Tales From The Graveyard
An anthology of short stories from North Bristol Writers.
Welcome to the Graveyard — Where the worlds of the living and the dead overlap.
The sigh of troubled spirits drifts between ivy choked headstones. As the sun sets, follow the winding path between the yew trees to the place where lost souls gather, and settle in for a night of tales both disturbing and uplifting.
A boy encounters a mysterious groundskeeper; two students unearth an ancient terror; and in the wilds of Africa, a hunter stumbles into danger. In a vision of the future, a blackened sky unleashes creatures of the night. Closer to home, a message from beyond the grave gives a young man hope.
From the collective who brought you North by South West and The Dark Half of The Year comes a third anthology of 16 enthralling stories inspired by our many faceted relationship with the deceased and their place of rest
|Dimensions||19 × 15 × 2 cm|


The Misspellers is not a book you pick, it's a book that picks you. It mostly tends to seek out people between the ages of 9 and 12. However, it has been seen with one-year-olds, as it is nice to chew, and with old people, for reasons still unexplained. The story is about two young people, Carlin and Jack. A neighbor asks them to water his plants while he is away. It's an awful job because the house smells of sour milk, burnt dinner and bad breath. Stranger yet is the lack of a telephone, a television or even a single light bulb. The house seems to have no electricity at all. Of course, Carlin and Jack wonder why, get nosey and learn the hard way that science and magic don't mix.
If you don't like tales of spells, fairies and things gone terribly wrong, don't worry. This book won't find you. If you suspect they don't teach you everything in school . . . check it out.
"The Misspellers is an original and entertaining novel which is especially recommended for young readers ages 9 to 12." -- Midwest Book Review, Children's Bookwatch
"Within two pages, I was captivated" -- Aphelion Web-zine, March 2003, Dan Hollifield, Editor
There’s even a lesson plan
The Misspellers is not a traditional schoolbook (it's too much fun for that label) but it has been well received by reluctant readers. To help teachers, we posted this plan.


The real-life Henry James and his friend (boyfriend? lover? manipulator?) Hendrik Andersen, characters in The Master
What is it?
A novel, published in 2004.
What is it about?
It’s a fictionalized account of the life of the American expatriate writer Henry James, from January 1895 until January 1900. It opens with the monumental failure in London of his play Guy Domville, follows him on trips to Dublin and Italy, recounts his re-location from London to a village in Sussex, contains flashbacks to his childhood and youth in Boston.
Is there lots of sex?
No, there’s none.
Okay. I thought this was supposed to be a blog containing reviews of LGBT-related books, films, plays. So what’s the LGBT content here?
Well, Henry James was homosexual, and so is the book’s writer, Colm Tóibín.
Gotcha. But … where’s the gay sex?
Please! There’s no gay sex. And there’s more to being queer than having sex. The thing is, Henry James is kind of fascinating, because although he was homosexual, it’s not clear that he, you know, did anything about it. And apparently there’s nothing much in all his writing to suggest he’s queer. So it leaves one asking how he could be so controlled. And in the end that’s what this book is for me: an exquisite portrait of a man (who happens to be homosexual) who represses an entire side of himself, so that he ends up sort of walking a bit beside his own life. Which made him a great writer, perhaps, but it’s all rather sad.
Oh, so he’s a great writer?
Well, personally, I can’t stand him. I thought reading Wings of the Dove would be the end of me, I couldn’t wait for the main character to die. But he’s widely considered to be a great writer.
So what did you think about The Master?
Wonderful! It’s one of the best contemporary novels I’ve ever read. I can’t say enough good things about it. The writing is just sublime. The novel is interesting on many levels (it’s a terrific portrait of how a writer writes), and it’s even laugh-out-loud funny at times (the story of the drunken servants!). But approaching it from a queer perspective, I’d say the whole thing is a study of a particular type of homosexual man who is uncomfortable with his sexuality and develops an almost superhuman self-control … which, however, is sure to crack at some point. (An aside: This all sounds awfully familiar. It’s a little too close to home! Can we change the subject, please?) Although there are only certain sections of the novel that deal specifically with homosexuality, the whole psychology of Henry James is queer. And the segments that talk of his intimate life, such as it is, are full of tension (will this man never breathe?!) and are desperately moving.
Did you have a favourite sentence or phrase?
Thanks for asking that. In fact, I do. Tóibín describes one person as standing in a doorway looking like “a cross between a ghost and someone who has seen a ghost.”
What rating would you give it (using the Michelin-guide 3-star system)?:
2 stars (worth putting aside the entire Henry James collection in order to read this)


Reading remains one of the best ways to learn about specific topics, and money is no exception. Instead of picking up the latest paperback suspense, consider giving your brain a bit more of a workout and be ahead of your peers when it comes to personal finance management. These five authors deliver an easy-to-read, informative and fun way to learn about your money. Don’t worry, they’re not textbooks, but books you can curl up to and even have a laugh at.
Smart Woman by Sylvia Walker
An excellent read for women who are looking for guidance in becoming smart about their money. A smart woman understands how she can build wealth by making her money work for her. The book provides excellent insight into your perceptions about money and how this impacts financial behaviour. Major lessons from the book include how to spend smarter, tackle debt and set realistic financial goals. A definite must-read for every woman, at any age who is serious about obtaining financial independence and building long-term wealth.
From Debt to Riches by Phumelele Ndumo
Most people stumble upon Phumelele’s ‘From Debt to Riches’ while they are trying to claw themselves out of the debt trap. An efficient guide to understanding how money works and instils financial discipline. This indispensable guide addresses the financial problems of ordinary South Africans who are battling with mismanaged debt, outstanding loans, university fees, and home loans.
The Wealth Chef by Ann Wilson
Ann Wilson is an international finance coach who believes that everyone can be wealthy. The Wealth Chef doesn’t stop at managing your personal finances, but also focuses on creating wealth while doing so. Ann has laid out a step-by-step guide to creating financial freedom. Readers will find five recipes for wealth that helped Ann go from having nothing to becoming a multimillionaire.
Become your own Financial Advisor by Warren Ingram
Become Your Own Financial Advisor provides people of all ages and levels of wealth with practical information on how to improve their finances. It’s a step-by-step guide to financial peace of mind. Warren demonstrates in this book that all of us can become financially secure with the resources at our disposal. The book looks at safe ways to invest, debt management and blunders to avoid when buying a house.


The Roberto Busa Prize is an award of the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organisations (ADHO). It is named in honour of Father Roberta Busa (b. 1913), the first pioneer of humanities computing, who in 1949 began experiments in linguistic automation as part of his research on the writings of Thomas Aquinas. This computational work was central to publication of the 56-volume Index Thomisticus, completed in 1980. The Busa award is given to recognise outstanding lifetime achievements in the application of information and communications technologies to humanities research. The award is given every three years, alternating with other ADHO awards, such as the Zampolli award.
The first award was given to Father Busa himself in 1998. Subsequent winners have been: 2001, John Burrows; 2004, Susan Hockey; 2007, Wilhelm Ott; 2010, Joe Raben; and 2013, Willard McCarty.
The next Busa Award will be given at the DH conference in 2016. The Award Committee now invites nominations. Nominations may be made by anyone with an interest in humanities computing and neither nominee nor nominator has to be a member of any ADHO Constituent Organisation. Nominators should give some account of the nominee’s work and the reasons it is felt to be an outstanding contribution to the field. A list of bibliographic references to the nominee’s work is desirable. Nominators are welcome to resubmit updated versions of nominations submitted in previous years.
The recipient of the award receives 1500 GBP and is expected to give a keynote or plenary lecture (on a topic of their choice) at the 2016 Digital Humanities conference. ADHO will host the recipient as a guest of honour for the conference at which the Prize is awarded and the lecture given-this means that all travel, accommodation and subsistence costs of the Prize recipient will be paid by the Alliance.
Nominations should be emailed to Hugh Craig (Chair of the 2016 Busa Award Committee @ firstname.lastname@example.org) no later than October 1, 2014. The winner of the Award will be announced at the 2015 meeting and awarded at the 2016 meeting.More information about the award can be found on the ADHO web site: http://www.digitalhumanities.org/awards/BusaPrize.


