"Faithe of Hauekleah was as proud as she was passionate, as brave as she was beautiful. Though she ached for love after the death of her noble Saxon husband in war, she vowed that the Norman conqueror she now was forced to wed would never have her heart. But Faithe had not anticipated what she would feel when Luke de Perigueux, the most feared of Norman invaders, took her into his arms. She had never dreamed a man could be so strong yet so gentle. The ecstasy she received from him blinded her to chilling suspicions about this man who burned with such fury in battle. Yet even as her lips opened beneath his, even as her body melted to his desire, even as her pulse quickened to race with his toward wild and wondrous fulfillment, she knew she must unearth the dark secret he hid from her--whatever the cost."--Back cover.

A disturbing letter from Cheney’s great-aunts brings her to their New Orleans plantation—but what she discovers is more dangerous than she imagined! Performing rituals and “warnings”—leading to mysterious illnesses and crop failure—a cult is trying to scare Cheney’s relatives off the land. Can she unearth the group’s sudden interest in the plantation before it’s too late?

Haley Lynne Johnson is not your ordinary teenage girl. Insead of texting her friends or playing video games, Haley dreams of far off places and slaying dragons. Haley wishes that she could travel and see the world and have grand adventures miles away from St. Cloud, Minnesota. She should be careful of what she wishes for because Haley is about to have the adventure of her life! When she learns that her grandfather is about to retire from his job, Haley cant wait to return to Sweden. She remembers what a great trip she had there the last time. She returns to the town of Trollhatten, meets her two cousins again, and gets to spend time with her family listening to her grandfathers old stories. What she doesnt know is that sometimes these old stories are true! Will she ever get her father to believe them, though? Who does she meet? Why is he in Sweden? Come with Haley as she learns for herself why people often told tales of things that are old, powerful, and best kept hidden. Maybe there really are such things as gnomes, cave trolls, and dwarves that made magic weapons in days of yore. Haley has a lot of spunk for a kid but does she have enough courage to save her family when what she really needs is the greatest weapon of all time? She better, because for her and her family, time is running out.

Understanding the development and practice of power—based on an in-depth observation of human psychology—has been a part of traditional Chinese thought for thousands of years and is considered a prerequisite for mastering the arts of strategy and leadership. Thunder in the Sky presents two secret classics of this ancient Chinese tradition. The commentary by Thomas Cleary—the renowned translator of dozens of Asian classics—highlights the contemporary application of these teachings.

Based on documentation from various archives, discusses religious and halakhic issues which affected the lives of observant Jews during the Holocaust. Includes chapters on the reactions of rabbis in various towns to reports on the extermination of Jews; the persecution and suffering of rabbis and the rescue of some hasidic rabbis; halakhic rulings in ghettos and camps, e.g. concerning the desire of individual Jews to sacrifice themselves for others; rulings on problems involved in posing as a non-Jew; marriage, prayers, and the sanctification of God's name during the Holocaust; responsa of Rabbi Yehoshua Moshe Aronzon, a rabbi in Sanniki, Poland, who survived Nazi camps; sermons delivered by Rabbi Kalonimus Kalmish Shapira in the Warsaw ghetto; diaries, memoirs, and letters of survivors.

A loud clap of thunder booms, and rattles the windows of Grandma's old farmhouse. "This is Thunder Cake baking weather," calls Grandma, as she and her granddaughter hurry to gather the ingredients around the farm. A real Thunder Cake must reach the oven before the storm arrives. But the list of ingredients is long and not easy to find . . . and the storm is coming closer all the time! Reaching once again into her rich childhood experience, Patricia Polacco tells the memorable story of how her grandma--her Babushka--helped her overcome her fear of thunder when she was a little girl. Ms. Polacco's vivid memories of her grandmother's endearing answer to a child's fear, accompanied by her bright folk-art illustrations, turn a frightening thunderstorm into an adventure and ultimately . . . a celebration! Whether the first clap of thunder finds you buried under the bedcovers or happily anticipating the coming storm, Thunder Cake is a story that will bring new meaning and possibility to the excitement of a thunderstorm.

Why do we feel like we are always performing? Where does this impulse come from? As John Starke shows in The Secret Place of Thunder, our modern world has internalized the idea that the markers of having an admirable and successful life are primarily visible. It leads us to believe that a sense of self-worth and identity are metrics to be displayed. The performance of the self has become more important than the reality. We live as if the most important things about us are to be performed before others; that our deepest happiness will come from being who others think we ought to be. But when Jesus says, "Do not practice your righteousness before others," he is leading us to believe that the most important things about us are hidden. How does the Bible lead us to live primarily before God? How does Jesus lead us to wholeness? Jesus teaches us to live, not for the eyes of others or even for ourselves, but in the secret place where our Father in heaven sees and rewards.