Scriptures for Life

Water in Hyderabad and the Deccan shows how water shaped power, society, and daily life in the Deccan, revealing how elites used it for status while ordinary people relied on it for survival. Spanning ancient to modern times, it highlights water’s deep links to religion, class, and governance.

The threat from extraterrestrials is not Them, it's Us. In this provocative exploration of what we know of the search for intelligent life in the universe, Alexander Wendt explains why, despite the common assumption that discovering a non-human intelligence in our solar system would bring humanity together, there is a real chance that--even without direct contact--it could cause states and the international system to implode in chaos and violence instead. In 2021, the Pentagon announced that UFOs, now Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), are not only real, but a potential threat to national security. The Pentagon did not say who the threat was from, what exactly the threat was, nor did it mention extraterrestrials (ETs). Yet this finding raises several existential questions. How would human society react to the discovery that we are not alone in our solar system? Would the discovery of ETs locally unify humanity under a world state, or would disagreements on how to respond to an ali

Join Winston the mouse on another adventure in this heartwarming tale of bravery, kindness and unlikely friendships. This gorgeous book is the perfect Christmas present for any child, to read aloud and share with all the family time and time again.Join Winston the mouse as he sets out on another irresistible Christmas adventure! A Christmas mystery written in 24-and-a-half-chapters. The perfect Christmas gift for children who are ready to start reading by themselves.Winston is looking forward to Christmas at home with Oliver on Mistletoe Street. There are to be NO ADVENTURES AT ALL this year.But when an elderly tortoise finds a lost letter addressed to a girl who lived on Mistletoe Street seventy years ago, Winston knows he has to act. Helped by old friends and new, Winston sets out on a magical adventure to snowy New York – but how can one small mouse find someone in a strange new town where everything is larger than life? Winston is determined to find out but, once in Manhattan, his

A beautiful story about the power of nature and the regeneration of the natural world, from a prize-winning debut – for fans of Levi Pinfold and Jackie Morris.*One of The Guardian's Best Children's Books of the Year*'Here’s a bear that lives and breathes in your mind long after the story is over. Powerful, majestic, vulnerable, an iconic portrait.' - Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse.The Great Bear is a hopeful, moving story about the wonder of nature and the power of storytelling.Since the dawn of time, the Great Bear has patrolled the oceans, protecting the earth and her animals and overseeing the delicate balance of life. But now, one creature is changing everything. And the Great Bear cannot stand by.Debut author and illustrator Annie Booker's The Great Bear has the feel of a classic. The hand-painted illustrations capture the fragility and power of the natural world, making this book a beautiful gift for fans of illustration and animal lovers of all ages.Featuring inspiring fa

Blood & Steel is the gripping first book in the heart-pounding, epic romantic fantasy series The Legends of Thezmarr, from rising star Helen Scheuerer.Heartstopping slow-burn romantasy, blending dark magic, high-stakes trials and an unforgettable enemies-to-lovers romance. Set in a world of elite warriors, Blood & Steel is the first entry in the sensational Legends of Thezmarr series from Helen Scheuerer.Perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom, From Blood and Ash and The Witcher.‘A true man won’t cut you down as you fight your battles, nor will he fight them for you. A true man will help sharpen your sword, guard your back and fight at your side, in the face of whatever darkness comes.’With her death foretold, Althea – Thea – only has three years to become what she’s always dreamed of being: a warrior legend.But in Thezmarr, women are forbidden to wield blades, so she has trained in secret her entire life. Now racing against the clock, she fights to secure her place in the elite

Two rivals from opposing gangs grow dangerously close in this dazzling YA debut set in 1940s San Francisco Chinatown.Beneath the neon glare of postwar San Francisco, Chinatown is ruled by two rival crime families. East Phoenix deals in secrets and stealth, West Dragon in fists and fear. But both empires are bleeding money, and the fragile truce between them frays by the day.As the daughter of Chinatown’s most powerful crime boss, Alexis Sung can do almost anything, except join the family business. When her first job for East Phoenix goes wrong, her father shuts her out for good. Across town, Zachary Ren—a brilliant orphan raised by West Dragon—is desperate to escape a life he never chose. Their paths were never meant to cross again, not after he destroyed Alexis’s one shot to prove herself.That changes when a daring heist surfaces—one with a bounty big enough to save both families from ruin. Defying her father’s orders, Alexis seizes the chance to redeem herself by striking an uneasy a

Edith Wharton's little discussed Jazz Age classic, The Mother's Recompense (1925), finds Kate Clephane returning to New York society, after abandoning her husband and three-year-old daughter years before. American Kate Clephane has lived in Europe for twenty years, the ghosts of a failed marriage and abandoned daughter haunting her as she drifts along the French Riviera. It is an aimless, turbulent life, lived in the company of other expats and outcasts, the scars of World War I still evident across the continent. When Kate is summoned back to New York by the very daughter (now a wealthy heiress) she once abandoned, Kate leaps at the chance to re-enter the world that previously shut its doors on her. Just as Kate is on the cusp of reclaiming the life she forfeited, Chris Fenno, her former lover, returns to the scene, this time as a suitor for Kate's daughter. For Kate, this disaster cuts two ways, for not only is Chris an opportunistic and feckless man, but he also remains the love of

