Fairy tales for our times from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Hours A poisoned apple and a monkey's paw with the power to change fate; a girl whose extraordinarily long hair causes catastrophe; a man with one human arm and one swan's wing; and a house deep in the forest, constructed of gumdrops and gingerbread, vanilla frosting and boiled sugar. In A Wild Swan and Other Tales, the people and the talismans of lands far, far away—the mythic figures of our childhoods and the source of so much of our wonder—are transformed by Michael Cunningham into stories of sublime revelation. Here are the moments that our fairy tales forgot or deliberately concealed: the years after a spell is broken, the rapturous instant of a miracle unexpectedly realized, or the fate of a prince only half cured of a curse. The Beast stands ahead of you in line at the convenience store, buying smokes and a Slim Jim, his devouring smile aimed at the cashier. A malformed little man with a knack for minor acts of wizardry goes to disastrous lengths to procure a child. A loutish and lazy Jack prefers living in his mother's basement to getting a job, until the day he trades a cow for a handful of magic beans. Reimagined by one of the most gifted storytellers of his generation, and exquisitely illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, rarely have our bedtime stories been this dark, this perverse, or this true.

The fairy tale has become one of the dominant cultural forms and genres internationally, thanks in large part to its many manifestations on screen. Yet the history and relevance of the fairy-tale film have largely been neglected. In this follow-up to Jack Zipes’s award-winning book The Enchanted Screen (2011), Fairy-Tale Films Beyond Disney offers the first book-length multinational, multidisciplinary exploration of fairy-tale cinema. Bringing together twenty-three of the world’s top fairy-tale scholars to analyze the enormous scope of these films, Zipes and colleagues Pauline Greenhill and Kendra Magnus-Johnston present perspectives on film from every part of the globe, from Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, to Jan Švankmajer’s Alice, to the transnational adaptations of 1001 Nights and Hans Christian Andersen. Contributors explore filmic traditions in each area not only from their different cultural backgrounds, but from a range of academic fields, including criminal justice studies, education, film studies, folkloristics, gender studies, and literary studies. Fairy-Tale Films Beyond Disney offers readers an opportunity to explore the intersections, disparities, historical and national contexts of its subject, and to further appreciate what has become an undeniably global phenomenon.

A 1st Place Inkitt Novel Contest Winner for January 2018 Selected as Feminist Book of the Month by F-BOM Book Club for Sep/Oct 2019 I'm not who they think I am. A docile girl who meekly obeys her stepmother and stepsisters. Some kind of sick angel who cheerfully bears their mistreatment. That's what I WANT them to think. Because then they won't suspect what I'm really up to. The ball, the prince - it's all part of my plan to come out on top. Stepmother and her demented daughters will pay for every floor I have scoured, every sneer I have borne. They don't know about the white magic, how I use it to enhance myself. They can't see that my heart is black as midnight, rotten as a poisoned apple. They're about to find out.

The Bible is constantly condemned as outdated, legalistic and irrelevant, yet it's widely owned and cherished worldwide. Despite ownership it often lies unread and scarcely believed, even by Christians. The reason - it's not accepted as the infallible word of God, but worse many reject it as fictitious and immaterial. This book directly addresses the truth and relevance of the Bible and questions issues such as: - Was there really a talking snake in the Garden of Eden? - How could Moses possibly write a factual account of creation 2,500 years after the event? - Are abortion and homosexuality ok? - Are Heaven and Hell real places? - Are God and Allah the same God? - What is the Trinity? Robert skilfully demonstrates the answers through direct scripture quotation with little writer's bias. Paul tells Timothy; "all scripture is God breathed" and in Genesis we read; "God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being". If the followers of Jesus inhale the God breathed scriptures their souls will truly abound with life. This book sets out to inspire Christians to believe God at his word.

The Greatest Story Ever Told...Again Bombay 1955. Aging Parsi businessman Rustom Pestonjee chances upon brilliant archer Yash Kuru at the Gateway of India. Struggling to make ends meet to feed his two nephews and adopted son, Yash accepts Pestonjee’s offer to become a hitman for one night, the start of a unique relationship. When Pestonjee dies, Yash pledges to be regent of his mentor’s empire of crime, and hand it over one day to the most deserving man from a yet-unborn generation of Kurus. Yash’s august ‘dharma’ will now determine the destinies of three generations of Kuru men and women. Mumbai 2007. A family torn asunder and an empire up for grabs. Yash’s grand-nephews battle it out for control of the city’s underworld, as Rishabh, Vikram and Jeet try to reclaim what Rahul and Ranjit had seized from them through deceit. Can the wily Kishenbhai’s strategy defeat Karl Fernandes’ deadly warcraft? Will pitiless Jahn get the revenge she yearns for? Who will own Mumbai? A modern-day version of The Mahabharata, The Last War is a page-turning account of brothers in arms and families at war. In the gritty expanse of India’s most dynamic city, from its ritzy high-rises to its mean streets and slums, loyalties are tested, blood is drawn and only ‘dharma’ can justify the means to a devastating end.

Fairy tales are just the beginning. The Masked Man is on the loose in the Land of Stories, and it's up to Alex and Conner Bailey to stop him . . . except Alex has been thrown off the Fairy Council, and no one will believe they're in danger. With only the help of the ragtag group of Goldilocks, Jack, Red Riding Hood, and Mother Goose and her gander, Lester, the Bailey twins discover the Masked Man's secret scheme: he possesses a powerful magic potion that turns every book it touches into a portal, and he is recruiting an army of literature's greatest villains! So begins a race through the magical Land of Oz, the fantastical world of Neverland, the madness of Wonderland, and beyond. Can Alex and Conner catch up to the Masked Man, or will they be one step behind until it's too late? Fairy tales and classic stories collide in the fourth adventure in the bestselling Land of Stories series as the twins travel beyond the kingdoms!

Beyond Goodbye guides you through your darkest days of suffering and offers hope for your future... Grief can leave us feeling alone and lost in the world, not knowing where to turn for help. And yet grief is one of the few certainties in life - it is impossible to experience love without suffering loss. Leading grief expert Zoë Clark-Coates examines the different losses we may endure in our lives, and provides the much-needed support that helps you navigate your own path through loss. From losing loved ones - parents, partners, children, siblings, family members and friends - to answering the most common questions that are asked in this time of mourning and beyond, Zoe tackles topics that are rarely discussed but essential to address. Beyond Goodbye balances practical advice with personal stories and emotional support. It explores common myths around loss, and offers advice for those supporting the bereaved. Zoe's caring and compassionate guide includes a unique 60 day support plan to guide you on your way. Beyond Goodbye will be a beacon of hope to all who read it.

Regarded as one of the best authorities on the fiction of C.S. Lewis, Thomas Howard presents in this work brilliant new insights into Lewis' fiction and helps us to see things we may not have seen nor appreciated before. Focusing on Narnia, the space trilogy and Til We Have Faces, Howard explores with remarkable clarity the moral vision in the imaginary world of the master storyteller Lewis.