Ashes of a Lost Country

Ashes of a Lost Country
Author: Ghassoub Sharif Mustafa
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Total Pages: 472
Release: 2022-03-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 9948834852

The author was born in a village in Palestine where he spent his childhood and part of his boyhood. This stage of his life was a mixture of joy, mischief, and misery. After his mother’s death, he was entered into a boarding military school in Jordan. In 1967, after the Israelis had swept his country, he became homeless. After secondary school, he was given a scholarship to study in Algeria. While living in Algeria, he befriended some French individuals who invited him to France, where he found refuge and deep friendship in the peasants’ French community.

City of Ash and Red

City of Ash and Red
Author: Hye-young Pyun
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2018-11-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1628727837

NAMED AN NPR GREAT READ OF 2018 From the Shirley Jackson Award–winning author of The Hole, a Kafkaesque tale of crime and punishment hailed by Korea’s Wall Street Journal as “an airtight masterpiece.” Distinguished for his talents as a rat killer, the nameless protagonist of Hye-young Pyun's City of Ash and Red is sent by the extermination company he works for on an extended assignment in C, a country descending into chaos and paranoia, swept by a contagious disease, and flooded with trash. No sooner does he disembark than he is whisked away by quarantine officials and detained overnight. Isolated and forgotten, he realizes that he is stranded with no means of contacting the outside world. Still worse, when he finally manages to reach an old friend, he is told that his ex-wife's body was found in his apartment and he is the prime suspect. Barely managing to escape arrest, he must struggle to survive in the streets of this foreign city gripped with fear of contamination and reestablish contact with his company and friends in order to clear his reputation. But as the man's former life slips further and further from his grasp, and he looks back on his time with his wife, it becomes clear that he may not quite be who he seems. From the bestselling author of The Hole, City of Ash and Red is an apocalyptic account of the destructive impact of fear and paranoia on people's lives as well as a haunting novel about a man’s loss of himself and his humanity.

Earth and Ashes

Earth and Ashes
Author: Atiq Rahimi
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 66
Release: 2011-10-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1448104378

Earth and Ashes is a story of such spareness and power it leaves the reader reeling. Set during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, it is a fable about war, family, home and tradition. An old man and his grandson sit in a deserted landscape of dusty roads and looming mountains. What are they waiting for? As we watch them we learn their story... Atiq Rahimi has managed to condense centuries of Afghan history into his short tale of three very different generations. At the same time, he has created a story that is universal in its power.

The Lost Country, Episode One: “The Big Empty”

The Lost Country, Episode One: “The Big Empty”
Author: Wayne Kyle Spitzer
Publisher: Hobb's End Books
Total Pages: 154
Release: 2020-12-17
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

First came the time-storm, which erased half the population. Then came the dinosaur apocalypse. Welcome to the world of the Flashback, a world in which man’s cities have become overgrown jungles and extinct animals wander the ruins. You can survive here, if you're lucky, and if you're not in the wrong place at the wrong time--which is everywhere and all the time. But what you'll never do is remain the same, for this is a world whose very purpose is to challenge you: for better or for worse. In short, it is a world where anything can and will happen. So take a deep dive into these loosely connected tales of the Dinosaur Apocalypse (each of which can be read individually or as a part of the greater saga): tales of wonder and terror, death and survival, blood and beauty. Do it today, before the apocalypse comes. “Jesus. Just—Jesus,” said Amelia, staring at the decomposing body. “How long do you think it’s been here?” I examined it where it was sprawled on the back porch, facing the ocean, its skin blackened and clinging to the bones—like it had been vacuum sealed—its wispy hair fluttering. "Hard to say. Few weeks. Maybe a month.” I batted away the flies. “Long enough for the organs to liquify.” “How—how do you know?” I studied the holes in its head, a smaller one which was about the size of a dime and a larger, more cavernous one—the exit wound. “Because, otherwise, there’d be brains all over.” I stepped over it and picked up the gun, checked its chamber. “There’s still bullets in it.” She stared at me tentatively as I closed the chamber and gripped the weapon in both hands—neither of us saying anything. At last I nodded to the back door—the screen of which banged back and forth in the wind—and tried to brace myself. “You ready?” She shook her head. “Let’s go,” I said. And then she was holding the screen as I inched forward and gripped the knob—turning it slowly, carefully, easing the door open. Stepping into a room which was dark as pitch; which reeked of cat piss and despair.

Fire and Ashes

Fire and Ashes
Author: Michael Ignatieff
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2013-11-19
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 067472965X

In 2005 Michael Ignatieff left Harvard to lead Canada's Liberal Party and by 2008 was poised to become Prime Minister. It never happened. He describes what he learned from his bruising defeat about compromise and the necessity of bridging differences in a pluralist society. A reflective, compelling account of modern politics as it really is.

