![]() ![]() In contrast to Merricat, Constance is sunny and cheerful. Merricat returns home to her sister Constance. On her way home, a group of boys (the Harrises) sing a made-up rhyme about her sister Constance trying to poison her. ![]() Two neighbors, Jim Donnell and Joe Dunham, taunt and pester her, the former claiming that he’s heard that Merricat and her sister are moving away (which proves to be false.) Eventually, the cafe’s owner, Stella, tells Merricat to go home. ![]() On her way home, Merricat goes into a cafe defiantly, trying to demonstrate her lack of fear towards the villagers. It’s clear that the hatred between Merricat and the villagers is mutual, since she often wishes them dead. She explains that her house is set apart from the town, closed off by a fence, and her family doesn’t even accept mail or phone calls. These errands are difficult for Merricat because she’s afraid of her town’s hostile villagers, who she claims have always hated her family. She recounts a day of doing her weekly errands, such as going to the library and picking up groceries. Merricat says that all of her family is dead except for her sister, Constance. The novel begins with the narrator and protagonist, Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood introducing herself. ![]()
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![]() ![]() It is now being heralded as the oldest collection of fictional stories from the Arab world, predating the infinitely better-known Nights. As befits its title, the extraordinary story of how this ancient manuscript finally saw the light of day is a marvel in its own right. ![]() He’s speaking a couple of days ahead of his series of lectures that start on February 7 at the Dubai International Writers’ Centre, a part of the Emirates Literature Foundation.Ī renowned authority on the Arabian Nights, Irwin will also be talking about his latest Orientalist discovery, Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange, just published in the UK by Penguin Classics. ![]() “I’ve been several times from the 60s, when it was part of the Trucial States, and I’ve always loved it. “I’m longing to be back in the Middle East and specifically the Emirates,” says Robert Irwin, the British Arabist and author of six novels. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() She had come to terms with her fate, accepting that she would not share a life with Decebel, until help came in the most unexpected form. ![]() Meanwhile, injured and alone, Jen has been fighting for her life. A curse of devastating proportions will cripple Decebel in a way that may dissolve his fragile bond with Jennifer. Unbeknownst to the other packs, the wolf has employed a witch to finish the deadly job and help him gain another tool to increase his power. ![]() The wolf fled, leaving destruction, death, and a missing mate behind him. And though the wolf's assassination attempt on the currently-reigning Romanian Alpha failed, his plans to get Decebel, the Romanian Beta, out of the picture were coming together even as his treachery was discovered. Then they were betrayed by one of their own-an Alpha hell-bent on becoming the most powerful of the Canis lupis. Darkness has descended on the Transylvanian Alps.įour packs of the powerful Grey wolves-in a rare show of cooperation-had joined together here in an effort to help their pack members find true mates. ![]() 7/6/2023 0 Comments Black beauty sewell![]() This article sheds new light on Black Beauty’s genre through its contextual reading of moralistic, animal-centric children’s literature, and didactic tracts on horse management. While Black Beauty is typically considered a children’s book, the novel in fact had a considerable adult audience, especially among working-class men. This allows the article to interrogate critical commonplaces about the novel’s genre. It uses a ‘surface reading’ methodology, focusing on the novel’s contemporary generic context and on how the book was received and marketed. ![]() ![]() This article employs Margaret Cohen’s notion of the ‘generic horizon’ to explore the production and reception of Anna Sewell’s 1877 novel Black Beauty. ![]() 7/5/2023 0 Comments Priceless by robert k wittman![]() ![]() When these needs aren’t met by a company or its employees, the customer might get mad and stop buying that product or using those services altogether. ![]() Customers seek value, good communication, reliability and empathy from employees with a positive attitude. To deliver great service, you have to know your customers and understand what they want. However, when you do find one, it makes all the difference. It’s rare to find companies that provide exceptional customer service. In fact, 3% of customers will shop anywhere and advocate for any product or service, which is a challenge for businesses. ![]() While it’s great that 97% of customers are satisfied, this does not mean they’re loyal to the company. Most companies measure customer satisfaction instead of loyalty. 