Pretend You Re In A War

'A definitive tome for both Who fans and newcomers alike’ ***** Q Magazine Pete Townshend was once asked how he prepared himself for The Who’s violent live performances. His answer? ‘Pretend you’re in a war.’ For a band as prone to furious infighting as it was notorious for acts of ‘auto-destructive art’ this could have served as a motto. Between 1964 and 1969 The Who released some of the most dramatic and confrontational music of the decade, including ‘I Can’t Explain’, ‘My Generation’ and ‘I Can See For Miles’. This was a body of work driven by bitter rivalry, black humour and dark childhood secrets, but it also held up a mirror to a society in transition. Now, acclaimed rock biographer Mark Blake goes in search of its inspiration to present a unique perspective on both The Who and the sixties. From their breakthrough as Mod figureheads to the rise and fall of psychedelia, he reveals how The Who, in their explorations of sex, drugs, spirituality and class, refracted the growing turbulence of the time. He also lays bare the colourful but crucial role played by their managers, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. And – in the uneasy alliance between art-school experimentation and working-class ambition – he locates the motor of the Swinging Sixties. As the decade closed, with The Who performing Tommy in front of 500,000 people at the Woodstock Festival, the ‘rock opera’ was born. In retrospect, it was the crowning achievement of a band who had already embraced pop art and the concept album; who had pioneered the power chord and the guitar smash; and who had embodied – more so than any of their peers – the guiding spirit of the age: war.

A powerful account of a Korean American daughter's exploration of food and family history to understand her mother's schizophrenia.

We can't just be done with religion, argues David Dark. The fact of religion is the fact of us. Religion is the witness of everything we're up to--for better or worse. David Dark is one of today's most respected thinkers, public intellectuals, and cultural critics at the intersection of faith and culture. Since its original release, Dark's Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Religious has become essential reading for those engaged in the conversation on religion in contemporary American society. Now, Dark returns to his classic text and offers us a revised, expanded, and reframed edition that reflects a more expansive understanding, employs inclusive language, and tackles the most pressing issues of the day. With the same keen powers of cultural observation, candor, and wit his readers have come to know and love, Dark weaves in current themes around the pandemic and vaccine responses, Black Lives Matter, the #MeToo and #ChurchToo movements, Critical Race Theory, and more. By looking intentionally at our weird religious background (we all have one), he helps us acknowledge the content of our everyday existence--the good, the bad, and the glaringly inconsistent. When we make peace with the idea of being religious, we can more practically envision an undivided life.

This essential Star Wars Legends novel is the first in a trilogy chronicling the rise of the fearsome Sith lord Darth Bane. “A solid space adventure [that] charts the evolution of an antihero almost as chilling as Darth Vader.”—Publishers Weekly On the run from vengeful Republic forces, Dessel, a cortosis miner, vanishes into the ranks of the Sith army and ships out to join the bloody war against the Republic and its Jedi champions. There Dessel’s brutality, cunning, and exceptional command of the Force swiftly win him renown as a warrior. But in the eyes of his watchful masters, a far greater destiny awaits him. As an acolyte in the Sith academy, studying the secrets and skills of the dark side, Dessel embraces his new identity: Bane. But the true test is yet to come. In order to gain acceptance into the Brotherhood of Darkness, he must defy the most sacred traditions and reject all he has been taught. It is a trial by fire in which he must surrender fully to the dark side—and forge from the ashes a new era of absolute power.

Drawing on his global experiences from Africa to Iraq, author Ralph Peters attacks today's crucial issues of our time head-on, with the clear eye and blunt voice that has won him a devoted following.

