A dark and captivating new take on the beloved Nutcracker story, Z. R. Ellor's YA fantasy debut, No Better Than Beasts, is a perfect standalone novel for fans of folklore, cursed kingdoms, fraught romance, and fairy tales with sharp teeth. Nabik, a soldier, owes his loyalty to his elder brother Fydir, who lifted him and their sister, Drakne, from poverty. But when Fydir orders him to quell unrest among the city’s beastfolk, the magic Nabik had long buried begins to stir. A wintery voice urges Nabik to desert his post—and his brother’s watchful eye —to journey north into Kolznechia, a frozen, enchanted kingdom ruled by the mercurial Rat King. His power may hold the key to breaking an ancient curse and ending the Rat King’s terrible reign. Drakne will do whatever it takes to break free of Fydir. As Nabik follows all of their eldest brother’s commands, her best hope of escaping is to seek the protection of the Rat King. And the tyrant king has been looking for Drakne too. She has a gift that can help him find and kill the missing nutcracker prince, rightful heir to his stolen throne. When the nutcracker prince emerges, Nabik and Drakne take opposite sides of a centuries-old conflict—him to save a kingdom, her to save herself. Then Fydir marches into the growing war, hungry to claim power of his own, and if Nabik and Drakne can’t fix their broken bond, Kolznechia may be torn apart by tooth and claw...

Animals have been with us since the state of existence or being. The bible tells us God created the animal kingdom for his pleasure. When God created the heaven and earth and all life that exist, he obviously saw a need for animals or they would not be here. Why God created them in the shapes and forms as they were we do not know; the choice was his and as I mentioned "He chose to do so in a way that pleases him." Animals have a mind that gives them the ability to think and have feelings. Animals have a certain intelligence we do not possess such as an internal guidance system. Both dogs and cats have this ability and I would imagine there are other animals as well. God created everything with a purpose and a need; the animals kingdom is one such example. Many people believe God's purpose for animals is to serve humankind, and upon death they are to perish with no possible chance for eternal life. However, does the bible teach this? In the first chapter of the book of Genesis the bible tells us God considered the animals a creation that was very good; he was pleased with them. Many people consider the life of an animal as having a very small worth. To them an animal just lives and dies. Many people have the attitude of so what. The bible tells us God doesn't care for an attitude such as this because he values the life of his animals very much. Throughout the entire bible the information found pertaining to the animal kingdom is very precise. The bible tells us the animals are to be forever. God had this intention when he created them and this application of thought remains today and forever. The bible never mentions mankind alone is to receive eternal life. How different would our lives be without animals? There would be no pets for those who are lonely and without family. There would be no zoos for family outings. There would be no circus acts with animals. There would be no dog as a best friend. There would be no Seeing Eye dogs. There would be no animals to alert their owners of an ever-present danger during the night such as fires, burglars etc. I believe we simply overlook the fact there is a purpose for all of God's creatures. The purpose for this book is to reveal the truth in what the bible tells about the animal kingdom. We need to know God's purpose for them. The bible explains in detail God's plan for his animals even after death. God wants us to know about them or he would never have emphasized their importance in his word. Many people are reluctant to discuss the animal kingdom from a biblical point of view. I find this strange to say the least. God has included them in his written word but many ministers will say very little if anything about them. The scriptures in this book are from the King James Bible. What the bible tells us is 100% accurate and lest we never forget, God simply made no mistakes in his word. The bible is never contradictory. We will read scriptures that clearly explain that animals will be in heaven and why God wants them to be there with us. If we had the power to give our pet(s) eternal life would we want the life of our animals to be temporal? If God loves his animals more than we could ever love them shouldn't this type of love indicate his love for them is tremendous? Since we know God can give animal's eternal life could be there any single reason to give them life that would be only temporary. First we should know the bible is not dull, dismal or neutral. The bible is not an area between two extremes having mingled characteristics of both of them: a situation in which there are no clear-cut distinctions. The interpretations of scriptures have been defined several ways over the years and this has cause confusion in many churches. We will read scriptures about the animal kingdom that many of you may not know are in the bible. We will read scriptures that are clearly stated to mean one thing and one thing only, and that is, "Animals are to be in heaven." By the time you have finished this book you will have a better understanding for the purpose of the animal kingdom. You may then decide if the scriptures do indeed tell us animals have a soul: do they have a spirit: did God create them with a purpose in this life: is he going to give them eternal life? With God's help you will decide. For more information please visit: www.dutchman3d.com

An introduction to the Zohar, the crowning work of medieval Kabbalah. Includes original translations and analysis.

A portrait of a Mafia family focuses on the life and times of patriarch Don Vito Corleone, a Sicilian-American godfather, and his sons.

Erik Larson, New York Times bestselling author of Devil in the White City, delivers a remarkable story set during Hitler’s rise to power. The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Nazi Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. At first Martha is entranced by the parties and pomp, and the handsome young men of the Third Reich with their infectious enthusiasm for restoring Germany to a position of world prominence. Enamored of the “New Germany,” she has one affair after another, including with the suprisingly honorable first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, confirmed by chilling first-person testimony, her father telegraphs his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. Dodd watches with alarm as Jews are attacked, the press is censored, and drafts of frightening new laws begin to circulate. As that first year unfolds and the shadows deepen, the Dodds experience days full of excitement, intrigue, romance—and ultimately, horror, when a climactic spasm of violence and murder reveals Hitler’s true character and ruthless ambition. Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the period, and with unforgettable portraits of the bizarre Göring and the expectedly charming--yet wholly sinister--Goebbels, In the Garden of Beasts lends a stunning, eyewitness perspective on events as they unfold in real time, revealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzling, addictively readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlin, and Europe, were awash in blood and terror.

"Told with brains and heart" —Michelle Gable, New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment "Bristles with charm and curiosity" —Winston Groom, New York Times bestselling author of Forrest Gump "A wholly original and superbly crafted work of art, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is a masterpiece of the imagination." —Lori Nelson Spielman, New York Times bestselling author of The Life List and Sweet Forgiveness "Charlotte's Web for grown-ups who, like Weylyn Grey, have their own stories of being different, feared, brave, and loved." —Mo Daviau, author of Every Anxious Wave Ruth Emmie Lang teaches us how to find magic in the ordinary in her magical realism debut Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance. Orphaned, raised by wolves, and the proud owner of a horned pig named Merlin, Weylyn Grey knew he wasn’t like other people. But when he single-handedly stopped that tornado on a stormy Christmas day in Oklahoma, he realized just how different he actually was. As amazing as these powers may appear, they tend to manifest themselves at inopportune times and places, jeopardizing not only his own life, but the life of Mary, the woman he loves. Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance tells the story of Weylyn Grey’s life from the perspectives of the people who knew him, loved him, and even a few who thought he was just plain weird. Although he doesn’t stay in any of their lives for long, he leaves each of them with a story to tell: great storms that evaporate into thin air; fireflies that make phosphorescent honey; a house filled with spider webs and the strange man who inhabits it. There is one story, however, that Weylyn wishes he could change: his own. But first he has to muster enough courage to knock on Mary’s front door.