FROM EXCITING AUTHORS OF LGBTQIA ROMANCE BELLORA QUINN AND SADIE ROSE BERMINGHAM Book one in the Rhythm of His Blood series When inspiration shows up in person, can it only end in blood, sweat and fear? When British rock star Rayne Wylde visits San Francisco to promote his band Whipsnade's latest release, there's time for a little fun. During a visit to a strip club with a friend, he hears one of his songs being played, and he can' t resist a chance to meet the sexy dancer performing on stage. Exotic dancer Xavier Gavrilov is so much more than a pretty face and what starts off as a night of passion soon turns into something deeper as Xavier begins to fall for Rayne, and to care for his oddball bunch of ageing porn star friends. But Rayne Wylde has a dangerous secret, a craving for blood, a need that Xavier is more than happy to fulfil. The singer must go home to England though, and things take a darker turn when he and Xavier come to the attention of Frisco's vampire elite. When Rayne departs for London, Xavier tries to return to his normal life but is snatched by vampires working for the Master of San Francisco and plunged into a violent world he never knew existed. Rayne must return to the city, but he will have to call in favors from old friends if they are to safely navigate the dangers of vampire politics and maintain the powerful bond that is growing between them.

The third in the fast-and-furious fantasy adventure The Legends of the Älfar: the worlds of the dark elves and the dwarves collide in what Malazan Empire calls 'Tolkien with a dash of Gemmell and a sprinkling of George R.R. Martin'. There are four races: the Elves, the Dwarves and the Humans and the Älfar. The other three all know the Älfar to be dark, relentless warriors, set on conquest; they have been deadly enemies since time immemorial. But are things about to change? The young älfar triplets Sisaroth, Tirigon and Firüsha have been banished to the deadly underground realm of Phondrasôn, two of them exiled for a murder they did not commit, the third determined to stay with them, to help them survive this terrifying place full of monsters. Then Sisaroth meets a dwarf, Tungdil, who has been locked up in the Dark Abyss (Tungdil will be well-known to readers of the Dwarves series!) - and their unexpected relationship will change the fate of the älfar and the dwarves - for ever. Dark Paths is the third book in bestselling author Markus Heitz's Legends of the Älfar series.

This work provides the current theory and observations behind the cosmological phenomenon of dark energy. The approach is comprehensive with rigorous mathematical theory and relevant astronomical observations discussed in context. The book treats the background and history starting with the new-found importance of Einstein’s cosmological constant (proposed long ago) in dark energy formulation, as well as the frontiers of dark energy. The authors do not presuppose advanced knowledge of astronomy, and basic mathematical concepts used in modern cosmology are presented in a simple, but rigorous way. All this makes the book useful for both astronomers and physicists, and also for university students of physical sciences.

There is a fine art to presenting complex ideas with simplicity and insight, in a manner that both guides and inspires. In Taking the Path of Zen Robert Aitken presents the practice, lifestyle, rationale, and ideology of Zen Buddhism with remarkable clarity. The foundation of Zen is the practice of zazen, or mediation, and Aitken Roshi insists that everything flows from the center. He discusses correct breathing, posture, routine, teacher-student relations, and koan study, as well as common problems and milestones encountered in the process. Throughout the book the author returns to zazen, offering further advice and more advanced techniques. The orientation extends to various religious attitudes and includes detailed discussions of the Three Treasures and the Ten Precepts of Zen Buddhism. Taking the Path of Zen will serve as orientation and guide for anyone who is drawn to the ways of Zen, from the simply curious to the serious Zen student.

In Dark Pasts, Jennifer M. Dixon asks why states deny past atrocities, and when and why they change the stories they tell about them. In recent decades, states have been called on to acknowledge and apologize for historic wrongs. Some have apologized, while others have silenced, denied, and relativized past crimes. Dark Pasts unravels the complex and fraught processes through which state narratives of past atrocities are constructed, contested, and defended. Focusing on Turkey's narrative of the Armenian Genocide and Japan's narrative of the Nanjing Massacre, Dixon shows that international pressures increase the likelihood of change in states' narratives of their own dark pasts, even as domestic considerations determine their content. Combining historical richness and analytical rigor, Dark Pasts is a revelatory study of the persistent presence of the past and the politics that shape narratives of state wrongdoing.

A walking journey through France’s vast interior becomes a meditation on both personal recovery and the role of history in the present—more than 425,000 copies sold in France After a free-climbing accident lands him in a coma and a hospital for four months, the French writer Sylvain Tesson makes a promise to himself: if he’s ever able to walk again, he will traverse the entire country of France on foot. Part literary adventure, part philosophical reflection on our contemporary consumer culture, On the Wandering Paths takes us deep into the heart of what Tesson terms France’s “hyperrural” zones. Tracing the obscure paths peasants once followed throughout the countryside, Tesson embarks on a three-month journey of solitude and personal contemplation as he walks along vast stretches of mountain ranges and rivers, encountering ancient Roman stone bridges and walkways, the French Foreign Legion, pagan prayer sites, Provençal villages, and the majestic Mont-Saint-Michel. Connecting deeply with the places he visits, his experiences inspire reflection on the essential need to disengage from the digital and immerse oneself in natural beauty. Rich with humor, historical insight, and literary power, On the Wandering Paths is both a meditation on the act of recovery and a potent recognition of the traces of our past in the present. Asking us to reassess our values and our relationship to the land, Tesson’s exquisite chronicle through landscapes that continue to resist urbanization and technology is a thoughtful—and thought-provoking—glimpse into a poet’s adventurous life. Les Chemins de Pierre, a film based on the book starring Jean Dujardin, is due to release in 2022.

Adventures of a young gang of English lads running loose in the 19th century countryside, striving to survive and prosper from a life of crime.

Africa is wealthy beneath the soil. Gold, diamonds, and other precious natural resources have, from ancient times, pulled people from all over the world to Africa, and yet the masses whose feet tread on such riches are being led on unknown paths with virtually nothing to show to the world but poverty. The worsening situation regarding poverty, unemployment, hunger, violence, illiteracy, disease, environmental degradation, etc. pose a security threat not only for the people of Africa but the entire world. Using Ghana—the first black African country led by Kwame Nkrumah to gain independence from colonial rule—as a case, Paths to Nowhere takes a look at the twist and turns of African countries in pursuit of the African dream. The books examine the obstacles in the path of independent African states from political freedom toward the ever-eluding economic freedom. Paths to Nowhere highlights the actions, inactions, systems, controls, powers, traditions, beliefs, assumptions, neglect, carelessness, and mistakes that have gradually eroded the confidence and expectations of the African and what it takes to reverse the order. The author draws from his political and administrative experience and practical knowledge of the sociopolitical terrain across the sub-Saharan Africa region to bring to the fore the overarching issues that are keeping the masses in Africa poor despite the rich resource base of the continent.