5/30/2023 0 Comments The case of the missing servant![]() Lassi vendors chipped away at great blocks of ice delivered by camel cart. Sweets sellers lit the gas under blackened woks of oil and prepared sticky jalebis. Spice merchants sat surrounded by heaps of lal mirch, haldi and ground jeera, their colours as clean and sharp as new watercolor paints. Beneath faded, dusty awnings, cobblers crouched, sewing sequins and gold thread onto leather slippers with curled-up toes. It was almost noon and the bazaars along the city’s crenellated walls were stirring into life. The road led past the Jal Mahal palace, beached on a sandy lake bed, into Jaipur’s ancient quarter. Four hours later, they reached the rocky hills surrounding the Pink City, passing in the shadow of the Amber Fort with its soaring ramparts and towering gatehouse. Soon, the lush mustard and sugarcane fields of Haryana gave way to the scrub and desert of Rajasthan. Time and again, as his competitors raced up behind him and made their impatience known by the use of their horns and flashing high beams, he grudgingly gave way, pulling into the slow lane among the trucks, tractors and bullock carts. ![]() ![]() But he soon learned to keep it under seventy. ![]() Ambassadors might look old-fashioned and slow, but the latest models had Japanese engines. Handbrake knew that he could keep up with the best of them. ![]()
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5/30/2023 0 Comments Sapiens yuval![]() ![]() Harari writes about a " cognitive revolution" that supposedly occurred roughly 70,000 years ago when Homo sapiens supplanted the rival Neanderthals and other species of the genus Homo, developed language skills and structured societies, and ascended as apex predators, aided by the agricultural revolution and accelerated by the scientific revolution, which have allowed humans to approach near mastery over their environment. His writings examine free will, consciousness, intelligence, happiness, and suffering. He is the author of the popular science bestsellers Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2014), Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016), and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018). Yuval Noah Harari ( Hebrew: יובל נח הררי born 1976) is an Israeli public intellectual, historian and professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. History and I: War and the Relations between History and Personal Identity in Renaissance Military Memoirs, c. ![]() 5/30/2023 0 Comments The Last Colony by John Scalzi![]() ![]() I did notice an increasing tendency to make things a bit too much on the nose. stupid fucking Colonial Union, they've been long overdue for a knock-out.Īs usual the writing is pleasant and also generic. this is the third book in the series and the preceding books almost function as a wind-up to what turns out to be a mean right hook. but he also finally gets to openly slam the Colonial Union and their war-mongering, secretive, tunnel-visioned ways. sympathetic characters because Scalzi is a sympathetic sort of author. his love of people is on display as ever, and although his characters often lack depth and aren't particularly interesting, they are still warmly characterized and pleasant to be around. ![]() so he gets to have his cake and eat it too. he's a humanist who loves the individual as well as a scornful critic who slams systems, systematized secrecy, imperialism, and the use of conflict as a way to achieve goals. ![]() John Scalzi sort of agrees but sort of doesn't. Stupid fucking humans, you are the worst! always getting shit wrong and not caring! ![]() 5/30/2023 0 Comments Lessa the skies of pern![]() ![]() Once again, the world looks to the dragons and their riders to solve the crisis and save the world. and threatens a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. And now a brand-new danger looms from the skies. There are those who will stop at nothing- not even violence-to keep Pern and its people pure. ![]() ![]() And the dragonriders, led by F'lessan, son of F'lar and Lessa and rider of bronze Golanth, and Tia, rider of green Zaranth, must forge a new place for themselves in a world that may no longer need them.īut change is not easy for everyone. Technological marvels are changing the face of life on Pern. The Red Star, that celestial curse whose eccentric orbit was responsible for Thread, has been shifted to a harmless orbit, and the current Threadfall will be the last. It is a time of hope and regret, of endings and beginnings. Now, in this triumphant return to Pern, Anne McCaffrey takes us on an adventure as surprising and unforgettable as any that has come before. She has given us a whole world-and has taught us to fly. With the Dragonriders of Pern, McCaffrey has given us more than just an extraordinary masterwork of imagination. Thanks to Anne McCaffrey, millions of readers have soared the skies on dragonback, shared the thoughts and dreams of the great dragons of Pern, and risked life and limb to safeguard the planet from the deadly threat of falling Thread. ![]() ![]() ![]() There’s not much to this book, but i gotta squeeze in as many shark books as i can during SHARK WEEK RARRRR, so there you have it. ![]() Which is not how whales are made, but it SHOULD be. That page is extra fun because it looks like this little shark is barfing that whale into existence It is not safe to stay near a hungry mother.Īnd why sharks should not eat puffer fishĪnd how dolphins are the bullies of the ocean and it’s about time we stop thinking of them as pals worthy of airbrushing onto things because they are horrible beasts As soon as they are born the pups go their own way. The pup of the great white shark is almost the size of a man. It is only a very tiny little book, but it does have some knowledge to drop, about how you should be glad that your mommy is not a shark: ![]() If you know me and the breadth of my reading tastes, you may well ask yourself “is this children’s book or monsterporn?”