We navigate our interactions with strangers according to a host of unwritten rules, rituals and (sometimes awkward) attempts at politeness. But what if the people we meet were not a problem, but a gift? When philosopher and traveller Will Buckingham's partner died, he sought solace in throwing open the door to new people. Now, as we reflect on our experiences of the pandemic and its enforced separations, and as global migration figures ever more prominently in our collective future, Buckingham brings together insights from philosophy, anthropology, history and literature to explore how our traditions of meeting the other can mitigate the issues of our time. Taking in stories of loneliness, exile and friendship from classical times to the modern day, and alighting in adapting communities from Birmingham to Myanmar, Hello, Stranger asks: how do we set aside our instinctive xenophobia - fear of outsiders - and embrace our equally natural philoxenia - love of strangers and newness?

The glorious novel from the beloved author whose bright, hopelessly romantic New York Times bestsellers have been called “My perfect 10 of a book” (Emily Henry) and cheered for their “speedy pacing and sexual tension for miles” (People). Love may be blind. But what if . . . what you see isn't what you get? It’s all starting to come together for struggling artist Sadie Montgomery. She was just named a finalist in the national portrait competition of her dreams. But when she winds up with a rare, but real, condition where human faces look like jumbled puzzle pieces . . . it is, to say the least, not good. With only a few weeks to paint the best portrait of her entire life, Sadie will do anything to reverse her condition and get back to work, but it’s anyone’s guess when (or even if) that'll happen. Enter her dog’s charming veterinarian (who may or may not be Sadie’s daydream fiancé), and her bowling-jacket-wearing, Vespa-riding neighbor (who she can’t seem to stay away from)—both vying for her attention and adding to the chaos. It’s a lot, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Because the truth is, seeing the world differently has its upsides. And love has an undeniable way of giving us courage. And the best way of looking is always, always with the heart. "With its emphasis on its central character, combined with its “swoony” romance, “Hello Stranger” is a hit. Sadie is everything you could want in a protagonist — the right amount of quirky, sunshiney and stubborn, and the men she’s in love with are equally fascinating. All the side characters provide humor and comfort, and even those characters who you aren’t really supposed to like are annoyingly intriguing and captivating. Center created a brilliant cast of characters, set to a plot that’s sure to keep you reading." --Michigan Daily

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas delivers a scintillating tale of an unconventional beauty who finds passion with the spy who can't resist her - perfect for fans of Sarah MacLean, Julia Quinn and Eloisa James. 'Lisa Kleypas is the best' Sarah MacLean A woman who defies her time . . . Dr. Garrett Gibson, the only female physician in England, is as daring and independent as any man - why not take her pleasures like one? Yet she has never been tempted to embark on an affair, until now. Ethan Ransom, a former detective for Scotland Yard, is as gallant as he is secretive, a rumoured assassin whose true loyalties are a mystery. For one exhilarating night, they give in to their potent attraction before becoming strangers again. A man who breaks every rule . . . As a Ravenel by-blow spurned by his father, Ethan has little interest in polite society, yet he is captivated by the bold and beautiful Garrett. Despite their vow to resist each other after that sublime night, she is soon drawn into his most dangerous assignment yet. When the mission goes wrong, it will take all of Garrett's skill and courage to save him. As they face the menace of a treacherous government plot, Ethan is willing to take any risk for the love of the most extraordinary woman he's ever known. 'Kleypas can make you laugh and cry - on the same page' Julia Quinn The Ravenels: Cold-Hearted Rake Marrying Winterborne Devil in Spring Hello Stranger Devil's Daughter Chasing Cassandra Praise for Lisa Kleypas: 'Intricately and elegantly crafted, intensely romantic . . . from a not-to-be-missed romance author' Kirkus Reviews 'Witty, often hilarious, and delightfully passionate, this compelling, thrill-laced Victorian romance is another superb series entry' Library Journal, starred review 'Readers are introduced to the unforgettable characters and their original personalities through a delightful storyline peppered with sharp repartee and steamy sensuality' RT Book Reviews (top pick) 'Is it possible to give a book 6 stars? . . . [This] story has all of the forbidden romance, witty banter, and sigh-inducing declarations of love that you deserve' That's Normal