Our eyes were carved from our tears. We wrestled with our turbulences & became our own laments. Sara Shagufta's significance as one of Urdu's most remarkable poets is often eclipsed by controversies surrounding her life as a working-class woman searching for love and liberation within sexist poetic milieus and the repressive patriarchal laws of US-funded militarized Islamist rule in 1980s Pakistan. In this innovative translation of Shagufta's posthumous collection, Aankhein, Javeria Hasnain enters into contemporary dialogue with the poet's words, reminding us of how her uncanny metonyms and estranged metaphors unsettled conventions of respectable Urdu poetry. With startling leaps of association, and stark imagery, these moving poems delve into the sensual and erotic realm of the female body, invoking "eyes," "colours," and "dirt" to grieve the loss of a child, mourn a failed motherhood, and dismantle the patriarchal and societal forces that seek to eliminate womanhood. The spare and co

Walter Nash used to be an ordinary family man, until he was pulled into a dangerous underworld. And now he's lost everything, he has nothing left to lose . . . the pulse-pounding standalone sequel to Nash Falls from international number one bestselling author David Baldacci‘BALDACCI IS STILL PEERLESS’ – THE SUNDAY TIMESREVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED COLD . . .After turning informant for the FBI against a global criminal empire, Walter Nash has lost everything he cherished to its ruthless leader, Victoria Steers. Once gentle and sensitive, Nash’s rigorous training has forged him into a figure of power and precision with a singular mission: to take down Steers.Defeating a mastermind requires cunning. Known for her sharp instincts, Steers confides in only a trusted few. To penetrate her inner circle and dismantle her operation, Nash must summon all of his savvy and strength.But as he edges closer to the woman who unraveled his life, Nash finds himself oddly drawn to Steers in ways he never

Spend Christmas with the Heelers in this festive fun-filled magnet book!Bluey, Bingo and their family are having the best ever Christmas. Use the magnets to help them unwrap presents, play Verandah Santa and enjoy a Christmas swim.This is the perfect Christmas gift for Bluey fans! Merry Christmas!Don’t miss these other awesome Bluey books:Bluey: Christmas SwimBluey: Advent Calendar Book CollectionBluey: The Official Bluey Annual 2027Bluey is an Emmy award-winning Australian children's television programme following the adventures of a loveable six-year-old Blue Heeler Puppy, Bluey and her family. It’s currently showing on Disney+, BBC iPlayer and CBeebies in the UK. Bluey enjoys exploring the world and using her imagination to turn everyday life into an amazing adventure. Join Bluey in this fun collection of story, activity and novelty books that celebrate play.

Jay is thrust into a fight for survival as the virtual world of Apocalypta begins to leak into reality in this heart-pounding teen thriller from award-winning author SJ Wills.

The brand new feel-good, laugh-out-loud Tom Gates story featuring LOADS of doodles, starry-eyed dreams and some diva behaviour from Marcus. From Liz Pichon, the multi-million copy bestselling author and illustrator. It's SHOWTIME at Oakfield School and RUMOURS are FLYING around that the local theatre group 'DramaLamaDingDong' are coming to visit with a...REAL LIFE celebrity. The whole school is buzzing with excitement. Whose play will IMPRESS the most? Could this be a LIFE-CHANGING moment for one of the kids? Tom's written a comedy with roles for all his friends, but limelight-hogging Marcus is more annoying than ever.Will everyone realize that friendship is more important than being famous? Written in diary form Every page STUFFED full of laughs, stories, doodles and creative FUN The Brilliant World of Tom Gates was the winner of the 2011 Roald Dahl Funny Prize! Perfect gifts for boys & girls who love to laugh themselves silly The first animated series of The Brilliant World of To

St Trinian’s meets the legend of Faust in A Scholars Guide to Demonology & Other Dark Arts from Sunday Times bestselling author Genevieve Cogman. In this fun occult dark academia, a former Cambridge scholar takes a teaching post at an all-girls school, only to discover the students are summoning demons in the cellar . . .In the start of an original fantasy series, Genevieve Cogman, the author of the bestselling The Invisible Library, welcomes you to Graynes, a magical school for demon-summoning. This is St Trinian’s meets the legend of Faust.Philomela once enjoyed the carefree life of a Cambridge Classics PhD - until her father’s gambling debts forced her to trade prestigious academia for a job on the windswept Yorkshire Moors.Graynes, an isolated all-girls school, offers a quiet - if terribly damp - lifeline. As the new Latin mistress, Phil expects nothing more taxing than dreary weather and making dead languages interesting. Instead, she finds unsettlingly eccentric staff, frankl

