It's Christmas Eve and Detective Alex Cross is called away from his family to resolve a horrific hostage situation that is spiraling out of control.

Where do we come from? Why do stars shine and the seasons change? What is evil? Since the beginning of time, people have answered such questions by crafting imaginative stories that have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature. In his irreverent a question-and-answer style, Davis introduces and explains the great myths of the world, as well as the works of literature that have made them famous. He tackles Mesopotamia's Gilgamesh,...

A timely and important new book that challenges everything we think we know about cultivating true belonging in our communities, organizations, and culture. Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives--experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of...

No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate. And they sing. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient chants whose effect on both singer and listener is...

Berlin, 1936. The Olympic finals of the eight-oared rowing race. Germany, Italy, USA. The American boat touches the finish line first, beating all odds and sending Hitler away in a silent rage. In the midst of the Great Depression, the nine rowers showed the world what true grit really meant. They were western, working-class boys who never expected to beat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did. At the center of the tale...

Documenting one family's dangerous journey across the harshest deserts of the Southwest, a day-by-day account of adventure and personal growth is also an informative exploration of Navajo life and history. The adventure of a lifetime, this is the true story of a family's perilous trek into the sacred landscapes described in the Navajo creation story. This book is both a story of personal growth and a fascinating exploration of Navajo life, history,...

"The world's great literature as comics and visuals"--Cover.

This is the chronicle of three generations of Clearys, Australian ranchers carving lives from a beautiful, hard land while contending with the bitterness, frailty, and secrets that penetrate their family. Most of all, it is the story of only daughter Meggie and her lifelong relationship with the haunted priest Father Ralph de Bricassart - an intense joining of two hearts and souls that dangerously oversteps sacred boundaries of ethics and dogma. Some...