The Star-Crossed Stone

The Star-Crossed Stone

Author: Ken McNamara

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2010-11-15

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 0226514714

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Throughout the four hundred thousand years that humanity has been collecting fossils, sea urchin fossils, or echinoids, have continually been among the most prized, from the Paleolithic era, when they decorated flint axes, to today, when paleobiologists study them for clues to the earth’s history. In The Star-Crossed Stone, Kenneth J. McNamara, an expert on fossil echinoids, takes readers on an incredible fossil hunt, with stops in history, paleontology, folklore, mythology, art, religion, and much more. Beginning with prehistoric times, when urchin fossils were used as jewelry, McNamara reveals how the fossil crept into the religious and cultural lives of societies around the world—the roots of the familiar five-pointed star, for example, can be traced to the pattern found on urchins. But McNamara’s vision is even broader than that: using our knowledge of early habits of fossil collecting, he explores the evolution of the human mind itself, drawing striking conclusions about humanity’s earliest appreciation of beauty and the first stirrings of artistic expression. Along the way, the fossil becomes a nexus through which we meet brilliant eccentrics and visionary archaeologists and develop new insights into topics as seemingly disparate as hieroglyphics, Beowulf, and even church organs. An idiosyncratic celebration of science, nature, and human ingenuity, The Star-Crossed Stone is as charming and unforgettable as the fossil at its heart.


Star-Crossed

Star-Crossed

Author: Linda Collison

Publisher: Laurel Leaf

Published: 2008-08

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 0553494848

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Having been discovered as a stowaway as she tries to reach Barbados in 1760 to claim her father's estate, teenaged English orphan Patricia Kelley struggles to survive by learning to be a ship's doctor and by disguising herself as a man when necessary. Reprint.


Stone Cross

Stone Cross

Author: Marc Cameron

Publisher: Kensington Books

Published: 2020-03-31

Total Pages: 379

ISBN-13: 1496727339

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This atmospheric Alaskan mystery for fans of Paul Doiron, Jane Harper, and C.J. Box builds to a breakneck pace against the forbidding, majestic wilderness of America’s final frontier, as Deputy US Marshal Arliss Cutter searches for a stone-cold killer in western Alaska’s most remote Native village… "Cameron’s novels hook you from the first line, cement your eyes to the page, and grip your heart in a vice. I can’t think of another writer whose work I admire more." —WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER "A double-barreled blast of action, narrative, and impossible-to-fake authenticity.” —CJ BOX Winter comes early to the rural native community of Stone Cross, Alaska—and so does hunting season. Caribou and moose are a major source of food through the long, dark months ahead. But Arliss Cutter has come here for a very different game. A federal judge is receiving death threats and refuses protection. Cutter and his deputy Lola Teariki have been assigned to shadow him on his trip to this icy outland to make sure that he’s safe. But they quickly discover that no one is ever really safe in a place like this. And no one is above suspicion . . . When Cutter and Lola arrive, the village is already gripped with fear. A young couple has disappeared from their fishing lodge, just eight miles upriver. Their handyman has been found dead, next to a crude drawing of a mysterious symbol. To make matters worse, a dense fog has descended on the region, isolating the town from civilization. With the judge’s life still at risk, and two people still missing, Cutter and Lola have their work cut out for them. But navigating the small-town customs and blood-bound traditions of this close-knit community won’t be easy. When the secrets come out, the deadly hunt is on . . . “Looking for authentic action, suspense, drama, and mystery? Look no further than U.S. Marshals Service veteran Marc Cameron whose thrillers capture the visceral nature of life in the trenches as only one who has lived it truly can.”—JACK CARR “Cameron’s books are riveting page-turners.” —MARK GREANEY


Kingdom of Sea and Stone

Kingdom of Sea and Stone

Author: Mara Rutherford

Publisher: Harlequin

Published: 2020-10-06

Total Pages: 345

ISBN-13: 1488069409

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“A fabulous interweaving of fantasy, politics, and sisterhood — this unusual, tense tale will have you on the edge of your seat!” —#1 New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce on Crown of Coral and Pearl The Cruel Prince meets Ash Princess in this thrilling fantasy, the much-anticipated sequel to Crown of Coral and Pearl. Ever since Nor was forced to go to a nearby kingdom in her sister’s place, she’s wanted nothing more than to return to the place and people she loves. But when her wish comes true, she soon finds herself cast out from both worlds, with a war on the horizon. As an old enemy resurfaces more powerful than ever, Nor will have to keep the kingdom from falling apart with the help of Prince Talin and Nor’s twin sister, Zadie. There are forces within the world more mysterious than any of them ever guessed—and they’ll need to stay alive long enough to conquer them… Books in the Crown of Coral and Pearl duology: Crown of Coral and Pearl Kingdom of Sea and Stone


Carved in Stone (The Blackstone Legacy Book #1)

Carved in Stone (The Blackstone Legacy Book #1)

