In the old days it took a decade or more in a job to become fed up with it. That time has become significantly shorter, and the drama of frustration with one's career choice and current job is being played out in thousands of companies and cities in India. The country is experiencing an economic boom, and along with boom times comes greed, so there are bound to be countless companies that turn their employees into virtual slaves. As we can already see from the attrition rates at call centers, software firms, consultancies and similar businesses, employees are burning out. This book is intended as a fantasy journey for employees toiling themselves into oblivion, and perhaps offers them a rare pause in their busy lives to think about how simple life used to be before companies and the industrial revolution ruined it. This book follows the life of the author as he deliberately and purposefully dismantles his corporate life in the big city and heads for the hills to live a simpler life. It recounts the days and activities of his family as they set up life at a cottage at a remote hill station farm.

The best stories of the year: here is a collection of the year's best fantasy stories, by some of the genre's greatest authors, and selected by Rich Horton, a contributing reviewer to many of the field's most respected magazines. In this volume you'll find stories Peter Beagle, Paul Di Filippo, Neil Gaiman, Theodora Goss, Kelly Link, Gene Wolfe and many more! Complete contents: PIP AND THE FAIRIES, by Theodora Goss COMBER, by Gene Wolfe THREE URBAN FOLK TALES, by Eric Schaller WAX, by Elizabeth Bear THE EMPEROR OF GONDWANALAND, by Paul Di Filippo COMMCOMM, by George Saunders FIVE WAYS JANE AUSTEN NEVER DIED, by Samantha Henderson FANCY BREAD, by Gregory Feeley SUNBIRD, by Neil Gaiman THE SECRET OF BROKEN TICKERS, by Joe Murphy ON THE BLINDSIDE, by Sonya Taaffe JANE, by Marc Laidlaw IS THERE LIFE AFTER REHAB? by Pat Cadigan TWO HEARTS, Peter S. Beagle SUPER-VILLAINS, Michael Canfield EMPTY PLACES, by Richard Parks INVISIBLE, by Steve Rasnic Tem BY THE LIGHT OF TOMORROW’S SUN, by Holly Phillips THE GIST HUNTER, by Matthew Hughes

The best stories of the year: here is a collection of the fantasy prosewritten in 2005, by some of the genre's greatest authors, and selected by RichHorton, a contributing reviewer to many of the field's most respected magazines.In this volume you'll find stories Peter Beagle, Paul Di Filippo, Neil Gaiman,Theodora Goss, Kelly Link, Gene Wolfe and more.

An amazing journey through the thriving worlds of fantasy and gaming What could one man find if he embarked on a journey through fantasy world after fantasy world? In an enthralling blend of travelogue, pop culture analysis, and memoir, forty-year-old former D&D addict Ethan Gilsdorf crisscrosses America, the world, and other worlds—from Boston to New Zealand, and Planet Earth to the realm of Aggramar. “For anyone who has ever spent time within imaginary realms, the book will speak volumes. For those who have not, it will educate and enlighten.” —Wired.com “Gandalf’s got nothing on Ethan Gilsdorf, except for maybe the monster white beard. In his new book, Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks, Gilsdorf . . . offers an epic quest for reality within a realm of magic.” —Boston Globe “Imagine this: Lord of the Rings meets Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.” —National Public Radio’s “Around and About” “What does it mean to be a geek? . . . Fantasy Freaks andGaming Geeks tackles that question with strength and dexterity. . . . part personal odyssey, part medieval mid-life crisis, and part wide-ranging survey of all things freaky and geeky . . . playful . . . funny and poignant. . . . It’s a fun ride and it poses a question that goes to the very heart of fantasy, namely: What does the urge to become someone else tell us about ourselves?” —Huffington Post

The Wildside book of Fantasy presents 20 great fantasy tales by modern masters. Included are stories by Tanith Lee, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Gene Wolfe, Fritz Leiber, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Robert E. Howard, and many more. A choice selection of tales! THE DEAD MAN, by Gene Wolfe BRIGHT STREETS OF AIR, by Nina Kiriki Hoffman THE DOLPHIN AND THE DEEP, by Thomas Burnett Swann THE SWORDSMEN OF VARNIS, by Clive Jackson THE EMPEROR OF GONDWANALAND, by Paul Di Filippo SPACE-TIME FOR SPRINGERS, by Fritz Leiber RED NAILS, by Robert E. Howard ARMS AND THE WOMAN, by Lawrence Watt-Evans THE BRIDE OF THE MAN-HORSE, by Lord Dunsany THE WOMAN, by Tanith Lee DREAMTIME IN ADJAPHON, by John Gregory Betancourt THE BLACK ABBOT OF PUTHUUM, by Clark Ashton Smith BLACK HAWK OF VALKARTH, by Lin Carter THE DEVIL’S CRYPT, by E. Hoffmann Price VANDIBAR NASHA IN THE COLLEGE OF SHADOWS, by Darrell Schwetizer THE POWER OF PRAYER, by Brian Stableford THE SECRET OF KRALITZ, by Henry Kuttner LIGHT, by Achmed Abdullah THE LOST RACE, by Robert E. Howard RINGARD AND DENDRA, by Brian McNaughton