Published November 30, 2007
by Thieme Medical Pub .
Written in English
|The Physical Object|
Thus, the contents of this book have been organized to reflect the diverse nature of salivary gland anatomy, physiology, and dysfunction in various states of disease. In this way, the evolution of the field and its diagnostic and therapeutic management are better demonstrated. Nuclear medicine images can help in the diagnosis and assessment of some salivary disorders. 99mTcO4−, galliumcitrate scintigraphy will be an indication of the function of salivary gland together and it will be used for the diffuse diseases such as sialadenitis, Sjögren’s syndrome, sarcoidosis, glossopharyngeal paralysis, and irradiation. It is also effective for distinguishing benign Author: Michihiro Nakayama, Atsutaka Okizaki, Kaori Nakajima, KojiTakahashi. Management of salivary disorders encompasses a broad array of diseases, both benign and malignant. To better demonstrate the evolution of this field and its diagnostic and therapeutic management, the contents of this book have been organized to reflect the diverse nature of salivary gland anatomy, physiology, and dysfunction in various states of disease. Salivary glands are unique because of the manifold subtypes of benign and malignant diseases found there. Written by world-renowned experts, Salivary Gland Disorders and Diseases: Diagnosis and Management fills a major gap in the literature by presenting modern and up-to-date knowledge on all aspects of this important field.
Thus, the contents of this book have been organized to reflect the diverse nature of salivary gland anatomy, physiology, and dysfunction in various states of disease. In this way, the evolution of the field and its diagnostic and therapeutic management are better : Hardcover. ISBN: OCLC Number: Description: xii, pages: illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm: Contents: Machine derived contents note: Preface --Dedication --List of contributors --Section 1: General Considerations General epidemiology and statistics in a defined UK population, Patrick Bradley Aetiology and molecular changes in salivary gland tumours, Oreste. Salivary Gland Pathology: Diagnosis and Management offers comprehensive coverage of all aspects of this topic. Beginning with the embryology, anatomy and physiology of the salivary glands, the first section of the book discusses radiographic imaging, infections, cystic conditions, sialoadenitis and sialolithiasis, and systemic diseases. Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease of salivary and tear glands. Sjögren's syndrome involves inflammation of glands and other tissues of the body. Most patients with Sjögren's syndrome are female. Sjögren's syndrome can be complicated by infections of the eyes, breathing passages, and mouth.
4 Congenital salivary gland diseases. Apart from conditions that affect the saliva composition (e.g. sticky saliva in Prader-Willi syndrome) or cause an inability to swallow and lead to drooling (see below), hypoplasia or aplasia of the salivary glands is a rare occurrence and can affect just one, several or even all of the salivary by: This clinically oriented book provides a comprehensive update on the biology, diagnosis, and treatment of salivary gland cancer. Detailed information is present Editors: Lisa Licitra Laura D. Locati Description: This clinically oriented book provides a comprehensive update on the biology, diagnosis, and treatment of salivary gland cancer. S.J. Langley-Hobbs, in Feline Soft Tissue and General Surgery, Necrotizing sialoadenitis. Necrotizing sialometaplasia is an ischemic disease of the salivary glands. Unilateral swelling of mandibular salivary glands in two cats, aged nine and seven years, was diagnosed as necrotizing sialometaplasia. 34 Salivary gland infarction has been reported in eleven cats, representing 13% of. Salivary gland cancer is a challenge for anyone, regardless of age. But if you’re older t you may face challenges unique to your age group. At MSK, we’re committed to providing cancer patients of all ages with the treatment, facilities, and support they need.


The Full-Time RVing in Canada site has gone live.
Full-Time RVing in Canada is now available for sale. This comprehensive guide shows you what you need to know to be a Canadian Full Timer. Health Care, Taxes, Voting and Province of Residency are some of the topics that are discussed. Then the rest of the book is devoted to the how to, where to, what type of rig, along with a lot of the technical information that you need to know.
There is a free download on the site that will give you an excerpt from the book along with the covers and table of contents.
To get your copy just visit Full-Time Rving in Canada now.


Alex Jones is a filmmaker, writer, and host of the Alex Jones Show.
Alex Jones latest book, The Great Reset is now out!
For a full analysis of The Great Reset …
Book Recommendation – High Praise from Del Bigtree of the HIghwire
The Great Reset: And the War for the World
Aug 30, 2022
by Alex Jones
“In The Great Reset: And the War for the World, the most controversial man on earth Alex Jones gives you a full analysis of The Great Reset, the global elite’s international conspiracy to enslave humanity and all life on the planet.
From central bankers, corporate billionaires, and corrupted government officials, global elites have been organizing a historic war on humanity under a trans-humanist, scientific dictatorship. Alex Jones was the first major figure to expose the World Economic Forum’s agenda. He has dedicated the last 30 years of his life to studying The Great Reset, conducting tens of thousands of interviews with top-level scientists, politicians, and military officials in order to reverse engineer their secrets and help awaken humanity.
The Great Reset: And the War for the World chronicles the history of the global elites’ rise to power and reveals how they’ve captured the governments of the world and financed The Great Reset to pave the way for The New World Order.
Once dubbed a conspiracy theory, but now openly promoted by the most powerful corporations and governments, The Great Reset is a planned attempt to redistribute all the world’s wealth and power into the hands of banks, corporations, billionaires, and The World Economic Forum.
If you read one book in a lifetime, this is it. In The Great Reset: And the War for the World, you will discover from the self-appointed controllers of the planet in their own words, their plan for what they call the final revolution, or The Great Reset.
The only way this corporate fascist conspiracy can succeed is if the people of the world are not aware of it. And this book lays out their sinister blueprint and how to stop it. While many great books have been written to help awaken people to this sinister agenda, no author has ever spent as much time and research on The Great Reset as Alex Jones.
The Great Reset: And the War for the World is the undisputed trailblazer for understanding what’s happening and how to stop it.”
THE REAL ALEX JONES | PART 1
Del Bigtree, The Highwire
Sept 19 2022
Alex Jones is the most controversial man in America. In part 1,
Del sits down with Alex to discuss his style of journalism, how he started, extreme censorship, Sandy Hook, and more
Excellent interview, gives a crash course on so much of the big picture corruption
The Real Alex Jones, Part 2
Del Bigtree, The Highwire
The powerful conclusion of ‘The Real Alex Jones.’ In Part 2, Alex gives his unfiltered opinion on Donald Trump, and reveals his greatest fear.
Alex Jones ‘Trial’ – The Canary In The Coal Mine – David Icke Dot-Connector Videocast
August 11 2022
Joe Rogan Experience #1555 – Alex Jones & Tim Dillon
Oct 27 2020
30 min into interview discusses the carbon dioxide issue as a power grab


The National Council Library
National Council of Bhutan has its own library although small in size. It has a fairly large collection of books which include acts, journals, novels, inspirational books etc which could aid the National Council Members to better shoulder their legislative and review roles. The primary goal of the library is to provide non-partisan, reliable, and timely information on subjects that are relevant to parliamentary and constituency works. A fairly well equipped library is indeed of great importance to a national institution like ours. We started with a small space but we expect to expand our library hopefully after the completion of the new National Council hall located in the Royal Banquet Hall building. With constant funding support from the Royal Government of Bhutan of about Nu: 200,000 every financial year, the Secretariat hopes to procure the best of references possible for our Hon'ble Members which will equip them to carry out the best of researches where needed.


