What would you do if you received an elegant invitation to a risqué costume party thrown by the most powerful men of The Blue Frosted Rose Society? What if the RSVP included going to a private website and filling out a long form, consenting to all sorts of delicious and deviant things? Would you do it? Would you consent? I did. I threw caution to the wind and embraced my inner wild woman for the first time since my youth. The things they did to me aren't for the faint of heart. Yet I loved everything I experienced at the hands of two men. Heirs to the secret society. One silent. The other... very audible. At the end of the evening, the dirty talker made me an offer. Stay and become their filthy little plaything forever. I had a week to decide and put my affairs in order. One party filled with debauchery, and decadence was bliss. But could I leave my carefully constructed but slightly dull life and do this full-time? Find out inside... If you're adventurous enough. This novella is not for the faint of heart. It contains explicit material that is not suitable for the delicate or younger reader. There will be extreme examples of primal play, a ritualistic wild hunt, voyeurism, sensory deprivation, and multiple impaling in a group setting.
Moving from the classroom to the field is often a daunting transition for social work students. In this new edition of their celebrated text, Kelly Ward and Robin Sakina Mama address student fears and concerns with a straightforward, adventure-based instruction method. Using interactive exercises to integrate cross-curricula content, Breaking Out of the Box, Fourth Edition, encourages students to gain perspective and insight as they navigate field placement and their growing careers. Previous editions of Breaking Out of the Box have been commended for their direct and honest approach to a wide array of concerns shared by social workers and students. The fourth edition returns to this mission with a new chapter on emotional intelligence written with the authors' hands-on and direct approach. The book's exercises allow students to become comfortable using vital social work tools and theories outside of the classroom. Emphasis on individual decision making within group settings fosters independent skills and confidence in addition to proficient group work and leadership skills. In Breaking Out of the Box, Ward and Mama prepare social work students for the full scope of their careers in the field in one crucial text.
Don’t miss the JOE PICKETT series—now streaming on Paramount+ Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett’s hunt for a fugitive reveals a conspiracy in this taut thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. Joe Pickett always liked Butch Roberson—a hard-working local business owner whose daughter is friends with Joe’s girls. Little does he know that when Butch says he’s heading into the mountains to scout elk, he is actually going on the run. Two EPA employees have been murdered and all signs point to Butch as the killer. Joe learns that the land Butch and his wife had bought to retire on was declared a protected wetland by the EPA, and the subsequent fines have torn the family apart. Finally, it seems, the man just cracked. It’s an awful story, but is it the whole story? The more Joe investigates, the more he begins to wonder—and he soon finds himself in the middle of a war in which he must choose sides.
Losing his temper when he hears allegations about his daughter and a group of boys at a party, Tucker Jones inadvertently assaults one of the boys and is targeted in a legal battle that threatens his home, career, and freedom.
A sports reporter investigates the training of girls as professional gymnasts and figure skaters, arguing that the pressure to succeed and to look beautiful results in mental and physical harm, from eating disorders to psychological trauma.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Once in a great while, a book comes along that changes our view of the world. This magnificent novel from the Nobel laureate and author of Never Let Me Go is “an intriguing take on how artificial intelligence might play a role in our futures ... a poignant meditation on love and loneliness” (The Associated Press). • A GOOD MORNING AMERICA Book Club Pick! Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?
When BIC, manufacturer of disposable ballpoint pens, wanted to grow, it looked for an idea beyond introducing new sizes and ink colors. Someone suggested lighters. LIGHTERS? With an idea that seemed crazy at first, that bright executive, instead of seeing BIC as a pen company—a business in the PEN “box”—figured out that there was growth to be found in the DISPOSABLE “box.” And he was right. Now there are disposable BIC lighters, razors, even phones. The company opened its door to a host of opportunities. IT INVENTED A NEW BOX. Your business can, too. And simply thinking “out of the box” is not the answer. True ingenuity needs structure, hard analysis, and bold brainstorming. It needs to start THINKING IN NEW BOXES —a revolutionary process for sustainable creativity from two strategic innovation experts from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). To make sense of the world, we all rely on assumptions, on models—on what Luc de Brabandere and Alan Iny call “boxes.” If we are unaware of our boxes, they can blind us to risks and opportunities. This innovative book challenges everything you thought you knew about business creativity by breaking creativity down into five steps: • Doubt everything. Challenge your current perspectives. • Probe the possible. Explore options around you. • Diverge. Generate many new and exciting ideas, even if they seem absurd. • Converge. Evaluate and select the ideas that will drive breakthrough results. • Reevaluate. Relentlessly. No idea is a good idea forever. And did we mention Reevaluate? Relentlessly. Creativity is paramount if you are to thrive in a time of accelerating change. Replete with practical and potent creativity tools, and featuring fascinating case studies from BIC to Ford to Trader Joe’s, Thinking in New Boxes will help you and your company overcome missed opportunities and stay ahead of the curve. This book isn’t a simpleminded checklist. This is Thinking in New Boxes. And it will be fun. (We promise.) Praise for Thinking in New Boxes “Excellent . . . While focusing on business creativity, the principles in this book apply anywhere change is needed and will be of interest to anyone seeking to reinvent herself.”—Blogcritics “Thinking in New Boxes is a five-step guide that leverages the authors’ deep understanding of human nature to enable readers to overcome their limitations and both imagine and create their own futures. This book is a must-read for people living and working in today’s competitive environment.”—Ray O. Johnson, Ph.D., chief technology officer, Lockheed Martin “Thinking In New Boxes discusses what I believe to be one of the fundamental shifts all companies/brands need to be thinking about: how to think creatively, in order to innovate and differentiate our brands. We need to thrive and lead in a world of accelerating change and this book challenges us to even greater creativity in our thinking. One of the best business books I’ve read in a long time.”—Jennifer Fox, CEO, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts “As impressive as teaching new tricks to old dogs, Thinking in New Boxes is both inspirational and practical—a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to sharpening one’s wits in order to harness creativity in the workplace.”—Peter Gelb, general manager, Metropolitan Opera
In the vein of The Glass Castle, Breaking Night is the stunning memoir of a young woman who at age fifteen was living on the streets, and who eventually made it into Harvard. Liz Murray was born to loving but drug-addicted parents in the Bronx. In school she was taunted for her dirty clothing and lice-infested hair, eventually skipping so many classes that she was put into a girls' home. At age fifteen, Liz found herself on the streets. She learned to scrape by, foraging for food and riding subways all night to have a warm place to sleep. When Liz's mother died of AIDS, she decided to take control of her own destiny and go back to high school, often completing her assignments in the hallways and subway stations where she slept. Liz squeezed four years of high school into two, while homeless; won a New York Times scholarship; and made it into the Ivy League. Breaking Night is an unforgettable and beautifully written story of one young woman's indomitable spirit to survive and prevail, against all odds.
