal and ripples out to the world, capturing lovers' whispers and reverberations of explosions with equal ease. Vividly depicting love, grief, anger, and defiance, these poems glimmer like coins beneath the water surface, tethered with the weight of wishes clinging to them. As sensuous as it is articulate, Coins in Rivers is a deep meditation on womanhood, motherhood, and citizenship.
Social and Modern Studies class 9 - MIE
by Mauritius Institute of EducationSocial and Modern Studies delves into the multifaceted evolution of Mauritius' social and economic landscape, tracing its development from independence to the present day. The text intricately explores the nation's historical ties with Europe, Africa, and Asia, while also examining its contemporary global engagements with diverse countries and organizations. Emphasizing the establishment of a welfare state, it scrutinizes the challenges encountered and navigated, offering insights into Mauritius' unique socio-economic trajectory. Furthermore, the textbook stimulates forward-thinking perspectives by prompting students to engage in inquiry-based learning, contemplating past achievements, current realities, and envisioning probable futures. Through this comprehensive approach, learners are encouraged to critically analyze Mauritius' past, present, and potential trajectories, fostering a deeper understanding of the nation's dynamic societal fabric and its trajectory in the global arena.
Some New World: Myths of Supernatural Belief in a Secular Age
by null Peter HarrisonIn his famous argument against miracles, David Hume gets to the heart of the modern problem of supernatural belief. 'We are apt', says Hume, 'to imagine ourselves transported into some new world; where the whole form of nature is disjointed, and every element performs its operation in a different manner, from what it does at present.' This encapsulates, observes Peter Harrison, the disjuncture between contemporary Western culture and medieval societies. In the Middle Ages, people saw the hand of God at work everywhere. Indeed, many suppose that 'belief in the supernatural' is likewise fundamental nowadays to religious commitment. But dichotomising between 'naturalism' and 'supernaturalism' is actually a relatively recent phenomenon, just as the notion of 'belief' emerged historically late. In this masterful contribution to intellectual history, the author overturns crucial misconceptions – 'myths' – about secular modernity, challenging common misunderstandings of the past even as he reinvigorates religious thinking in the present.
The Vanishing of Joni Blackwood: A brilliantly chilling and thrilling mystery debut novel
by Lisa RookesThe debris from the night before is scattered underneath the village tree and across the cobbles. Red wine stains the ground like blood. And Joni has vanished.Joni Blackwood is my best friend. She was there for my first crush, stood beside me at my wedding, watched my daughter grow up. She's been there through the painful mess of the divorce, too. So when she suddenly goes missing on All Gallows' Eve, I'm first to raise the alarm.People outside the village say she must have been sacrificed in some pagan ritual. But All Gallows' Eve isn't like that. We're just simple folk enjoying an annual bonfire to keep an old tradition alive. It's mulled cider and local mums running charity bake sales to be in with a chance of winning Gallows Queen. Joni wins every year.My mum used to say this village was built on the roots of The Gallows Tree, that they're underneath the ground, under all of our houses. It used to scare me as a kid. Thick, snaking roots squirming under me. No matter how far you ran, they could tunnel after you. And when the bones of a small child are unearthed in the church graveyard, I have to wonder how many secrets are running through our village, like the roots of the tree. And I wonder if Joni can really outrun hers. And I wonder if I can really outrun mine.The Vanishing of Joni Blackwood is an utterly compelling mystery with a twist you won't see coming. Perfect for fans of C J Tudor, Caroline Mitchell and Erin Kelly.
Young Lives, Big Ambitions: Transforming Life Chances for Vulnerable Children and Teens
by Anne LongfieldSociety is failing too many children. But we can do better.A difficult home life. A missed diagnosis. A disrupted education. Falling in with the wrong crowd. Every year thousands of children fall through the cracks in our society and become victims of a destructive cycle that ends in exploitation, violence, and lost life chances.As Commissioner for Children in England, Anne Longfield CBE witnessed the devastating effects of this cycle as vulnerable young people were failed by systems too underfunded and overstretched to protect them. Young Lives, Big Ambitions is an action plan to fix our broken system and give every young person the chance to succeed.
