Desi Dreams focuses on the construction of self and identity by Indian immigrant professional and semi-professional women who live and work in the US. The focus in this anthropological fieldwork is on Indian immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area. They have often been defined as a model minority. Indian immigrant women who have achieved entry into the current technology based economy in the Silicon Valley value the capital-accumulation, status-transformation, socio-economic autonomy, and renegotiation of familial gender relations that are made possible by their employment. However, this quintessential American success story conceals the psychic costs of uneasy Americanization, long drawn out gender battles, and incessant cross-cultural journeys of selves and identities. The outcome is a diasporic identity through the recomposition of Indian culture in the diaspora and strengthening of transnational ties to India.

With the help of some Scandinavian aquavit, a restless businesswoman finds a bucket-list worthy voyage, but continual setbacks and bad omens try to stop her! After a traumatic night, American businesswoman Kat Jensen de-stresses with shots of Scandinavian aquavit known as ‘water of life’ liquor. With her audit consulting business closing and nothing keeping her at home in New York City, Kat has a few months before starting another job search. She decides to do something special - a cruise onboard an old clipper sailing ship pictured on an aquavit bottle. Despite finding a fantastic voyage and itinerary, Kat is forced to resolve continual issues while juggling dates with three men. After arriving in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the ship’s scheduled departure, scary omens, shocking confessions, and worries threaten all her plans. AQUAVIT features a resilient businesswoman determined to go on an unforgettable adventure on her dream ship. This novel is the first book in a series and isn’t over yet! What readers are saying: ~ Intoxicating ~ Best book I've read in years ~ Adventuresome and fun ~ Lots of twists and turns ~ Imaginative, held my interest, easy read ~ The only disappointment was that the book ended ~ "This book is extremely well written. The character development is excellent, dialogue is believable, and descriptions of settings are thorough and quite vivid. The plot is intriguing, and the pace is satisfying in that the reader wants to keep turning the pages. The author makes the reader care about the characters, which is no easy feat." Independent Judge, 4 Star Review, 5th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published eBook Award Competition "Aquavit is a novel that will touch the hearts of anyone who reads it. Kat is a woman who misses the comfort zone she had with her husband. She has an urge to break out of her standard routine and try something new. The character development and scenes are impressive and well planned. Karen Stensgaard shows her writing strength in all areas of this beautiful, exciting story and the excerpt from Blueness, Book Two. The Aquamarine Sea Series is filled with romance, adventure, and a bit of danger to hold your interest." 5 Star Review, Michelle Stanley, Readers' Favorite "After completely hooking us on Kat's battles with her suitors and hints of complications once Kat is on her voyage, author Karen Stensgaard leaves readers dying to know what happens with Kat, the clipper trip, and the men she leaves behind. The author gives us a taste of what's to come in the second book, Blueness, at the end of Aquavit. This sequel is already available on Amazon. But you know what I have to do before I get into that one? I've got to buy some Aquavit! There must be something in that drink besides the photo of the clipper ship on the label that got Kat so excited about sailing on an old 1860s boat! Such a refreshing change to read a unique book like this! Delightful." 5 Star Review, Viga Boland, Readers' Favorite "An interesting story that explores travel and one woman's struggle with her choices, especially when it comes to where she wants to be and whom she wants to be with. The story is told in the protagonist's own words, in a first-person narrative voice that pulls the reader in right from the start. The author explores the internal fears and preoccupations of the protagonist brilliantly and allows readers to feel the vagaries of her heart and inner world. Aquavit has an international setting that is clearly depicted in the beautiful descriptions. I enjoyed the well-crafted dialogues, the richly developed characters, and the realism that permeates the narrative." 5 Star Review, Romuald Dzemo, Readers' Favorite "Kat has been widowed for about a year now. She's just closed down her internal audit business and isn't quite ready to move into a new field. She gets the idea from a picture on a bottle of Aquavit to take a cruise on a vintage clipper ship. In the process, she seems to be attracting men that she's not sure are right for her. The pace was good. Kat is one of those characters that things just keep happening around and who doesn't sit still for long. She moved on from one thing to another and didn't let the dust settle. The tension was amazing. I remember when I got to the last page, I let out my breath, not realizing I'd been holding it. I had to let the tension go! I'm intrigued with this clipper ship business. They have asked all sorts of questions. They have made all sorts of rules about what she can and cannot take. The three men in Kat's life were great. I thought they were a really nice assortment. Greg and his snap changes of personality. Charlie and his possible ulterior motives, and Matteo and his possible outside interests. They were all nice enough to be possibilities, but then they all had their faults as well. The author's profile says she has more books with Kat's adventures underway, so let's hope we don't have to wait too long for the next installment." Highlights from Blue Cat Book Blogger Review

"The book ethnographically captures Filipina/o Americans' participation in sporting cultures and the negotiation of identities in various sporting spaces. It covers a well-known and globally-popular boxing icon, Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao while also accounting for the everyday experiences of Filipina/o Americans in sport which include basketball leagues and a flag football tournament"--

The sleep of reason leaves you powerless against evil...

