Joseph was a carpenter. In this story, as Joseph has to take Mary with him to Bethlehem, he asks himself “What kind of carpenter would let his wife, about to have a baby, balance on a donkey for four days’ journey?” The traditional Christmas image has Mary riding a donkey the 70-plus miles to Bethlehem. The Gospel accounts don’t tell us. The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem would take three days, maybe part of a fourth, and when they arrive they find “no room in the inn.” Settling in a stable, Mary gives birth to Jesus, probably very soon. This would indicate she was a few days from delivery when they left Nazareth—all the more reason not to have her perched on a donkey. This story has Joseph the carpenter doing the right thing.
“Affecting narrative about consent, power and loneliness.”—Time “Intoxicatingly ominous.”—Kirkus Reviews In a hothouse of collegiate sex and ambition, one young woman mysteriously disappears after a wild campus party, and another becomes obsessed with finding her. It’s Halloween night on a pastoral East Coast college campus. Scantily costumed students ride the fine line between adolescence and adulthood as they prepare for a night of drinking and debauchery. Expectations are high as Leda flirts with her thrilling new crush, Ian, and he flirts back. But by the end of the night, things will have taken a turn. A mysterious young woman in a swan costume speaks with Leda outside a party—and then vanishes. When Leda later wakes up in Ian’s room the next morning, she is unsure exactly what happened between them. Meanwhile, as the campus rouses itself to respond to the young woman’s disappearance, rumors swirl, suspicious facts pile up, and Leda’s obsession with her missing classmate grows. Is it just a coincidence that Ian used to date Charlotte, the missing woman? Is Leda herself in danger? As Leda becomes more and more dangerously consumed with the mystery of Charlotte and questions about Ian, her motivations begin to blur. Is Leda looking for Charlotte, or trying to find herself? In Leda and the Swan, Anna Caritj’s riveting storytelling brings together a suspenseful plot; an intimate, confessional voice; and invaluable insights into sex, power, and contemporary culture.
An unabridged audio collection of the “best of the best” science fiction stories published in 2014 by current and emerging masters of the genre, edited by Allan Kaster. In “Marielena,” by Nina Allan, an immigrant is haunted by his past, as well as his present and future, in a disturbingly mean-spirited near-future England. A convicted serial killer is sentenced to “rightminding” to cure his neurological disorder that resulted in the sociopathic murdering of thirteen women in “Covenant,” by Elizabeth Bear. “The Magician and LaPlace’s Demon” by Tom Crosshill, follows a powerful AI that discovers the existence of magic and then prosecutes a vendetta against the magicians who grow more powerful as their numbers dwindle. In “Sadness,” by Timons Esaias, a man strikes back, as best he can, against the powerful aliens who conquered Earth long ago. In “Amicae Aeternum,” by Ellen Klages, a young girl shares her last morning on Earth with her girlfriend before boarding a generation starship. “Red Lights, and Rain,” by Gareth L. Powell, is a blend of sci-fi and vampire-hunting lore in which the vampires are made, not born. In “The Sarcophagus,” by Robert Reed, the maintenance cyborgs of the Great Ship encounter a stranded spacer in a derelict lifesuit from a long ago ship. “In Babelsberg,” by Alastair Reynolds, showcases a robot whose account of the dead colonists recently found on Titan are challenged by another AI. In “Passage of Earth,” by Michael Swanwick, a coroner gets a taste of the Earth invaders’ superior intelligence while dissecting a giant worm-like alien. Finally, in “The Colonel,” by Peter Watts, Colonel Moore tries to assess the capabilities of the hived human intelligences that have attacked a compound under his command.
