The Lacquered Talisman

The Lacquered Talisman
Author: Laurie Dennis
Publisher: Earnshaw Books Limited
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022-02-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9789888552467

A sweeping coming-of-age epic, The Lacquered Talisman launches the story of one of the most influential figures in Chinese history. He is the son of a bean curd seller and he will found the Ming Dynasty, which ruled China from 1368 to 1644. Known as "Fortune" as a boy, Zhu Yuanzhang is part of a large and doting family who shepherd him through hardship until drought and plague ravage the countryside. Left with nothing but a lacquered necklace from his grandfather, Fortune is deposited in the village temple and is soon wandering the countryside as a begging monk. He encounters pockets of resistance to the ruling Mongol dynasty, studies the stars, and tangles with Daoists as he seeks to understand his destiny. Signs and dreams convince him that he has a special fate. Is he to be the abbot of a monastery? A general? What matters most is that he proves himself to be a filial son. Praise for The Lacquered Talisman: "Historical fiction lovers will delight in The Lacquered Talisman, which gives us a vividly-imagined, brilliantly-told story of a real-life emperor's humble origins. The first part of a biography of the first Ming Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, it is a vivid and engaging portrayal of a young man determined to honor the love and sacrifices of his tragedy-stricken family, set against the beautifully-drawn backdrop of 14th century China." --IndieReader "This epic coming of age story is about Fortune, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, as a boy until he reached the age of twenty-three. The author writes in a literary style, and although it is fiction, it reads similar to an account told by a first-person narrator. The style is evocative of the ancient Classic style and suits this lovely novel exactly." --Discovering Diamonds

Shadowland

Shadowland
Author: Peter Straub
Publisher: Penguin Group
Total Pages: 481
Release: 2024-07-30
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0593818199

“As if Harry Potter was written for grown-ups, Peter Straub’s Shadowland delivers carnage, blood, pain, fairy tales, and flashes of joy and wonder, just like real magic.”—Grady Hendrix You have been there...if you have ever been afraid. Come back. To a dark house deep in the Vermont woods, where two friends are spending a season of horror, apprenticed to a Master Magician. Learning secrets best left unlearned. Entering a world of incalculable evil more ancient than death itself. More terrifying. And more real. Only one of them will make it through.

The Mound

The Mound
Author: Howard Phillips Lovecraft
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 157
Release: 2020-12-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

"The Mound" by Howard Phillips Lovecraft, Zealia Bishop. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Nine Stories

Nine Stories
Author: J. D. Salinger
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 151
Release: 2019-08-13
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0316459984

The "original, first-rate, serious, and beautiful" short fiction (New York Times Book Review) that introduced J. D. Salinger to American readers in the years after World War II, including "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" and the first appearance of Salinger's fictional Glass family. Nine exceptional stories from one of the great literary voices of the twentieth century. Witty, urbane, and frequently affecting, Nine Stories sits alongside Salinger's very best work--a treasure that will passed down for many generations to come. The stories: A Perfect Day for Bananafish Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut Just Before the War with the Eskimos The Laughing Man Down at the Dinghy For Esmé--with Love and Squalor Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period Teddy

Nanjing Never Cries

Nanjing Never Cries
Author: Hong Zheng
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 227
Release: 2016-08-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1944347011

Set in the city of Nanjing during the time of the Sino-Japanese war (1937–1945), this novel tells the story of four people caught up in the violence and tumult of these years: John Winthrop and his MIT classmate, the brilliant Chinese physicist Calvin Ren (Ren Kewen); Judy, Calvin's Chinese-American wife; and the beautiful and determined young woman Chen May. John and Calvin take up positions at Nanjing's National Central University and collaborate on a top-secret project to design and build warplanes to enable the Chinese to defend themselves against Japanese bombers. Meanwhile, John enjoys his new life in Nanjing. He helps the lovely May with her English, falling a little in love with her; he shops for antiques; meets with Chiang Kai-Shek and Madame Chiang; and once attends an evening's entertainment at one of Nanjing's notorious Wine Houses. But when the Japanese invade, there is no safe place in the city. The Japanese murder, torture, and rape indiscriminately. (The invasion and occupation were described by the historian Iris Chang as “the forgotten holocaust.”) May sees her own family killed; John works in a shelter for women and children; Calvin's family flees the city while Calvin, weakened by overwork, stays behind to work on the warplane project. Each tries to survive against the odds. May vows to hunt down the soldier who murders her father. When the war is over, she finds him sweeping Nanjing streets as a war prisoner. The story then ends with the force of an explosion. Vivid and disturbing, Nanjing Never Cries offers a compelling story of the horror of war and the power of love and friendship.

The Teachings and Practices of the Early Quanzhen Taoist Masters

The Teachings and Practices of the Early Quanzhen Taoist Masters
Author: Stephen Eskildsen
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2012-02-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0791485315

Stephen Eskildsen's book offers an in-depth study of the beliefs and practices of the Quanzhen (Complete Realization) School of Taoism, the predominant school of monastic Taoism in China. The Quanzhen School was founded in the latter half of the twelfth century by the eccentric holy man Wan Zhe (1113–1170), whose work was continued by his famous disciples commonly known as the Seven Realized Ones. This study draws upon surviving texts to examine the Quanzhen masters' approaches to mental discipline, intense asceticism, cultivation of health and longevity, mystical experience, supernormal powers, death and dying, charity and evangelism, and ritual. From these primary sources, Eskildsen provides a clear understanding of the nature of Quanzhen Taoism and reveals its core emphasis to be the cultivation of clarity and purity of mind that occurs not only through seated meditation, but also throughout the daily activities of life.

Words You Should Know How to Spell

Words You Should Know How to Spell
Author: David Hatcher
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 526
Release: 2010-07-18
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 1440507333

Ceilling. Beleive. Scissers. Do you have trouble spelling everyday words? Is your spell check on overdrive? Well, this easy-to-use dictionary is just what you need! Organized with speed and convenience in mind, it gives you instant access to the correct spellings of more than 12,500 words. Also provided are quick tips and memory tricks, like: Help yourself get the spelling of their right by thinking of the phrase ?their heirlooms.? Most words ending in a ?seed? sound are spelled ?-cede? or ?-ceed,? but one word ends in ?-sede.? You could say the rule for spelling this word supersedes the other rules. No matter what you’re working on, you can be confident that your good writing won’t be marred by bad spelling. This book takes away the guesswork and helps you make a good impression!

Tao Magic

Tao Magic
Author: Ireneus László Legeza
Publisher: Pantheon
Total Pages: 134
Release: 1975
Genre: Art
ISBN:

The Arabic Manuscript Tradition

The Arabic Manuscript Tradition
Author: Adam Gacek
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2017-07-31
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 9047400844

Covering the entire spectrum of Arabic manuscripts, and especially the handwritten book, this book consists of a glossary of technical terms and a bibliography. The technical terms, collected from a variety of sources, embrace a vast range of topics dealing with the making and reading (studying) of Arabic manuscripts. They include: the Arabic scripts, penmanship, writing materials and implements, the make-up of the codex, copying and correction, decoration and bookbinding. A similar coverage is reflected in the bibliography. In view of the fact that, as yet, there is no concise monograph on Arabic manuscripts in the English language, this book is an important contribution to this field. And, since Arabic manuscripts represent an enormous resource for research, this work is an indispensable reference for all students of Islamic civilization.