Tech Radar, our Web Crawler
Our Web Crawler to scan the news in the IT world
Finding the newest trends in the Information Technology area by implementing a Web Crawler. With Tech Radar, Spindox Labs meets the need of the client to scan the web, in search for updated news regarding the IT world. Tech Radar analyses editorial content online based on the interests of the client and via tools of Augmented Intelligence. Content indexing is performed through classification techniques belonging to the NL area. Information, presented through a graphic interface comes from a vast amount of data sources.
Our client had one need: developing a tool to scan the web and search for the latest available trends in the Information Technology market. In order to develop our Web Crawler, multiple data sources were selected to adhere to multiple standards of reliability, accessibility and completeness through a unified solution.
- StackOverflow is unanimously relied on by developers for the extraction of information concerning technologies and their adoption trend in the IT panorama.
- StackShare is a search engine to explore technological stacks in the major global actors.
- Feedly is a news collector that allows the subscription to personalised feeds according to specific thematical areas. This gives referenced feedback on the interest levels regarding every news.
In the area of data analysis, too, different algorithms were combined:
- NL classification techniques, to codify the various technologies.
- Analysis of the connection levels between the technological tags, based on simultaneous occurrences of the tags, so that each technology is associated to one or more application areas.
- Classification of the technologies in terms of their maturity, operated through indicators such as date of appearance, peaks of usage, percentual degrowth and relative time.
The usefulness of the Tech Radar resides in it being a personalised system, able to automatically search specific information from a vast amount of data, as well as communicate these contents in a graphically structured and intuitive. Particularly, the contents selected by the Web Crawler are rearranged in two categories:
- A news page, indexed by their thematic area and filtered by their interest score, based on the engagement rate recorder on social media. Just like a specialised newspaper, the news page offers titles and summaries, selected from the search criteria set by the user.
- A technological radar for mapping, where the different slices represent the thematic areas (NL, IOT, Big Data, Augmented Intelligence) and the coloured pattern refer to the development of the different technologies (library, framework, language). The distance from the centre of the radar indicates the maturity level of the technologies.
Finally, information is validated by an analyst operator which, through a graphic interface, verifies the results and sends feedbacks on how to optimise them.


"The Alien Revolution"
Countdown #57, March 18, 1972
Art: Malcolm Stokes
The aliens target a new SHADO base under
construction in the Gulf of Mexico.
Read the story summary at Technodelic
This is a 6-page, self-contained story in
Countdown #57, March 18, 1972.
The story depicts what seems to be a violent guerilla movement
against the government of Mexico, possibly centered in the state of
Veracruz. I am aware of no such movement in the real world during
the early 1970s when this story was written, and not in the 1980s
when this story would take place. In the UFO universe, it
may be a different situation entirely.
On page 1 of the story, SHADO is said to be constructing a
new base under the guise of a new oil-drilling rig in the
Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Galveston, Texas. It
includes buildings under the ocean floor.
Also on page 1 of the story, some Mexican revolutionaries
are said to be gathering in the foothills near Veracruz.
This is the most populous city (formally Heroica Veracruz)
in the Mexican state of Veracruz. One of the revolutionaries
remarks that their army is massing in Tampico; this is a
city on the gulf in the state of Tamaulipas.
On page 2 of the story, Commander Straker is said to be in
Wichita. This is a city in the U.S. state of Kansas.
On page 3 of the story, the remaining revolutionaries at the
port flee along the Cordoba road, hoping to lose the
Federales in the hills. Cordoba is a city in Mexico, about
70 miles from
Back to UFO


London Mulligan coming to Magic The Gathering this summer
After some testing during the Mythic Championship, Magic The Gathering will officially bring the London Mulligan to all formats. How exactly does this work? Well, every time a player takes a mulligan, they shuffle the cards in their hand back into the library before drawing a new one. If you mulligan to your appropriate number of cards, place the remaining cards in the bottom of the deck. For example, if you mulligan to five, draw seven cards and return two of them to the deck.
The London Mulligan will arrive in time for Core Set 2020’s release on July 12, 2019. The new mulligan will be used in Core Set 2020 preleases starting on July 5. Magic The Gathering Arena will have a special event to test things out on June 7. The London Mulligan will officially be adapted in Arena and Magic Online on July 2.
You can read more about this over on the Magic The Gathering website.


Tekee Media is primarily a music-based organisation whose members internationally-renowned composer: Martin Wesley-Smith and clarinettist Ros Dunlop – have travelled and performed extensively on the international concert circuit. The concerts have a central focus around social justice and human rights issues, and are multimedia performances.
In the course of their tours, Ros and Martin travelled to and presented concerts twice in East Timor in 2002. Since 2002 a project evolved which has become the central focus of Tekee Media’s particular interest in East Timor. The Music Recovery project evolved from those memorable trips. Tekee Media is now committed to helping the East Timorese revive their indigenous music and to put it to practical contemporary use through the education system in East Timor, and in school presentations throughout Australia, creating cultural exchanges and exploiting existing historical bonds between the two countries. Also to promote its performance in Australia and elsewhere.
The main activities and projects of Tekee Media include:
Tekee Media Music Performances
Concerts by Dunlop, and/or Wesley-Smith. In 2002, Dunlop and Wesley-Smith toured East Timor twice, giving audiovisual concerts in remote villages. On their return they gave three concerts of, mainly, multimedia pieces about East Timor. In 2003 Ros and Martin toured the UK and the USA. In 2005 they toured to England, Holland, Ireland, Lithuania, Scotland and the USA. In 2006 they toured New Zealand, going to both North and South Island. Planning for International Performances continues. Performances in Australia are ongoing. A central theme in these concerts are human rights issues in the contemporary world.
Tekee Tokee Tomak – School Presentations
An audio-visual presentation about East Timor for school students of all ages, even pre schoolers have enjoyed the presentation which involves video and live performance. There are plenty of colourful displays which are hands on, appealing to students.
Tekee Tokee Tomak – Music Recovery Project
The ambitious Tekee Tokee Tomak Music Recovery Project, designed to collect (record, transcribe), arrange, publish and perform traditional music of East Timor.
In May 2010 The US State Department awarded Tekee Media a grant to produce a book, CD and DVD on the Traditional Music, in Tetun and English with the prime target being the young people of East Timor, as well as those interested in the musical traditions of East Timor. This book is now published – Lian Husi Klamar – Sounds of the Soul : The traditional music of East Timor as a book with accompanying CD and DVD and a children’s colouring in book.
Art Student Support – José de Jesus Amaral (“Tony”)
Tekee Media Inc sponsored a young art student from East Timor. José de Jesus Amaral (“Tony”), from Arte Moris in Dili was sponsored for the duration of his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at The National Art School in Sydney. Prior to commencement of BFA NAS, Tony was a student at Arte Moris a free art school in East Timor, with whom Tekee Media has been affiliated. Tony graduated with his BFA NAS in 2011 and returned to East Timor in that year, he is now the Artistic Director of Arte Moris and exhibits regularly.
Lian Husi Klamar – Sounds of the Soul : The Traditional Music of Timor-Leste
This is the first book to be published about the traditional music of East Timor. It is bilingual and image rich with over 200 full colour images in its 160 pages. It will appeal to those interested in the traditional culture of Timor, particularly its music, as well as the visual splendour of the country. The children’s colouring book is designed to appeal to young children, particularly Timorese as a way of engaging them in their traditional music culture, there is a publication in tetun and a separate publication in english. Tekee Media encourages people to download it from this website as a free publication as a way of promoting the musical culture of Timor to younger generations.


Optimal allocation of quantum resources
Quantum 5, 407 (2021).
The optimal allocation of resources is a crucial task for their efficient use in a wide range of practical applications in science and engineering. This paper investigates the optimal allocation of resources in multipartite quantum systems. In particular, we show the relevance of proportional fairness and optimal reliability criteria for the application of quantum resources. Moreover, we present optimal allocation solutions for an arbitrary number of qudits using measurement incompatibility as an exemplary resource theory. Besides, we study the criterion of optimal equitability and demonstrate its relevance to scenarios involving several resource theories such as nonlocality vs local contextuality. Finally, we highlight the potential impact of our results for quantum networks and other multi-party quantum information processing, in particular to the future Quantum Internet.


“There are many little ways to enlarge your world. Love of books is the best of all.” – Jacqueline Kennedy
Coming in March of 2020!
Begins: March 2020 Ends: March 2020 Website:http://www.scholastic.com/bf/besvt Description: Our Scholastic Book Fair is a reading event that brings the books kids want to read right into our school. Its a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level. All purchases benefit BES! How parents can help:
Parents can sign up to help with the selling of books during the week of Feb 11-15. Please email email@example.com if you are interested in spending some time at the fair as a volunteer, or you can also contact us through our scholastic website link. Hours (generally) are from 12-3 at the school, as well as Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
Parents can also help by purchasing books with their kids. Starting 2/6, online purchases will be available (proceeds still go to BES!) Suggestion... Share this link (be sure to scroll down!) with family members like grandparents who might enjoying purchasing books as gifts for their grandkids!
Want to allow your child have the freedom to make their own choices durning their classroom visit? Sign up for eWallet, and they won't need any cash! You can add a set amount of $ to their account and they can do the book and merchandise shopping when they visit the fair with their class.