You mean this place we go to five days a week has a history? Cubed reveals the unexplored yet surprising story of the places where most of the world's work—our work—gets done. From "Bartleby the Scrivener" to The Office, from the steno pool to the open-plan cubicle farm, Cubed is a fascinating, often funny, and sometimes disturbing anatomy of the white-collar world and how it came to be the way it is—and what it might become. In the mid-nineteenth century clerks worked in small, dank spaces called “counting-houses.” These were all-male enclaves, where work was just paperwork. Most Americans considered clerks to be questionable dandies, who didn’t do “real work.” But the joke was on them: as the great historical shifts from agricultural to industrial economies took place, and then from industrial to information economies, the organization of the workplace evolved along with them—and the clerks took over. Offices became rationalized, designed for both greater efficiency in the accomplishments of clerical work and the enhancement of worker productivity. Women entered the office by the millions, and revolutionized the social world from within. Skyscrapers filled with office space came to tower over cities everywhere. Cubed opens our eyes to what is a truly "secret history" of changes so obvious and ubiquitous that we've hardly noticed them. From the wood-paneled executive suite to the advent of the cubicles where 60% of Americans now work (and 93% of them dislike it) to a not-too-distant future where we might work anywhere at any time (and perhaps all the time), Cubed excavates from popular books, movies, comic strips (Dilbert!), and a vast amount of management literature and business history, the reasons why our workplaces are the way they are—and how they might be better.

2015 Best Science Fiction and alien anthology, Publisher's Weekly Science Fiction Best Seller The future is here...the future is now! Orson Scott Card, Kevin J. Anderson and Larry Niven have seen the future. Now, you can, too. A constellation of the brightest lights in the Science Fiction and Fantasy firmament have judged these authors to be the best, the brightest, the truest emerging stars in the field. From Alien Invasion to Alternate History, from Cyberpunk to Comic Fantasy to Post-Apocalyptic Worlds, these are the winning writers who have mastered every version and vision of sci-fi and fantasy. Don’t be left behind. Get a read on what’s next. “The Writers of the Future contest looks for people with the best imaginations who can see through the possibilities of the strangest and best ideas and tell stories that intrigue us and involve us.” —Orson Scott Card

The first practical, hands-on guide for female farmers Women in agriculture are sprouting up in record numbers, but they face a host of distinct challenges and opportunities. Blending What Color is Your Parachute -style career advice with sustainable agriculture practices viewed through a gender lens, Soil Sisters provides a wealth of invaluable information for fledging female farming entrepreneurs. The first manual of its kind, this authoritative and comprehensive blueprint presents practical considerations from a woman's perspective, covering everything from business planning to tool use and ergonomics to integrating children and family in farm operations. Key topics include: Finding your niche: mid-life encore careers, young & beginning, boomerangs and more From concept to crop: diversified farm start-up basics Resources, grants & loans for women farmers. Soil Sisters also contains case studies, inspirational ideas and savvy advice nuggets from over 100 successful women farmers and advocates. Targeted specifically to members of the fastest-growing demographic in local agriculture, this highly readable guide is practical and pragmatic "Chick Lit" for today's food scene.

Enjoy this spell-binding series by USA Today Bestselling author Sarah Biglow.... She's done with the past. Too bad it still has lessons to teach. Kayla Rogers never intended to be a hero. But galvanized by sacrifices made by her friends, she can’t help but step up to the plate. Joining the FBI was the easy part. She never expected to face down her own past, let alone the magically entangled pasts of her closest allies. From magically-inclined bank robbers, to cold cases and bombs, Kayla and her team have their work cut out for them. With the help of friends old and new, Kayla must untangle the mysteries laid out before her to save her city and find her place within it. Will she live up to the legacy others have left behind? AGENTS OF MAGIC: THE COMPLETE SERIES contains all three books in the Agents of Magic Urban Fantasy series. This series is full of strong female leads, exciting magic and mystery. Great for readers who enjoy supernatural law enforcement, magical mystery and strong female leads. If you’re a fan of N.E. Conneely, Kim Richardson, K.N. Banet, BR Kingsolver, McKenzie Hunter, Deborah Wilde, K.F. Breene, Melisa F. Olson, Lisa Edmonds, Linsey Hall and K.M. Shea, you’ll love this enchanting supernatural world. ??? Here's what urban fantasy fans are saying about Agents of Magic. ????? “Mystery, magic and full of the supernatural, this urban fantasy has my attention and I cannot wait to read more!” – deboraheyre (Bookbub review) ????? “The characters were great, and I quite enjoyed this.” – PenKay (Bookbub review) ????? “This is a fast-paced tale that mixes elements of UF and police procedural, that keeps the reader invested into the plot from cover to cover” = katheyer (Bookbub review)

Anthropologists travel back in time and across the globe to understand human culture?but, surprise, there is culture right here in the United States. This second edition of the best-selling textbook and anthology, Reflecting on America, again focuses on how we can recognize the common cultural thread running through diverse American phenomena?from heroin addiction and Big Business?s efforts to shape the identities of children, to Civil War reenactments and the popularity of burlesque in the Midwest. In addition, this second edition includes chapters written especially for this volume on striptease, Burning Man, The Big Bang Theory TV show, and Groundhog Phil. Written throughout with verve and quirky humor, and offering ?Questions for discussion? after every article, this book is perfect for undergraduate classes in anthropology and American studies. Drawing together twenty-two scholars with expertise in anthropological ideas about culture, Reflecting on America examines what it means to be American.