The stories and non-stories in Kristine Ong Muslim's Butterfly Dream avow mutilation as rebirth, ruin as indestructibility, and safety as an illusion. In "Artificial Life," a girl is persistent in her belief that her doll will soon come to life. "The Six Mutations of Jerome" documents the grotesque transformations of an everyman named Jerome, while "The Lonely People" follows a group of individuals fleeing from the accoutrements of the modern world as manifested by carnivorous floors and a marauding giant worm. Part travelogue on the vagaries of human consciousness, Butterfly Dream is a glimpse into a reality marred by causal logic and wakefulness.
The Book of Chuang Tzu draws together the stories, tales, jokes and anecdotes that have gathered around the figure of Chuang Tzu. One of the great founders of Taoism, Chaung Tzu lived in the fourth century BC and is among the most enjoyable and intriguing personalities in the whole of Chinese philosophy.
“Once upon a time, I dreamed I was a butterfly...” This is how Chuang Tzu’s famous anecdote begins. It is a short parable about the relativity of perception, written more than two thousand years ago. Many of us have experienced similar situations and wondered at times if we could tell dreams from reality. “Butterfly’s Dream” expands Chuang Tzu’s story into a surreal quest of adventure, romance, and self-discovery at the end of the 18th century. Despite the fantasy-like atmosphere, the novel accurately follows the laws of physics and would best fit into the “hard sci-fi” category. Alberto is the second lieutenant on Excelsior, a military brig involved mostly on sea-patrolling missions. He has a keen interest in science and a mind inclined towards exploration and introspection. Most of his sailing trips are uneventful, with his ship transporting troops and ammunition to various locations managed by the navy. But things are about to change. When the ship encounters a magnetic storm, the crew members find themselves sailing in uncharted waters. The next day, Excelsior casts anchor at the pier of a mysterious city that doesn’t seem to be located on Earth. Soon, Alberto becomes involved in complex events that make him question the surrounding reality and even his sanity. The fabulous world he gets to explore looks nothing like the world from his space and time. And what are space and time, after all? In this place so different from Earth, Alberto meets Nivit, a beautiful and accomplished physician, and falls in love with her. Soon, they are swept into an unexpected journey of adventure and self-discovery that carries them through stranger and stranger realms and realities. Can the rational mind defy the irrational? Can love defend against extreme weather and death? Does time always flow in the same direction? What is real? What is a dream? A mirror reflecting itself. What would it show? A mirror reflecting another mirror. What would it see? Look inside the mirror, open the door, step onto the path stretching beyond its surface, and you might find out. Are you ready? If you enjoy reading this story, I have a favor to ask: Please write a review about it and recommend it to your friends! But only if you like it!
In ancient China, a man falls asleep beneath a willow tree and dreams he is a butterfly. Based on the stories of the Chou Dynasty Taoist philosopher, Zhuangzi.
This Chinese children's book tells an ancient Chinese zen koan and is great for parents who want to expose their kids to Taoist thinking. The stories of the Taoist teacher and storyteller Chuang-Tzu have long been revered for their whimsical simplicity and childlike sense of wonder. Admired by poets, artists, and philosophers, his stories ask us to see the world from new and unique perspectives. This imaginative book is based on one of Chuang-Tzu's most famous stories, in which the storyteller wakes up and wonders who is the dreamer—and who the dreamed. The book begins with the butterfly of Chuang-Tzu's famous dream taking off on a flight of discovery—through fabulous Chinese landscapes captured in beautiful watercolor illustrations. The butterfly's adventures, its encounters with traditional Chinese characters, and the age-old but still relevant lessons of the importance of imagination and having an open mind, make this an inspiring and thought-provoking reading experience for children.
In a powerful romance hailed as “heartbreaking, real, and breathtakingly beautiful” by Stacey Lynn, New York Times bestselling author A. Meredith Walters tells the story of a troubled young woman and the unforgettable guy who teaches her to live—and love—to the fullest. She’s waiting to die. . . . Corin Thompson is paralyzed by her obsession with mortality. Having lost both of her parents, she is terrified by the idea that she too will die young, and she loses control at any sign of illness. But when Corin connects with someone who has survived a very real brush with death, she begins to see the world in a whole new way. He’s learning to live. . . . As Corin struggles under the weight of her neuroses, Beckett Kingsley is attempting to rebuild a life that feels all too temporary. With the ever-present threat of heart failure never far from his mind, he just wants to make the most of whatever time he has left. And that means pursuing the girl he never expected to find. Together, Corin and Beckett finally learn to let go of their fears and take solace in everyday pleasures. Who knows what the future holds? After all, nothing lasts forever—the only promise they have is right now. Advance praise for Butterfly Dreams “All the feels: poignant, funny, sad, beautiful, and inspiring! Your own belly butterflies will take flight.”—New York Times bestselling author Katy Evans “A. Meredith Walters is the author I turn to when I want to get sucked into a beautiful story that packs an emotional punch.”—New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett “Butterfly Dreams is one of the sweetest, most beautiful novels I’ve read in a long time. My heart ached and warmed at the perfect story of Corin and Beckett.”—Sarah Robinson, bestselling author of Breaking a Legend “Butterfly Dreams is one of the most poignant books I’ve read all year. It’s heartbreaking, real, and breathtakingly beautiful. A. Meredith Walters weaves a story that draws you in from the very first page and refuses to let you go even once it’s finished.”—Stacey Lynn, author of the Nordic Lords series “The ending nearly killed me, but I survived. I read this book in one sitting, and what a roller coaster of a story. The author did an amazing job. . . . I found myself unable to put the book down.”—The Book Hookup Includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
The first day of school is exciting—but it can be scary, too! Meet Rosie, a brand-new student who just happens to have butterflies in her stomach. “Silvestro and Chen take a common figure of speech and transform it, literally, into a lovely expression of a universal experience.” —Kirkus “A cheering first-day story.” —Publishers Weekly Rosie can’t wait to start kindergarten—she’s had her pencils sharpened and her backpack ready for weeks. But suddenly, on the night before the big day, her tummy hurts. Rosie’s mom reassures her that it’s just butterflies in her belly, and she’ll feel better soon. Much to Rosie’s surprise, when she says hello to a new friend on the bus, a butterfly flies out of her mouth! As the day goes on, Rosie frees all her butterflies, and even helps another shy student let go of hers, too.
With The Night Is Still Young, Los Angeles-based, Japanese photographer Tomoaki Hata returns to his roots-the underground club scene of Osaka's gay, nightlife district. Filled with intimate images of the radically-creative drag queens who performed at various venues in the city from the late 1990s through the present, this book is a peek into the underbelly of modern Japan. Hata occupies a much-deserved place in the ranks of the great Japanese photographers-on par with the likes of Daido Moriyama and Nobuyoshi Araki-yet he achieved this rank not by following the example of these greats, but via the presentation of his own unique view of a slice of Japanese culture that otherwise remains largely undocumented. Gay life and culture in Japan remains mostly secretive, and tends to take place within the safe confines of gay bars and gay districts that are many times hidden in plain view within the entertainment districts of major urban centers. A passionate and intimate portrayal of the gender-bending performers as they cavort, both on and off the stage, Hata exposes this elusive subculture for the entire world to see. The results are campy and combustible images of drag performers going full tilt. Glitter, glamour, sequins, and seediness are all on display, up-close and unrestrained. Including an essay on Hata's photographs-and the world they examine-The Night Is Still Young captures and contextualizes drag culture in Japan at the turn of the century, and is the ultimate primary-source document of this otherwise obscure scene.