In this delightful children's book, Mary got a cat called Oliver for her ninth birthday. Mary always dreamed of having her own little pet; finally, her Mom bought her a sweet pussycat! Mary was so excited! At last she had a cat to call her own! Mary enjoyed playing with Oliver. She especially liked to take Oliver for long walks at the park. One beautiful sunny afternoon while Mary and her mom were out strolling at the park with Oliver his leash got loose and he wandered away. Oliver had some pleasant and frightful encounters on his lonesome excursions while trying to find his way back home to Mary. Mary and her Mom prayed and hoped for Oliver's safe return. Their prayers were answered when Oliver returned home safely! Maisie A. Smikle grew up in Jamaica and now resides in Florida with her family, which includes two birds, Buttercup and Bubbles and ironically, a cat called Oliver! She studied at the University of Technology, formerly known as the College of Arts, Science and Technology in Jamaica, where she obtained a bachelor degree with honors in business administration. The author completed graduate studies in business management at Keller Graduate School in the United States. Maisie has previously worked as an accounting supervisor and manager at Jamaica Public Service Company and as an auditor at Florida Department of Revenue. She enjoys spending time with family, traveling and reading. Her favorite book is the Bible. The author has written three other books titled Sarah and The Enchanted Animals, Acruesha Village and a novel, Under The Rainbow. Publisher's website: http: //sbprabooks.com/MaisieASmikle
- God invites all people everywhere to come to Jesus Christ his Son and be saved: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) - Eternal life is given to all those that receive Jesus as Saviour: "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:12) - God's Holy word assures us that when sorrows and disappointments come, we are never alone. He is always there with us, and will carry us through: "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." (Isaiah 43:2) - Come to Jesus and find peace and rest for your soul. Receive him today as your personal Lord and Saviour. "Dear Jesus, come into my heart; forgive my sins, and save my soul. I am trusting in your shed blood at Calvary, and your death, burial and resurrection to give me eternal life. In Jesus name, Amen."
Here, killer, killer, killer . . . For the first time in sixteen years, Lara Caphart has returned to her hometown of Whisker Jog, New Hampshire. She wants to reconnect with her estranged Aunt Fran, who’s having some difficulty looking after herself—and her eleven cats. Taking care of a clowder of kitties is easy, but keeping Fran from being harassed by local bully Theo Barnes is hard. The wealthy builder has his sights set on Fran’s property, and is determined to make her an offer she doesn’t dare refuse. Then Lara spots a blue-eyed ragdoll cat that she swears is the reincarnation of her beloved Blue, her childhood pet. Pursuing the feline to the edge of Fran’s yard, she stumbles upon the body of Theo Barnes, clearly a victim of foul play. To get her and Fran off the suspect list, Lara finds herself following the cat’s clues in search of a killer. Is Blue’s ghost really trying to help her solve a murder, or has Lara inhaled too much catnip? Praise for Linda Reilly’s Deep Fried Mysteries “I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzler of a mystery. Reilly cooks up a perfect recipe of murder and mayhem in this charming cozy.” —Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of the Hat Shop Mysteries “Smart, sassy, and a little bit scary. Everything a good cozy should be!” —Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries “Everything I want in a cozy mystery: endearing characters, an enchanting setting, tantalizing food descriptions and a top-notch mystery plot!” —Susan Furlong, author of the Georgia Peach Mysteries
The troubled past of the Black Dog’s manager returns to haunt him in the intriguing new Cotswold village mystery featuring pub owner Alex Duggins. Although he has always kept his past carefully hidden, as the ever-reliable manager of her well-stocked pub, The Black Dog, Hugh Rhys has Alex Duggins’ total trust. However the unexpected arrival of two women from his past raises the fury of the usually even-tempered Hugh, threatens his carefully-crafted reputation and sends shockwaves through the village. When a battered body is discovered in a deep pond near Hugh’s estate, Alex and her partner Tony are once again pulled into a chilling murder investigation. With Hugh’s odd behaviour ensuring that he becomes the police’s chief suspect, Alex determines to prove his innocence. But she’s about to find herself walking a dangerous line, looking for a killer she may wish she had never found ...
From the gritty streets of Boston, Massachusetts to the warm and secure blankets that wrap up his children at night, John Cole has provided us with a collection of stories and prose that capture the essence of everyday working-class life. From young adulthood to fatherhood, John Cole uses his own words to paint vivid emotional pictures of the blue-collar realism that exists for most of us during the earlier stages of the twenty-first century. The weight of his words and the significance of his stories are delicate and powerful, and readers will handle these stories with the care and gentle reserve they ask for.
A look inside the world of forensics examines the use of human cadavers in a wide range of endeavors, including research into new surgical procedures, space exploration, and a Tennessee human decay research facility.
