ReviewPraise for John Julius Norwich “As a historian, Lord Norwich knows what matters. As a writer, he has a taste for beauty, a love of language, and an enlivening wit. He contrives, as no English writer has done before, to sustain a continuous interest in that crowded history.”—Hugh Trevor-Roper, author of The Last Days of Hitler and The Golden Age of Europe “Norwich is an enchanting and satisfying raconteur.”—_The Washington Post_ “He has put readers of this generation more in his debt than any other English writer.”—_The Sunday Times_ (London) “Norwich is a historian of uncommon urbanity: scholarly and erudite but never pedantic. His style is as graceful and easy as it is knowledgeable.”—_Los Angeles Times_ “[Norwich] is certainly the English language’s most passionate and dedicated chronicler of [Venice’s] extraordinary history.”—_The Seattle Times_ From the Hardcover edition.Product DescriptionCritical praise for ABSOLUTE MONARCHS “_Absolute Monarchs_ sprawls across Europe and the Levant, over two millenniums, and with an impossibly immense cast: 265 popes, feral hordes of Vandals, Huns and Visigoths, expansionist emperors, Byzantine intriguers, Borgias and Medicis, heretic zealots, conspiring clerics, bestial inquisitors and more. Norwich manages to organize this crowded stage and produce a rollicking narrative. He keeps things moving at nearly beach-read pace.” —Bill Keller, _New York Times_ Book Review, Cover review “Renowned historian Norwich offers a rollicking account of the men who held the papal office, their shortcomings and their virtues, and the impact of the papacy on world history. He conducts us masterfully on a tour of the lives of the popes from Peter to Benedict XVI. . . . Entertaining and deeply researched, Norwich’s history offers a wonderful introduction to papal lives.” —Publishers Weekly A SWEEPING CHRONICLE OF ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT—AND CONTROVERSIAL—INSTITUTIONS IN HISTORY With the papacy embattled in recent years, it is essential to have the perspective of one of the world’s most accomplished historians. In Absolute Monarchs, John Julius Norwich captures nearly two thousand years of inspiration and devotion, intrigue and scandal. The men (and maybe one woman) who have held this position of infallible power over millions have ranged from heroes to rogues, admirably wise to utterly decadent. Norwich, who knew two popes and had private audiences with two others, recounts in riveting detail the histories of the most significant popes and what they meant politically, culturally, and socially to Rome and to the world. Norwich presents such brave popes as Innocent I, who in the fifth century successfully negotiated with Alaric the Goth, an invader civil authorities could not defeat, and Leo I, who two decades later tamed (and perhaps paid off) Attila the Hun. Here, too, are the scandalous figures: Pope Joan, the mythic woman said (without any substantiation) to have been elected in 855, and the infamous “pornocracy,” the five libertines who were descendants or lovers of Marozia, debauched daughter of one of Rome’s most powerful families. Absolute Monarchs brilliantly portrays reformers such as Pope Paul III, “the greatest pontiff of the sixteenth century,” who reinterpreted the Church’s teaching and discipline, and John XXIII, who in five short years starting in 1958 “opened up the church to the twentieth century,” instituting reforms that led to Vatican II. Norwich brings the story to the present day with Benedict XVI, who is coping with a global priest sex scandal. Epic and compelling, Absolute Monarchs is the astonishing story of some of history’s most revered and reviled figures, men who still cast light and shadows on the Vatican and the world today. Views: 35
As Brett watched, one hand slipped loose, then the other. Tom dropped, screaming, into the flames. His body, all red and bubbled, boiled up once to the surface, then was gone. PLAYER ONE HAS ONE LIFE REMAINING. GAME CONTINUES. Flaming fire rivers. Divebombing buzz-bugs. A cruel king waiting to do battle in his computer-generated castle. Video game whizzes Brett Wilder and Tom Houston think that new virtual reality game Rodomonte's Revenge is awesome-until it takes over their minds. Then the game playing becomes dangerously real, and one wrong move could be the last. Views: 35
A fatal incident at a medical facility sends U.S. government agents on the trail of Evangelina Scales-Jennifer's sister and an extraordinary figure with deadly intent. But not everything is as it seems. Views: 35
An erotic short story. A second chance at love.
