Fabrication. The one word that describes my entire life. They didn't want me to know my true identity. Now, I know why... Abducted. Held against my will. I've become a bargaining chip in a blood feud that spans decades. Mateo Rivera is the one calling the shots. His father's death put him in charge. Now he holds all the power. I should have known that he would ruin me the moment I laid eyes on him. And he did. He introduced me to a whole new world. One filled with danger and desire. I wasn't just his prisoner. I was his prize. But as the saying goes, if you lie with the devil, you'll wake in hell. And now all that's left is for me to burn.

In the world-sized city of Jadzia, magic and ancient science merge into something dark and wondrous. Koré’s life is consumed by power, politics, sex and vengeance, and as courtesan to the wealthy and powerful, he is privy to all manner of secrets. He knows meddling in politics is dangerous─still, he is willing to risk everything to stop his father from seizing the Imperial Throne of the War District. But Koré soon finds the corruption runs far deeper than just one man. During a tryst in an ancient tomb─in the pursuit of political influence─Koré encounters a dying god, who imbues him with the powers of one of the city’s sacred dragons. Suddenly Koré finds himself a hunted man, threatened with becoming a pawn by whoever finds him first. If the wrong person discovers his secret and lays claim to his powers they would plunge their world into war, unleash untold horrors and destroy the city─and the two people he has come to love.

The year is 1861. Hervé Joncour is a French merchant of silkworms, who combs the known world for their gemlike eggs. Then circumstances compel him to travel farther, beyond the edge of the known, to a country legendary for the quality of its silk and its hostility to foreigners: Japan.There Joncour meets a woman. They do not touch; they do not even speak. And he cannot read the note she sends him until he has returned to his own country. But in the moment he does, Joncour is possessed.

Why are Southeast Asia's richest countries such as Malaysia riddled with corruption? Why do Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines harbour unresolved violent insurgencies? How do deepening religious divisions in Indonesia and Malaysia, and China's growing influence, affect the region and the rest of the world? Thought-provoking and eye-opening, Blood and Silk is an accessible, personal look at modern Southeast Asia, written by one of the region's most experienced outside observers. This is a first-hand account of what it's like to sit at the table with deadly Thai Muslim insurgents, mediate between warring clans in the Southern Philippines and console the victims of political violence in Indonesia - all in an effort to negotiate peace, and understand the reasons behind endemic violence.

A spellbinding novel about transience and mortality, by one of the most original voices in American literature The Silk Road begins on a mat in yoga class, deep within a labyrinth on a settlement somewhere in the icy north, under the canny guidance of Jee Moon. When someone fails to arise from corpse pose, the Astronomer, the Archivist, the Botanist, the Keeper, the Topologist, the Geographer, the Iceman, and the Cook remember the paths that brought them there—paths on which they still seem to be traveling. The Silk Road also begins in rivalrous skirmishing for favor, in the protected Eden of childhood, and it ends in the harrowing democracy of mortality, in sickness and loss and death. Kathryn Davis’s sleight of hand brings the past, present, and future forward into brilliant coexistence; in an endlessly shifting landscape, her characters make their way through ruptures, grief, and apocalypse, from existence to nonexistence, from embodiment to pure spirit. Since the beginning of her extraordinary career, Davis has been fascinated by journeys. Her books have been shaped around road trips, walking tours, hegiras, exiles: and now, in this triumphant novel, a pilgrimage. The Silk Road is her most explicitly allegorical novel and also her most profound vehicle; supple and mesmerizing, the journey here is not undertaken by a single protagonist but by a community of separate souls—a family, a yoga class, a generation. Its revelations are ravishing and desolating.

"Gilbert Waldbauer takes us on a wild and storied ride through the insect world. Page after page, Fireflies, Honey, and Silk is highly entertaining, authoritative, encyclopedic, mesmerizing."—Erich Hoyt, author of Insect Lives and The Earth Dwellers: Adventures in the Land of Ants "In Fireflies, Honey, and Silk, Waldbauer serves up a veritable smorgasbord of insects from around the world whose lives directly intersect our whims and desires. With wide-ranging essays, the author reveals species that not only please and inspire us, but also those we have used to nourish, adorn, and cure our bodies."—Arthur V. Evans, author of National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America and What's Bugging You?

In this companion guide, Michael Andre-Driussi illuminates Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun and Book of the Short Sun science fiction series through dictionary-style entries on the characters, gods, locations, themes, and timelines of the novels. Gate of Horn, Book of Silk, is organized in two parts, with the first half covering the Long Sun series (Nightside the Long Sun, Lake of the Long Sun, Calde of the Long Sun, and Exodus from the Long Sun) and the second half covering the Short Sun series (On Blue's Waters, In Green's Jungles, and Return to the Whorl). "Languages of the Whorl," a section between the two parts, covers all the dialect, slang, and foreign terms used in the books--thieves' cant, flier language, Tick's talk, and more. Ten maps and diagrams are included. This is Michael Andre-Driussi's third guidebook to the rich tapestries of Gene Wolfe's worlds. As fans of of Lexicon Urthus and The Wizard Knight Companion have noted, that each book is both a convenient tool for a question while re-reading the novels but also an enjoyable read in its own right, from A to Z.

Alliances are forged and broken, friendships shattered, and despite the odds stacked against them, two hearts collide in this explosive sequel to Silk & Steel. From his mother's cage to a human one, but Lysander's captors are the least of his concerns. Rumors of a monstrous bronze dragon ripple through human camps, a dragon tearing great holes in the world as though searching for something... or someone. It's just a matter of time before the bronze chief, Dokul, finds Lysander and makes good on his promises. And should he find him, Lysander knows Dokul will not be merciful. Amidst the greatest of elven victories, Eroan failed. Failed his people, failed himself, and failed the dragon who saved him. But he will not falter. The dragonkin are in disarray, there will never be a greater opportunity to strike. Eroan Ilanea will not fail his people again. But when rumors of the dragon prince's survival reach him, he must choose: Fight for his people or fight for the prince who nobody thought to save?

Royal French Court intrigue surrounds a beautiful young couturiere and her dashing nobleman-husband as Queen Mother Catherine de Medici unfolds her devious scheme to preserve her reign. Rachelle Macquinet, couturiére from one of France’s most celebrated silk-making families, is under palace arrest at Fontainebleau. While creating a royal gown, she is ensnared, along with her husband, Marquis Fabien de Vendome, in the Queen Mother’s secret murderous scheme. Fabien has returned from a venture against Spain to claim Rachelle as his bride, but not without a price: the Queen Mother plans to implicate him in an assassination! Fabien and Rachelle are caught in history’s deadly swirl and love’s uncertainties as they seek to escape to the safety of England. Faith in Christ must uphold them in a time of great persecution that demands greater courage.

Jill Franklin's Beginners Guide to Aerial Silk provides complete easy to follow instruction for the beginning aerialist. In clear concise directions along with beautiful photos, Jill takes you on a lively tour from aerial silk fundamentals to learning how to climb, wrap, invert and spiral your body into and out of an array of positions. The book also includes an at home guide of strength building exercises that will help you excel more rapidly. Safety, clean technique and proper form are all emphasized throughout this guide. Beginners Guide to Aerial Silk is not intended as a sole learning avenue but rather a tool to assist you when taking aerial with a qualified instructor. This guide will help you gain the strength of a cirque performer, the lovely lines of a ballet dancer and the ease of movement like a Pilates pro. For information about Aerial Physique visit www.aerialphysique.com.