Nothing Like an Ocean
Nothing Like an Ocean

Author: Jim Tomlinson

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky

Published: 2009-03-06

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 081313921X

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Jim Tomlinson's previous book of short stories, Things Kept, Things Left Behind, won the prestigious Iowa Short Fiction Award and received enthusiastic reviews. The New York Times compared the strong sense of place in Tomlinson's writing to that found in the works of Flannery O'Connor and Alice Munro. The stories in his new collection, Nothing Like An Ocean, also reflect Tomlinson's awareness of place, revisiting the fictional town of Spivey, a community in rural Appalachia where the characters confront difficult circumstances and, with quiet dignity, try to do what is right. In the title story, Tomlinson explores themes of forgiveness and acceptance in the lives of two characters, Alton Wood, a high school math teacher isolated by grief, and his sister Fran, who is emotionally paralyzed by her part in a tragic death. The two take halting steps back into the world after Alton receives an anonymous invitation to a church singles dance. These themes also underlie "Angel, His Rabbit, and Kyle McKell," which tells of Dempsie's evening with two men -- her volatile boyfriend and the recently returned Iraq War amputee whose secret she has been keeping. Loss and the inevitability of change recur in Tomlinson's stories. In "Overburden," Ben, a man simultaneously contemplating AARP membership and impending fatherhood, travels with his wife, Sarah, back to eastern Kentucky to visit the oak tree that was essential to their courtship, only to find the site as barren and featureless as the moon, a casualty of mountaintop removal mining. "So Exotic" draws us into the worn environs of Rita's Huddle In Café, where the owner becomes the confidant of Quilla, a mousy bank teller who blossoms as the muse of an eccentric artist from Belarus. The eleven stories in Nothing Like An Ocean evoke a strong sense of small-town Kentucky life, finding humor in the residents' foibles while never diminishing their inner lives. Tomlinson's masterful fiction captures light and dark moments, moments that are foreign yet deeply familiar, as his characters seek redemption and sometimes find unexpected grace..

Outwitting the Devil
Outwitting the Devil

Author: Napoleon Hill

Publisher: Sharon Lechter

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 30

ISBN-13:

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Originally written in 1938 but never published due to its controversial nature, an insightful guide reveals the seven principles of good that will allow anyone to triumph over the obstacles that must be faced in reaching personal goals.

Fall of Sin
Fall of Sin

Author: Julius Athens

Publisher: Julius Athens

Published: 2022-03-13

Total Pages: 514

ISBN-13: 1961089009

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A LIE TOLD OFTEN BECOMES THE TRUTH In the ruined country of Magnesa, there walks the super soldier Mortem Ex. “Without death,” that’s what his name means––because he’s lived for centuries. Despised for his skin, vilified because of his creator, yet he commands humans in a war against a shared foe. That foe? Sin the Tyrant. Mortem Ex’s creator. Upon all the world, Sin inflicted a ruthless oppression. Freedom was extinct until, for all humankind, the oppressed rebelled, igniting a war that two centuries later sputters on. It’s strange, though. For all his evil, just one image of Sin is known: a savage old man with seven fingers on a single hand. It begs the question, who is Sin? Mortem Ex knows. It is a damning bit of knowledge. So damning that nobody would believe it! Because it would violate everything humanity knows about their foe. Down to the reason they fight him. To an unlucky few will the truth be exposed. Mortem Ex will lead these soldiers to Sin––and to a land they’ve never been, never knew existed. There they will discover who Sin really is. And their lives will never be the same. Fall of Sin is the series opener in the God's Crusade Timeline: a multi-book journey underscored by strong characters, timeless human themes and compelling mystery set against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic world. For fans of authors like Frank Herbert, N.K. Jemisin, Dan Simmons and Brandon Sanderson. Begin your journey in the God's Crusade Timeline today and uncover its damning lie! Note: This is a gritty series. Thus, contains adult language and situations that some readers might find offensive and or disturbing. Series also contains occasional violence, against both human and animal.

Zhuang Zi
Zhuang Zi

Author: Derek Lee

Publisher: Derek Lee

Published: 2015-01-01

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13:

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Zhuang Zi is not unknown in the West, but his work is not appreciated nor understood as well as it deserves to be. Perhaps that is not surprising given that his work originates from the Warring States period of ancient China (475–221 bce). Of course, his ideas are sometimes quite abstruse and not as accessible as those of Plato; nor are they suited to the Western preference for linear methods of exposition. But Zhuang Zi does reveal a remarkably sophisticated philosophical outlook; a gentle, if sometimes, provocative humour; and, incidentally, displays and affirms our common humanity despite the passage of over two thousand years. Zhuang Zi writes mainly using allegory and example. The Western preference is for complex clarity; even if, it would appear, that assumed clarity is deceptive. This new translation was undertaken because it was felt that earlier translations were not very sympathetic to Zhuang Zi’s Daoism and his latent anarchism; and they tended to smother the former in theistic concepts whilst obscuring the latter as much as they could. It is felt that this new translation brings a greater clarity to a significant number of passages. Despite any failings in this translation and interpretation, it is hoped that it will serve to introduce new readers to that remarkable Chinese classic and perhaps stimulate those already familiar with it to re-appraise certain aspects of it.