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Isabelle d’Este, daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, born into privilege and the political and artistic turbulence of Renaissance Italy, is a stunning black-eyed blond and an art lover and collector. Worldly and ambitious, she has never envied her less attractive sister, the spirited but naïve Beatrice, until, by a quirk of fate, Beatrice is betrothed to the future Duke of Milan. Although he is more than twice their age, openly lives with his mistress, and is reputedly trying to eliminate the current duke by nefarious means, Ludovico Sforza is Isabella’s match in intellect and passion for all things of beauty. Only he would allow her to fulfill her destiny: to reign over one of the world’s most powerful and enlightened realms and be immortalized in oil by the genius Leonardo da Vinci. Isabella vows that she will not rest until she wins her true fate, and the two sisters compete for supremacy in the illustrious courts of Europe. A haunting novel of rivalry, love, and betrayal that transports you back to Renaissance Italy, Leonardo’s Swans will have you dashing to the works of the great master—not for clues to a mystery but to contemplate the secrets of the human heart.
Who are you? It’s the most fundamental of human questions. Are you the type of person who tilts at windmills, or the one who prefers to view them from the comfort of an air-conditioned motorcoach? Our personalities are endlessly fascinating—not just to ourselves but also to our spouses, our parents, our children, our co-workers, our neighbors. As a highly social species, humans have to navigate among an astonishing variety of personalities. But how did all these different permutations come about? And what purpose do they serve? With her trademark wit and sly humor, Hannah Holmes takes readers into the amazing world of personality and modern brain science. Using the Five Factor Model, which slices temperaments into the major factors (Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness) and minor facets (such as impulsive, artistic, or cautious), Holmes demonstrates how our genes and brains dictate which factors and facets each of us displays. Are you a Nervous Nelly? Your amygdala is probably calling the shots. Hyperactive Hal? It’s all about the dopamine. Each facet took root deep in the evolution of life on Earth, with Nature allowing enough personal variation to see a species through good times and bad. Just as there are introverted and extroverted people, there are introverted and extroverted mice, and even starfish. In fact, the personality genes we share with mice make them invaluable models for the study of disorders like depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety. Thus it is deep and ancient biases that guide your dealings with a very modern world. Your personality helps to determine the political party you support, the car you drive, the way you eat M&Ms, and the likelihood that you’ll cheat on your spouse. Drawing on data from top research laboratories, the lives of her eccentric friends, the conflicts that plague her own household, and even the habits of her two pet mice, Hannah Holmes summarizes the factors that shape you. And what she proves is that it does take all kinds. Even the most irksome and trying personality you’ve ever encountered contributes to the diversity of our species. And diversity is the key to our survival.
“One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that he had been changed into an adorable kitten.” Thus begins The Meowmorphosis—a bold, startling, and fuzzy-wuzzy new edition of Kafka’s classic nightmare tale, from the publishers of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies! Meet Gregor Samsa, a humble young man who works as a fabric salesman to support his parents and sister. His life goes strangely awry when he wakes up late for work and discovers that, inexplicably, he is now a man-sized baby kitten. His family freaks out: Yes, their son is OMG so cute, but what good is cute when there are bills to pay? And how can Gregor be so selfish as to devote all his attention to a scrap of ribbon? As his new feline identity threatens to eat away at his personality, Gregor desperately tries to survive this bizarre, bewhiskered ordeal by accomplishing the one thing he never could as a man: He must flee his parents’ house.
