In Unspoiled Endings, Christopher T. Holmes seeks to address two general but ultimately inadequate approaches to the book of Revelation. On the one hand, some obsess about decoding its symbolic language and providing a proper timetable for understanding the end times. On the other hand, many simply disregard or neglect Revelation altogether because of its strange or unsettling contents. Unspoiled Endings offers a historical, literary, and theological reading that offers an alternative to both tendencies and explains how and why Revelation relates to the life of faith. It serves as a corrective to those whose understanding of Revelation has been shaped more by the Left Behind series than by the book itself, and as an invitation to those who otherwise would never think to read or study the book. Each chapter presents a feature or characteristic of Revelation that contemporary readers can "reclaim" to make Revelation a more relevant and invigorating resource for contemporary Christians.

Problem Plays' has been an awkward category for those Shakespeare plays that don't fit the conventional groupings. Expanding from the traditional three plays to six, the book argues that they share dramatic structures designed intentionally by Shakespeare to disturb his audience by frustrating their expectations.

Four fairy tales. One broken spell. And a secret that threatens everyone. After his farm fails and his cow goes dry, Jack is certain the Happy Ending will intervene. He isn't prepared for how lost he feels when it doesn't. Heartbroken, he determines to save his family himself. Hepsibah resents being cast by the Happy Ending as the villain in the cursed princess story. Ignoring tradition, the aged fairy tries to give a true gift to the babe rather than a curse. She doesn't know that nothing she does will turn out as expected. Ella dreams of one night of happiness, away from the harsh reality of her life. She's crushed when the evening doesn't go as planned. After the ball ends, Ella's dreary existence becomes even more difficult for her to bear. Adalia can't decide what she wants lately. She worries about her family and the threat to her kingdom. She hates not knowing whether the midnight dances are the answer to her problem or the cause of it. Hepsibah is terrified her magic is out of control. Jack races to warn about a secret that has been hidden for millennia. Ella flees, hoping it's not too late to escape. And Adalia fights against the spell that holds her hostage. All of them are about to discover just how dangerous their world can be.

A suspenseful tragedy laced with romance, Never Ending will take you from the past—a steamy vacation in Greece that’s cut short by the unfathomable—to the present—a lake-side clinic stay—to the truth in between. “What do you deserve, Siobhan?” “I don’t deserve to forget he’s dead. Even for a moment.” “I asked what you do deserve, not what you don’t.” “I deserve not to be forgiven." Shiv's brother Declan, her best friend, is dead. It's been all over the news. Consumed by grief and guilt, she agrees to become an inpatient at the Korsakoff Clinic. There she meets Mikey. Caron. The others. They share a similar torment. And there, subjected to the clinic's unconventional therapy, they must face what they can't bear to see. Shiv is flooded with flashbacks, nightmares, haunting visions of Declan on their last, fateful family vacation in Greece. And with memories of Nikos, the beautiful young man on the tour boat. It started there, with him, beside the glittering sea . . . the beginning of the end. “The characters and the scenery are rendered with such photographic precision that readers will feel as though they’re watching a film.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred “Bedford skillfully pushes and pulls at the reader’s emotions while carefully revealing the details of the backstory and the aftermath until the two converge.” —Booklist, Starred “Part-mystery, part-romance, and part-disturbing portrait of how fragile the human psyche can be, this novel is provocative and not for the faint of heart.” —SLJ From the Hardcover edition.

Letter to the World: Sharon Speaks told family, friends, and church community the childhood sexual abuse of a Catholic priest and her brothers. Now she is telling the world. She journaled the healing, betrayal, loss, the empowerment, the devastation, and the finding of her voice as it was safe. This partial autobiography is a gift of tools and ideas for supporting a survivor. Writing comes, and then poems and songs, as she moves from wanting someone to understand to understanding. We gain a different perspective of why violence, abuse, or assault happens and whether criminal and civil court proceedings help or hinder. Remembering the abuse as an adult, and having it confirmed by offenders, isnt often out there for public discussion. Sharon sees the book assisting families, communities, government law makers, as well as historians. It has a ten year (19922002) perspective of societys ways of dealing with sexual abuse. Whether it be educational curriculum for advisors in law, gender studies, medicine, counseling, social sciences, church and church leaders, family relationships, justice/offenders rehabilitation, domestic violence, cultural studies, residential school survivors, current affairs media, reporters in sports and recreation, schools and universities, seniors, or teenagers, this is relevant. Society no longer sweeps abuse under the rug when its daily front page news. The book relates to those on a spiritual journey as well as adult survivors of child sexual abuse. It speaks to those seeking self-help or inspiration to support a family members healing. Its here for parents of someone raped or assaulted, or for anyone who has ever felt alone, a loss, or betrayal; it is for anyone who felt different, expendable, who wants to be understood, who feels battered and bruised, used and abused. Sharon sees this as a letter to the world assisting us, communities and church leaders, to create new ways of being there for children. This is a book where healing happens, joy replaces despair, and there is hope for our worlda reason to go on!