More than writing, more than speaking, I love to read and take in. Here is my favorite reads of 2013 that were both encouraging and helpful. If you have not read these you should…
1) The Treasury Of David by Charles Spurgeon
This commentary on the Psalms is by far the richest and deepest language that I believe David would have approved of. Spurgeon pours out his pen to communicate how David truly was a man after God’s own heart. A must read for anyone who loves the Psalms.
2) Dangerous Calling by Paul David Tripp
I would say that Paul Tripp is the best counselor for anyone in ministry today. Tripp is gut wrenching honest and very to the point. Some pages I read with pain in my heart, and tears in my eyes. A very humbling and convicting read. If you are in any type of ministry this is not an easy read but it is like going into surgery. It is the healthy option.
3) A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
I read this over Christmas break, and I continue to be fascinated by the mind of C.S. Lewis like everyone else. After the death of his wife, Lewis writes a very honest response of all of his feelings and thoughts. Just like the heart and mind of a true mourner, Lewis sometimes is all over the place, but confesses that his true dock in a crazy storm out to sea is always Christ.
4) Am I called by Dave Harvey
Another great read for anyone in or thinking about going into ministry. I went through this book with some college guys and I believe it to be short and to the point about how God calls anyone into ministry.
5) Rescuing Ambition by Dave Harvey
I grew up thinking that ambition was something to avoid because it never came from a humble heart. I went over to the extreme side of humbleness and realized that not being ambitious with what God has already called you to and has said Himself is not humbleness at all. This is a great book for boys needing to be men, needing to lead the Church under the authority of Christ and get to work!
*Romans – A Commentary by R.C. Sproul. It took me 2 years to finish but it was easy to read and very helpful. Sproul is a fantastic writer!
*Bonhoeffer – by Eric Metaxas. Obviously a great book about a great man of God. I am finding out new and insightful things about Bonhoeffer that I never knew before. Biographies are helpful to us Christians because they tell the story of brothers and sisters in Christ who have already finished their race, and encourages us how to run our own!
I am planning to read or currently reading: A year with C.S. Lewis, Suffering by Tim Keller, God’s Passion For His Glory by John Piper, and Pastor As Scholar by Piper and D.A. Carson.


AlphaPlus has been working with Qualifications Wales since early 2018 to produce a good practice guide on knowledge-based mark schemes. This interactive guide has now been published for the first time. The project was led by Sarah Maughan, Director of Assessment at AlphaPlus.
This practical tool has been designed to support qualification developers and assessors during the design, development and review of mark schemes, helping them to consider some of the key principles that underpin different types of knowledge-based mark schemes. The guide also identifies some of the key issues with mark schemes that can affect the validity and reliability of an assessment.
Although it is not a regulatory document, the guide is intended to help awarding bodies and to complement their existing qualification development processes.
About the guide
The main purpose of the guide is to promote a consistent and evidence-based approach to the way that mark schemes are developed and used by awarding bodies, and reviewed by Qualification Wales and their subject experts as part of the approval and monitoring processes.
This guide is designed to support qualifications developers when designing, developing and reviewing mark schemes for knowledge-based qualifications, although many of the principles apply to mark schemes more broadly (e.g. competency-based mark schemes).
The focus of the guide is on the general principles of assessment such as validity and reliability, and has been designed to be applicable to as wide a range of subjects and knowledge-based assessments (including non-exam assessment) as possible. It references both levels-based and points-based mark schemes.
The guide can be used both:
- to inform decisions throughout the design phase of the mark scheme; and
- to support awarding bodies at the end of the process as they consider if the resulting mark scheme is based on evidence-informed principles of effective mark scheme development.
The mark scheme guide is not a regulatory document or a replacement for an awarding body’s own development process; this resource is intended to complement individual awarding bodies’ development processes and to ensure compliancy with Qualifications Wales’ regulatory standards.
The content of the guide is based on a research report – also by AlphaPlus – into the features of effective mark schemes in knowledge-based qualifications.
While the guide can be printed and used as a paper-based document, it is more effective as an online tool, as the dynamic links within the interactive PDF take the user to the logical next section of the guide. A key aspect of this is the content map at the beginning of the guide, which displays the document’s content as a diagram, clearly showing the hierarchy of the content and the varying complexity of the different types of mark schemes. As well as providing a high-level view of the guide, each box within the content map is clickable, providing a direct link to the relevant content within the guide. The user is gradually taken through the design principles and key considerations in the development of the required mark scheme.


One shot: Scott Nicholson
Posted by Randolph Carter on August 27, 2009
What do you do for a living?
I am a library scientist as an Associate Professor at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies. I also run the Library Game Lab of Syracuse where we study the intersection of gaming and libraries. In the past, I have been a network administrator, a reference librarian, and a statistical modeler for Citigroup.
Would it be possible for you to give us a brief overview of your gaming background?
I’ve been gaming for over 30 years. Board games have always been my primary interest. That said, I’ve spent considerable amount of time with RPGs (lots of Call of Cthulhu, Warhammer Fantasy, Earthdawn) and livescale roleplaying with the foam-sword wielding International Fantasy Gaming Society. I’ve always had consoles from the Atari 2600 on up. I’ve done computer gaming through my Commodore 128, Amiga, and PCs, handheld gaming, and even worked for Wizards as a Netrep for The Imagination Network answering Magic: The Gathering questions. My first professional design was as a co-author on Call of Cthulhu Live, 1st edition.
As someone who collects board games, would you know how many you actually own?
Around 1000. I tend to sell games frequently; I probably sell a hundred board games a year through auctions and markets at conventions. If I try a game and don’t see a time where that would be the game I would pull out, I sell it. I’m not a collector for the sake of a collection.
If possible, list all the MMOs you’ve played extensively.
Everquest, where I focused on a Bard and juggling spells World of Warcraft, on and off from the beginning. I find that I need to have people I enjoy talking with – the game itself isn’t enough to keep me playing. I’ve played around with many of the others, but those are the only two that I would consider that I played extensively.
Can you recall that first MMO “wow!” moment?
I think it would be logging onto Everquest, running around, and realizing that all of these other people running around were controlled by other players. Back then, this was a big deal.
At your peak, how much time per week would you say you spent gaming? How about now?
This is a difficult question, as I’m doing quite a bit of work related to gaming. So, for me, I am typically spending much more time working on things related to gaming than I am actually gaming. I do the Board Games with Scott video cast, and those episodes can take 30-40 hours to do. I also host the Games in Libraries Podcast, and am a voice on the On Board Games podcast.
For my work, I’m doing presentations and workshops on gaming, as well as writing books on the topic. I taught a class via YouTube this summer where I prepared one video every day on the topic, and that created several weeks where I was working on gaming topics for 80-100 hours a week.
So, my life is so entwined with game-related experiences that it’s hard to pull it all apart.
Would you care to share an amusing and/or interesting anecdote from your gaming days?
I think the funniest things are happening now, as many folks know about Board Games with Scott. About half of the time that I travel somewhere and visit a game shop, someone knows me. This summer, I was in Utrecht at a game shop. While I was shopping, someone recognized me. We chatted for a while, and then when he left, the shop owner asked how he knew me. I explained about my show, and the shop owner looked at me like I was crazy. The next person who came in the door looked at me, and exclaimed, “It’s celebrity day! It’s Scott Nicholson!”
Because there aren’t a lot of known faces in the board game world. Having one means I get recognized a lot.
You’re a major proponent of gaming in libraries. Could you take a minute and explain what the movement is and how you got involved in it?
Just a minute? I do a full-day workshop on it. Libraries have been supporting gaming since the 1850s. The games have taken different forms over the decades, but it’s been there. Now as more people are engaged with gaming, the engagement with the libraries and gaming is growing. Many libraries host gaming events where people can play board, card, computer, or console games with each other. Games are a form of entertainment media, and as they replace books and movies as a primary form of entertainment, the libraries are fulfilling that need.
Many public libraries are community hubs and the games allow members of the community who may never interact to enjoy spending time with each other.
I got engaged with it about 3 years ago. I saw that the growing focus was on video games in libraries as “gaming in libraries” and I knew that there was a much wider variety of game types that libraries have been and could use to meet their goals. I got involved to study it as a professor, gather evidence on the phenomenon, and explore when gaming is appropriate and how it can be most effectively used as a library service.
Do you see a way that MMOs could be incorporated into this?
They already are. Some libraries are running World of Warcraft or Runescape events where they get a group of people together in a computer lab, log on at the same time, and teach a group how to play an MMO. When you have a group of players all sharing the same physical space and in-game space, social interactions go on between those players.
Another area of research exploration is understanding the information structures that support World of Warcraft. To play the game, it requires significant use of information resources and development of strong searching and other information literacy skills. By drawing connections between these skills and general information seeking skills, librarians can help players become better searchers by tapping the skills they have developed to play the game.
There also is a Libraries and Librarians Guild on Aerie Peak in World of Warcraft. This is akin to an always-running library conference, where players in the guild chat about real-world events in librarianship while grinding away.
While Second Life is not an MMORPG in the same sense as WoW, there is a significant library presence there. At the Info Island, there is most likely at least one reference librarian always on. Anyone needing help can visit the Second Life Alliance Library space and get assistance with information.
Are you at all concerned that board gaming may become a thing of the past due to the popularity of video games especially with our younger gamers?
Concerned? Not really. Board Games are a form of entertainment media. They provide face-to-face interaction, and that is the element that is missing in video games. Many folks who stare at a screen all day like to play an analog game to get back to these in-person social connections.
I see analog and digital games merging through surface computing. These tables would allow people to enjoy the face-to-face experience with the convenience of a digital game. But I like fiddling with my bits (during games), so I’ll miss that!
You’ve recently created your own board game entitled Tulipmania 1637. Would you mind explaining what the game is about?
Tulipmania was the first well-known bubble market. It happened in the Netherlands in the 1600’s and almost completely ruined the Dutch economy. I learned about it at the Tulip museum in Amsterdam, and thought.. “Hey, that should be a game!”. I like economic games, and so set to designing a game. When I hit a design quandary, I did research on what really happens in a bubble stock market as to provide a realistic view on this phenomenon.
How difficult of a process was it for you in creating the game and then finding a publisher?
Oh, it was very easy to create a bad game. Making it into a good game was the tough process. What really helped was a convention I attended with many strong boardgamers who were willing to be honest about my game. Too many people playtest only with family, friends, or their local group and don’t get the quantity of feedback from objective experienced gamers needed to improve the game. Every night, I printed a new board and new cards. During this event, a publisher saw the game and decided to take a copy with him.
You wake up to a world where you are the head of a company developing an MMO. You have unlimited funds and resources available to you. Please describe the kind of game you would make.
I would create a game that combines the gameplay of an MMO with the resources available through digital library services in a steampunk modern world. During the play of the game, players would be required to learn various tools to do research in real resources. As they play, they would become much stronger at searching, recognizing untrustworthy information resources, and generally improve their information literacy skills. Perhaps I’d call it “Beyond Google” as a key lesson to teach is that Google is not the place where people should finish their searching.
At least, that’s the library science professor in me, as part of that funding could then fund my Library Game Lab for a very long time.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with this gamer audience?
Reach out to your local library and volunteer to help with their gaming programs (or start one)! Many libraries are interested, but don’t have the gaming expertise needed to do it well. As you know, you can make a lot of mistakes in selecting games, and you can help libraries avoid those mistakes.
To learn more, check out my free Gaming in Libraries course.
Are you a researcher? I’ve got all of my game-related publications at the Library Game Lab of Syracuse.


