From East Bengal to Tamil Nadu, ?When the Lotus Blooms? captures the mood and ethos of the rich landscape and diversity of India, while highlighting the universal and timeless circumstances of women and their struggle to seek happiness in a patriarchal world.The novel follows the arc of two Brahmin families in 1930s British Colonial India. It is the journey of two child brides, Rajam and Dharmu, who attempt to fulfill their destiny despite the shackles of tradition, duty, and customs of a complex society. Tormented by a domineering mother-in-law, Rajam battles with her inability to conceive, and Dharmu struggles with the loneliness and strain of adapting to her aloof husband's westernized lifestyle. The blooming of the lotus has a special significance to both families.

Divided into three chapters, Where the Lotus Blooms explores the natural elements of our world—fire, earth, and water—and unites them with our human experiences. Told from the voice of a first-generation Canadian woman, this poetry collection is inspired by Neha Chand’s life experiences, personal hardships, shedding a light on generational differences and exposing the patriarchy. Through detailed imagery, trauma is brought to life, as is the healing process. Through evocative lyricism and potent symbols, each poem offers a glimpse into Neha’s convictions and shares a piece of her soul. Yet she continuously speaks to our shared experiences and our interconnectedness, encouraging us to bloom just as the lotus does. It is through Neha’s words where our voices are heard and felt: She might not be your heir She may not rule kingdoms but like the earth she bears your violence like the rain she quenches your thirst She won’t carry your name But she will carry your sins She will hide them in her veil And sacrifice them, in her name She will heal your ego as she disguises her wounds She will ignite your passions while you succumb to yours she will raise warriors feed nations birth daughters who will carry her story

Even in darkness, love can bloom... Heir to a multinational hotel empire, Liam Montgomery thinks business is everything—until he goes undercover to check out their locations throughout Asia. As cosmopolitan as Liam is, from the bright lights of Mumbai to the tranquil beaches of Goa to the bustling streets of New York, he's never met anyone like lovely Mary Costa. He can't understand why this delicate, educated woman works as a maid. Or how she is reigniting his long-buried desire to be an artist. They are apart in so many ways—especially in the things Mary won't tell him. But more and more, Liam can't imagine his life without her... Mary knows this unexpected desire for Liam must end. It’s true that his gentleness and sense of fun inspires her and makes her hopeful for the first time in her life. But she has a grim promise she feels compelled to keep—and painful experiences she fears he could never understand. And with secrets soon reaching out to separate them for good, can they dare risk a future together if it means confronting the scars of the past? “This book confronts a number of economic, social, and gender issues with grace and honesty, and provides two very believable, flawed and genuinely empathetic protagonists . . . will linger in readers’ hearts and memories after the final page.” –RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER In A Lotus Grows in the Mud, Goldie Hawn takes us on an inspiring odyssey and, with her trademark effervescent humour, reveals the lessons she's learned and the wisdom she's gained along the way. This is Goldie's chance to talk about everything from anger and fear, to love, compassion, friendship, and the many challenges she's faced in her career. First recalling her early days as the little girl from suburbia who longed to be a ballerina but felt like an ugly duckling, Goldie then takes us on a whirlwind tour through her go-go dancing years in 1960s New York, her phenomenal success on TV's Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in, Hollywood stardom and her extraordinary experiences in films such as the Oscar-winning Cactus Flower, Swing Shift, and Private Benjamin. She also speaks about her relationship with her family - partner Kurt Russell, her children Kate Hudson, Oliver Hudson and Wyatt Russell, and her stepson Boston. Written with compassion and integrity, A Lotus Grows in the Mud is an insightful and inspiring look back at a life well lived by a woman well loved.

Buddhist teachings and meditation offer a roadmap to help college students and others in early adulthood incorporate mindfulness into their lives as a means of facing the myriad struggles unique to this stage of life. Early adulthood is filled with intense emotions and insecurity. What if you never fall in love? What if you can't find work you’re passionate about? You miss home. You miss close friends. You’re lost in the noise of how you think you should be living and worried about wasting what everyone says should be the best years of your life. What Now? shares mindfulness practices to help twentysomethings learn to identify and accept these feelings and respond—not react—to painful and powerful stimuli without pushing them away or getting lost in them. This is not about fixing oneself or being "better." Readers are encouraged to embrace themselves exactly as they are. You are already completely whole, completely loveable, completely worthy. What Now? shares practices that help us to wake up to this fact. This uniquely tumultuous developmental period is a time when many first live away from home and engage in all kinds of experimentation—with ideas, substances, relationships, and who we think we are and want to be in the world. Yael Shy shares her own story and offers basic meditation guides to beginning a practice. She explores the Buddhist framework for what causes suffering and explores ideas about interconnection and social justice as natural outgrowths of meditation practice.