The Triumph of the Dwarves (The Dwarves)
by Markus HeitzThe Dwarves are back! Germany's Number One bestselling author returns to his best-loved series.After decades of occupation by the älfar, the dark elves have been defeated and peace has finally been declared.But the nations still distrust each other, and when a child is found in the Grey Mountains who speaks the language of the älfar, the dwarves believe this little girl heralds a new threat. And they will be right - just not in the way they thought.Under the orders of Ireheart, now High King of the dwarves, a small delegation is sent to search for Tungdil Goldhand, the true High King, who many believe dead. Against all odds, Tungdil has survived his mission to the terrifying realm of Phondrasôn. But is he truly the legendary hero of the dwarves, or an impostor at the heart of a deeper conspiracy?And does he realise that the fiends from Phondrasôn themselves aren't far behind . . . ?The action never lets up in this next exciting story in the saga of the dwarves and the älfar!'The Dwarves is a well-constructed classic fantasy story that I greatly enjoyed' - Speculative Book Review
When Hell Freezes Over: A Novel
by Darrien LeeThe unforgettable characters from the bestseller What Goes Around Comes Around are backin a smashingly suspenseful tale of love, trust, and the secrets that have the power to control our lives.The dashingly handsome Keaton Lapahie has watched many of his friends do the one thing he has vowed he will never do: get married. His plan is to enjoy his retirement, open a restaurant, and remain a bachelor for life. But when he is unexpectedly put on mandatory medical leave, he decides to visit his sister and her family, not realizing fate is about to take him on a trip—not just out of town, but toward his own heart.In Philadelphia, Keaton is reacquainted with Dr. Meridan St. John, his sister's pediatrician. Meridan is seemingly the perfect woman—smart, bold, and beautiful. But why can't Keaton attract her attention? He soon learns that Meridan is haunted by something in her past—and though Keaton can read her better than anyone else, he cannot figure out the cause of her nightmares and fears. Things become even more complicated when Jacob, her jealous childhood friend, arrives in Philadelphia and threatens to expose all the dark secrets of her past. Worried that Keaton will not believe she was innocent in her situation, she does the only thing she can—run. Thus, Keaton must decide: does he follow her and get to the truth, or does he leave the woman he loves to her own dark nightmares?Penetrating in language and powerful in meaning, When Hell Freezes Over is a remarkable story about how accepting the past is the only way to make a future.
Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success
by Ron FriedmanNational BestsellerFor readers of Outliers, Atomic Habits, and Deep Work, comes a game-changing approach to unlocking your greatness, using a secret strategy that&’s vaulted business titans and creative geniuses to the top of their profession.We&’ve long been taught there are two ways to succeed—either talent or practice. In Decoding Greatness, award-winning social psychologist Ron Friedman illuminates a powerful third path—one that has launched icons in a wide range of fields, from artists, writers, and chefs, to athletes, inventors, and entrepreneurs: reverse engineering. To reverse engineer is to look beyond what is evident on the surface and find a hidden structure. It&’s the ability to taste an intoxicating dish and deduce its recipe, to listen to a beautiful song and discern its chord progression, to watch your favorite film and grasp its narrative arc.&“Clear, concise, and backed by science&” (Daniel Pink, author of When), Decoding Greatness marries &“alluring stories and illuminating studies&” (Adam Grant, author of Think Again) of top performers—from Agatha Christie to Andy Warhol, Barack Obama, to Serena Williams—with groundbreaking research on pattern recognition and skill acquisition. You&’ll learn how to take apart acheivements you admire, pinpoint precisely what makes them work, and apply that knowledge to develop novel ideas and products that are uniquely your own.Bursting with unforgettable stories and actionable strategies, Decoding Greatness is an indispensable guide to learning from the best, upgrading your skills, and sparking breakthrough ideas.
Scriptures at Your Fingertips: 200 Topics and 2000 Verses
by Merry Graham Rachel ByeA topical guide to the Bible comprised of more than 2,000 verses from several popular Bible version with bold headings for quick identification, this book is an excellent source for teachers, writers, pastors, and anyone who loves the Scriptures.A topical guide to the Bible that's as easy to use as a dictionary! Are you struggling with grief? Searching for God's comforting mercy and grace? Trying to learn how to raise your children in the Lord's way? Wouldn't you like to have the most significant verses from the Bible on those topics right at your fingertips? Well, now you do! Compiled by Merry Graham and Rachel Bye, international leaders of A Passion to Pray ministry, Scriptures at Your Fingertips is a handy, quick-reference guide that immediately offers what God's Word says on more than 200 important prayer topics.And because the topics are arranged in alphabetical order, they're so easy to find. Perfect for beginning Bible students or for seasoned prayer warriors, this book is a must-have for people on the go or those who want to get more out of their prayer lives. Maximize your prayer time, and minimize your research time by having the Scriptures at your fingertips!
