![]() ![]() ![]() I know it’s corny but I felt really seen by this book in a way I don’t by almost any media. At once a guidebook to pessimistic thought and a relentless critique of humanity's employment of self-deception to cope with the pervasive suffering of their existence, The Conspiracy against the Human Race may just convince readers that there is more than a measure of truth in the despairing yet unexpectedly liberating negativity that is widely considered a hallmark of Ligotti's work"- … ( more) Drawing on philosophy, literature, neuroscience, and other fields of study, Ligotti takes the penetrating lens of his imagination and turns it on his audience, causing them to grapple with the brutal reality that they are living a meaningless nightmare, and anyone who feels otherwise is simply acting out an optimistic fallacy. It may be stated thus: Behind the scenes of life lurks something pernicious that makes a nightmare of our world." His fiction is known to be some of the most terrifying in the genre of supernatural horror, but Thomas Ligotti's first nonfiction book may be even scarier. "There is a signature motif discernible in both works of philosophical pessimism and supernatural horror. ![]() ![]() "In Thomas Ligotti's first nonfiction outing, an examination of the meaning (or meaninglessness) of life through an insightful, unsparing argument that proves the greatest horrors are not the products of our imagination but instead are found in reality. ![]()
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![]() ![]() ![]() This thoughtful critical translation by Gretchen van Slyke brings the complexity of the original story to life. Fadette's relationship with the twins defies the patriarchal norms of French society as well as the expectations of the village, resulting in a tale of love, courage, and clever strategy winning out over superstition and prejudice.Often regarded as a simple country tale, Sand's novel is layered with meaning, including subtle nods to the burgeoning desire for political and sexual equality in nineteenth-century France. When young Landry meets Fadette, whose very name suggests that she is a witch, he is captivated by the girl despite her lowly status and disreputable family. The brothers, Landry and Sylvinet, belong to a highly respected farm family. Set in the French countryside of George Sand's childhood and narrated in the unique voice of a Berrichon peasant, La Petite Fadette is a beloved 1848 novel about identical twin brothers and Fadette, the mysterious waif with whom they both fall in love. ![]() ![]() Critics have praised his weird stories for their emotional power and their analytical approach to Mormon themes. Peck's fiction often defies genre conventions and discusses philosophical themes. He has taught bioethics and philosophy of biology in addition to other biology classes, and teaches that evolution is not at odds with religious faith. He grew up in Moab, Utah and lives in Pleasant Grove, Utah.Īfter studying at BYU and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Peck received his PhD from North Carolina State University in biomathematics and entomology. He is a professor of biology at Brigham Young University (BYU). His literary work is influential in Mormon literature circles. ![]() ![]() Peck (born July 25, 1957) is an evolutionary biologist, poet, and novelist. ![]() "The Mormon Organon: A Biology Professor Looks at Science and Faith" ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Her ambivalent relationship with money is expressed in a needy compulsion to share her wealth with the wider family – generosity that borders on ostentation and yet signals a subtle attempt to control those around her, to position herself in the role of provider, while asserting her professional success. Tensions become apparent: Johnny feels emasculated Jessie suffers guilt about her superior financial position. Jessie is the successful owner of a grocery company, employing her husband, Johnny, who works alongside her. The key theme here is addiction in its various guises: to shopping, to food, to status and money. Over the past 20 years, Marian Keyes has built a reputation for breezy fiction that also tackles difficult and, at times, controversial subjects, and Grown Ups is no exception. But beneath the surface, resentments fester and when Cara attends a family dinner after suffering from concussion, secrets emerge that threaten to expose the weakness of the threads that bind them. Brothers Johnny, Ed and Liam seem close in spite of their different personalities, while their wives – Jessie, Cara and Nell – appear to get along well. T he Caseys are a sprawling Irish family who gather at every possible opportunity: anniversaries, birthdays and holidays. ![]() ![]() ![]() Her dog Solo has a fine nose and knows how to use it, but he's only one of many astounding dogs in a varied field. Cat Warren is a university professor and journalist who had tried everything she could think of to harness her dog Solo's boundless energy and enthusiasm.until a behavior coach suggested she try training him to be a "working dog." What started out as a hobby soon became a calling, as Warren was introduced to the hidden universe of dogs who do this essential work and the handlers who train them. These abilities may seem magical or mysterious, but author Cat Warren shows the science, the rigorous training, and the skilled handling that underlie these creatures' amazing abilities. ![]() ![]() A firsthand exploration of the extraordinary abilities and surprising, sometimes life-saving talents of "working dogs"-pups who can sniff out drugs, find explosives, even locate the dead-as told through the experiences of a journalist and her intrepid canine companion, which The New York Times calls "a fascinating, deeply reported journey into the.amazing things dogs can do with their noses." There are thousands of working dogs all over the US and beyond with incredible abilities-they can find missing people, detect drugs and bombs, pinpoint unmarked graves of Civil War soldiers, or even find drowning victims more than two hundred feet below the surface of a lake. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() We also have a list of student-generated recommendations. Our research found that overly assessing reading can take away from the joy however, students who would like to dig deeper into the process may complete a non-mandatory reflective journal, which will serve as an extra credit assignment. The reading must be completed by Septemon this day, students will need to be prepared to present why they feel the book they selected will motivate young people to read, which will count as their mandatory assignment. Our goal is for our students to find important and enjoyable literature therefore, this summer, students will be able to read any book, fiction or nonfiction, that they feel would be both engaging and appropriate for a high school audience. We would like to build upon this success this summer. In essence, self-directed reading produces deeper engagement. We also received feedback indicating that choice and developing a personal connection are essential to finding the right book. We feel that reading now, more than ever, is an essential outlet for our young people, as it provides a medium to grow creativity, critical thinking, communication, empathy, reflection, and the literacy skills that they will need in the future. The Ramsey Public School District is dedicated to encouraging young people to see reading as a meaningful way to understand the world better. ![]() ![]() ![]() The whole tension of protest in Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman stems from the author’s disagreement with the wide-spread view of women as weak and inferior creatures. ![]() However, while Wollstonecraft approaches the solution to the problem from the educational viewpoint and claims that the key to a successful and full-fledged participation of woman in social and family life lays in proper education, Mill prefers to seek the answer to the female issue from legal point of view, accentuating the importance of official public recognition of female rights equal to those of male. ![]() Both feminist-set works address the same topic of artificiality, unfairness and noxiousness of female abjection in a progressive society. In the subsequent period, the issue of female oppression in society was developed by a multitude of philosophers and public figures.įor instance, the English liberal thinker John Stuart Mill in his essay The Subjection of Women (1860) confronts the patriarchal culture typical of the nineteenth century society. Such inequality spurred protest already in the late eighteenth century, with one of the most prominent works being A Vindication of the Rights of Woman written in 1792 by Mary Wollstonecraft’s. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() True, evolutionary biology is at a loss to explain homosexual behavior, since genes for non-reproductive sex should quickly disappear, in contrast to genes for reproductive sex. Gays and lesbians remain biologically men and women through and through, and evolutionary biology percolates into gay and lesbian relationships. She may or may not love you (that's hard to tell), but make no mistake: She made you. Instead, we're going to write about sex from a different and even straighter view: that of your mother, evolution. You come from a long line of successful breeders, and each gene in your body is here because it contributed to the reproductive success of those who came before you.īefore we go farther, some full frontal disclosure: We were asked to write about gay and lesbian sex and monogamy, specifically from a straight perspective. Regardless of who or what turns you on, your genes remain the same. You prefer handjobs or blowjobs or jelly donuts. ![]() ![]() ![]() Inspired by a childhood teddy bear given to her by her grandmother, Jane has written and illustrated more than 20 picture books featuring Old Bear. Jane continued to nurture her passion through adulthood and studied illustration and design, later becoming an Art teacher and settling down with her husband Ivan and their 3 children Owen, Alison & Ralph. When she wasn’t doing this she would spend days at a time sitting in her favorite tree, reading the likes of Arthur Ransome and Enid Blyton. Her holidays were spent wandering fields and lanes, conjuring up fantastical worlds with pencil and sketchbook. First published in 1986, it later became the inspiration for BAFTA award winning TV series Old Bear Stories.Īs a child growing up in Norfolk, Jane developed a love for writing and drawing. ![]() ![]() Recognized in both publishing and TV, Jane Hissey is best known for her children’s book series Old Bear & Friends. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Frontispiece illustration by Howard Pyle. In the end, Robin and his men are pardoned by King Richard the Lionheart and his band are incorporated into the king's retinue, much to the dismay of the Sheriff of Nottingham.įriar Tuck carries Robin Hood across a river. The popular stories of Little John defeating Robin in a fight with staffs, of Robin's besting at the hands of Friar Tuck, and of his collusion with Allan a Dale all appear. Each chapter tells a different tale of Robin as he recruits Merry Men, resists the authorities, and aids his fellow man. ![]() The plot follows Robin Hood as he becomes an outlaw after a conflict with foresters and through his many adventures and run-ins with the law. The novel is notable for taking the subject of Robin Hood, which had been increasingly popular through the 19th century, in a new direction that influenced later writers, artists, and filmmakers through the next century. For his characters' dialog, Pyle adapted the late Middle English of the ballads into a dialect suitable for children. Pyle compiled the traditional Robin Hood ballads as a series of episodes of a coherent narrative. The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire is an 1883 novel by the American illustrator and writer Howard Pyle. Children's literature, historical fiction ![]() |