1-Page Summary of Priceless The Price of Loyalty ![]() 7/5/2023 0 Comments Radio silence books![]() ![]() With their friendship in ruins and Aled miles away and spiraling into a dangerous depression, Frances must face long-buried fears and desires to find a way to save him. But as the start of Frances's senior year in high school and Aled's first year at university approach, a revelation changes their close relationship. They become fast friends and spend the majority of the summer working together on the podcast. Likewise, Aled can't believe that his graphic artist, Toulouse, is Frances. Frances is even more dumbfounded when she discovers that the mysterious Radio Silence is, in reality, Aled Last, who lives directly across the street from her. When she receives a message from the creator asking if she is willing to provide graphics for the show, she can't believe it. Frances has joined a fandom Tumblr account, using the moniker Toulouse, and occasionally posts sketches that reflect how she thinks the characters and settings might look. ![]() ![]() Frances is a fan of offbeat podcasts, and her favorite by far is Universe City, whose agender main character (who is also the show's creator) goes by the name of Radio Silence. Her public persona is academic nerd, but in private, she is a rebel. Gr 9 Up-British teen Frances Janvier is a study machine, focused on doing whatever it takes to get into Cambridge. ![]() ![]() ![]() An electrifying novel of enormous emotional power, Stay With Me asks how much we can sacrifice for the sake of family. Furious, shocked, and livid with jealousy, Yejide knows the only way to save her marriage is to get pregnant, which, finally, she does-but at a cost far greater than she could have dared to imagine. She assumes she still has time-until her family arrives on her doorstep with a young woman they introduce as Akin's second wife. But four years into their marriage-after consulting fertility doctors and healers, trying strange teas and unlikely cures-Yejide is still not pregnant. ![]() Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide have always agreed: polygamy is not for them. Yejide and Akin have been married since they met and fell in love at university. This celebrated, unforgettable first novel, shortlisted for the prestigious Women's Prize for Fiction and set in Nigeria, gives voice to both husband and wife as they tell the story of their marriage-and the forces that threaten to tear it apart. ![]() ![]() ![]() Part One, Detective Blacksad deals with the mob, the unions, and mid-century “master builder” Lewis Solomon, who plans to pave over New York City’s green spaces, come hell or high water.Translated by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander, and lettered by Tom Orzechowski and Lois Athena Buhalis, Dark Horse is proud to present this noir masterpiece to North American audiences-the first new Blacksad volume in seven years. Part One will be published in English by Dark Horse in July 2022, following its initial publication by Dargaud and Europe Comics in 2021-the French edition of which has been nominated for the Angoulême Grand Prix award. ![]() John Blacksad in a brand-new, two-part storyline. Acclaimed creators Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido present the long-awaited return of hardboiled feline P.I. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() “This is pure Mo Willems, from the many visual gags in the cleanly drawn illustrations and the tight, tongue-in-cheek story line to the endpapers. “With a sense of irony (and humor) as sharp as this dinosaur trio’s talons, Willems’s retelling is a sure bet for audiences who have moved beyond more gently witty fare.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Willems has delivered his very best work so far-this is a tasty treat for kids already fluent with the original, and for any fan of funny, and everybody will want to read it again and again and again.” - Booklist (starred review) Mo lives with his family in Massachusetts. Before he turned to making picture books, Mo was a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he won six Emmys. His books are perennial New York Times bestsellers, including Knuffle Bunny Free, Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator!, and the Cat the Cat series. A three-time Caldecott Honor winner (for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny, and Knuffle Bunny Too), he also won two Geisel Medals and two Geisel Honors for his Elephant and Piggie books. Mo Willems knows a Good Idea when he sees one. ![]() 7/4/2023 0 Comments Marco polo the explorer![]() ![]() In 1271, Polo left home with his father Niccolo and his uncle Maffeo, and set out for Asia, in hopes of reaching the court of Kublai Khan. Marco Polo wasn’t yet a seasoned traveling merchant when he embarked on his great journey east. ![]() ![]() Here are 15 things you might not know about Marco Polo. But as amazing as all that may sound, it only scratches the surface of the bizarre and exciting life of the traveling merchant. In the influential work, The Travels of Marco Polo, he outlined the geography of Asia, described the customs of its people, and told tales of life at the court of legendary Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. When he returned from his adventures, he brought back stories that helped introduce Europeans to Asia, and contributed to demystifying the largely unknown continent. Born in the Republic of Venice in 1254, Marco Polo was a trader, traveler, and adventurer, who (probably*) journeyed to Central Asia and China in an era when vast swaths of the world were still uncharted and just traveling to a neighboring town could take you days. ![]() |