In her second collection of poetry, author Tanya Shirley uses a mixture of acute observation, outrage, and outrageousness to present stories that have their finger on the pulse of contemporary Jamaica in all its exuberance and brokenness. Speaking honestly and powerfully about the experiences of women, these poems are written with a lyric and sensual attention to both the public and the private in the Caribbean

Haunting, alarming, transformative, and elusive, these poems bridge together the gaps between development stages: from girl, to woman, and then mother. With the complexities that intertwine them, can you be all three at once? Who shapes our identity, and who is in control here? How do we recognize, acknowledge, and honor the changing of who we are?

In this insightful collection of poetry that brims with self-deprecating honesty and sexual frankness, themes of spirituality and gender relations are explored through topics such as the death of friends and relatives, the anxiety of being a foreigner in another country, the peril of unrequited love, the importance of size in sexual play, and the premonition of tragedy. With a deft handling of syntax, these thought-provoking epiphanies on the human condition and haunted memories are full of earthy sensuality and celebratory humor that are rooted in the everyday details of living, loving, fearing, laughing, and hoping.

From Sigrid Nunez, the National Book Award-winning author of The Friend, comes A Feather on the Breath of God: a mesmerizing story about the tangled nature of relationships between parents and children, between language and love A young woman looks back to the world of her immigrant parents: a Chinese-Panamanian father and a German mother. Growing up in a housing project in the 1950s and 1960s, she escapes into dreams inspired both by her parents' stories and by her own reading and, for a time, into the otherworldly life of ballet. A yearning, homesick mother, a silent and withdrawn father, the ballet--these are the elements that shape the young woman's imagination and her sexuality.

As heard on NPR's This American Life “Absorbing . . . Though it's non-fiction, The Feather Thief contains many of the elements of a classic thriller.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air “One of the most peculiar and memorable true-crime books ever.” —Christian Science Monitor A rollicking true-crime adventure and a captivating journey into an underground world of fanatical fly-tiers and plume peddlers, for readers of The Stranger in the Woods, The Lost City of Z, and The Orchid Thief. On a cool June evening in 2009, after performing a concert at London's Royal Academy of Music, twenty-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist boarded a train for a suburban outpost of the British Museum of Natural History. Home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world, the Tring museum was full of rare bird specimens whose gorgeous feathers were worth staggering amounts of money to the men who shared Edwin's obsession: the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. Once inside the museum, the champion fly-tier grabbed hundreds of bird skins—some collected 150 years earlier by a contemporary of Darwin's, Alfred Russel Wallace, who'd risked everything to gather them—and escaped into the darkness. Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was waist high in a river in northern New Mexico when his fly-fishing guide told him about the heist. He was soon consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? Had Edwin paid the price for his crime? What became of the missing skins? In his search for answers, Johnson was catapulted into a years-long, worldwide investigation. The gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice, The Feather Thief is also a fascinating exploration of obsession, and man's destructive instinct to harvest the beauty of nature.

Life is not always easy. Far from it. This third popular, action-packed novel in Hillyer Ives Connizol series features a young merchant who had been handed a bill of stolen goods on Earth, having to pay a very expensive fine. Everything began falling apart after that. With nothing left but a ship load of perishable feathers, Pitzi sets out to define his new direction in life. His first desire was a date with a beautiful young woman, the daughter of the Star Police commander. But things continued to go wrong. The young woman stowed away on his ship, a Confederation offense, to look after Pitzi. Pitzi later has doubts about Merats love when Janzi Jit, a good-looking athlete joined them after the three were kidnapped and taken to the slip-shod world of Purrit. There they were to be used by the Confederations most wanted criminal, Otlee. Otlee was said to have been responsible for the deaths of over two thousand people. This never-ending action story involves not only suspense and adventure, but much comic relief and humor. Join Pitzi Phips, a sawed-off little merchantman with a big heart, as he takes on the Connizol Confederations number one assassin.

In ""Feathers of Fortune,"" seventeen-year-old Zara discovers an extraordinary ability to manipulate luck through magical feathers in a world where fortune is a tangible resource. As the daughter of a disgraced merchant, she must navigate a society sharply divided between the lucky and the unlucky. When a mysterious plague begins stealing luck from the fortunate, Zara's gift becomes both a blessing and a curse, thrusting her into a perilous adventure. Teaming up with Finn, a charismatic but unlucky street performer, Zara embarks on a quest to uncover the source of the plague and restore balance to their world. This unique blend of science, fantasy, and social commentary explores themes of privilege, responsibility, and the true nature of fortune. Through alternating perspectives, readers gain insight into both sides of this divided society, challenging them to question the role of luck in their own lives. With its intricate worldbuilding and character-driven narrative, ""Feathers of Fortune"" offers a fresh take on the classic hero's journey, appealing to young adults who crave a thought-provoking adventure with a dash of magic.

The surprising, rich life of tree swallows in nesting season--with Heinrich's beautiful illustrations and photographs--by the acclaimed naturalist. Heinrich is sparked one early spring day by a question: Why does a pair of swallows in a nest-box close to his Maine cabin show an unvarying preference for white feathers--not easily available nearby--as nest lining? He notices, too, the extreme aggressiveness of "his" swallows toward some other swallows of their own kind. And he wonders, given swallows' reputation for feistiness, at the extraordinary tameness and close contact he experiences with his nesting birds. From the author of the beloved books Ravens in Winter and A Naturalist at Large, this richly engaging view of the lives of wild birds, as always with Heinrich, yields "marvelous, mind-altering" insight and discoveries. --Los Angeles Times

In 1513, at Carnevale in Bergamo, Silvio Speronelli kissed the girl next door, and she died on the spot. Five years later, he is a professional Fool, traveling with his noble Venetian patrons in an acting troupe. One rainy night, into the inn's common room walks Oriela Morèr, who has left her family's silk farm on Lake Garda in pursuit of the father she has never known. For his part, the wealthy merchant Pantalon Morèr is suspicious of the girl because of a secret that also involves Silvio's strange heritage. As they cross the Terraferma toward Venice, Oriela tries to fit into Pantalon's enchanting world of stage and villa, palazzo and saltwater, while Silvio finds his heart growing enchanted with Oriela. Can either Pantalon or Silvio find the courage to love her?

In this dazzling photo essay, Laman and Scholes present gorgeous full-color photographs of all 39 species of the Birds of Paradise that highlight their unique and extraordinary plumage and mating behavior.