A God S Own Tale

This scripture was revealed through spirit writing in 1181. It traces Wenchang's development through his many transformations culminating in his apotheosis as director of the Wenchang Palace and custodian of the Cinnamon Record that determines men's and women's fates. The god has since assumed a high position in the Taoist pantheon, has been introduced into the school system and Confucian temples, and now controls the all-important civil service examinations in China. The text translated here provides a unique window into the religious world of Traditional China. Numerous anecdotes of good- and evil-doers reveal the ethical dilemmas facing men and women of the time, from social questions like infanticide and discrimination against women to more purely religious issues such as how evil gods are punished and how China's divergent religious traditions can be reconciled.

MOVES & COUNTERMOVES Animish, the disciple teetering between scepticism and awe around Krishna’s divinity, inherits his Master’s mantle as the latter proceeds to Badari to pursue his self-realisation goals. Asareer's belief solidifies, and divine anecdotes about Krishna continue to enthral him. While the chasm between the viewpoints of both friends keeps widening, Krishna attains a God-like stature and comes to be feared by his opponents and revered by his devotees and sages alike. Meanwhile, rivalries explode between cousins. Kauravas, led by the determined Duryodhana, manipulate the king to their advantage while Pandavas fight for survival. Draupadi's entrance, forging a solid alliance between Pandavas and the powerful Panchala kingdom, adds a new twist to the story. And, through it all, the enigmatic Krishna emerges as the central figure, unfolding his own fascinating tryst with destiny. The game of one-up-manship between Kauavas and Pandavas, which resembled the opening stage of a chess game to Animish during the graduation ceremony of princes, moves into the next stage, the middle game. Kauravas and Pandavas were entangled in a prolonged fight over the chessboard of fate, with advantage shifting back and forth like in a bitter middle game of chess that does not produce a clear winner. Find inside the dramatic events of Krishna’s battles with Jarasandha, the setting up of the Dwaraka kingdom, Draupadi’s Swayamvara and her unconventional polyandrous marriage, the rise and fall of Indraprastha Empire, multiple marriages and battles of Krishna, the fortune-turning dice game where a wife was put on stake, and a host of other exciting events. Join Animish and Asareer, two good friends who disagree on matters of faith, to watch the enthralling moves and countermoves in the intricate middle phase of the story and analyse for yourself which moves are blunders and which ones are brilliancies. What did destiny ordain for the kings who thought they were players but were mere pawns on fate’s chess board?

Granta Best Young British Novelist and Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, Shortlisted for NINE literary awards 'Ross Raisin's story of how a disturbed but basically well-intentioned rural youngster turns into a malevolent sociopath is both chilling in its effect and convincing in its execution' J. M. Coetzee 'Utterly frightening and electrifying' Joshua Ferris 'Astonishing, funny, unsettling ... An unforgettable creation [whose] literary forebears include Huckleberry Finn, Holden Caulfield and Alex from A Clockwork Orange' The Times 'Remarkable, compelling, very funny and very disturbing . . . like no other character in contemporary fiction' Sunday Times In God's Own Country, one of the most celebrated debut novels of recent years, Ross Raisin tells the story of solitary young farmer, Sam Marsdyke, and his extraordinary battle with the world. Expelled from school and cut off from the town, mistrusted by his parents and avoided by city incomers, Marsdyke is a loner until he meets rebellious new neighbour Josephine. But what begins as a friendship and leads to thoughts of escape across the moors turns to something much, much darker with every step. 'Powerful, engrossing, extraordinary, sinister, comic. A masterful debut' Observer

How should Catholics read the Bible? Beyond the history and literature of the Bible, Catholics need to discover God's own story-and his way of looking at the world. Noted Scripture scholar William Kurz draws from the writings of two church fathers, Sts. Irenaeus and Athanasius, to show how we can read the Bible as the story of God-with the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as its climax. Like a good mystery novel, when we know how the story ends, we can read it again from the beginning in order to search for important clues that will help us see God's plan for the world and how we fit into that plan. Kurz examines passages from both the Old and New Testament to demonstrate that, as we approach the Bible in faith, we bring new life and meaning to Scripture.

AN ACCLAIMED, EMMY-NOMINATED TV SERIES ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO WINNER OF THE HUGO, LOCUS AND BRAM STOKER AWARDS 'To give him his full title: Neil Gaiman, Architect of Worlds, Svengali of Plot, Shaman of Character, Exploder of Cliché, Master Craftsman of Style, Dreamer Laureate of the Republic of Letters' DAVID MITCHELL 'Original, engrossing, and endlessly inventive' GEORGE R.R. MARTIN 'Brilliant and unique' GUARDIAN --- 'This is about the soul of America, the idea that everyone came here from somewhere' NEIL GAIMAN --- After three years in prison, Shadow Moon is free to go home. But hours before his release, his beloved wife is killed in a freak accident. Numbly, he boards a plane where he meets an enigmatic stranger who seems to know Shadow and claims to be an ancient god - and king of America. Together they embark on a profoundly strange road trip across the USA, encountering a kaleidoscopic cast of characters along the way. But all around them a storm of unnatural proportions is gathering. War is coming, an epic struggle for the very soul of America. And Shadow is standing squarely in its path. NEIL GAIMAN. WITH STORIES COME POSSIBILITIES.

"The ever present ache of exile rises above the comforting sounds of the river, as the image of the house of the LORD in ruins breaks the peace. . . . Despite the warmth of the fire, he feels a chill. He wraps his cloak around him and looks into the eager faces of his people, then closes his eyes. 'Picture this scene . . .'" Before the Bible was a book, it was flesh and blood. In this book, you can travel with Sean Gladding between the lines of the Scriptures to listen in on the conversations of people wrestling with the Story of God for the first time. Whether sitting around a campfire in Babylon, reclining at table in Asia Minor or huddled together by candlelight in Rome, you'll encounter a tale that is at once familiar and surprising. The Story of God, the Story of Us can be read alone but is especially rich shared with a group. Sean Gladding presents an account of the Bible that pays attention to its audience as well as its message. He introduces you to people who may remind you of yourself or your family, friends and coworkers. As much as the Bible is a story about God, it's also a story about you--and all of us--as we encounter God in a new way.

A tour-de-force by rising indy comics star Gene Yang, American Born Chinese tells the story of three apparently unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to discover that he's the only Chinese-American student at his new school; the powerful Monkey King, subject of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables; and Chin-Kee, a personification of the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, who is ruining his cousin Danny's life with his yearly visits. Their lives and stories come together with an unexpected twist in this action-packed modern fable. American Born Chinese is an amazing ride, all the way up to the astonishing climax. American Born Chinese is a 2006 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature, the winner of the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New, an Eisner Award nominee for Best Coloring and a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. This title has Common Core Connections

A Penguin Classic Ancient pagan beliefs, the great Greek epics, and the Bible all inform this extraordinary novel by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck, which occupied him for more than five difficult years. While fulfilling his dead father’s dream of creating a prosperous farm in California, Joseph Wayne comes to believe that a magnificent tree on the farm embodies his father’s spirit. His brothers and their families share in Joseph’s prosperity, and the farm flourishes—until one brother, frightened by Joseph’s pagan belief, kills the tree, allowing disease and famine to descend on the farm. Set in familiar Steinbeck country, To a God Unknown is a mystical tale, exploring one man’s attempt to control the forces of nature and, ultimately, to understand the ways of God and the forces of the unconscious within. This edition features an introduction and notes by Steinbeck scholar Robert DeMott. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.