A Great Place to Have a War: America in Laos and the Birth of a Military CIA
by Joshua KurlantzickThe untold story of how America&’s secret war in Laos in the 1960s transformed the CIA from a loose collection of spies into a military operation and a key player in American foreign policy.January, 1961: Laos, a tiny nation few Americans have heard of, is at risk of falling to communism and triggering a domino effect throughout Southeast Asia. This is what President Eisenhower believed when he approved the CIA&’s Operation Momentum, creating an army of ethnic Hmong to fight communist forces there. Largely hidden from the American public—and most of Congress—Momentum became the largest CIA paramilitary operation in the history of the United States. The brutal war lasted more than a decade, left the ground littered with thousands of unexploded bombs, and changed the nature of the CIA forever.With &“revelatory reporting&” and &“lucid prose&” (The Economist), Kurlantzick provides the definitive account of the Laos war, focusing on the four key people who led the operation: the CIA operative whose idea it was, the Hmong general who led the proxy army in the field, the paramilitary specialist who trained the Hmong forces, and the State Department careerist who took control over the war as it grew.Using recently declassified records and extensive interviews, Kurlantzick shows for the first time how the CIA&’s clandestine adventures in one small, Southeast Asian country became the template for how the United States has conducted war ever since—all the way to today&’s war on terrorism.
The Mouse House: The Great Big Paw Print; It's Raining, It's Pouring; The Mouse House; Journey To The Crystal Cave (The Adventures of Sophie Mouse #11)
by Poppy GreenAt a birthday party, Sophie feels jealous when her friend gets a present that she’s been wanting in this eleventh charming book of The Adventures of Sophie Mouse series!Sophie is so excited to go to her friend Ellie’s birthday party. She loves birthday parties. She always paints her friends beautiful cards and she loves playing party games. When Ellie gets a mouse house—a little house with teeny-tiny mouse dolls and teeny-tiny furniture—Sophie tries to be happy for her friend but she actually feels very jealous. She’s always wanted a mouse house! As Sophie tries to deal with these feelings, she learns that not everybody gets what they want and not everybody wants what they have!With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Adventures of Sophie Mouse chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
The Unauthorized History of DX (Wwe Ser.)
by Triple H Shawn Michaels Aaron WilliamsThe inside story of DX, otherwise known as, D Generation-X, from their formation to today told by the men who created it.DX is generally considered one of the most popular factions in professional wrestling history, not to mention, one of the most notable. D-Generation X, as they were also known, headed by Triple H and Shawn Michaels and had a changing roster of rebels who did whatever they wanted, whenever, wherever- regardless of the ultimate outcome.Created as a way for two friends to work together, the clique became so popular that other wrestlers joined, and DX became one of the factions in WWE climbing back to the top and putting Ted Turner's WCW out of business.
Chasing Chopin: A Musical Journey Across Three Centuries, Four Countries, and a Half-Dozen Revolutions
by Annik LaFargeA modern take on a classical icon: this &“luminous book&” (Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book) tells the story of when, where, and how Chopin composed his most famous work, uncovering many surprises along the way and showing how his innovative music still animates and thrives in our culture centuries later.In this widely-praised book, Annik LaFarge presents a very different Frédéric Chopin from the melancholy, sickly, Romantic figure that has predominated for so long. The artist she discovered is, instead, a purely independent—and endlessly relevant—spirit: an innovator who created a new musical language; an autodidact who became a spiritually generous, trailblazing teacher; a stalwart patriot during a time of revolution, pandemic, and exile.One of America&’s foremost pianists, Jeremy Denk, wrote in TheNew York Times: &“It is almost impossible for me to imagine a world in which [Chopin&’s &“Funeral March&”] is both fresh and tragic, where its death is real. LaFarge&’s charming and loving new book attempts to recover this world…This book took me into many unexpected corners…For a book about death, it&’s bursting with life and lively research.&”In this &“entertaining dual music history and memoir&” (Publishers Weekly), a &“seamless blend of the musical and literary verve&” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) LaFarge &“brilliantly traces the footsteps of Chopin&’s life&” (Scott Yoo, host of PBS Now Hear This) during the three years, 1837–1840, when he composed the now-iconic Funeral March, using its composition story to illuminate the key themes of Chopin&’s life.As part of her research into Chopin&’s world, then and now, LaFarge visited piano makers, monuments, churches, and archives; she talked to scholars, jazz musicians, video game makers, music teachers, theater directors, and of course dozens of pianists. She has given us, says pianist, author, and New York Times columnist Michael Kimmelman, &“a tour-de-force and journey of the soul.&”It is an engrossing, &“impeccably researched&” (Library Journal) work of musical discovery and an artful portrayal of a man whose work and life continue to inspire artists and cultural innovators in astonishing ways.An acclaimed companion website, WhyChopin, presents links to each piece of music mentioned in the book, organized by chapter, along with photos, resources, and more.