打開書本，一座可以真正玩起來的立體農場就在眼前！Fold-out + Play Farm 採用可展開式設計，展開後化身為 3D 農場遊戲場景，包含紅色大穀倉、戶外田野，以及可以站立的人物與動物。孩子還能動手組裝農場設備，再用彩色貼紙自由布置，打造屬於自己的農場。書中附有清楚的組裝說明，並提供 QR code 觀看組裝影片。遊戲結束後，各種壓模配件都能收進書本附設的堅固抽屜，不占太多空間，也方便帶著走。由 Felt Flaps: Where’s Mr/Mrs? 與暢銷 Peekaboo 系列插畫家 Ingela P Arrhenius 創作，鮮明可愛的圖像搭配動手組裝與角色扮演，讓一本書同時成為農場遊戲屋。● 一書展開變成 3D 農場，結合立體場景、人物、動物、農場設備與彩色貼紙● 壓模零件可自行組裝，附說明單與 QR code 組裝影片，遊戲後可全部收進附設抽屜● Ingela P Arrhenius 繪製，適合喜歡扮演遊戲與動手創作的孩子，也方便旅行攜帶This fantastic fold-out book effortlessly transforms into a fantastic 3D farm that children can explore and play with!Fold-out + Play Doll’s House featured on ITV’s This Morning and in Good Housekeeping’s: “Best Presents for Children 2025”There are stand-up characters and animals to bring to life, pieces of press-out 3D farm equipment to build and colourful stickers to decorate the farmyard with. You can make the big red barn and outside fields your own and then enjoy hours of play in your very own customised farm. An easy-to-follow instruction sheet and QR co

A gorgeous new edition of The Hobbit featuring illustrations from Tove Jansson, creator of The Moomins, published in English for the first time.Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole in Bag End by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Although quite reluctant to take part in this quest, Bilbo surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and his skill as a burglar!This landmark new edition of The Hobbit presents J.R.R. Tolkien's full text with illustrations by Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomins, from a rare Swedish-language edition never before published in English. Jansson's tender, whimsical drawings illuminate Bilbo's journey -from the comfort of Bag End to the riddled dark under the mountain- adding fresh enchantment and quiet humor to every page.

身為好萊塢巨星 Kirk Douglas 之子，Michael Douglas 從小活在父親的巨大光環下，也曾被認為不過是「長得帥的星二代」與「電視演員」。然而31歲時，他以製片人身分推出 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest，一舉拿下奧斯卡最佳影片；其後更以 Wall Street 中 Gordon Gekko 一角獲得奧斯卡最佳男主角，走出屬於自己的好萊塢之路。One Helluva Ride 是 Michael Douglas 首度完整回顧人生的自傳。他以十二部代表電影串起演藝生涯，也毫不避諱談及與父親的複雜關係、第一段婚姻、感情生活、酒精與藥物問題、兒子的成癮與入獄，以及自己罹患第四期癌症的經歷；同時寫下與 Catherine Zeta-Jones 相識相愛、走過25年婚姻的故事。一部結合好萊塢幕後、電影史與私人生命的坦率回憶錄。A boy lost in the shadow of his father’s legacy.A gifted artist dismissed as just a “TV actor.”A first-time film producer who stunned the world by winning an Oscar at 31.A maverick who changed Hollywood and became a global movie star. Hollywood icon Michael Douglas tells the unfiltered story of his life for the first time. “I spent a significant portion of my career playing some version of the modern, flawed, American male. You’ll see from these pages that it wasn’t exactly a stretch for me.” Beginning with his fractured childhood and a complex relationship with his superstar father, Kirk Douglas, Michael

An all-new, action-packed novel from New York Times bestselling author T.Z. Layton! Cat Griffin cares about three things: her mom, her friends, and volleyball. But when tragedy strikes, Cat's life is turned upside down in the middle of her sophomore year. She is uprooted from her quiet Kentucky town and moves across the country to live with her estranged father in Silver Beach, California. Cat suspected the transition would be rough. But the reality is much worse.California might as well be a foreign country, and from day one, Cat is bullied by a group of girls on the varsity volleyball team, the most popular sport at Silver Beach High. Life at "home" isn't much better. Her dad can barely make a sandwich and has no idea how to raise a daughter. With nowhere to turn, and all her friends a thousand miles away, Cat has never felt so lost. Her only hope is something she discovers about her father: He used to play beach volleyball and agrees to train her for the all-important school volleyb

Magic. Danger. Legend. For the first time in a full-color graphic novel, regular kids, Jack and Annie, travel in the Magic Tree House to King Arthur's Camelot for Christmas in this graphic novel adaptation of a beloved chapter book classic!When Jack and Annie receive an invitation to spend Christmas Eve in Camelot--a magical place that exists only in myth and fantasy--they know they are in for their biggest adventure yet. What they don't know is that the invitation will send them on a quest to save Camelot from a curse. Can they succeed even though Camelot's greatest knights have failed?For the first time in graphic novel--live the adventure again with new full-color vibrant art that brings the magic to life!Did you know that there's a Magic Tree House book for every kid?Magic Tree House: Perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter booksMerlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced readerFact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House ad