A curious figure stalks the pages of a distinct subset of mass-market romance novels, aptly called “desert romances.” Animalistic yet sensitive, dark and attractive, the desert prince or sheikh emanates manliness and raw, sexual power. In the years since September 11, 2001, the sheikh character has steadily risen in popularity in romance novels, even while depictions of Arab masculinity as backward and violent in nature have dominated the cultural landscape. An Imperialist Love Story contributes to the broader conversation about the legacy of orientalist representations of Arabs in Western popular culture. Combining close readings of novels, discursive analysis of blogs and forums, and interviews with authors, Jarmakani explores popular investments in the war on terror by examining the collisions between fantasy and reality in desert romances. Focusing on issues of security, freedom, and liberal multiculturalism, she foregrounds the role that desire plays in contemporary formations of U.S. imperialism. Drawing on transnational feminist theory and cultural studies, An Imperialist Love Story offers a radical reinterpretation of the war on terror, demonstrating romance to be a powerful framework for understanding how it works, and how it perseveres.

In the world of books and literature, “hype” is associated with bestsellerism - the books that sell the most, are read by vast numbers, and constantly talked about in media and staff rooms. Often, it is the success in itself that generates an interest because popularity begets popularity. Quite often though, a hyped bestseller is met with a skeptic criticism of poor language, a badly constructed plot, a predictable story line, or all three. The bestseller phenomenon is sometimes conceived as a threat against “real” literature. Research into the creation, reception, and meaning of bestsellers is utterly scarce and Hype: Bestsellers and Literary Culture is an important contribution to the understanding of the literature read by the masses. Popular literature plays an important role in the lives of millions of readers, offering entertainment, social commentary, and alternate perspectives on everyday life. This volume brings together such diverse issues as the creation of hype, the role and the meaning of the author in the present-day media landscape, changes in the book trade, and the relationship between bestsellers and research into them. Further articles give an historical overview on postapocalyptic stories, desert romances and the role of the authors. This book offers new knowledge on a subject that is increasingly popular within university curricula. Although the anthology is a work of academic research the texts are of equal interest to general readers.

This book explores the history of the paranormal romance genre; from its origins in the revisionist horror fiction of the 1970s, via its emergence as a minor sub-genre of romantic fiction in the early 1990s, to its contemporary expansion in recent years into an often-controversial genre of mainstream fiction. Tracing the genre from its roots in older Gothic fiction written by and for women, it explores the interconnected histories of Gothic and romantic fiction, from Ann Radcliffe and Jane Austen in the eighteenth century to Buffy, Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries in the present day. In doing so, it investigates the extent to which the post-Twilight paranormal romance really does represent a break from older traditions of Gothic fiction – and just what it is about the genre that has made it so extraordinarily divisive, captivating millions of readers whilst simultaneously infuriating and repelling so many others.

Heart, Self, and Soul is the first book by a Western psychologist to explore the rich spiritual tradition of Sufism as a path for personal growth. Western psychotherapy aims largely to help us eliminate neurotic traits formed in childhood and adapt to society. In contrast, the Sufi goal is ultimately spiritual: Yes, we need to transform our negativity and be effective in the world; but beyond that, we need to reach a state of harmony with the Divine. Full of stories, poetry, meditations, journaling exercises, and colorful everyday examples, this book will open the heart, nourish the self, and quicken the soul.

Arab American women have played an essential role in shaping their homes, their communities, and their country for centuries. Their contributions, often marginalized academically and culturally, are receiving long- overdue attention with the emerging interdisciplinary field of Arab American women’s studies. The collected essays in this volume capture the history and significance of Arab American women, addressing issues of migration, transformation, and reformation as these women invented occupations, politics, philosophies, scholarship, literature, arts, and, ultimately, themselves. Arab American women brought culture and absorbed culture; they brought relationships and created relationships; they brought skills and talents and developed skills and talents. They resisted inequities, refused compliance, and challenged representation. They engaged in politics, civil society, the arts, education, the market, and business. And they told their own stories. These histories, these genealogies, these narrations that are so much a part of the American experiment are chronicled in this volume, providing an indispensable resource for scholars and activists.

Reporting a break-in, avoiding my overprotective ex-lover, dodgingdangerous men out to kill me…not exactly a typical day for acomparative mythology professor. So how did I, Maggi Sanger, get mixedup in all this?It started with a family legend that connects me to a goddess andcharges me with recovering the grail she hid away ages ago. Apparentlysome powerful people heard the story and are bent on destroying thegrail at any cost—including my life. Now I have to find it beforethe enemy closes in….

By New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nina Bruhns Winner of the Daphne du Maurier Overall Best Mystery-Suspense Novel of the Year Winner of the National Readers Choice Award Winner of the Golden Heart Award Winner of the Golden Chalice Grand Prize Praise For CATCH ME IF YOU CAN - New Orleans trilogy, book 1 by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nina Bruhns "...a wild, erotic adventure ...Plenty of action and more than enough sizzling sensuality to keep the pages turning... A must read!" "...laced with subtle humor, compassionate and distinctive characters and an intricate plot line with uniquely original twists." "One of the hottest, sexiest books I've ever read. The sparks between Kit and Beau fairly burn holes in this book." Overview of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: Two lovers...caught between duty and desire... -- A Louisiana chief of police who oozes sensuality--a man who always gets what he wants. -- An insurance investigator determined to put his thieving cousin behind bars...or lose her job. -- An explosive attraction neither can ignore. Any fan of White Collar, Maya Banks, or Pamela Clare will love CATCH ME IF YOU CAN! What people are saying about CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: "...a wild, erotic adventure ...Plenty of action and more than enough sizzling sensuality to keep the pages turning... A must read!" "...laced with subtle humor, compassionate and distinctive characters and an intricate plot line with uniquely original twists." "One of the hottest, sexiest books I've ever read. The sparks between Kit and Beau fairly burn holes in this book."