Joseph Campbell (1904-1988) was one of the most well-known and popular scholars of myth and comparative religion of the twentieth century. His work, however, has never fully received the same amount of scholarly interest and critical reflection that some of his contemporaries have received. In this book, based on extensive research in the Joseph Campbell Archive in Santa Barbara, Ritske Rensma shows that reflecting on C.G. Jung's influence on Campbell greatly furthers our understanding of these ideas, and that once this goal is achieved it becomes obvious that Campbell was a scholar whose ideas are still of significance today. Following Jung's lead, Campbell put great emphasis on the innate structures of the mind, an approach which pre-echoes the current 'evolutionary turn' in fields such as cognitive theory, psychology, psychiatry and neurobiology. This study will therefore not just be of interest to students and scholars interested in psychological approaches to the study of religion as well as Jung and Campbell, but also to those with an interest in recent developments in the above-mentioned fields

Inspired to write a short story every month of the year, Michael Ruiz imagines a wide variety of fiction filled with romance, ambiguity, and humor: a dream for the perfect job; a blind date with the ultimate test; a boyfriend who cheats on his girlfriend; the first thoughts in a kiss; a pirate captain and his wife discovering a cursed ring; a jury deliberation - in space; a final kiss that says it all; an eighteenth birthday celebration for two; a student struggling through summer school; a sibling rivalry set for a week; a restaurant bill that never lies; an Internet video meant for millions; and a hero who must defeat another villain to restore order to the Ninja. The 2013 Short Story Collection includes thirteen stories that were released that year.

Hip Hop Desis explores the aesthetics and politics of South Asian American (desi) hip hop artists. Nitasha Tamar Sharma argues that through their lives and lyrics, young “hip hop desis” express a global race consciousness that reflects both their sense of connection with Blacks as racialized minorities in the United States and their diasporic sensibility as part of a global community of South Asians. She emphasizes the role of appropriation and sampling in the ways that hip hop desis craft their identities, create art, and pursue social activism. Some desi artists produce what she calls “ethnic hip hop,” incorporating South Asian languages, instruments, and immigrant themes. Through ethnic hip hop, artists, including KB, Sammy, and Deejay Bella, express “alternative desiness,” challenging assumptions about their identities as South Asians, children of immigrants, minorities, and Americans. Hip hop desis also contest and seek to bridge perceived divisions between Blacks and South Asian Americans. By taking up themes considered irrelevant to many Asian Americans, desi performers, such as D’Lo, Chee Malabar of Himalayan Project, and Rawj of Feenom Circle, create a multiracial form of Black popular culture to fight racism and enact social change.

The DREAM Founder is an essential entrepreneurship guide for early-stage Indian start-ups. It also has interviews with some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world of start-ups, such as Sanjeev Bikhchandani of Naukri.com, Deepinder Goyal of Zomato, Meena Ganesh of Portea Medical and Dr Annurag Batra of Businessworld. It includes start-ups that have succeeded and also those who have failed, as you can learn so much from failures. Dhruv Nath shares how you can become a DREAM Founder with these simple steps: · Dream big · Right team · Execution · Attitude · Make opportunities out of crises

A New History of Asian America is a fresh and up-to-date history of Asians in the United States from the late eighteenth century to the present. Drawing on current scholarship, Shelley Lee brings forward the many strands of Asian American history, highlighting the distinctive nature of the Asian American experience while placing the narrative in the context of the major trajectories and turning points of U.S. history. Covering the history of Filipinos, Koreans, Asian Indians, and Southeast Indians as well as Chinese and Japanese, the book gives full attention to the diversity within Asian America. A robust companion website features additional resources for students, including primary documents, a timeline, links, videos, and an image gallery. From the building of the transcontinental railroad to the celebrity of Jeremy Lin, people of Asian descent have been involved in and affected by the history of America. A New History of Asian America gives twenty-first-century students a clear, comprehensive, and contemporary introduction to this vital history.

Tate I’m not going to argue that I’m a gregarious and charming werewolf with a mischievous grin for everyone I see. The proof is in the pudding. Life in Eliza Falls follows a pleasing pattern of working at the Animal Rescue center and running the business side of the company I own with my brother Seb. Life is good, if a little lonely. Living with just my brother for so long, it now feels wonderful to be expanding our small Pack with Seb’s Mate and her family, planting roots in this kooky little town we now call home. But something’s still missing. Until the day my bestie welcomes home an old friend and my Wolf falls wildly in love. Finally my life clicks into place with a joy so fierce I barely contain myself. When an unknown threat looms over my newfound happiness, I vow to do everything in my power to keep her safe, but will it be enough? Ulla Having magic that keeps me separate from my peers is just something I’ve gotten used to. The only friends I had growing up were my cousin and her best friend in the summers spent in a funny small town in the Pacific Northwest. It’s been so long since I’ve been back though, I’m not so sure where I fit anymore. My magic has increased since I left five years ago and it’s getting harder to hear my own thoughts over the whisper of the wind. Running into a Very Hot Man my first week in town isn’t something I planned. The way the beast inside him shouts his affection at me? Plot twist! But not an unwelcome one. Can my new werewolf boyfriend settle the magic inside me? Or will my gifts be the key to unlocking happiness for both of us? Earth Wolf & Fire is the second novel in the Eliza Falls series, magical small town romances with humor, high heat and guaranteed Happily Ever Afters. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic will enjoy this series!