A Sky Beyond the Storm

A Sky Beyond the Storm
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 504
Release: 2020-12-01
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0448494558

Prepare for the jaw-dropping finale of Sabaa Tahir's beloved New York Times bestselling An Ember in the Ashes fantasy series, and discover: Who will survive the storm? Picking up just a few months after A Reaper at the Gates left off... The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning. By his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family. Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory—or to an unimaginable doom. And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life—and love—he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save—or destroy—all that he knows.

Kingdom of Ashes

Kingdom of Ashes
Author: Rhiannon Thomas
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 211
Release: 2016-02-23
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0062303589

The kiss was just the beginning . . . The second book in Rhiannon Thomas’s epic retelling of Sleeping Beauty combines adventure, magic, and romance for a sweeping fantasy about one girl’s journey to fulfill her destiny. Aurora was supposed to be her kingdom’s savior. But when she was forced to decide between being loyal to the crown and loyal to her country, she set events in motion that branded her a traitor. Now, hunted by the king’s soldiers, Aurora’s only chance of freeing her kingdom from the king’s tyrannical rule is by learning to control her magic. But Aurora’s powers come at a price—one that forces her to leave the only home she’s ever known, one that demands she choose between the man she loves and the people she seeks to protect, and one that will cause her to unravel the mysteries surrounding the curse that was placed on her over a century before . . . and uncover the truth about her destiny.

From the Ashes

From the Ashes
Author: Jesse Thistle
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2019-08-06
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1982101210

*#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER *Winner, Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Nonfiction *Winner, Indigenous Voices Awards *Winner, High Plains Book Awards *Finalist, CBC Canada Reads *A Globe and Mail Book of the Year *An Indigo Book of the Year *A CBC Best Canadian Nonfiction Book of the Year In this extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle, once a high school dropout and now a rising Indigenous scholar, chronicles his life on the streets and how he overcame trauma and addiction to discover the truth about who he is. If I can just make it to the next minute...then I might have a chance to live; I might have a chance to be something more than just a struggling crackhead. From the Ashes is a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Métis-Cree man who refused to give up. Abandoned by his parents as a toddler, Jesse Thistle briefly found himself in the foster-care system with his two brothers, cut off from all they had known. Eventually the children landed in the home of their paternal grandparents, whose tough-love attitudes quickly resulted in conflicts. Throughout it all, the ghost of Jesse’s drug-addicted father haunted the halls of the house and the memories of every family member. Struggling with all that had happened, Jesse succumbed to a self-destructive cycle of drug and alcohol addiction and petty crime, spending more than a decade on and off the streets, often homeless. Finally, he realized he would die unless he turned his life around. In this heartwarming and heart-wrenching memoir, Jesse Thistle writes honestly and fearlessly about his painful past, the abuse he endured, and how he uncovered the truth about his parents. Through sheer perseverance and education—and newfound love—he found his way back into the circle of his Indigenous culture and family. An eloquent exploration of the impact of prejudice and racism, From the Ashes is, in the end, about how love and support can help us find happiness despite the odds.

My English Language Journey

My English Language Journey
Author: Ghassoub Sharif Mustafa
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2023-11-29
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9948778197

This is the story of Ghassoub, a child from Palestine, who falls in love with the English language and with everything British after meeting a British lady tourist by chance at the Dead Sea, where she teaches him a few English words and treats him well. This incident makes him dream to be something ‘English’ and it plays a significant role in shaping his future as, within a few decades, he rises the ranks to become a professor of English and an author. Ghassoub’s long and tough journey in the English language as a learner and as a teacher offers the reader valuable lessons in some aspects of English language learning and of its complex teaching profession. His dedication and passion for teaching have enabled him to innovate and come up with his own theories that are vital to achieve success and greatness in the teaching profession. This story, which is written in a simple, humorous, sarcastic, and sometimes metaphorical style, is not just a story, but a guide or a self-improvement book for anyone who wants to have a more effective life, a more effective study style, a more effective career, and a deep understanding of the painful process of writing a book.

Ashes of Gold

Ashes of Gold
Author: J. Elle
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2022-01-11
Genre: JUVENILE FICTION
ISBN: 1534470700

Half god and half human, Rue has made a vow to restore the magic that the Chancellor and the Grays have stolen from the Ghizoni and take back their land; she has more fully embraced her identity among the people of Yiyo Peak, but she is also from East Row in Houston, and girls from East Row do not give in to oppressors.