The Zen approach to mowing lawns, wacking weeds, harvesting crops, and building modern homesteader abs! Dreading the weekly law mow? Need to whack the weeds in your orchard? Cringing at the drudgery and incessant blare of the mower? Imagine instead long sweeps of an elegant scythe cutting your grass and pesky weeds in blissful, meditative silence. That is the power of the "scythe revolution" sweeping North America. Written by a master of the scythe, professionally trained in Austria, and drawing deeply on research into original German texts, The Scything Handbook brings centuries-old scything techniques into the twent-first century. Detailed illustrations cover scythe assembly, perfecting the stroke, blade selection, honing, peening, and aftercare, as well as background on how scythes are forged. Also covered are the basics of making hay and mulch by hand, and how to grow and harvest gains at the home and homestead scale for self-sufficiency. Scything promotes health, flexibility, mind-body connection, and a meditative contemplation of the natural world while producing beautiful lawns and luscious mulch for the modern gardener and homesteader. This is truly an heirloom tool to master. Join the scythe revolution! Ian Miller followed a career in music with a degree in Agroecology from UC Santa Cruz. During a two year stint on a biodynamic farm in Austria he learned how to scythe and delved into historic scything texts in German. He has worked for Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa and is developing a twemty-acre scythe-based homestead near Decorah, Iowa, where he grows his own grain for bread making and makes hay by hand.

"In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ('gleaned') by professional reapers ('scythes'). Two teens must compete with each other to become a scythe--a position neither of them wants. The one who becomes a scythe must kill the one who doesn't"--Provided by publisher.

The hugely admired author of "The Last Fine Time" preserves and makes new the sights, smells, sounds, and poetry of country living. Klinkenborg reveals the beauty of the American landscape, not from a scenic overlook, but through a screened-in porch or from the window of a pickup driving down an empty highway in the teeth of an approaching storm.

For the gardener, farmer, or homeowner, a good scythe is an efficient and enjoyable tool for cutting grasses and weeds and harvesting small grains. Author David Tresemer presents the results of years of research and practical experience so that the reader may learn to use and enjoy the scythe. In an age when most wonder how they can accomplish anything without the aid of electricity or gasoline, The Scythe Book shows how a traditional hand tool can often outperform more modern technology. This new edition includes an addendum on the practical use of the scythe by Peter Vido. Beginning with his recollections from boyhood in Slovakia, Vido shares what he has learned from European mowers and scythe-makers during trips to countries where scythes are still routinely used. He also provides detailed guidance on fitting the scythe (blade and snath) to the individual, care and repair of the blade, principles of movement, and much fascinating lore.

“Intelligent and entertaining.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Even better than the first book.” —School Library Journal (starred review) Rowan and Citra take opposite stances on the morality of the Scythedom, putting them at odds, in the chilling sequel to the Printz Honor Book Scythe from New York Times bestseller Neal Shusterman, author of the Unwind dystology. Humans learn from their mistakes. I cannot. I make no mistakes. The Thunderhead is the perfect ruler of a perfect world, but it has no control over the scythedom. A year has passed since Rowan had gone off grid. Since then, he has become an urban legend, a vigilante snuffing out corrupt scythes in a trial by fire. His story is told in whispers across the continent. As Scythe Anastasia, Citra gleans with compassion and openly challenges the ideals of the “new order.” But when her life is threatened and her methods questioned, it becomes clear that not everyone is open to the change. Old foes and new enemies converge, and as corruption within the Scythedom spreads, Rowan and Citra begin to lose hope. Will the Thunderhead intervene? Or will it simply watch as this perfect world begins to unravel?

During a conflict that saw death visit many households in the land, this is the story of a young recruit's devotion to family and nation. William Remmel's letters cover more than two full years of service in the 121st New York Infantry Regiment during the Civil War, from August 1862 to October of 1864. They provide details on military and social history in the eastern theater of operations and on the experience of the homefront in upstate New York among a largely immigrant, working-class family and community.

Kirsty’s afterlife gets even more Hellish in this second installment of The Reluctant Reaper series when her soul-stealing ex-boss targets her beloved aunt. Her only chance to stop him? Becoming a Reaper herself. Fortunately, her hunky new boyfriend, Italian-poet-turned-Reaper Dante Alighieri, is there to help. Still trapped in the bureaucratic inferno known as Hell, Kirsty d’Arc redoubles her efforts to escape back to the Mortal Coil when she learns Conrad is after the soul of her beloved aunt. To save Aunt Carey, Kirsty must enroll at the Reaper Academy and earn a scythe of her own. Studying topics like Exor-scything 101, Riding the Death Cycle, and Reincarnation for Dummies is strange. But then, so are her classmates: a fallen angel, the Death Valley girls, and Kali—the ancient god of death, destruction, and those little earring backs that always go missing. Now time is running out thanks to a temporal crisis she may have accidentally created. Can she graduate, rescue her aunt, take down Conrad, and save Hell and every other dimension—before the clock stops ticking? As the saying goes in Hell, “Be careful what you wish for; it just might get you!”

I am the punishment of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you. -Genghis Khan Meet Alexandra Drakis: loving wife, devoted mother, dedicated trauma surgeon...favorite snack of local vampires. Her mundane includes ensuring dinner gets on the table and fending off things which go bump in the night, until one terrible day the unthinkable happens. To what lengths would you go to protect those you love? If the only way to mete out vengeance against evil is to become evil, is there any escape? Welcome to the world of the sanguinem vitae. Welcome to the abyss.

Olha Mak, author of several novels for adolescents and young adults, wrote Stones Under the Scythe to help shatter a conspiracy of silence and deliberate denial about one of the most terrible tragedies to befall any nation, a catastrophe caused by the workings of a group of fanatical creators of a new breed of men. The characters in the novel are composites of individuals and the narrative is based on real events the author witnessed as a university student. The story of 15 yearold Andriy recreates the fate of millions of Ukrainian children who either perished or barely escaped death in the years of a man-made famine, the Holodomor, that took the life of every fourth Ukrainian. However, Olha Maks novel is not a somber story of horrible events. Her characters bear witness to the truth that the human spirit cannot be fully subdued. But this is a truth that needs frequent reminders, for everyone at some point comes to feel vanquished by the brutality that confronts them.

A novel devoted to speculation of what would happen if an incurable disease caused by virus mutation should come into existence on the continent of Africa. The response to such an event in this novel is instant and brave but power hungry men try to take advantage of the horrifying event to gain their goal of world domination. The tale is told by a retired news anchor to his grandchildren a hundred years later on the event of his one hundredth birthday.