Salem Township Hospital Foundation will be holding a Silent Auction of pieces from the collection of Glenna Evans Photography. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Salem Township Hospital Foundation which is an all-volunteer group dedicated to assisting the hospital with funds for projects that provide the best health care possible for area residents.
Bryan Bennett Library-Gymnasium
315 S Maple St, Salem, IL
Date / Time
Thurs., June 22, 2023 / 10 am-7 pm
Fri., June 23, 2023 / 9 am-2 pm
Sat., June 24, 2023 / 9 am-2 pm
Sat., June 24, 2023 / 2:00pm
About Glenna Evans
Before moving to Lagos, Portugal in February of 2022, Glenna Evans lived in San Luis Obispo, California; Manchester, New Hampshire; San Francisco, California and Bethesda, Maryland. In her first career, she was a hairstylist on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue for 17 years. Glenna was born and raised in Odin, Illinois, and holds a BA from DePaul University, Chicago, IL.
Dubbed “Georgia-thorpe” by a Washington, DC gallery manager, Glenna’s work is evocative of O’Keefe and Mapplethorpe. Rich color, simple lines, and fluid motion are characteristic of the sensual, contemporary images of botanicals that are the basis of Glenna’s work. She intimately explores her subjects to reveal their spirit and energy.
Using a 35mm camera, Glenna shoots close-up with a macro lens and varied depth of field or multiple exposures. Darkroom work is done with a digital process. The finished images are Fuji Crystal Archive photographs produced using a LightJet. These archival photographs are sold in limited editions of 150 or less, inclusive of all sizes, signed and numbered.
Credits: “Focus on Africa”, Images included / Crafts Report magazine, image included / Chicago Tribune, image included
“The Break-Up”, three images used, movie credit / Artist in Bloom, Flower Magazine, feature article
For more information contact Susan Knapp at 618-548-3194 or email email@example.com


Welcome to the SAGE Book Club!
When it comes to helping shift the tides towards a more sustainable future, there is a lot to be done in terms of personal growth. We, as humans, always have a lot to learn, and what is one of the most traditional ways to learn? Why, through books, of course! And we just happy to know of a few nifty ones that talk about sustainability, climate change, and the mindset we need to have going forward.
Here's what the meeting schedule looks like for this quarter!
DATE, TIME, LOCATION, what needs to be read
While there are hundreds of thousands of books out there, here's the ones we're going to be taking a crack at together:
Ishmael - Fall Quarter
Sapiens - Winter Quarter
NOT SURE - Spring Quarter
Interested in other people's thoughts on the books we're reading? Check out the links below!
Link some blogs on the books we're reading


All Roads Lead to Nashville for the Inaugural HBCUstory Symposium
Nashville-Based HBCUSTORY, Inc. in partnership with the Nashville Public Library and the Nashville Public Library Foundation, will host the 2013 HBCUStory Symposium on Saturday, April 27, 2013. The keynote speaker for this historic event will be none other than Michael J. Sorell, Esq., President of Paul Quinn College in Dallas. Sorell is credited with his school’s incredible turnaround in recent years. The convenor is Crystal A. deGregory, Ph.D., HBCUStory’s founder and executive editor. Celebrating over one hundred years of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the 2013 HBCUstory Symposium themed “Inspiring Stories of the Past and Present, For Our Future” offers a chance to hear fresh voices and new ideas from 15 scholars from across the nation.
“Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have produced some of most important African-American voices of our time as well as those of bygone eras. As we continue to move forward, our annual symposium gives members and newcomers alike a chance to listen, learn and think on some of the most important issues facing HBCUs and the African-American community.”
Note: Only a limited number of event-day registrations will be allowed, so reserve your spot as early as possible!


