Midori By Moonlight

Midori Saito's dream seems about to come true. Too independent for Japanese society, Midori is a young woman who has always felt like a stranger in her native land. So when she falls in love with Kevin, an American English teacher, she readily agrees to leave home and start a new life with him in San Francisco--as his fiancée. Kevin seems to be the perfect man. That is, until he dumps her for his blonde ex-fiancée, whom Midori never even knew existed. Midori is left on her own, with just a smattering of fractured English, not much cash, and a fiancée visa set to expire in sixty days. Unable to face the humiliation of telling her parents she's been jilted, and not wanting to give up on her "American Dream," Midori realizes she's in for quite a challenge. Her only hope is her new acquaintance (and potential landlord) Shinji, a successful San Francisco graphic artist and amateur moon gazer who fled Japan after a family tragedy. And eventually, Midori surprises even herself as she proves she will do almost anything to hang on to her dream of a new life.

Stuck. That's how 33-year-old aspiring singer Celeste Duncan feels, with her deadbeat boyfriend and static career. But then Celeste receives a puzzling phone call and a box full of mysterious family heirlooms which just might be the first real clue to the identity of the father she never knew. Impulsively, Celeste flies to Japan to search for a long-lost relative who could be able to explain. She stumbles head first into a weird, wonderful world where nothing is quite as it seems—a land with an inexplicable fascination with foreigners, karaoke boxes, and unbearably perky TV stars. With little knowledge of Japanese, Celeste finds a friend in her English-speaking homestay brother, Takuya, and comes to depend on him for all variety of translation, travel and investigatory needs. As they cross the country following a trail after Celeste's family, she discovers she's developing "more-than-sisterly" feelings for him. But with a nosy homestay mom scheming to reunite Takuya with his old girlfriend, and her search growing dimmer, Celeste begins to wonder whether she's made a terrible mistake by coming to Japan. Can Celeste find her true self in this strange land, and discover that love can transcend culture?

Nine gods ruled the world, until the ultimate betrayal resulted in their destruction. Now, the world is dying and only by restoring the Lost Gods can it be saved. In the island nation of Kundou, a prince condemned to a dark fate is determined to use it to set free the power his family has long kept enslaved. The fiery kingdom of Pozhar has worked for centuries to forever destroy the god who once tried to kill them, but others are determined to see the last remaining pieces never reach the sacrificial altar for much more dangerous reasons... In Piedre, zealous cults are determined to either kill or abuse the notorious Basilisk Prince, mortal reincarnation of the lost god of death... Verde, the only country to still love their gods, are preparing yet again to try and restore them in a ceremony that instead always ends in violence and tragedy... And far away in Schatten, sealed from the rest of the world by a dark shadow, the long banned powers of chaos begin to stir...

Nine gods ruled the world, until the ultimate betrayal resulted in their destruction. Now, the world is dying and only by restoring the Lost Gods can it be saved. The Kingdom of Piedre has been torn apart by feuding since the Basilisk was found dead. The Brotherhood of the Black Rose seeks to ensure the Basilisk is destroyed forever, while the Order of the White Rose searches desperately for a way to restore him. The latest mortal incarnation of the Lost God of Death is Prince Culebra, the Basilisk Prince. Plagued by assassins, one lover dead and the other gone, Culebra spends his days in despair, painfully aware that his predecessors died only one of two ways: murder or suicide.

Managing a major remodel of your home involves learning various aspects of a construction project: permitting; hiring contractors; clarifying what you really mean and want; managing a budget; overseeing quality, avoiding regrets; doing what’s right for yourself and standing up for yourself. It’s a big job. The learning curve is high and often we homeowners don’t get to apply the skills we learned again. In this book, the stories of a couple going through this learning curve is told through the lens of a novice just like a conversation with a homeowner over a cup of tea. What they thought they wanted (a brand new house in modern minimalist style with solar panels and recycled materials) is very different than what they ended up with (remodel of a 90-year-old house in the classic Arts and Crafts style to meet the stringent international building standard called Passive House). What caused this shift? How did they choose the contractor? How did they navigate out of overwhelm of green building choices? How did they manage the relationships? What would they do differently? Was it worth it? This book chronicles the journey by a couple from choosing the location through living in the house after the renovation completion. It wasn’t all about finding smart people and following expert guidance. When expert opinions diverged and they got stuck in analysis paralysis they had to trust their judgment and chose what they felt was right for them. After all, they’ll be living in the house for years after the experts are gone. Reviews for MIDORI HAUS: "Chie Kawahara is a storyteller. Her book, Midori Haus, tells a compelling story in a conversational style about a couple who wanted to remodel an older home that would use as little energy as possible—and was comfortable and healthy to live in. Anyone who has an interest in green building—doing right for oneself and the planet—will find a friend in this book." -Jim Gunshinan, Editor, Home Energy Magazine “Midori Haus serves as a journey of adapting, learning, greening, nurturing, and caring for an old house by renewing the house to address current and future environmental challenges. The narrative is delightfully educational – the design process of achieving the passive house standard will be better understood through these stories and conversations.” -Alison G. Kwok, Ph.D., AIA, CPHC, University of Oregon "The international Passive House standard has gained a deserved reputation as the fastest growing building energy efficiency standard in the world. Unsurprisingly, publications about it have mostly been by and for industry professionals. Midori Haus represents an alternative, introducing readers to Passive House through the eyes of a homeowner undertaking a remodeling project. Chie Kawahara takes readers along on her journey of discovery and remodeling triumph. She makes the process understandable and accessible and readers are given practical tools they can use on their own Passive House projects. There's nothing like a good case study told by the people involved to bring abstract concepts to life. Midori Haus doesn't disappoint." -Elrond Burrell, Architect, CPHD, blogger "In this delightful book, Chie Kawahara describes the process she and her husband went through to purchase a 1920s bungalow and turn it into a state-of- the-art, healthy, green, Passive House. This account of their experiences is highly instructional for anyone considering buying and renovating a house, and it’s a wonderful read!" -Alex Wilson, Founder, BuildingGreen, Inc.

When mankind moves out to the stars, the colonists of the future will remake the worlds they inhabit in their image. Included here are twenty stories from the most imaginative writers in the field: Poul Anderson Cordwainer Smith Arthur C. Clarke Richard McKenna Roger Zelazny John Varley Gregory Benford Ian McDonald Bruce Sterling Charles Sheffield Robert Reed G. David Nordley Joe Haldeman Phillip C. Jennings Geoffrey A. Landis Stephen Baxter William H. Keith, Jr. Kim Stanley Robinson Pamela Sargent Laura J. Mixon These are the stories of the explorers and pioneers who transform their destinations in the image of their distant home--exciting tales of alien landscapes and the struggle to make them suit human desires.

God Said,'Vengeance is Mine' (But the Lord Does Subcontract) By: Aundrie McHenry If you could see the future… would you have the courage to change it? Dreyu Nattaya-Hayabusa has abilities beyond the norm, even for his extraordinary kin. Read his story and embrace a world that could have been..