Five years after fleeing Seattle for a fresh start in Georgia, Sam Hawkins returns, unsure if he's heading home or leaving it behind. His homecoming reunites him with his high school buddies, but after the initial fun and games he comes face-to-face with a stark reality: Unemployment sucks. Work's not much better when his boss rides him and his attempts to casually play the field in a small office blow up in his face. It all just makes quitting that much sweeter. When he finally scores a break, his faith that everything happens for a reason is restored. But the celebration doesn't last long. He wakes up in the park, bruised, battered, and minus one Hawkmobile. Enter 17-year-old Monica Dawsey, who soon begins monopolizing his time, much to the chagrin of his mother--not to mention hers. The hard-drinking Sam and his teenage girlfriend have a settling influence on each other, and they'll need it when life hands them a disappointment so bitter that even Sam can't reconcile it with his vision of fate.

Free-spirited Marabel must defy expectations to rescue her brother--and their kingdom--in this charming, action-packed, and magical story perfect for fans of Ella Enchanted and Dealing with Dragons. In Magikos, life is dictated by the Book of Fate's ancient predictions, including the birth of a royal Chosen One who will save the realm. Princess Marabel has grown up in the shadow of her twin brother, Marco, who everyone assumes is the true Chosen One. While Marco is adored and given every opportunity, Marabel is overlooked and has to practice her sword fighting in secret. But on the night of their thirteenth birthday, Marco is kidnapped by an evil queen, and Marabel runs to his rescue. Outside the castle walls for the first time, accompanied by her best friend and a very smug unicorn, Marabel embarks on a daring mission that brings her face-to-face with fairies, trolls, giants--and the possibility that all is not as it seems in Magikos.

"If you have trouble distinguishing the verbs imitate and emulate, the relative pronouns that and which, or the adjectives pliant, pliable, and supple, never fear--How to Tell Fate from Destiny is here to help! With more than 500 headwords, the book is replete with advice on how to differentiate commonly confused words and steer clear of verbal trouble"--

This book shows that, to understand the human condition better, we must develop a keener appreciation for the subtle interactions between nature and nurture. First, Dr. Steen confronts the dark history of eugenics, and the horrifying legacy of the Nazis. He then proceeds to illuminate the latest advances in molecular biology and behavioral genetics. He explains fascinating results that have emerged from "split-twin" experiments, in which eerie parallels were found between twins separated at birth. He clarifies how the Human Genome Project might help create a new understanding of the human condition and how it may ultimately help alleviate some of the major health and even behavioral problems facing society today

Everyone on the battlefield stops to focus on us. Both sides are too taken by the match to do anything else. Malakaro looks at me from across the circle with malice and fury. I return his gaze, matching his ire. He begins to move around the circle slowly. He addresses me in his usual calm voice. “Are you sure you’re ready for this, little sis?” he asks. “Bring it..." One thing is clear: one of us will die today...

To live life fully and die serenely—surely we all share these goals, so inextricably entwined. Yet a spiritual dimension is too often lacking in the attitudes, circumstances, and rites of death in modern society. Kapleau explores the subject of death and dying on a deeply personal level, interweaving the writings of Western religions with insights from his own Zen practice, and offers practical advice for the dying and their families.