The Buddhist on Death Row: How One Man Found Light in the Darkest Place
by David SheffThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Boyexplores the transformation of Jarvis Jay Masters who has become one of America&’s most inspiring Buddhist practitioners while locked in a cell on death row. Jarvis Jay Masters&’s early life was a horror story whose outline we know too well. Born in Long Beach, California, his house was filled with crack, alcohol, physical abuse, and men who paid his mother for sex. He and his siblings were split up and sent to foster care when he was five, and he progressed quickly to juvenile detention, car theft, armed robbery, and ultimately San Quentin. While in prison, he was set up for the murder of a guard—a conviction which landed him on death row, where he&’s been since 1990.At the time of his murder trial, he was held in solitary confinement, torn by rage and anxiety, felled by headaches, seizures, and panic attacks. A criminal investigator repeatedly offered to teach him breathing exercises which he repeatedly refused. Until desperation moved him to ask her how to do &“that meditation shit.&” With uncanny clarity, David Sheff describes Masters&’s gradual but profound transformation from a man dedicated to hurting others to one who has prevented violence on the prison yard, counseled high school kids by mail, and helped prisoners—and even guards—find meaning in their lives.Along the way, Masters becomes drawn to the principles that Buddhism espouses—compassion, sacrifice, and living in the moment—and he gains the admiration of Buddhists worldwide, including many of the faith&’s most renowned practitioners. And while he is still in San Quentin and still on death row, he is a renowned Buddhist thinker who shows us how to ease our everyday suffering, relish the light that surrounds us, and endure the tragedies that befall us all.
Made in America: The Most Dominant Champion in UFC History (Ultimate Fighting Championship Ser.)
by Matt Hughes Michael MaliceIf you know anything at all about mixed martial arts and the UFC, then you know the name Matt Hughes. With devastating slams and ground-and-pound -- and nine championship belts to his credit -- Matt is the most dominant fighter in UFC history. Matt was raised with his twin brother on a family farm in small-town Hillsboro, Illinois. Behind the postcard-perfect fields of corn, beans, and wheat stood a home consumed by bankruptcy, tension, and interpersonal struggles, but Matt reacted to hard times by playing hard and working even harder. In high school and college Matt was an unstoppable wrestler, and he ended up a two-time Division I All-American. Whereas every year's top eight graduating college football players become instant millionaires, Matt got to stay on as assistant wrestling coach, doing electrical work on the side for fourteen dollars an hour. All of that changed the day he met legendary MMA manager Monte Cox, as well as Pat Miletich, a trainer who also happened to be the welterweight champion of the world. Rising through the ranks of the independent fighting circuit and the UFC, Matt saw things that fans could only catch glimpses of -- until now. For the first time, a major UFC superstar has decided to answer all the questions the fans have about him, the organization, and the sport. You'll learn which fighter almost sent Matt packing from mixed martial arts; why he refused to speak to his role model, Randy Couture; and what his relationship with UFC president Dana White is like. He reveals in which match he found himself praying to God for help, why he originally refused a shot at the world title, and what it's like training at the Miletich Fighting Camp. Matt describes working on TV's The Ultimate Fighter, what really happened to Tito Ortiz during the legendary brawl on the streets of London, just how personal his rivalry with Frank Trigg became, and what it was like to go up against the mythical Royce Gracie -- and destroy him. Matt discloses his most private thoughts and feelings during both his epic victories and his crushing losses. But when the gloves come off, there's Matt Hughes the man. He talks with unflinching honesty about his early hell-raising and his near-death experience, the moment he let God into his heart, falling in love with his wife, the birth of his daughter, and all the important events of his life -- and he shares personal photographs never before seen by the public. A Christian, a family man, and a fighter, Matt Hughes could only have been made in America.
Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory
by Deborah LipstadtThe denial of the Holocaust has no more credibility than the assertion that the earth is flat. Yet there are those who insist that the death of six million Jews in Nazi concentration camps is nothing but a hoax perpetrated by a powerful Zionist conspiracy. Sixty years ago, such notions were the province of pseudohistorians who argued that Hitler never meant to kill the Jews, and that only a few hundred thousand died in the camps from disease; they also argued that the Allied bombings of Dresden and other cities were worse than any Nazi offense, and that the Germans were the “true victims” of World War II.For years, those who made such claims were dismissed as harmless cranks operating on the lunatic fringe. But as time goes on, they have begun to gain a hearing in respectable arenas, and now, in the first full-scale history of Holocaust denial, Deborah Lipstadt shows how—despite tens of thousands of living witnesses and vast amounts of documentary evidence—this irrational idea not only has continued to gain adherents but has become an international movement, with organized chapters, “independent” research centers, and official publications that promote a “revisionist” view of recent history.Lipstadt shows how Holocaust denial thrives in the current atmosphere of value-relativism, and argues that this chilling attack on the factual record not only threatens Jews but undermines the very tenets of objective scholarship that support our faith in historical knowledge. Thus the movement has an unsuspected power to dramatically alter the way that truth and meaning are transmitted from one generation to another.
The Costs of Climate Change Mitigation Innovations: A Pragmatic Outlook
by David S-K. Ting Jacqueline A. StagnerThe notion that humanity may be too late to alter climate change could potentially lead to fear and therefore the advocacy of implementing radical strategies and/or hastening the execution of certain measures to the extreme. There is evidence that extensive and intensive implementation of some climate change solutions can significantly alter the environment and ecosystems in unintended ways. For example, the microclimate of a field in the proximity and downstream of a closely packed array of wind turbines can be noticeably altered by the modified lower atmospheric fluxes caused by the turbines, which can then negatively affect crop yields. Additionally, some studies have found that large-scale solar fields can result in the modulation of atmospheric circulation, leading to changes in regional precipitation. The Costs of Climate Change Mitigation Innovations: A Pragmatic Outlook provides a forum for discussion on the long-term consequences of various climate strategies. It promotes our striving toward minimizing the potential negative impact of new interventions by performing objective, holistic analyses. The bottom line is that we do not want today's solutions to become tomorrow’s problems.
The Routledge Handbook of Public Speaking Research and Theory (Routledge Handbooks in Communication Studies)
by Stevie M. Munz, Tim McKenna-Buchanan, and Anna M. WrightProviding a comprehensive survey of the empirical research, theory, and history of public speaking, this handbook fills a crucial gap in public speaking pedagogy resources and provides a foundation for future research and pedagogical development.Bringing together contributions from both up-and-coming and senior scholars in the field, this book offers a thorough examination of public speaking, guided by research across six key themes: the history of public speaking; the foundations of public speaking; issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion; considerations of public speaking across contexts; assessment of public speaking; and the future of public speaking in the twenty-first century. The evidence-based chapters engage with a broad discussion of public speaking through a variety of viewpoints to demonstrate how subtopics are connected and fraught with complexity. Contributors explore public speaking in education, business and professional settings, and political contexts, and outline how skills learned through public speaking are applicable to interpersonal, small group, and business interactions.Reinforcing the relevance, importance, and significance of public speaking in individual, interpersonal, social, and cultural communication contexts, this accessibly written handbook will be an indispensable resource for public speaking instructors and program administrators. It will also be valuable reading for Communication Pedagogy and Introduction to Graduate Studies courses.
The Shakespearean International Yearbook: Disability Performance and Global Shakespeare (The Shakespearean International Yearbook)
by Alexa Alice Joubin Natalia Khomenko Katherine Schaap WilliamsThe Shakespearean International Yearbook surveys the present state of Shakespeare studies in global contexts, addressing issues that are fundamental to our interpretive encounter with Shakespeare’s work and his time. Contributions are solicited from scholars across the field and from both hemispheres of the globe who represent diverse career stages and linguistic traditions. Both new and ongoing trends are examined in comparative contexts, and emerging voices in different cultural contexts are featured alongside established scholarship. Each volume features a collection of articles that focus on a theme curated by a specialist Guest Editor, along with coverage of the current state of the field in other aspects. An essential reference tool for scholars of early modern literature and culture, this annual publication captures, from year to year, current and developing thought in global Shakespeare scholarship and performance practice worldwide.
