Toil Trouble 1

The three fates-Riata, Cait, and Smertae-have always been guiding and protecting Scotland unseen, indirectly controlling the line of kings according to the old religion. When there is a disagreement in the sisterhood, Riata and Smertae will use men as pawns, and Smertae will direct Macbeth to a crown he was never meant to have.

Something wicked this way comes. The three fates—Riata, Cait, and Smertae—have always been guiding and protecting Scotland unseen, indirectly controlling the line of kings according to the old religion. When there is a disagreement between the weird sisters, Riata and Smertae will use men as pawns, and Smertae will direct Macbeth to a crown he was never meant to have. This re-telling of Macbeth from the witches point of view is brought to life by Mairghread Scott (TRANSFORMERS: Windblade, LANTERN CITY), and illustrated by talented duo Kelly & Nichole Matthews. TOIL AND TROUBLEbrings a new and inventive take on the tragedy we all know and love.

From the number one New York Times bestselling author comes another stunning memoir that is tender, touching...and just a little spooky. "Here’s a partial list of things I don’t believe in: God. The Devil. Heaven. Hell. Bigfoot. Ancient Aliens. Past lives. Life after death. Vampires. Zombies. Reiki. Homeopathy. Rolfing. Reflexology. Note that 'witches' and 'witchcraft' are absent from this list. The thing is, I wouldn’t believe in them, and I would privately ridicule any idiot who did, except for one thing: I am a witch." For as long as Augusten Burroughs could remember, he knew things he shouldn't have known. He manifested things that shouldn't have come to pass. And he told exactly no one about this, save one person: his mother. His mother reassured him that it was all perfectly normal, that he was descended from a long line of witches, going back to the days of the early American colonies. And that this family tree was filled with witches. It was a bond that he and his mother shared--until the day she left him in the care of her psychiatrist to be raised in his family (but that's a whole other story). After that, Augusten was on his own. On his own to navigate the world of this tricky power; on his own to either use or misuse this gift. From the hilarious to the terrifying, Toil & Trouble is a chronicle of one man's journey to understand himself, to reconcile the powers he can wield with things with which he is helpless. There are very few things that are coincidences, as you will learn in Toil & Trouble. Ghosts are real, trees can want to kill you, beavers are the spawn of Satan, houses are alive, and in the end, love is the most powerful magic of all.

“This powerful and diverse collection is perfect for fans of female-led fantasy stories. No damsels in distress to be found here.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) There’s nothing more powerful than a witch who believes in herself. Women accused of witchcraft. Fearsome girls with arcane knowledge. Toil & Trouble features fifteen stories of girls embracing their power, reclaiming their destinies, and using their magic to create, to curse, to cure, to kill . . . and to live. A young witch uses social media to connect with her astrology clients—and with a NASA-loving girl as cute as she is skeptical. A priestess of death investigates a ritualized murder. A bruja who cures lovesickness might need the remedy herself when she falls for an altar boy. A theater production is turned upside down by a visiting churel. A water witch uses her magic to survive the soldiers who have invaded her desert oasis. And in the near future, a group of girls accused of witchcraft must find their collective power . . . and destroy their captors. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A TEEN WITCH! Featuring stories by: Tehlor Kay Mejia Andrea Robertson Tess Sharpe Lindsay Smith Brandy Colbert Shveta Thakrar Robin Talley Nova Ren Suma Zoraida Córdova Brenna Yovanoff Kate Hart Jessica Spotswood Anna-Marie McLemore Emery Lord Elizabeth May “This collection brings together short, witchy stories from fifteen brilliant YA authors . . . It’s a whole lot of magical fun, and a definite must-read for all the witches in your life.” —Bustle “The collective impact is undeniably resounding.” —Booklist (starred review) “[A] provocative, eclectic collection.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The overwhelming majority of a software system’s lifespan is spent in use, not in design or implementation. So, why does conventional wisdom insist that software engineers focus primarily on the design and development of large-scale computing systems? In this collection of essays and articles, key members of Google’s Site Reliability Team explain how and why their commitment to the entire lifecycle has enabled the company to successfully build, deploy, monitor, and maintain some of the largest software systems in the world. You’ll learn the principles and practices that enable Google engineers to make systems more scalable, reliable, and efficient—lessons directly applicable to your organization. This book is divided into four sections: Introduction—Learn what site reliability engineering is and why it differs from conventional IT industry practices Principles—Examine the patterns, behaviors, and areas of concern that influence the work of a site reliability engineer (SRE) Practices—Understand the theory and practice of an SRE’s day-to-day work: building and operating large distributed computing systems Management—Explore Google's best practices for training, communication, and meetings that your organization can use

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This books contains articles adapted into book form that have been designed for all levels of player: by starting with the basics on the topic and gradually filling in details up to expert level, I hope to frame the issues in a way all can understand and also raise issues for a partnership to discuss. The techniques in this book are sustainable and can be incorporated into any bidding system. Learn from the best and see instant improvement in your results at the bridge table.

This compendium showcases EVERY character ever mentioned in the Harry Potter books, films and play: the good, the bad and the misunderstood. With more than 700 entries, this book is packed from cover to cover! J.K. Rowling’s collection of mystical multitudes is what makes the wizarding world so enchanting. To dive into Harry’s story is to immerse yourself in the richness of a magical universe filled with wizarding history, culture and lore. A world of witches, wizards, owls, elves, non- magical people, anti-non-magical-people people, folks who can talk to snakes and snakes who used to be folks. There are mind-readers, shape-shifters, centaurs, giants, ghosts (nearly headless and fully formed) and one enormous, extremely ill- tempered tree. This massive tome details every character created by J.K. Rowling and appearing in the official Harry Potter canon of books, movies and plays. Each entry highlights one character, where you will find details of when the character was first mentioned, appearance, wizard school, house, patronus, wand, related family members, skills and achievements, personal history and more. The Compendium also include genealogical charts and family trees for the major characters, world maps detailing important locations, homes and schools, as well as charts detailing alliances between characters.