Under Wraps

Menstruation provides one of the few shared bodily functions that most women will experience during their lifetimes. Yet, these experiences are anything but common. In the United States, for the better part of the twentieth century, menstruation went hand-in-glove with menstrual hygiene. But how and why did this occur? This book looks at the social history of menstrual hygiene by examining it as a technology. In doing so, the lens of technology provides a way to think about menstrual artifacts, how the artifacts are used, and how women gained the knowledge and skills to use them. As technological users, women developed great savvy in manipulating belts, pins, and pads, and using tampons to effectively mask their entire menstrual period. This masking is a form of passing, though it is not often thought of in that way. By using a technology of passing, a woman might pass temporarily as a non-bleeder, which could help her perform her work duties and not get fired or maintain social engagements like swimming at a summer party and not be marked as having her period. How women use technologies of passing, and the resulting politics of secrecy, are a part of women's history that has remained under wraps.

From the award-winning author of Afterimage, a lyrical and humorous story about unrequited love and self-acceptance.

Ephram Brown is in love with Madison and Amy is in love with Tommy Callahan and they will both have to fight to be with the ones they want.

When supernatural secrets collide, it’ll take more than coffee to brew the perfect love. When Ky Hernández bonded with his familiar, Zuri, his life changed forever. Their connection turned him into a practicing witch and led him to his calling as a medimagical professional. However, it totally tanked his love life—what guy would settle for eternal second place behind a parrot? So Ky keeps his witchy nature under wraps and sticks to hookups with humans, which can never go anywhere. But the mouthwatering barista at the coffee shop next door makes him thirst for more than a caffeine fix. The charms Ewan Jones uses to appear human are inconvenient, disorienting, and . . . necessary. Ewan and his siblings are achubyddion, metaphysical healers whose powers are coveted by unscrupulous supernatural beings. And let’s face it: all supes are unscrupulous, given the right incentive. He’s grateful for the protections that hide his little family, and for the barista job that keeps them housed and fed. He’s just so lonely. And his regular, Ky, the super-hot, commitment-averse EMT, seems like the perfect candidate for a one-night shot at intimacy. After all, humans are no threat. It takes a clumsy coffee shop intern, a mysterious werewolf epidemic, and one snarky parrot to unravel their pasts—and give them a chance at a future.

Under Wraps is an all-church Advent experience that explores the character of God described in the Old Testament and then revealed through Jesus Christ. Through small group resources for all ages, teaching video, worship ideas and visuals, sermon lead-in videos, and preaching guides, all areas of church life weave together for an exciting, new Advent celebration. Each week centers on a key word that describes a characteristic of God that is evidenced in the Old Testament and then seen more clearly through Jesus: faithful, dangerous, expectant and jealous. The Leader Guide contains four session plan outlines, complete with discussion points and questions, activities, prayers, and more—plus leader helps for facilitating a group and incorporating the video.

With the constant stream of unrealistic and dangerous standards bombarding us from all sides, we can only draw one conclusion. Despite everything our bodies do for us, they are not as they should be, and many of us battle our entire lives chasing an ever elusive end goal. While we chase the impossible, we avoid sharing about our disabilities, chronic illnesses, or our perceived flaws or deformities because we feel alone, or we don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable. These are real stories, told with humour, love, self-awareness and frankness, shared so we can all feel less alone in our skins. To show each other that we are all, in fact, more than good enough. With contributions by: Gabriella Brand Natasha Cabot Catherine Cronin Iris Leona Marie Cross Sarah Lyn Eaton Eirik Gumeny Hillary Jarvis Beth Ann Jedziniak Adin K Premalatha Karupiah Frauke Kasper Bruce Loeffler Matt McGee Jessy Mijnssen Aiofe Osborne Heather Purlett Nancy Rechtman Kay Redrup Julia Rudlaff KT Ryan Adrian Slonaker Bex Thorp Meredith Wadley Sarah Wirth Majini Ya Mombasa

Halloween. A time for costumes and crime. Neither hold interest for Kira Brightwell. She only wants to find a way to move on with her life after the trauma she endured three months ago. (That, and track down the man responsible.) But the local police receive an anonymous tip with a growing list of decrypted names—a list that threatens to shake the suburban, California town to its core. ...And just like that, Kira’s world gets turned upside down. A stand-alone short novel of Kira’s recent past in the Kira Brightwell Quick Cases mystery series by the author of the Mackenzie Quinn mysteries, Jacquelyn Smith. If you love murder, mystery, and mayhem, grab this book. (This adventure takes place before the Kira Brightwell novel Split Decision. Originally published under the pen name Kat Irwin.)

Never Tempt Fate It's been a hell of a day for Abby Barlow. In just a few hours, she's survived an explosion, watched her employer die, had a startling dream, and now she finds herself in a seedy Chicago hotel with the sexy, unearthly Dante, a man she both desires and fears. For 341 years, Dante has stood as guardian to The Chalice, a mortal woman chosen to hold back the darkness. A terrible twist of fate has now made Abby that woman. Three hours ago, Dante would have used all his charms to seduce her. Now she is his to protect. And he will do so until his very death. In this dazzling, sensual novel, Dianne Duvall beckons readers into a world of vampires, immortals, and humans with extraordinary gifts. . .where passion can last forever, if you're willing to pay the price. . . Once, Sarah Bingham's biggest challenge was making her students pay attention in class. Now, after rescuing a wounded stranger, she's landed in the middle of a battle between corrupt vampires and powerful immortals who also need blood to survive. Roland Warbrook is the most compelling man Sarah has ever laid hands on. But his desire for her is mingled with a hunger he can barely control. . . Sick of wrongful-death lawsuits every time a full moon comes around? Call the Underworld Detection Agency. As a human immune to magic, Sophie Lawson can help everyone from banshee to zombie transition into normal, everyday San Francisco life. With a handsome werewolf as her UDA boss and a fashionista vampire for a roommate, Sophie knows everything there is to know about the undead, the unseen, and the uncanny. . . Sick of wrongful-death lawsuits every time a full moon comes around? Call the Underworld Detection Agency. As a human immune to magic, Sophie Lawson can help everyone from banshee to zombie transition into normal, everyday San Francisco life. With a handsome werewolf as her UDA boss and a fashionista vampire for a roommate, Sophie knows everything there is to know about the undead, the unseen, and the uncanny. . .