The secrets of the past are treacherous…and irresistible. A Renaissance-era female artist and an American scholar. Linked by a centuries-old mystery… 2016: Scholar Zari seizes the chance to return to Europe as a consultant for an art dealer. Overwhelmed by her job, she has little time to hunt for clues about Mira. But when art experts embrace a theory that Mira's paintings are the work of a famous man, Zari must act. Racing against time, she travels to a windswept corner of Spain. What she discovers there solves the puzzle of Mira forever—and unlocks the secrets of Zari's own past. 1505: Pregnant and reunited with the love of her life, artist Mira survives a harrowing journey to the city of her dreams. But Bayonne is nothing like she imagined. Navigating a dangerous world ruled by merchants and bishops, she struggles to reignite her painting career. When an old enemy rises from the shadows, Mira's life is thrown into chaos all over again—and she is faced with a shattering decision. A thrilling tale of obsession, mystery, and intrigue, this mesmerizing saga will stay with you long after you read the last page. "Luxuriantly detailed...addictive to the extreme." — The Coffee Pot Book Club "I thoroughly enjoyed A Place in the World. The plot keeps the reader turning pages anxious to learn what happens next. The settings are beautifully drawn. I highly recommend all three books in the series for art and history lovers and anyone who wants a well-written, thoughtfully-crafted book." — Deborah Swift, author of The Poison Keeper "In this last book, Maroney brings Mira and Zari's adventure to a satisfying close. Like the first two books, A Girl from Oto and Mira's Way, A Place in the World is fast-paced and the writing seems effortless. Maroney's Miramonde series is storytelling at its best." — Rose City Reader Reviews KEYWORDS Art mystery, historical thriller, European history, French history, Spanish history, Pyrenees, female sleuth, romantic suspense
Soon to be a major motion picture. This ENHANCED DIGITAL EDITION features TONS of TOTALLY AWESOME ’80s bonus materials—including Satanic Panic educational pamphlets, a do-it-yourself exorcism cheat sheet, a Spotify playlist of awesome ’80s tunes, animated cover artwork, and much more! From the New York Times best-selling author of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, this unholy hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist blends teen angst and unspeakable horrors into a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller. The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act…different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries—and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?
This novel is a delicious mixture of fantasy, fiction, and humour. The stories take place in the everyday settings, but, delightfully, fantasy creeps in, tempered with judicious humour. The hero has got a hundred names. “Jestus, for to-day. It could be anything to-morrow.” (Yeah, you read it correctly.) He appears to be insane, but he drives you crazy by his words – fuzzy logic. But then, his concomitant actions make you dizzy. The combination is called “fuzzy-dizzy logic”, which can make the impossible possible, and the possible impossible. How do you make a billion in five weeks straight? No sweat; read the very first chapter. How do you deal with robber-cum-rapists? Follow Jestus, watch him in action. And you can gain an extra day in a week, in the process. How to deal with noisy neighbours? Take a gift of four plastic swastikas from him; the problem auto-solves. Ever seen a psychiatrist being treated by his patient?! It is fun, it is thrilling. It is poignant too. (Only, if Jestus is the patient, of course.) How can the eternal rectangle (yes, rectangle, not triangle, wherein heroes and heroines are chasing each other’s tails in a merry-go-round) can be realigned? All these secrets are laid bare in fun-crammed, thrilling, fuzzy-dizzy pages.
John Hayes is a Special Operations legend who went rogue on a deep-cover mission and betrayed his own soldiers. Disgraced and on the run, he returns to the United States to get back to his wife and daughter and take revenge on his accusers with a series of devastating attacks. Only one man can stop him: Thomas Byrne. He once fought alongside Hayes as a combat medic, but he gave up the gun. Now a surgeon, he moves from town to town, trying to forget his past, until he is called upon by a high-ranking government official to help capture the man he once called a friend. Hayes and Byrne were once as close as brothers, but with the fate of the nation hanging in the balance and nothing as it seems, both men must decide whom to trust -- and whom to betray. In a final, explosive battle for justice, they face off along a rifle's cold barrel. Cold Barrel Zero brings together the blistering pace of Lee Child, the nonstop action of Brad Thor, and the richly drawn characters and moral stakes of Daniel Silva. An experienced reporter armed with deep behind-the-scenes research into America's Special Operations Forces, Quirk takes the military thriller to a new level of suspense.
In Ultimate Campsites: Australia, Penny Watson maps out 75 of the country's most wild and wondrous nature-based campgrounds, from the turquoise and white sandy beaches of Queensland and pristine national parks of New South Wales, to the wineries of South Australia and the wilderness areas of Tasmania. Ever pitched a tent within a stone's throw of a picturesque waterfall? Ever woken up in a sleeping bag to the gentle sound of waves? Ever seen the sun go down in the desert or fallen asleep in an ancient rainforest? Well, now's the time to tick off these experiences on your camping bucketlist! Each state-by-state chapter in Ultimate Campsites: Australia contains detailed maps and the what-when-why-where information about each campground, alongside tips and anecdotes about the surrounding regions. You'll find special sections dedicated to remote-island campgrounds, as well as sites with great walks and places close by to Indigenous cultural experiences. There are also quick and easy lists for camping with pets, free camping, 4WD access and commercial campgrounds, and handy camping trail itineraries for when you want to tick off two or three campgrounds in one trip. This book is an essential tool for the glovebox, be it in a 2WD or a motorhome. It's also the kind of book that will get plenty of wear and tear on the coffee table while you're planning that next big adventure in Australia's great outdoors.