One of the world's great meditation teachers offers thirty-four guided exercises that will bring both beginning and experienced practitioners into closer touch with their bodies, their inner selves, their families, and the world. Compassionate and wise, Thich Nhat Hanh's healing words help us acknowledge and dissolve anger and separation by illuminating the way toward the miracle of mindfulness.

“Sarah Jio weaves past and present in this eminently readable novel about love, gratitude, and forgiveness. I tore through the pages!”—New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline Two women are connected across time by the city of Paris, a mysterious stack of love letters, and shocking secrets sweeping from World War II to the present—for readers of Sarah’s Key and The Nightingale. When Caroline wakes up in a Paris hospital with no memory of her past, she’s confused to learn that for years she’s lived a sad, reclusive life in a sprawling apartment on the rue Cler. Slowly regaining vague memories of a man and a young child, she vows to piece her life back together—though she can’t help but feel she may be in danger. A budding friendship with the chef of a charming nearby restaurant takes her mind off her foggy past, as does a startling mystery from decades prior. In Nazi-occupied Paris, a young widow named Céline is trying to build a new life for her daughter while working in her father’s flower shop and hoping to find love again. Then a ruthless German officer discovers her Jewish ancestry and Céline is forced to play a dangerous game to secure the safety of her loved ones. When her worst fears come true, she must fight back in order to save the person she loves most: her daughter. When Caroline discovers Céline’s letters tucked away in a closet, she realizes that her apartment harbors dark secrets—and that she may have more in common with Céline than she could have ever imagined. All the Flowers in Paris is an emotionally captivating novel rooted in the resiliency and strength of the human spirit, the steadfastness of a mother’s love, and the many complex layers of the heart—especially its capacity to forgive. “Heart-stopping . . . Fans of emotional, romantic stories set during World War II will enjoy this heartbreaking tale of love and loss.”—Booklist

In developed nations around the world, residential schools for deaf students are giving way to the trend of inclusion in regular classrooms. Nonetheless, deaf education continues to lag as the students struggle to communicate. In the Bua School in Thailand, however, 400 residential deaf students ranging in age from 6 to 19 have met with great success in teaching each other Thai Sign Language (TSL) and a world of knowledge once thought to be lost to them. The Rising of Lotus Flowers: Self-Education by Deaf Children in Thai Boarding Schools reveals how their institutionalization allowed them to foster a unique incubator of communication and education. Charles B. Reilly, a teacher and community organizer in Thailand for eight years, and Nipapon Reilly, a Deaf Thai citizen, studied the students in the Bua School for 14 years, with periodic follow-ups thereafter. They found that the students learned little from their formal instructors, but that they were able to educate each other in time spent away from the classroom. Older students who had learned TSL in the dorms and on the playground successfully passed it on to six-year-olds who had virtually no language at all. The Reillys' study uncovers an elaborate hierarchy of education among these students, with each group using games and other activities to teach and bring other classmates up to their level. Named for the much admired aquatic plant that blooms in Thailand's bogs, the Bua School epitomizes the ideal of The Rising of Lotus Flowers, which also offers analytical evidence of the continuing value of residential schools in deaf education.

The Study of Plants in a Whole New Light “Matt Candeias succeeds in evoking the wonder of plants with wit and wisdom.” ―James T. Costa, PhD, executive director, Highlands Biological Station and author of Darwin's Backyard #1 New Release in Nature & Ecology, Plants, Botany, Horticulture, Trees, Biological Sciences, and Nature Writing & Essays In his debut book, internationally-recognized blogger and podcaster Matt Candeias celebrates the nature of plants and the extraordinary world of plant organisms. A botanist’s defense. Since his early days of plant restoration, this amateur plant scientist has been enchanted with flora and the greater environmental ecology of the planet. Now, he looks at the study of plants through the lens of his ever-growing houseplant collection. Using gardening, houseplants, and examples of plants around you, In Defense of Plants changes your relationship with the world from the comfort of your windowsill. The ruthless, horny, and wonderful nature of plants. Understand how plants evolve and live on Earth with a never-before-seen look into their daily drama. Inside, Candeias explores the incredible ways plants live, fight, have sex, and conquer new territory. Whether a blossoming botanist or a professional plant scientist, In Defense of Plants is for anyone who sees plants as more than just static backdrops to more charismatic life forms. In this easily accessible introduction to the incredible world of plants, you’ll find: • Fantastic botanical histories and plant symbolism • Passionate stories of flora diversity and scientific names of plant organisms • Personal tales of plantsman discovery through the study of plants If you enjoyed books like The Botany of Desire, What a Plant Knows, or The Soul of an Octopus, then you’ll love In Defense of Plants.

A Vietnamese family is forced to flee from their homeland to escape a devastating civil war.