Wilson-Glorieux Enterprises LLC produces family friendly and informative fairs in the Greater Austin, TX area. We pride ourselves on offering parents free and low cost events that encourage family fun and learning.
About Liza Wilson
Liza Wilson runs and owns Toybrary Austin. The toy library and playspace was created to provide a positive and welcoming environment in which children, parents, and teachers can interact and learn. Toybrary Austin attracts hundreds of parents every week with its seminars, playdates, birthday parties and special events. Previously Liza worked in education for over 20 years.
About Jessica Glorieux
After a decade of marketing, sales and event production experience, Jessica Glorieux is so happy to be back in her home state of Texas doing what she loves – creating events for families to learn and play together!
About Chelsea Beauchamp
Chelsea Beauchamp realized that it can be challenging to find clearly distinguished LGBT-friendly professionals when planning for a family. She utilized her background in marketing to launch Know Where the Love Is, an online directory of birth and family-planning professionals who operate LGBTQIA-friendly businesses.


books and educational resources (2)
Welcome to the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratorys mission is to improve educational results for children, youth, and adults by providing research and development assistance in delivering equitable, high-quality educational programs. NWREL provides research and development assistance to education, government, community agencies, business, and labor. NWRELs primary service area is the Northwest states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
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After working hard in a number of villages in the Martakert region, we moved to the capital Stepanakert in the evening. We were accompanied by the light, almost imperceptible rain, which accompanied the sunset. We had reached Khachen village of Askeran region, we decided to get acquainted with the daily life of the people of Khachen.
We had just turned off the highway when we met a group of children. Each of them persuaded us to stop in the yard of Khachen secondary school, where, although no classes were held at that time of day, it was quite crowded.
Though the school named after GhazarosAghayan was closed, we managed to find out from the children that there was a museum in the school, where the biography of two great people from Khachen, Sergey Sarinyan and SevakArzumanyan, were completed.
Literature critic, Doctor-Professor of Philological Sciences, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia Sergey Sarinyan is the pride of the people of Khachen.
-Do you know that Sarinyan is from our village?
And the interesting thing was not the question; the interesting thing was their looks, which scolded us. What if one of us dares to say that he doesn't know...
Since Khachen greeted us with Sarinyan, I had to refer to the Sarinyanphenomenon a little.
The works of literature critic Sergey Sarinyan are dedicated to the issues of the history of new Armenian literature, literary directions, methodology and theory of literary studies. Monographs and articles about Armenian classics belong to his pen. In his studies, Sergey Sarinyan studied the principles of the periodization of the history of Armenian literature of the 19th century and early 20th century, the patterns of development, the literary schools and the scientific interpretation of the works of classical writers. It is characterized by the joint examination of specific historical and typological, aesthetic and philosophical equivalents of literary phenomena. Sergey Sarinyan also delivered critical works dedicated to the urgent issues of modern Armenian literature.
Of course, the children of Khachen have reason to be proud.
Our next stop was in the middle of the village, where Anush from Khachen was carefully cultivating the greens intended for ‘zhengyalovhats’.
Then we wanted to move to the memorial of the village, when on the way we were prompted to stop at the Tsatryan family who settled in Khachen after the 44-day war.
The elderly couple, Yuraand Susanna Tsatryans, welcomed us with love.
The conversation was sincere in the yard of the Tsatryans' house. The housewife was the first to speak, first getting consent from her husband.
"We have lost our home and place, leaving all our property for years to the enemy, but, as they say, God wanted us to still live in this respectable age, what can I say, it is impossible to escape fate. The people of Khachen received us very well, there is no question. The neighbours do everything to make us feel good, I am grateful, "said Mrs. Susanna, controlling the trembling of her voice.
And Mr. Yuri continued:
"It is true that we have left everything to the enemy, but that is not the pain." I will recreate everything at this age. My pain is our boys, our young people who were hit...
Then he could not continue, tears began to choke grandfatherYuri.
We were all looking at each other in silence for a few minutes, when Mr. Yuri got up and started talking again.
- We must not be broken, we must live, we must work even harder to be able to "stand up" and bring back what we lost. We have no other option.
The Tsatryan family was one of the events emphasizing the image of post-war Artsakh. The content of our conversation with them, of course, is not something to convey in one article, but living with feelings is a part of millennia.
The people of Khachen gathered in the yard of the Tsatryans' house accompanied us to the village church. And the children gathered near the church were many.
It turns out that they have gathered to meet us, to get acquainted with us.
One of the children approached us and said that they wanted to play a composition with three drummers.
The three of them sat in the churchyard and beat.
And we all began to pronounce unanimously.
- Sasun danced and the whole world admired ...
I do not want to write an epilogue about Khachen, I do not want to, because I definitely had to write about many more things, but I was incapable, I was incapable, because even now, days later, when writing about Khachen and the people of Khachen, my emotions began to consume me.
Blessed are those who, like the people of Khachen, know the formula for living.


My Buddhist teacher gave this to me many years ago. It’s been something I’ve held onto ever since. Important wisdom to live by I think.
“People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you.
Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
It never was between you and them anyway”.
– Mother Teresa
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Welcome to Baggage Books
publisher of original New Zealand stories and Māori legends
Baggage Books’ Most Recent Release
Baggage Books is excited to be launching our first book of poetry Three Voices from the Well which features the work of poets Joanna Huriwai, Angela Wright and Julie Burns all of whom live in the greater Wellington region.
As members of the OBOD druids Grove of the Summer Stars, the three poets featured in Three Voices from the Well have been performing their poetry to appreciative audiences at various Eistefords over a number of years.
Editor Moira Wairama was delighted when Joanna Huriwai, Angela Wright and Julie Burns agreed to her suggestion that Baggage Books publish a collection of their works in order to reach a wider audience.
“I love that Joanna, Angela and Julie’s poetry is so very different in style and content but sits so comfortably together in one book. Three Voices from the Well in effect offers readers three poets for the price of one in terms of distinctive and diverse voices.”


I found this "poem" on the back of a Ohau publication a few years back and thought someone might like it. (author unknown)
Servant and master am I: Servant of those dead and master of those living. Through me, spirits immortal speak the message that makes the world weep, and laugh and worship.
I tell the story of Love, the story of Hate, the story that saves and the story that damns. I am the incense upon which prayers float to heaven. I am the smoke that pales over the field of battle where men lie dying with me on their lips.
I am close to the marriage alter, and when the graves open I stand near by. I call the wanderer home, I rescue the soul from the depths, I open the lips of lovers, and through me the dead whisper to the living
One I serve as I serve all; and the king I make my slave as easily as I subject his slave. I speak through the birds in the air, the insects of the field, the crash of waters on rock-ribbed shores, the sighing of the wind in the trees, and I am even heard by the soul that knows me in the clatter of wheels on city streets.
I know no brother, yet all men are my brothers; I am father of the best that is in them, and they are fathers of the best that is in me; I am of them, and they are of me. For I am the instrument of God
I AM MUSIC


A Decade Under the Influence
A Decade Under the Influence explores American cinema in the 1970s, a decade often described as the best years in film. What results is an ode to the art form, one that pays homage to the "auteurs" that emerged from that distinctive time period, such as Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese. Director-writer Ted Demme passed away in the middle of the project; Richard LaGravenese stepped in to finish it. The film premiered at Sundance.