The “Trouble For Hire” romance series features hot, former military heroes…and these guys truly are the best kind of trouble. All of the books are stand-alones with guaranteed happy endings. Danger, romance, action, suspense, humor…oh, it’s definitely time to find some trouble…The set includes: NO ESCAPE FROM WAR, DON’T PLAY WITH ODIN, JINX, YOU’RE IT, and REMEMBER RAMSEY. NO ESCAPE FROM WAR (Book 1) Warren “War” Channing finally has the chance to nail his beautiful, lying ex. Turns out, the woman who shattered his heart beneath her high heeled shoes is wanted for murder. She’s on the run, and he is just the man to hunt her down and toss her into the nearest cell…. Rose Shadow has cracked the story of a lifetime. She’s uncovered a brutal serial killer who has been hiding in the shadows—only now, she is his next target. The cops think she’s involved in the string of murders because maybe her DNA had been at a crime scene and maybe she’d been spotted by witnesses at another location, but Rose is a reporter, not a killer. But with War on her trail, she’s out of time and options. War is former special ops. He’s the best PI in town. And he’s the man who gave her more pleasure than should be legal…Too bad that he’s also the man who hates her the most. DON’T PLAY WITH ODIN (Book 2) Odin Shaw thought he’d spend his life on a battlefield. But fate had other plans, and now the former Special Forces operative has just landed a new job at his best friend’s PI office. It’s one hell of a life change, and the giant “Viking” is trying to adjust, fast, but then she walks into his life. Maisey Bright wants to hire Odin. She needs him to help her find proof—irrefutable evidence—that her next-door neighbor is a serial killer. Odin figures the case will be a snap. He’ll prove that Maisey’s neighbor is most definitely not a serial killer. He’ll score some extra cash for the PI firm and maybe even score some points with the lovely—but obviously way too crime-enthusiast-obsessed—Maisey. Piece of cake. But as they dig deeper into the disappearances that have plagued the town for the last year, Odin begins to suspect that Maisey may be dead right. He also realizes that he is falling for a woman who now seems be the target of a killer. JINX, YOU’RE IT (Book 3) Jinx lives for his good times. With a ready smile and quick joke, his charm carries him through most rough situations. And when his grin doesn’t work, he just uses the down and dirty skills he acquired working Special Forces to get the job done. Life is easy, his luck is perfect, and nothing will slow him down. Except maybe…her. Alison “Ali” Carter does not have time for handsome playboys—not even the ones with killer blue eyes and abs that last for days. Sure, she might have given in just one time and let her desire for Jinx take over, but she is not about to repeat that mistake, no matter how great the night was. But when trouble follows Ali to the Gulf Coast, Jinx proves to be an unlikely hero as he leaps into action. This time, it’s not about being lucky. This time, it’s about protecting Ali and maybe, just maybe…winning her heart. REMEMBER RAMSEY (Book 4) Second chances and happily-ever-after endings aren’t meant for men like Ramsey Hyde. He’s a criminal mastermind, a cold-blooded heartbreaker, and certainly no one’s idea of a dream guy. Except…once upon a time, this heartbreaker lost his heart. Dr. Whitney Augustine is considered by many to be one of the luckiest women in the world. She survived an attack that should have killed her. But her miraculous rescue came with a twist…she lost the memory of the last six months of her life. Whitney thought that when she returned to her home, her memories would follow…Unfortunately, they didn’t. And the secret to her past? To all of those long nights that she just can’t remember? Well, Ramsey is the key…he’s the one who remembers everything with perfect, scorching clarity.

Clayton Troblan finds the peace of his solitude disturbed by an insistent stranger. The introverted accountant wonders if his uninvited guest is slightly confused, but after the intruder announces he is from another world, Clay realizes the combative individual might be more than just a harmless distraction. Hoping to pacify the stranger who has described himself as a conveyor, Clay follows his guest and is suddenly transported to Drenna, a world with a unique energy field and no usable metals. The conveyor insists Clay become a judge and settle a growing dispute between two tribal factions. The prospect of engaging aggressive and confrontational council members leaves the accountant desperate to find a way home. Unable to recreate the passage back to Earth, Clay is forced to intervene in the politics of Drenna and place the security of his personal detachment in jeopardy.

The last novel in Martin Boyd's celebrated Langton Quartet, which includes The Cardboard Crown, A Difficult Young Man and Outbreak of Love. At the outbreak of World War I, Dominic Langton leaves his wife on a remote sheep farm in New South Wales to enlist in the British Army. What he experiences in the trenches changes him forever; his return home sees him cast off his past and find his own integrity. He has seen the true nature of war - the senseless waste of life, the millions of young men condemned to pointless slaughter - and has emerged a wiser, but troubled, man. When Blackbirds Sing is a masterful recreation of the vanished world of 1914, and a moving and powerful testament to the devastation of war. In this final instalment of Martin Boyd's celebrated Langton Quartet, Boyd confirms his reputation as one of the most outstanding novelists Australia has ever produced. Martin a' Beckett Boyd was born in Switzerland in 1893. After leaving school, he enrolled in a seminary, but he abandoned this vocation and began to train as an architect. He served in the Royal East Kent Regiment and the Royal Flying Corps during World War I and settled in England after the war. His first novel, Love Gods, was published in 1925. Three years later The Montforts appeared, then Lucinda Brayford in 1946. In the coming decade he was to write the Langton Quartet: The Cardboard Crown, A Difficult Young Man, Outbreak of Love, When Blackbirds Sing. In 1957 he went to Rome, where he lived and continued to write until his death in 1972.