Laughs, love, office life. And a little touch of magic ... From the bestselling author of LOOKING FOR ANDREW MCCARTHY and AMANDA'S WEDDING.

Working Wonders, the second book of Fragrant Port trilogy, tells of the story of how some orphans, survivors of the World War II, overcome all kinds of difficulties and hardships and succeed in initiating their business undertakings in post-War times. Swan Ko, grandson of Third Sister, Brown’s former amah, becomes an orphan after the War. He starts from working as a child laborer. Then he cooperates with a HK British company and invents the multi-layer contractor system, which lays down the foundation of the building industry of Hong Kong at the beginning of the 1960s when it begins to vigorously develop. Swan’s ambition is to surpass the Hong Kong British firms financially in order to bring credit to the Hong Kong Chinese. During the revolt of the Leftists in 1967, he employs the tactics of ‘buying in while others deserting’ and buys in large quantities of land and premises at low prices. During the very flourishing stock market period in 1972-73, he issues new stocks for a number of times to raise sufficient funds so that his company can develop by leaps and bounds. During the serious stock disaster in 1974-75, he continues to buy in large amounts of land for building and old buildings at low prices. After having accumulated strength silently and secretly for about 20 years in this way, he finally defeats Hong Kong Real Estate Co., Ltd., the number one century-old HK British land developing company, winning the bid for the right to develop the upper roof of the Grand Wharf in Central. This brilliant feat amazes the public and he is thus well-known overnight. On the other hand, Brown’s Watton & Co., Ltd. merges with Whymper Docks after having undergone radical ups and downs in the political and economic crises during this period. The merger company, however, is still unable to extricate itself from financial difficulties. With the assistance of Lora, his wife, Swan succeeds in purchasing the firm. Swan becomes the first Hong Kong Chinese who takes over a traditional Hong Kong British big firm. Thus, the traditional Hong Kong British companies’ monopoly of the economy of Hong Kong for more than a century is broken. Swan’s love experience is also varied with twists and turns. Lydia Lee, a half-breed, Swan’s primary schoolmate, close partner in initiating their undertakings and girlfriend, suddenly turns out to be his elder sister of the same father with different mothers, while Lora Hocking, who has one-sided love for him secretly, is discovered to be Lydia’s younger sister of the same mother with different fathers. She is found to be the illegitimate daughter of Mark Cooper, taipan of Whymyer Docks. As a matter of fact, these relations are fabricated by some people designed to cover up a past tragedy created by the older generations. The background time of the novel is set from the conclusion of World War II in 1945 to 1982, some time before the British and Chinese governments began talks on the future of Hong Kong. During this period there were the Korean War and US embargo on China in early 1950s, the revolt of the Leftists in 1967, the serious stock disaster in 1974-75, the world petroleum crises in 1974-75, and the world shipping industry crises in early 1980s.

Words can work wonders – and disasters. Words will work wonders if we are speaking with both heart and mind. With heart I mean a deep feeling of connection with everything and everyone and with mind a clear view of our strengths and weaknesses and of the differences between us and – the ability to recognize its own limits. Then our rational mind wisely surrenders the upper hand in our life to our heart, which, somehow, ”knows” that it is connected. Key words: talking with heart and mind, communication, connection, truth and lies, honesty, promises, forgiving, conflicts, poems, words of truth, courtesy etc

In this extensive collection, 145 practitioners from around the world tell how CranioSacral Therapy, a method of using gentle pressure to evaluate and improve the functioning of the central nervous system, has made a difference in their clients' lives. Beginning with a foreword by the treatment's developer, the book is divided into three main sections with stories about children, adults, and animals. Detailed, first-person accounts of actual CranioSacral interventions illustrate the therapy's efficacy and wide range of applications and the degree to which it complements traditional as well as nontraditional treatments. The book holds appeal not only for CranioSacral practitioners, including osteopaths, chiropractors, naturopaths, physical therapists, acupuncturists, and other body workers, but also for anyone interested in alternative ways to reduce pain and enhance the body's functioning.

