The book is a collection of literary essays and epistles which are the author's reflections on reading those classics and well-known works of Literature. A few are essays on everyday life that affect people. The characters range from kings to queens to saints rogues and all kinds of people and their travails. Should they go for books or a well-packaged commodity; should they go around the world or feel snug and nestled at home. Should they complain about Indian cinema missing out on Oscars or should they roll with tide and time!

"Rich with subplot, historical detail and beautifully descriptive writing that keeps the pages turning until the delightfully unconventional happy ending."—NPR An Indie Next/LibraryReads pick! An Apple Must Listen Audiobook for September! A lady must have money and an army of her own if she is to win a revolution—but first, she must pit her wits against the wiles of an irresistible rogue bent on wrecking her plans…and her heart. Lady Lucie is fuming. She and her band of Oxford suffragists have finally scraped together enough capital to control one of London’s major publishing houses, with one purpose: to use it in a coup against Parliament. But who could have predicted that the one person standing between her and success is her old nemesis and London’s undisputed lord of sin, Lord Ballentine? Or that he would be willing to hand over the reins for an outrageous price—a night in her bed. Lucie tempts Tristan like no other woman, burning him up with her fierceness and determination every time they clash. But as their battle of wills and words fans the flames of long-smoldering devotion, the silver-tongued seducer runs the risk of becoming caught in his own snare. As Lucie tries to out-maneuver Tristan in the boardroom and the bedchamber, she soon discovers there’s truth in what the poets say: all is fair in love and war…

Missionary Stories and the Formation of the Syriac Churches analyzes the hagiographic traditions of seven missionary saints in the Syriac heritage during late antiquity: Thomas, Addai, Mari, John of Ephesus, Simeon of Beth Arsham, Jacob Baradaeus, and Ahudemmeh. Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent studies a body of legends about the missionariesÕ voyages in the Syrian Orient to illustrate their shared symbols and motifs. Revealing how these texts encapsulated the concerns of the communities that produced them, she draws attention to the role of hagiography as a malleable genre that was well-suited for the idealized presentation of the beginnings of Christian communities. Hagiographers, through their reworking of missionary themes, asserted autonomy, orthodoxy, and apostolicity for their individual civic and monastic communities, positioning themselves in relationship to the rulers of their empires and to competing forms of Christianity. Saint-Laurent argues that missionary hagiography is an important and neglected source for understanding the development of the East and West Syriac ecclesiastical bodies: the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Church of the East. Given that many of these Syriac-speaking churches remain today in the Middle East and India, with diaspora communities in Europe and North America, this work opens the door for further study of the role of saints and stories as symbolic links between ancient and modern traditions.

The half-century since Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1952 has witnessed many changes, some for good and some for ill. Among these, she has been one of the few constants. Fifty Years the Queen recounts her amazing life as Canada and the Commonwealth celebrate the Golden Jubilee of her accession to the throne. Elizabeth II is a figure whose faultless devotion to duty flourishes in an age of individual self-gratification. endowed with high spirits and a great sense of humour, she at the same time carries out her duties with unfailing dignity and decorum. The special Golden Jubilee tribute is filled with many beautiful illustrations, including some rarely seen.

The Indian Man examines the life of James Mooney (1861?1921), the son of poor Irish immigrants who became a champion of Native peoples and one of the most influential anthropology fieldworkers of all time. As a staff member of the Smithsonian Institution for over three decades, Mooney conducted fieldwork and gathered invaluable information on rapidly changing Native American cultures across the continent. His fieldwork among the Eastern Cherokees, Cheyennes, and Kiowas provides priceless snapshots of their traditional ways of life, and his sophisticated and sympathetic analysis of the 1890 Ghost Dance and the consequent tragedy at Wounded Knee has not been surpassed a century later.

KIDNAPPED BY A ROGUE (THE DOUGLAS LEGACY Book 3) THE DOUGLAS LEGACY The Douglas sisters, beauties all, are used as pawns in their family’s bitter struggle to control the Scottish Crown. But when a Douglas lass is in danger, she’ll find she’s been left to face it alone. KIDNAPPED BY A ROGUE After her brother’s dramatic fall from power and banishment for treason, Lady Margaret’s husband threw her out to save himself. Now her ambitious brother is back in Scotland with the support of Henry VIII—and a plan to again marry off his beautiful, compliant sister to forge an alliance. But Margaret refuses to ever wed again, and she’s desperate to escape. Thanks to his roguish charm and skill with a sword, Finn Sinclair Gordon has managed to survive the treacherous waters between his parents' rival clans—until now. To prove his loyalty, Finn must accept the unsavory task of taking the Douglas chieftain’s sister hostage. Oddly, the lass doesn’t offer much resistance. Though Margaret knows better than to trust the devilishly handsome Highland warrior who unwittingly provides her escape, she struggles to fight the unexpected passion that ignites between them. Finn, who likes women for a laugh and a night of pleasure, is blindsided by his fierce desire for this steady lass with a kind heart. They’ll risk their lives to save each other and prevent a bloody clan war—but will they risk their wounded hearts for love?

In the late Middle Ages and early modern times, card playing was widely enjoyed at all levels of society. The playing cards in this engaging volume are unique works of art that illuminate the transition from late medieval to early modern Europe, a period of tumultuous social, artistic, economic, and religious change. Included are the most important luxury decks of hand-painted European playing cards that have survived, as well as a selection of hand-colored woodblock cards, engraved cards, and tarot packs. The casts of characters they illustrate range from royals to commoners. Many feature animals such as falcons and hounds, while other portray such diverse objects as acorns, helmets, or coins. This is the only study of its kind in English and the only one in a generation in any language. The insightful narrative by Timothy B. Husband discusses the significance of playing cards in the secular art of the period and also recounts the varied stories they tell, conjuring the customs and facts of life of the time. Little is known abut the games played with these cards, but as Husband notes: "The playing out of a hand of cards can be seen as a microcosmic reflection of the ever-changing world around us—a world in play—a view that the creators of the cards under discussion here would seem to have shared.