An uplifting and big-hearted love story, perfect for fans of One Day and You Are Here by David Nicholls 'TOTALLY UNPUTDOWNABLE' 5* Reader review 'HAVE YOUR TISSUES READY' 5* Reader review 'THE ENDING WAS PERFECT' 5* Reader review 'Clever, poignant, and satisfying' Sunday Times bestseller Katie Fforde 'An eminently real and relatable love story . . . Lucy and Jamie had me at Hello' Julietta Henderson, author of The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman 'Heartbreakingly tender & poignant. It kept me guessing & hoping until the last page' Sophie Claire, author of A Winter's Dream _______ ONE YEAR AGO The moment they meet, Lucy and Jamie know they’ve found someone special. Opposites attract – so their chemistry is instant. And by the time a blind date breakfast has become late-night shots in a bar, they’re both certain: this is forever. TODAY Until now, they’ve loved the things that make them different. Lucy’s wildness brings out Jamie’s protective side; his love for home helps her feel grounded. They never expected to agree on everything. But when something happens that rips Lucy and Jamie down the middle, the question is: will they come back stronger? Or is this happy ever after not forever after all . . . ? _______ ‘Clever, poignant, and satisfying’ Katie Fforde ‘Poignant, profound. Heartbreaking and heart-warming’ Woman ‘Heart-warming, lovely and thought-provoking’ Hello! ‘A heartbreaking and heartwarming read’ Woman’s Weekly 'Perfectly captures the pleasure, pain and poignancy of being human' Julietta Henderson Praise for Rachel Marks: 'A total delight. Beautifully observed, painfully funny and profoundly moving, it's a wise and wonderful story of hope and love. I adored it!' Miranda Dickinson, Sunday Times bestselling author 'A delightful, heart-warming read. The characters feel so real... I'm sure I must know them somehow!' Sophie Cousens, author of the New York Times bestseller This Time Next Year 'Rachel Marks packs a novel with all the emotions - hope, fear, love, despair and - ultimately - joy' Clare Pooley, bestselling author of The Authenticity Project 'Unpredictable and satisfying' Heidi Swain, Sunday Times bestselling author 'As tender and emotional as it is funny, it made me laugh out loud A LOT, and it made me sob' Cressida McLaughlin 'Heartbreaking, heartwarming, perfect!' Rosie Goodwin, Sunday Times bestselling author

"A collection of outstanding folk blues lyrics composed and sung by black Americans and sold on commercial records in American black communities during the dozen or so year following World War II."--Preface.

Warner Bros. Publications' new Ultimate Guitar Collection series is an incredible value and a tremendous resource. Each book contains more than 40 complete note-for-note guitar transcriptions -- approximately 200 pages in each book! Fifty-four classic soul hits including: Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now * Break Up to Make Up * Chain of Fools * Freddie's Dead (Theme from Superfly) * (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher & Higher * Hot Fun in the Summertime * If You Don't Know Me by Now * In the Midnight Hour * Lady Love * Love Train * Me and Mrs. Jones * The Midnight Train to Georgia * Papa's Got a Brand New Bag * People Get Ready * When a Man Loves a Woman and many, many more.

This is the first book to apply the concept of ‘contents tourism’ in a global context and to establish an international and interdisciplinary framework for contents tourism research. The term ‘contents tourism’ gained official recognition in Japan when it was defined by the Japanese government in 2005, and it has been characterised as ‘travel behaviour motivated fully or partially by narratives, characters, locations, and other creative elements of popular culture forms including film, television dramas, manga, anime, novels and computer games’. The book builds on previous research from Japan and explores three main themes of contents tourism: ‘the Contentsization of Literary Worlds’, ‘Tourist Behaviours at “Sacred Sites” of Contents Tourism’ and ‘Contents Tourism as Pilgrimage’ and draws together these key themes to propose a set of policy implications for achieving successful and sustainable contents tourism in the 21st century.

Blending musical and social history, music historian Tony Russell looks at a vast collection of recordings from the 1920s and 1930s as a window into the world of early country music. He uncovers a wealth of forgotten stories as he focuses not only on the songs and tunes themselves but also sheds light on how they came to be recorded, the musicians who played them, and their listeners.

“Psalms of Bliss” is a journey, a walk through the lives of the author’s ancestors before him. The Author, Edwin A. Hill believes that by looking back, there is often revelation for life today. He states that “....the lives and life experiences of our ancestors have shaped much of who we are and who we can be, if we choose to understand the roads they have trodden”. He is saddened for our youth today, who have little knowledge of the beliefs held by their ancestors as role models. The book draws us to the author’s ancestors that trace back for over 100 years. Love from God offers access to a life in heaven as key to the “Bliss”, the joy shared generation to generation. Psalms of Bliss affirms the blessings waiting for all of our lives as we receive God’s gift of new life in our hearts. “New life” that many of our ancestors embraced. In stories, psalms and poems, he invites us into his heart to choose to join him in praises to God. Hill’s chapters and psalms are full of compassion, joy, faith, fears and even “Bliss” resulting from God’s blessings upon this family. Psalms of Bliss encourages us to rejoice with family and others from gracious hearts standing strong in the favor of God.

Learn to write test-driven microservices, REST APIs, and web service APIs with PHP using the Lumen micro-framework, from the now popular Laravel family. This book shows you how testing APIs can help you write bullet-proof web application services and microservices. In the Lumen Programming Guide you will learn how to use Lumen—a micro-framework by Laravel—to write bullet-proof APIs. Lumen helps you write productive, maintainable APIs using modern application design. You will learn how to write fully-tested APIs and understand essential Lumen concepts used to build a solid foundation for writing API projects. What You Will Learn Maintain your API's database structure through built-in database migrations Write tests with factory data in a test database Respond with consistent data output in JSON Deal with PHP exceptions by using JSON responses Create, read, update, and delete REST resources Represent model associations in API responses Build a solid foundation for writing tests with PHPUnit and Mockery Validate data Who This Book Is For PHP developers with no Laravel experience. Only a basic understanding of HTTP and writing PHP applications is needed to get started.