The paintings and prints of the Steidle Collection capture the power and beauty of industry. The images, potent reminders of earlier vigorous industrial development in America, are a visual record connecting fine arts, industry, and education before World War II. Established and expanded by Edward Steidle during his tenure at The Pennsylvania State University, the collection, with its unique focus on the mineral industries, is one of the most comprehensive assemblages of American industrial art. The Steidle Collection is preserved and exhibited by the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery. The Steidle Collection remains today a remarkable artifact at the intersection of art, industry, and education. As a time capsule of the period between the stock market crash of 1929 and World War II, the collection sheds light on Pennsylvania's most important industries. The unique beauties of steel and coal that inspired the artists in this collection remind us of the power these industries held in the culture and economy of Pennsylvania. At the time he assembled his industrial art collection, Dean Steidle could hardly have imagined the collapse of the nation's formidable steel industry and the disappearance of the blast furnaces that inspired such powerful paintings and prints. Edward Steidle was singular--one writer characterized him as a "spark plug"--and his remarkable vision of art embedded in the School of Earth and Mineral Sciences remains a legacy for the citizens of the Commonwealth and for The Pennsylvania State University.

"Through the rich inner lives of two ordinary, unforgettable women, award-winning Spanish poet Elena Medel brings a half-century of the feminist movement to life, revealing the simmering truth that money is ultimately the limiting factor in most women's lives"--

From typographic illustrator Marian Bantjes, I Wonder will make you think in new ways about art, design, beauty, and popular culture. This unique presentation features the elaborately crafted word pictures of Marian Bantjes, the most inventive and creative typographic illustrator of our time. Whether intricately hand-drawn or using computer illustration software, Bantjes's work crosses the boundaries of time, style, and technology. There is, however, another side to Bantjes's visual work: her thoughtful treatises on art, design, beauty, and popular culture that add a deeper dimension to the decorative nature of her best-known work. These reflections cover the cult of Santa, road-side advertising, photography and memory, the alphabet's letterforms, heraldry, and stars. Bantjes's writing style ranges from the playful to the confrontational, but it is always imbued with perspicacity, insight, and a sense of fun. Intended to inspire creatives of any persuasion, this is more than a collection of ideas: Bantjes has meticulously illustrated every page of the book in her inimitable style to create an accessible work of art that is far greater than the sum of its parts. Quirky, poignant, astute, funny--this beautiful book presents a compelling collection of observations on visual culture and design. In Stefan Sagmeister's telling words, Bantjes's work is his "favorite example of beauty facilitating the communication of meaning." This paperback edition is expanded with a new essay from the author.

A sharp analysis of how Herodotus' narrative participates in the rhetoric of shaping public attitudes about the present

“A poet celebrates the wonders of nature in a collection of essays that could almost serve as a coming-of-age memoir.” —Kirkus Reviews As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home: the grounds of a Kansas mental institution, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; the open skies and tall mountains of Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she was transplanted—no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape—she was able to turn to our world’s fierce and funny creatures for guidance. “What the peacock can do,” she tells us, “is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life.” The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world’s gifts. Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders is a book of sustenance and joy. Praise for World of Wonders Barnes & Noble 2020 Book of the Year An NPR Best Book of 2020 An Esquire Best Book of 2020 A Publishers Weekly “Big Indie Book of Fall 2020” A BuzzFeed Best Book of Fall 2020 “Hands-down one of the most beautiful books of the year.” —NPR “A timely story about love, identity and belonging.” —New York Times Book Review “A truly wonderous essay collection.” —Roxane Gay, The Audacity

The Mekhilta de-Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai is a collection of classical midrashic interpretation of the biblical Book of Exodus. Lost for centuries, the text was reconstructed and recovered in the 19th and 20th centuries by both German and Israeli scholars from a variety of source materials, including medieval manuscripts of the text and midrashic anthologies. As one of the first collections of rabbinic biblical interpretation, the Mekhilta de-Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai is an indispensable source for understanding the history, beliefs, and practices of the earliest rabbis. This edition, translated and explicated for the first time in English by W. David Nelson, is The Jewish Publication Society's latest contribution to making ancient Jewish literature accessible to modern readers. A critical introduction provides the reader with a firm grounding in the historical setting of the text, as well as its source material, reconstruction, subject matter, and significance for understanding the history of Judaism. Set in a modern, readable typeface, the Hebrew text faces the English translation with the author's annotation beneath. Indexes include scriptural verse citations and rabbinic sages named in the text.