For millennia, shamans and philosophers, believers and nonbelievers, artists and scientists have tried to make sense of our existence by suggesting that everything is connected, that a mysterious Oneness binds us to everything else. People go to temples, churches, mosques, and synagogues to pray to their divine incarnation of Oneness. Following a surprisingly similar notion, scientists have long asserted that under Nature’s apparent complexity there is a simpler underlying reality. In its modern incarnation, this Theory of Everything would unite the physical laws governing very large bodies (Einstein’s theory of relativity) and those governing tiny ones (quantum mechanics) into a single framework. But despite the brave efforts of many powerful minds, the Theory of Everything remains elusive. It turns out that the universe is not elegant. It is gloriously messy. Overturning more than twenty-five centuries of scientific thought, award-winning physicist Marcelo Gleiser argues that this quest for a Theory of Everything is fundamentally misguided, and he explains the volcanic implications this ideological shift has for humankind. All the evidence points to a scenario in which everything emerges from fundamental imperfections, primordial asymmetries in matter and time, cataclysmic accidents in Earth’s early life, and duplication errors in the genetic code. Imbalance spurs creation. Without asymmetries and imperfections, the universe would be filled with nothing but smooth radiation. A Tear at the Edge of Creation calls for nothing less than a new "humancentrism" to reflect our position in the universal order. All life, but intelligent life in particular, is a rare and precious accident. Our presence here has no meaning outside of itself, but it does have meaning. The unplanned complexity of humankind is all the more beautiful for its improbability. It’s time for science to let go of the old aesthetic that labels perfection beautiful and holds that "beauty is truth." It’s time to look at the evidence without centuries of monotheistic baggage. In this lucid, down-to-earth narrative, Gleiser walks us through the basic and cutting-edge science that fueled his own transformation from unifier to doubter—a fascinating scientific quest that led him to a new understanding of what it is to be human.

"The memoirs of a celebrity costume designer describe her upbringing in the fashionable celebrity circles of her literary parents, her family's artistic but traumatizing approaches to shopping and how the fashion-savvy perspectives of her early years shaped her relationships and career, "--NoveList.

Based on a true story, Laurel Faith Gables spent her first days on a field watching Daddy playing his sport of football. Spencer Gables was a hometown football star from the small rural town of Creeksdale, who made his way to his beloved North Mason College. His eyes were turned by oneJacqueline Carr from the city of Lawson. She was everything he ever wanted. After eloping, their love blossomed with the birth of their first child, Laurel. Upon graduation, the Gables moved to Lawson, where Spence was becoming a local icon in the world of football coaching. Life on Chester Chapel was beautiful, and the two were blessed with a baby boy, Cole. The couple longed for their goal of homeownership, and they were well on their way to achieving it. Spence and Jacqueline were living the American dream until the unthinkable happened, tearing the Gables family to shreds. Is the love of a daughter strong enough to bring their world back together, or will it forever be shattered? Laurel is forced onto a bridge and she cannot turn back. The only way to bring an end is to cross. For those who have lost deeply, want to love dearly, or know those who do. For those who want to consider is vengeance deserved?

The death of high school basketball star Rob Washington in an automobile accident affects the lives of his close friend Andy, who was driving the car, and many others in the school.

Shayna Steinblatt is outraged at her parents when they put her beloved Bubbe (grandmother) in a nursing home. Nor are they very supportive of Shayna's new relationship with a handsome Puerto Rican, who might just be the love of her life.

Faced with a possible loophole to her "Snow White" curse, Viv meets the prince who is supposed to save her, but cannot seem to let go of the young man cursed to be her huntsman.