Naomi Hill wants to feel again. Grieving left her senses dull and her heart empty, yet every time she’s around Jude—her late husband’s best friend—her body...her heart...responds in a way she can’t ignore. With a push from a friend and a party game that forces her and Jude alone in an empty room, she finally finds the courage to seduce the one man who can bring her back to life.
Brilliant self-made millionaire, Jude Colter, has kept his hands off of Naomi since first meeting her in high school...for two reasons. One being she’d been obsessed with his best friend and business partner. Two, she brought out raw feelings in him that made him question his theories on women...and the possibility of love. If only he could trust she was truly over her late husband. Views: 35
Scanned, converted, re-formatted, proofed, first edition book cover restoration and eBook creation by Jerry. Views: 35
Written in partnership with Sherwood Pictures' upcoming film, COURAGEOUS, in The Resolution for Women, popular speaker and author Priscilla Shirer challenges all women to be intentional about embracing and thriving in God’s beautiful and eternal calling on their lives. Like the men in the movie who resolve to fully accept their responsibilities before God, Shirer explains how today's women can and should live out their own resolution. It is "a defining banner that hangs over your life, written in the ink of your own choices." A woman's banner should be an accurate reflection of who she desires to be-someone completely Christ-centered who blesses and changes things in her world for the better. The Resolution for Women inspires women with intentional, spirit-filled living from three unique angles. Section one, entitled, "This Is Who I Am," helps a woman define herself as "authentically me, purposefully feminine, surprisingly satisfied, and faithfully His." Section two, "This Is What I Have," invites her to value "my best, my blessing, my honor, and my heart." And Section three, "This Is What Matters To Me," focuses on joyfully honoring God as a wife, mother, and family member while resolving to live with the grace that leaves a godly legacy. The Resolution for Women is designed to inspire a revolution. Views: 35
The StoryFollowing the trajectory of a blood-red comet, the berserk World Eaters blaze a path of destruction across the galaxy in its wake. The small cemetery world of Certus Minor appeals to the Space Marines of the Excoriators Chapter for protection, but the force dispatched to deal with this grim threat is far too small and their losses against the renegades are high. Just as all seems lost, salvation is borne out of legend itself as sinister spectral warriors descend upon this planet of the dead, and the enemies of the Imperium come face to face with those who have already travelled beyond the realm of the living... Views: 35
"When retired movie star Glenda Dupree was murdered at Fairbanks, her antebellum mansion near Nashville, Tennessee, there was much speculation, but no one missed her much. Prior to leaving life on earth, Glenda had managed to offend everyone in sight, including her neighbor, a (mostly) law-abiding horse trainer named Cat Enright.Cat finds Glenda s body and is implicated in the murder, and also in the disappearance of a ten-year-old neighbor, Bubba Henley. Cat thinks Bubba's disappearance ties into the murder and realizes her name will not be cleared until he is found. Although a Henley ancestor built Fairbanks, the current Henley clan lives next door in a scruffy trailer. Because the police treat the missing boy as a runaway Cat begins her quest to find Bubba, solve Glenda's murder, and clear her name. An unpopular sheriff and upcoming election mean the pressure to close the case is on. With the help of her riding students, a (possibly) psychic horse, a local cop, a kid named Frog, and an eccentric client of a certain age with electric blue hair, Cat takes time from her horse training business to try to solve the case and keep herself out of prison." Views: 35
FBI Agent Donovan always plays by the book, until he’s asked to guard the sexy witness in the FBI’s most dangerous investigation. He knows he can’t lose his edge if he wants to keep her alive long enough to testify. But Josie’s not going to let him escape without a fight. Getting past his resolve won’t be easy, but she’s determined to prove he needs much more than just her testimony. Views: 35
Unravel the mysteries of language with J.P. Davidson's remarkable Planet Word.'The way you speak is who you are and the tones of your voice and the tricks of your emailing and tweeting and letter-writing, can be recognised unmistakably in the minds of those who know and love you.' Stephen Fry From feral children to fairy-tale princesses, secrets codes, invented languages - even a language that was eaten! - Planet Word uncovers everything you didn't know you needed to know about how language evolves. Learn the tricks to political propaganda, why we can talk but animals can't, discover 3,000-year-old clay tablets that discussed beer and impotence and test yourself at textese - do you know your RMEs from your LOLs? Meet the 105-year-old man who invented modern-day Chinese and all but eradicated illiteracy, and find out why language caused the go-light in Japan to be blue. From the dusty scrolls of the past to the... Views: 35
