Lyla is just seventeen when one moment changes her life forever. Now she is spending her senior year pregnant and her boyfriend, Patrick, is working at his grandfather’s fruit market to support his new family instead of going off to college. During a difficult day, an Irish exchange student, Rowena, comes to Lyla’s rescue and tells her fascinating stories of her family’s haunted castle back home whose ghost knows how to please a woman. While Patrick rolls his eyes, Lyla is enthralled. For the next twenty years, Patrick promises Lyla he will take her to Ireland to visit Rowena and see the castle. But when he becomes ill and passes away, Lyla is left to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and contemplate what is next. After she decides to visit Ireland, Lyla touches the castle walls. As her world begins to shift, Lyla is left wondering whether grief is making her lose her mind or if is it really possible that the castle’s ghost looks just like her husband. In this romantic tale, a woman journeying through loss visits a castle in Ireland and becomes romantically entangled with a three-hundred-year-old ghost who shockingly resembles her deceased husband.

The author shares his life experiences and travels.

The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.

Will Eisner's innovations in the comics, especially the comic book and the graphic novel, as well as his devotion to comics analysis, make him one of comics' first true auteurs and the cartoonist so revered and influential that cartooning's highest honor is named after him. His newspaper feature The Spirit (1940–1952) introduced the now-common splash page to the comic book, as well as dramatic angles and lighting effects that were influenced by, and influenced in turn, the conventions of film noir. Even in his tales of crime fighting, Eisner's writing focused on everyday details of city life and on contemporary social issues. In 1976, he premiered A Contract with God, and Other Tenement Stories, a collection of realist cartoon stories that paved the way for the modern “graphic novel.” His 1985 book, Comics and Sequential Art, was among the first sustained analyses and overviews of the comics form, articulating theories of the art's grammar and structure. Eisner's studio nurtured such comics legends as Jules Feiffer, Wally Wood, Lou Fine, and Jack Cole. Will Eisner: Conversations, edited by comics scholar M. Thomas Inge, collects the best interviews with Eisner (1917–2005) from 1965 to 2004. Taken together, the interviews cover the breadth of Eisner's career with in-depth information about his creation of The Spirit and other well-known comic book characters, his devotion to the educational uses of the comics medium, and his contributions to the development of the graphic novel.

N. T. Wright, a respected biblical scholar, offers a compelling commentary on Romans, delving into the multifaceted themes of Paul’s significant epistle to the church in Rome. Paul’s epistle to the Romans stands as his masterpiece, addressing a plethora of topics from numerous angles. It weaves them into a captivating and swiftly flowing line of thought, like navigating a tumultuous river. Its energy and excitement stem from unveiling God’s power and grace through Jesus, accessible to all who believe. Romans for Everyone, Part 1 covers the first eight chapters of the epistle, ending with Paul’s assurance of God’s unwavering love for humankind. The biblical text is thoughtfully divided into easily manageable sections, ensuring accessibility for readers of all backgrounds. As you engage with this ancient narrative, you’ll discover its timeless resonance with the spiritual quests of today’s readers, whether they are newcomers or seasoned followers of Jesus. This expanded edition includes Wright’s updated translation of the biblical text, supplemented by a new introduction and a dynamic study guide tailored for both group study sessions and individual contemplation. The inclusion of helpful summaries and thought-provoking questions makes Romans for Everyone, Part 1 an ideal companion for those seeking to explore the New Testament with fresh enthusiasm and profound insights.

The final battle -- the ultimate price. The once beautiful land of Hightspall is being carved up by warring armies led by figures from out of legend. One army is headed by the charismatic brute, Axil Grandys, and the other by Lyf, resurrected sorcerer-king and Axil's ancient nemesis. Only the escaped slave Tali and her unreliable magic stand in their way -- but Tali's gift grows more painful every time she uses it. As the armies converge on the fateful peak of Touchstone, Tali and her ally Rix must find a way to overcome Lyf and prevent Axil from using the Three Spells that will destroy Hightspall forever. Justice is the shattering finale to Ian Irvine's fantasy epic Tainted Realm trilogy.

The Journey of Joenes, also published as Journey Beyond Tomorrow, tells the tale of a picaresque journey through an imagined future taken by a naive and innocent man unprepared for the wonders and oddities he encounters. Sheckley examines the present through the distorting lens of a future wonderfully skewed from, and yet darkly, hilariously similar to, our own world. From the very beginning of his career, Robert Sheckley was recognized by fans, reviewers, and fellow authors as a master storyteller and the wittiest satirist working in the science fiction field. Open Road is proud to republish his acclaimed body of work, with nearly thirty volumes of full-length fiction and short story collections. Rediscover, or discover for the first time, a master of science fiction who, according to the New York Times, was “a precursor to Douglas Adams.” “I have always loved Robert Sheckley. . . . I don’t know of anyone else in SF who has written quite so many classic stories . . . wittier than Pohl . . . blacker than Lenny Bruce, subtler and more bent that the Firesigns and Monty Python put together . . . The key words with Sheckley are clever, deadly cool and crazy as a bedbug.” —Spider Robinson

In 1979, someone asked humorist Erma Bombeck, "If you had your life to live over, would you change anything'" Her immediate answer was no, but once she thought about it, she changed her mind. The result was a classic column full of Bombeck"s signature wit and warmth. Now the beloved column that has hung on hundreds of refrigerator doors has been cheerily illustrated and designed as a handsome gift book, Eat Less Cottage and More Ice Cream. In it, Bombeck gently reminds us of what is really important in life:"If I had my life to live over again I would have waxed less and listened more."I would have cried and laughed less while watching television . . . and more while watching real life."But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute of it . . . look at it and really see it . . . try it on . . . live it . . . exhaust it . . . and never give that minute back until there was nothing left of it. . . . "Long-time fans of Erma Bombeck will be thrilled to have this favorite column in the form of a beautiful keepsake. Readers discovering Bombeck for the first time will become fans instantly. Eat Less Cottage and More Ice Cream offers wisdom to inspire all of us.

Best friends Anna and Rosa are lured from the coffee fields of Nicaragua to a hotel in Costa Rica with the promise of steady employment as maids. They travel together with the excitement of a new life awaiting. What they find instead is a life of slavery and abuse.Anna and Rosa are determined to rescue themselves and the others they befriend—but the journey will take them years and could cost them their lives.Based on real-life stories, The Maid brings the problem of human trafficking to life and encourages readers to connect with the victims on a personal level.