Friday, March 28, 2008
What a cute book!
Cute usually isn't the adjective used to describe a Stephanie Lauren's book, but in this case, it fits. This is Lauren's second published book, and is rather tame compared to the others I've read.
You have to love a book that starts out with a Duke lying naked in bed (dark haired and blue-eyed to boot!). Max, the new Duke of Twyford, is one of London's most notorious rakes, and enjoys his life of carefree ease immensely. Imagine his surprise when a young lady visits him, and informs him he is the ward of herself and her three sisters! Max is immediately attracted to Caroline, the eldest Twinning sister, and wishes more than once that he was not her guardian. Or is he? Seeing the benefits of keeping the truth from Caro, Max leads her to believe he is her guardian, allowing him the opportunity to get to know her and sweep her off her feet, under the veil of propreity. In fact, his guardianship ended with Caro's 25th birthday, but she doesn't know won't hurt her.
Burdened by four beautiful wards, Max does his duty and introduces them to the ton, and they are an instant success. A blend of innocence, beauty, wit, charm and breeding, the Twinning sisters are swarmed by suitors, and Max has a hard time keeping them all in line with the help if his aunt, and furthering his relationship with Caro. All attract attention from the rakes of town, but they are well versed in the arts of handling them perfectly. The three youngest are well schooled in the arts of flirting, and become involved in a wild scheme of disguise and matchmaking to help aid their new-found friends. Their suitors, intending to curb their hair-brained schemes, vow to take care things once and for all!
This was unlike any Stephanie Lauren's book I have read. It is definitely more tame, but as the story unfolds you get to know each of the characters in their own way. Each sister is unique, and yet they share similar characteristics that bond them together seamlessly. This is a light hearted romp through the balls of Regency London, and a love story where everyone ends up happy, with only a bit of angst along the way. A nice way to spend an evening.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I am not one to gush, so please excuse this one uncharacteristic act. Here it comes. Wait for it.
Oh, how I loved these books!
It is also an established fact that for the most part, I do not re-read. Most of my favorites are tucked away someplace, should I decide, in a moment of rare spare time, to go back and revisit them. But I never do. Or didn't until now. I read this series and then re-read it because it is well worth it. And whatever I missed the first time around, I found the second and the experience just got better. Allow me to share.
Orphaned and homeless, the four Scottish Essex sisters - Tess, Annabel, Imogen and Josie - find themselves the wards of Rafe, the Duke of Holbrook. The Duke is expecting to foster young children, barely out of the nursery. He's quite surprised, to say the least, when four breathtakingly beautiful, impoverished young women descend upon his household. The girls' father squandered his fortune on his stables, but had the questionable foresight to arrange a dowry of a horse for each of the four girls. Normally, that would raise a few eyebrows, but not among Rafe's very eligible, very handsome friends who luckily have a keen appreciation for good horseflesh. It's just as well, for the four sisters are determined to have at least one in their ranks marry and marry well so that they will no longer be a burden.
While the premise sounds vaguely familiar, what follows is unique. For example, the Duke cares more about whiskey than himself. There is a tragic early death in which a main character is dispatched. Later, one of the sisters finds herself the object of cruel ridicule for carrying too much weight (albeit in all the right places) and then there is the journey to Scotland. This sojourn is so steeped in sexual tension that it actually sizzles.
Please read these four wonderfully written stories in the correct order. Tess is swept off her feet in "Much Ado About You." Annabel finds true love in "Kiss Me, Annabel." Imogen surprises us all in "The Taming of the Duke" and finally, Josie finds true happiness in "Pleasure for Pleasure." The four books are really one long continuing tale with overlapping story lines and extensive character development carried throughout. And I guarantee that you will have a warm feeling when you're done with the entire series, and not for the reason you might think. Although talented men abound, the main focus is not the hunks, but the strong, supportive relationship between the four sisters. And it is this theme that what will stay with you long after the marriage proposals are offered and accepted.
Please go read these books!
Excuse me again.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
This author is amazing!
Campbell's second novel, Untouched, was reviewed by Donna a few weeks ago, which led me to this one, happily. A word of caution, however, this book contains some questionable, forceful scenes that some may not like (not to mention some bodice ripping). It's edgier than most romance novels, so keep that in mind while reading.
Our story is of Verity, and her alter ego, the alluring courtesan, Soraya, and begins in London, in bed with the Duke of Kylemore, her lover and paramour of one year. Kylemore, who was after her for five years, is a cold man with a tortured past (literally) and an unbearable mother. Despite all this, he is a respected member of society and the ton. He paid dearly for Soraya; a house in her name, clothes, jewelry...all the expenses of keeping a mistress well heeled and in the height of fashion. But, he knows nothing of her, except she is the most sought after courtesan in London; duels were fought in her name, many a man would die to win her favor. Theirs was a business agreement, with little emotion attached.
Verity is a former farm girl from Yorkshire, having lost her parents and becoming a servant, she is forced at the tender age of fifteen to become mistress to an older Lord for his protection and well-being of her brother and sister. He turns into the jewel she becomes, and parades her around London for all to see and envy, including Kylemore, whom she claims to have the slightest interest. Their one year agreement is satisfactory to both, until one day Verity decides it is time to leave and begin her life as a chaste widow elsewhere, away from London and her life as a courtesan. Leaving without warning is the only way she can, along with an uncharacteristic kiss to her lover as he departs, unknowingly for the final time.
And then, the story gets intense.
Kylemore is outraged at Soraya leaving without so much as a word in farewell. He spends three months combing the country looking for her, and finally finds her in the wilds of Yorkshire, where he abducts her to teach her a lesson. What follows is an emotional roller coaster, for characters and the reader. Kylemore was not prepared for the real Verity, the one that was kept hidden under the alluring mask of Soraya. His arrogance leads him to believe he can break her spirit by keeping her prisoner to his lust, but he is completely mistaken. What happens next is a heart-wrenching story of guilt, mistrust, anger and finally love. Both characters go through a painful transformation before coming to realize they are perfect for each other.
And that's all I'll say about the story without spoiling it completely! I want you to read it word for word like I did, and get lost in the emotions that Anna Campbell writes so well. I cried through several scenes of this book, my heart aching for Verity during her imprisonment, and for Kylemore, who has his own demons. It is beautifully written without a lot of descriptive narrative that tends to run amok in some romance novels. The passion between Verity and Kylemore is perfectly balanced with the fear they both experience for their own reasons. The story is full of raw emotion that will leave you drained, but satisfied in the end, I hope.
As a gothic novel lover, as well as a romance novel lover, I was very happy to see some dark aspects in this book, although not too dark for the faint at heart. (see the warning above) To me, this is a different breed of romance novel writing; it still has the dark hero and somewhat helpless heroine, but the story is intense and moving. This is the kind of book that I can go back and read again and again, never tiring of the story.
Friday, March 14, 2008
If you are looking for a book that has lots of plot twists, a confused daughter, and a very very clever mother, then this is your read. If you are looking for something uncomplicated, then don't bother.
I for one like a challenge, so I read it an evening, when I returned home from the dentist after having a root canal! Glutton for punishment, maybe. Was it worth it? Definitely!!
Lady Caroline is the daughter of Sophia, London's most beautiful and sought after courtesan in her day, now a widowed Countess. Sophia is a member of the ton now, but her past still remains after twenty years, much to her daughter's dismay. They are not allowed into the elite circle of society, and Caro realizes that she will never have a marriage to a respectable man, until her mother purchases one for her! Caro refuses, despite never having met the gentleman; she refuses to be bought. She is often overlooked in the shadow of her mother, and her only option, in her naive mind, is to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a courtesan, as marriage is an unreachable prospect. Simple? Not when you really don't have a clue what all being a courtesan entails! Rather than trying to talk her out of her chosen path, Sophia presents another idea.
Lord Ashdon is a handsome young man (dark hair and blue eyes...hrm.) with an unfortunate habit of gambling and loosing badly. He is in debt, and Sophia has purchased his debt with the condition that he will marry her daughter. Ashdon, while reluctant for his own reasons, which are disclosed later, agrees to the plan. He becomes when angry when Caro refuses him without even meeting him first! Ashdon is infuriated when he learns Caro intends to become a courtesan, instead of his wife, and decides to give her a lesson of sorts. They continuously argue when in each other's company, but under their anger is a mutual desire for each other.
Many arguments, a ball, a pair of pearl earrings, and three pearl necklaces later (all from three different men) the confusion and bouncing back and forth begins. She hates Ashdon, she loves him, she wants him... At times I couldn't keep track of whether or not Caro actually wants to be with Ashdon as his wife, or be a courtesan. Add in her mother scheming, and it makes for an interesting read, but only if you pay attention. Towards the end is a surprising twist about the Countess and her heritage, which I found odd, but intriguing. There are many characters that I suspect will make another appearance in the next one. The book is full of action, which the author writes well, and the passion between Ashdon and Caro is dynamic, if not a bit cold hearted on his side.
I had never heard of this author, and on a shopping trip with friends I picked up her book and decided to give her try. She might not have the descriptive writing of some, but she is forward and to the point. I will be reading the next installment!
I always read books out of their series order, it seems, and this one is no exception. In this case, however, it really made no difference. This book and the next one in this series, The Kiss, stand on their own (there's a Quickie posted for The Kiss). A Dangerous Beauty, by Sophia Nash, is the passionate (emphasis on the word passionate, although it takes a while to get there) story of Rosamunde Baird and Luc St. Aubyn, Duke of Helston.
Rosamunde, the daughter of an Earl, thinks herself in love with Henry, the heir to the Helston title, and Luc’s older brother. When she procures a kiss from him, witnesses report something a little more sordid to her father and it snowballs out of proportion. Henry is forced to propose, and Rosamunde refuses him, knowing he loves another. She is cast out of her home and makes a disastrous marriage that lasts eight long, hellish years, until she is widowed.
Taken under the wing of Ata St. Aubyn, the Dowager Duchess of Helston and Luc’s grandmother in an effort to right a long ago wrong by restoring Rosamunde's reputation, she falls in love with Luc when he offers to show her how exquisite the physical side of a relationship can be. Luc, whose take on marriage is not quite all wine and roses, feels honor bound to offer for Rosamunde when her reputation suffers a second time at the hands of a St.Aubyn. She loves him, and he loves her, in his own cynical and lyrical way (that’s a hint, folks, at Luc’s part-time occupation), but marriage between them seems an impossibility.
The one woman he wants has sworn not to remarry, and the one woman who wants him, Grace Sheffey (who by the way, gets shafted in this book and in The Kiss, when the men she falls in love with marry others) is unacceptable to him. What is a Duke to do?
There was one part in this book were I had to suspend reality briefly. You will probably know what I am talking about when you get to it, as a main character does something totally irrational, for which there is little explanation. But on the whole, this book is quite entertaining, romantic and, of course, formulaic. There is one scene in the later chapters that actually brought tears to my eyes, jaded soul that I am. You'll recognize that one, too.
At any rate, reputations are lost, and restored. Love is found, denied and finally accepted. We get to see another flawed, endearing rake fall head over heels in love with the not so perfect woman, but this love boat takes a long, sweet ride to the dock.
I recommend it and it’s successor, The Kiss, Georgiana Wilde’s story, highly. And I am hoping that poor Grace Sheffey will eventually get to keep her man in the sequel of the sequel.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
I decided to give this author my own fair trial after reading a brief, intriguing synopsis of this book. And I have to say, I’m glad I did. It has everything a good historical romance should have; sex (lots of it), spying, conflict, a climactic resolution, and two people who misunderstand each other and then fall in love. Perfect!
Two Weeks With A Stranger is the story of the Earl of Devingham, Simon Severton, and his new wife, Lucy, the daughter of a local squire. Simon has decided that it is time to devote his attention to the continuation of his line, and he picks Lucy as his bride, not only because she is attractive, but because she’s a “country miss”, and less likely to interfere with his London activities. And what activities those are!
Leaving Lucy the day after their very passionate wedding night (which is in the prologue for all of you who like your passion up front), he travels to London for an assignation with an Italian beauty. But all is not as it seems. For Simon is not the callous Lord with a mistress. He’s a wily agent for the Crown with a unique assignment. But poor Lucy, left alone in the country without even a wedding trip to show for her marriage, indeed only 24 hours to show for it, has not a clue. But she does have a plan to get him back in her bed.
Rumors have circulated back to her in Devingham, and she treks to London, theoretically to fulfill her friend’s dying wish, but also to save her marriage from the Italian mystery woman.
What follows is Simon trying to accomplish his mission of seducing Isabella for her secrets, while desperate to contain his feelings for his wife, who correctly surmises that there is more to Simon’s interest in Isabella than an affair. His friend, John Fox, and her friend, Virginia (Gin) Matthews, an American girl who is a loose cannon, add to the delightful mix of characters. The best part of this book is watching Simon try to compartmentalize these two parts of his life when Lucy refuses to follow the game plan and return to the country. And when he finally decides to come clean about his activities, Lucy is incognito, conducting her own undercover operation.
The book is also study in ton relationships and various social issues of the day. There is some interesting information on coal mining abuses and women’s suffrage in America, which is Gin’s passion and the reason she was banished to England to seek a spouse. There is murder, intrigue and a fascinating study of a man falling in love with his wife while realizing that putting England first is not all that it’s cracked up to be.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
In the second book of the Duchess series, Eloisa James continues on with her world of Georgian England with the story of Fletcher and Poppy, the Duke and Duchess of Fletcher. Under the rule of a proper Englishwoman (her mother) Poppy enters her marriage with Fletcher as a girl in love and sure of herself in all things that a proper Englishwoman would not do, in or out of the bedchamber. Fletcher though, is of a different mind; his time spent in Paris has taught him the ultimate pleasure, that of giving pleasure. He enters his marriage confident that Poppy will enjoy their activities in the bedchamber as much as he will, but things go wrong quickly, and Fletcher learns that the woman he fell in love with neither desires him, or his touch. She only tolerates his advances, much to Fletch's sadness. A continuing character in the Duchess series, Jemma, the Duchess of Beaumont, allows Poppy to move in with her while she sorts out her marriage. Jemma is no proper English lady and encourages Poppy freedoms that she never dared while with her mother, or with her husband, although he never denied her anything. The two eventually find love again, after a series of interesting mishaps, including tar and a few feathers!
In the middle of all this, the chess match of the century is brewing between Jemma and The Duke of Villiers, another carry over character from "Desperate Duchesses" and a rake to boot. The ever important Elijah, The Duke of Beaumont, seeing his old childhood friend intruding on his scandal-free life, makes his own chess challenge to his wife. Jemma and Elijah are not the main characters in this novel, but they are certainly the most interesting.
Once again, Eloisa James has created a world of characters enriched by their individual personalities and the glamour of the ton. This book spans the lives of several characters, so pay attention! This series is not complete, so you will waiting until July to find out who she writes about next (I am hoping for Jemma and Elijah!). With her switch to the Georgian era, James has created another captivating series that keeps you on the edge of your seat while you wait for the next one. This series is definitely worth the wait!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Five simple words for you regarding The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory.
You Must Read This Book.
This is what I have been telling everyone since picking it up last Thursday night and finishing it by candlelight three days later in a power outage. I could not put this book down. And it is an ambitious read, even with electricity, 661 pages long.
The historical content is well known; read anything regarding Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and you will immediately know how the story ends. However, the actual events of the day merely serve as a backdrop to the wonderfully written, richly detailed human story of two sisters trying to survive in a world not kind to women.
As the tale begins, we are introduced to three young courtiers in the grand and opulent world of King Henry VIII - siblings George, Anne and Mary Boleyn. Their family connections are impressive and "The Three Boleyns" are considered favorites of the royal couple. When the king takes a special interest in Mary, things really start happening for the entire family, which includes a ruthless uncle, a cold as ice mother and a heartless father. At the tender age of 14, Mary, pushed by her family's lust for power and position, becomes mistress to the king. Life is good for the Boleyns and maternal Howards, but their prospects brighten immeasurably when Henry grows tired of Mary and begins to favor Anne. The eldest Boleyn girl has enough ambition for the entire clan and she carries the family standard as she plots and plans to become Queen.
Beware that what follows is an irresistible, addictive mix of intrigue, romance and betrayal. Adding to the pleasure is a detailed, descriptive narrative written in the first person. From the first page, I was instantly transported to that time and place. I have heard that the movie did not fare well in the eyes of the critics, but please do not let that deter you from reading this book. Clear your calendar, find a quiet nook and enjoy. Candles are optional.