Reading Digital Fiction: Narrative, Cognition, Mediality (Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Literature)
by Alice Bell Astrid EnsslinReading Digital Fiction offers the first comprehensive and systematic theoretical, methodological, and analytical examination of digital fiction from a cognitive and empirical perspective. Proposing the new concept of “medial reading”, it argues for the centrality of an audience’s interest in, awareness of and/or attention to the medium in which a text is produced and received, and which we argue should be applied to reader data across media. The book analyses and theorises five generations of digital fiction and their reading including hypertext fiction, hypermedia fiction, narrative video games, app fiction, and virtual reality. It showcases medium- and platform-specific methods of qualitative reader response research across a variety of contexts and settings from screen-based and embodied interaction to gallery installation, and from reading group and individual interview to think-aloud methodologies. The book thus addresses the unique affordances of digital fiction reading by designing and reporting on new empirical studies focusing on hypertextuality, interactivity, immersion, as well as medium-specific forms of textual “you”, ontological ambiguity, reader orientation and empathy. In so doing, the book refines, critiques, and expands cognitive, transmedial, and empirical narratology and stylistics by placing the reader of these new narratives front and centre.
Creative Concert Production and Entrepreneurship: Concert Dramaturgy and Project Development for the Performing Arts
by Andreas SonningCreative Concert Production and Entrepreneurship: Concert Dramaturgy and Project Development for the Performing Arts offers a conceptual and applied introduction to the musical and dramaturgical challenges involved in developing and producing concerts. Drawing from over three decades of real-world experience and a range of international case studies, the author explores new models for cooperation between artists, cultural institutions, governments, and businesses, arguing for the importance of rooting the concert production process in artistic and ethical values. The book presents essential knowledge and techniques to meet the demand for music and stage performances across genres, arenas, formats, and distribution channels. Relevant to a wide range of students and professionals in music and the performing arts, Creative Concert Production and Entrepreneurship marries theory with practice, providing a framework for readers to develop the creative entrepreneurial practices essential for success in today’s music industry.
Cracking the MRCS Part A: A Revision Guide
by Olivia A SmithA unique revision guide aimed at candidates preparing for the MRCS examinations. The Part A exam tests knowledge of both basic science and the principles of surgery in general, and this textbook contains all the essential facts in one easy-to-read volume.There is a focus on the most common questions asked pertaining to anatomy (representing 42% of the MRCS Part A paper 1) as well as other common areas frequently asked about in both the Part A and B examinations, although the focus of this book is the Part A examination. The Anatomy coverage includes line diagrams, short easy-to-recall text and bullet point lists to ensure that revision time is maximised for exam success. High-yield content in the areas of Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology and Mathematics is also included.The content has been designed specifically to help junior doctors memorise essential surgical facts,and further provides a convenient aide-memoire that will save hours of note taking.This will be particularly useful in the pressured run up to the MRCS examination.
Chinese Politics: The Xi Jinping Difference (ISSN)
by Stanley Rosen Daniel C. LynchWritten by a team of leading China specialists, this updated 2nd edition of Chinese Politics explores the dynamics of state power and politics in contemporary China, focusing on the Xi Jinping era.Through its multi-disciplinary contributions, this book explores the extent to which Xi has reshaped the political, economic, socio-cultural, and demographic terrains of the PRC, as well as Beijing’s foreign policy. The book will help readers to think productively about the trajectory of these aspects of Chinese politics and society through Xi’s current term and beyond. The book also highlights the potential role outside countries and non-state actors might play in shaping China’s trajectory as the PRC’s economic rise may be stalling. Through each exploration of these issues, the book addresses the central question of what The Xi Jinping Difference has been, and will likely continue to be, in Chinese politics.Key subjects covered in this new edition include: Law and the political system Socialization of youth The fate of the private sector Technology and digital authoritarianism The Belt and Road Initiative Population aging Chinese Politics continues to be an essential textbook for all students of contemporary China as well as scholars interested in the dynamics of political and social change.