īut lemme clear it up for you - this is a children’s book, so get outta here, sickos! ![]() 5/30/2023 0 Comments Wheel of time the dragon![]() ![]() The Dragon RebornĮpisode 1, "Leavetaking," opens with a bit of voice-over that immediately changes something about the central figure of the Dragon Reborn. ![]() The following contains massive spoilers for the books and the show, so consider yourselves warned. Here are the biggest changes The Wheel of Time has made from the books so far. So, be sure to check out our handy-dandy Wheel of Time guide to get your full bearings. Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the powerful all-female Aes Sedai order, embarks on a massive journey with five young men and women, any of whom could be the powerful Dragon Reborn prophesied to either save the world or destroy it. However, showrunner Rafe Judkins confirmed that this first season will also be covering elements of the second and third books, The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn.ĭespite a significant number of changes, the story of The Wheel of Time remains the same at its core. This first season mostly draws from the first book in the series, The Eye of the World. ![]() Understandably, Amazon Prime Video's version of The Wheel of Time cuts a great deal from its source material. That's simply too much material to fit into a TV show. Robert Jordan's epic fantasy series spans 14 books - 15 if you count the prequel - totaling over 4 million words. A 100% faithful adaptation of The Wheel of Timewas never going to be possible. ![]() ![]() ![]() His play Turtle Tears received accolades from the LA Times and Critics’ Choice from LA Weekly in September 1995. Suthern Hicks has been writing for over twenty years. The answers are here, in book two of the Messenger and Thieves fantasy series: A Leaf of Faith. Will both worlds be lost, or will this unlikely group of friends figure out the way to conquer evil? Together they set out on a dangerous mission to save one world, while unknowingly jeopardizing their own. ![]() ![]() Unexpected help comes from the humblest in the animal kingdom a little red fox and a daring dirt dauber. ![]() The would-be heroes enter into a foreign world seemingly by chance, without much more than their faith as a guide. Prophecy foretells that a brother and sister will come with a friend, bringing hope and news of a peaceful king. The Five Realms of Here have long sought someone to save them from the evil that holds them captive. Although appealing to Christians of all ages, it is particularly ideal for anyone who loves fantasy intertwined with Biblical truth, similar to that of C.S. Set both in the rural South and the fantastical Five Realms of Here, it’s an adventure traversing gloriously through the heartland of America and the depth of the imagination. Suthern Hicks, published author and playwright, releases a Christian fantasy novel unlike any other. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Their coupling is furtive and joyless and their prospects more than bleak. Stan has to keep the key in the ignition at all times so that they can flee at a moment’s notice as soon as marauding gangs approach. The couple end up having to live and sleep in their car. The Heart Goes Last provides a less blatantly post-apocalyptic scenario than Atwood’s Maddaddam trilogy but it opens with an atmosphere that is at least as threatening, if not more so. The unemployment rate in the hardest hit East Coast area has soared up to 40%, almost twice the rate that America reached in the wake of the Wall Street Crash. The America inhabited by her focal characters, Stan and Charmaine, is steeped in the twenty-first century equivalent of the Great Depression. Reworked from an e-serial, Atwood’s latest novel is as captivating and humorous as her previous work. ![]() 5/29/2023 0 Comments Arthur ransome author![]() ![]() It is not, perhaps, the fact that Ransome was a spy that we find so incredible. Yet each time this story is told it provokes as much astonishment and disbelief as the last. Since 1991 a trickle of documents have leaked into the public realm confirming his work for MI6 and Lenin's high opinion of him as a source of intelligence. But why does this come as a surprise? Ransome's work for the Daily News and Manchester Guardian provoked whispered speculation in his own lifetime, and occasionally open controversy. Last week the National Archives ( ) released papers proving that England's best-behaved children's author was a spy and possibly a double agent during the Russian revolution that he wrote pro-Bolshevik articles for liberal newspapers and married Trotsky's private secretary. ![]() ![]() Arthur Ransome's "secret life" is apparently one of them. There are some stories that go against the cultural grain so deeply that we refuse to believe them. ![]() 5/29/2023 0 Comments She persisted board book![]() Inspiringly shows how Maria Tallchief persisted and made her dreams come true. Through creative genius, faith, and profession, she aspires to make world changers out of the sea of humanity. Praise for She Persisted: Maria TallchiefĪ rich, clear picture of how one iconic Native dancer persisted. ![]() Many famous American ballets were created for Maria!Ĭomplete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Maria Tallchief’s footsteps and make a difference!Īnd don’t miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted! She refused, and worked hard at dancing her best, becoming America’s first prima ballerina. Maria Tallchief loved to dance, but was told that she might need to change her Osage name to one that sounded more Russian to make it as a professional ballerina. Chelsea Clinton introduces tiny feminists, mini activists and little kids who are ready to take on the world to thirteen. In this chapter book biography by award-winning author Christine Day, readers learn about the amazing life of Maria Tallchief–and how she persisted. ![]() Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger comes a chapter book series about women who stood up spoke up and rose up against the odds–including Maria Tallchief! ![]() |