- Published on Jul 17, 2013
Secure your copy — Support the Filmmakers http://www.infowarsshop.com/State-Of-…
State Of Mind: The Psychology Of Control, from the creators of A Noble Lie: Oklahoma City 1995, reveals that much of what we believe to be truth is actually deliberate deception. The global elites are systematically implanting lies into our consciousness to erect a “tyranny over the minds of men.” This film exposes the mind control methods being used to turn our once vibrant society into a land of obedient sheeple. Are we controlled? To what extent and by whom? What does it mean for humanity’s future? From cradle to grave our parents, peers, institutions and society inform our values and behaviors but this process has been hijacked. State Of Mind examines the science of control that has evolved over generations to keep us firmly in place so that dictators, power brokers and corporate puppeteers may profit from our ignorance and slavery. From the anvil of compulsory schooling to media and entertainment, we are kept in perpetual bondage to the ideas that shape our actions.
State Of Mind delves into the abyss to expose the true agendas at work. This film reveals the secret manipulations at work and provides shocking and suppressed historical and current examples. From the ancient roots of the control of human behavior to its maturity in the mind control experiments of intelligence agencies and other organs of manipulation, State Of Mind reveals a plan for the future that drives home the dreadful price of our ignorance.
We are prepared for a new paradigm. Will we choose our own paths or have one selected for us? State Of Mind unveils the answers that may decide whether humankind will fulfil its destiny or be forever shackled to its own creation.
- The Satanic methods are: subtlety and deception!
Revelation 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation 13:14 And he deceives those[e] who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, ….
Revelation 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.
Revelation 20:3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. ….
Revelation 20:7-8 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog …
Revelation 20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where[b] the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.