The most comprehensive―and only author-authorized―Wendell Berry reader, "America's greatest philosopher on sustainable life and living" (Chicago Tribune). In a time when our relationship to the natural world is ruled by the violence and greed of unbridled consumerism, Wendell Berry speaks out in these prescient essays, drawn from his fifty-year campaign on behalf of American lands and communities. The writings gathered in The World-Ending Fire are the unique product of a life spent farming the fields of rural Kentucky with mules and horses, and of the rich, intimate knowledge of the land cultivated by this work. These are essays written in defiance of the false call to progress and in defense of local landscapes, essays that celebrate our cultural heritage, our history, and our home. With grace and conviction, Wendell Berry shows that we simply cannot afford to succumb to the mass-produced madness that drives our global economy―the natural world will not allow it. Yet he also shares with us a vision of consolation and of hope. We may be locked in an uneven struggle, but we can and must begin to treat our land, our neighbors, and ourselves with respect and care. As Berry urges, we must abandon arrogance and stand in awe.

Finding true love and your soulmate shouldn't be that difficult of a task. How many failed lifetimes does it take to get it right. Zayna may have finally found her man but the only problem is that he is marrying someone else.

I grew up in the Highlands of Scotland and I became a musician while still at School. Then I made my first musical instrument at the age of just 13 years, an Appalachian Dulcimer. I joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 18. I served for 9 years and worked at many of our secret establishments. Even during my military career, I continued to play in bands as well as to write music. When time would allow, I made guitars for myself, although most of these ended up in my friend’s hands. With the bands that I formed and played in; I have been fortunate enough to have recorded 32 albums. I later formed my own company making bespoke guitars (Gordon Guitars UK) The pressure of running so many ventures simultaneously eventually took its toll and a series of heart attacks followed. So, I looked for a new and more sedate way to direct my creative juices and writing thrillers fitted that bill perfectly.

In recent years, there has been an upsurge in interest in "roots music" and "world music," popular forms that fuse contemporary sounds with traditional vernacular styles. In the 1950s and 1960s, the music industry characterized similar sounds simply as "folk music." Focusing on such music since the 1950s, The Never-Ending Revival: Rounder Records and the Folk Alliance analyzes the intrinsic contradictions of a commercialized folk culture. Both Rounder Records and the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance have sought to make folk music widely available, while simultaneously respecting its defining traditions and unique community atmosphere. By tracing the histories of these organizations, Michael F. Scully examines the ongoing controversy surrounding the profitability of folk music. He explores the lively debates about the difficulty of making commercially accessible music, honoring tradition, and remaining artistically relevant, all without "selling out." In the late 1950s through the 1960s, the folk music revival pervaded the mainstream music industry, with artists such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez singing historically or politically informed ballads based on musical forms from Appalachia and the South. In the twenty-first century, the revival continues, and it includes a variety of music derived from Cajun, African American, and Mexican traditions, among many others. Even though the mainstream music industry and media largely ignore the term "folk music," a strong allure based on nostalgia, the desire for community, and a sense of exclusiveness augments an enthusiastic following connected by word-of-mouth, numerous festivals, and the Internet. There are more folk festivals now than there were during the original boom of the 1960s, suggesting that music artists, agents, and record label representatives are striking a successful balance between tradition and profitability. Scully combines rich interviews of music executives and practicing folk musicians with valuable personal experience to reveal how this American subculture remains in a "never-ending revival" based on fluid definitions of folk and folk music.