Author: Elizabeth Camden

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2021-08-31

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1493433733

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Her gilded world holds a deeply hidden secret. After years of tragedy, Gwen Kellerman now lives a quiet life as a botanist at an idyllic New York college. She largely ignores her status as heiress to the infamous Blackstone dynasty and hopes to keep her family's heartbreak and scandal behind her. Patrick O'Neill survived a hardscrabble youth to become a lawyer for the downtrodden Irish immigrants in his community. He's proud of his work, even though he struggles to afford his ramshackle law office. All that changes when he accepts a case that is sure to emphasize the Blackstones' legacy of greed and corruption by resurrecting a thirty-year-old mystery. Little does Patrick suspect that the Blackstones will launch their most sympathetic family member to derail him. Gwen is tasked with getting Patrick to drop the case, but the old mystery takes a shocking twist neither of them saw coming. Now, as they navigate a burgeoning attraction and growing danger, Patrick and Gwen will be forced to decide if the risk to the life they've always held dear is worth the reward. Elizabeth Camden's writing is full of . . . "Richly drawn characters and fascinating American history."-- All About Romance "Fabulous love stor[ies] wrapped around compelling historical events."--Booklist "Adventuresome, entertaining romance."--Foreword Reviews


Stone City

Stone City

Author: Jeff Mitchell

Publisher: Page Publishing Inc

Published: 2021-12-28

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1662436114

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Stone City is a small community located near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was made famous by Grant Wood’s fantastical painting entitled, Stone City, Iowa, 1930. This novel is a work of historical fiction set in and around this charmed community during the summer of 1969. As their society is being torn apart by war, poverty, and racism, these star-crossed lovers will come together for one fateful week that will forever change the trajectory of their lives. Ashley Morgan, thirty-eight, married and mother of three, is in Cedar Rapids for an educational conference. But a chance encounter with Jaymes Fitzgerald, a free-spirited, twenty-four-year-old graduate student and consummate blues player quickly turns into a dinner invitation and an evening of “dancing on water”. The ease of their togetherness leads to an offer to ditch the conference to enjoy a day of exploration and untethered freedom. They visit historical Stone City, vestiges of Greene’s two-hundred-acre estate, and Jaymes’s favorite hangout – the town’s General Store Pub. Hearing stories of this folkloric town, Ashley learns about Eastern Iowa’s art community, which in part evolved from Grant Wood’s Art Colony Schools of the early ‘30s where Jaymes’s dad, a renowned regional artist from St. Paul’s warehouse district, had attended as a student. Hungering for more time together, the couple travel farther north on Jaymes’s fiery red, Indian Chief motorcycle to see many of Iowa’s scenic places and cultural interests. Throughout their odyssey filled with edgy scenes, they share long held secrets before returning for the conference’s concluding rooftop luau. After toasting their week of self-expression, they slip away to a private world of flickering candlelight and strains of Dvorak’s New World Symphony to assert their new-found love. Each was oblivious to their looming destinies in this emotionally charged story of two opposing truths.


Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Author: Laini Taylor

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Published: 2011-09-27

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 0316192147

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The first book in the New York Times bestselling epic fantasy trilogy by award-winning author Laini Taylor Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out. When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?


Crossing the Divide

Crossing the Divide

Author: Jessica Stone

Publisher: Stone Productions, LLC

Published: 2021-03-03

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 9781736450819

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Are you ready for the new global reality?One where diverse cultures and ethnicities will make up your living and working environments? Can you relate your life experience to others? Can you adapt to changing settings? Can you form relationships and build trust to achieve a common goal?A respected and seasoned journalist, Jessica Stone, uses her 20 years of adventures, mistakes, and triumphs to give you the keys to conquering these challenges. Come along as she takes you out of the classroom and parachutes you into the real-life lab, and you'll be ready to take on the world!


Solving Fermi's Paradox

Solving Fermi's Paradox

Author: Duncan H. Forgan

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-05-02

Total Pages: 433

ISBN-13: 110716365X

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An introduction to the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence through the lens of Fermi's paradox, discussing methodology and potential solutions.


The Geologic Model of Religion

The Geologic Model of Religion

Author: Andrew Clifford

Publisher: Andrew Clifford

Published: 2012-07-17

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 0957311400

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"Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity" The opening line of the film Troy captures the tragic essence of personal mortality: ones' passing into oblivion and fading from all memory. Since the prehistoric dawn of humanity death has shadowed everyone’s footsteps. Even into the current scientific era religion has long been the only defense. The sole comfort against oblivion offering a promise of new life or even immortality. The Geologic Model of Religion is a sympathetic study of this defense from its ancient beginnings, drawing upon archaeology, anthropology and comparative religion to clearly explain one of the most complex subjects known. From the study a new model emerges which: * Decomposes religion into its distinct worldview and afterlife paradigms * Categorizes evidence of belief systems held by prehistoric hunter-gatherers, culminating in the Temples of Rebirth such as Gobekli Tepe * Concludes that spirituality began in the Fertile Crescent 11,000 years ago, spreading with the Neolithic revolution throughout the world * Shows why judgment in afterlife was the keystone in the emerging edifice of civilization, and how it enabled hierarchies overcoming Dunbar's number which limited village sizes * Overviews the interaction between science and religion and projects the ultimate fate of religion itself There might be 100,000 books written about religion but the Geologic Model of Religion is unlike any other. Drawing upon evidence from anthropology, archaeology and scripture religion is divided into worldviews and afterlife paradigms. This new model evidences several long lost prehistoric religious belief systems and explains the origin of spirituality in settled societies.