Oh, balls!' Frankie Taylor stared at the mirror in dismay. She touched a hand to the back of her neck, where she used to have hair, and glared at her hairdresser in their shared reflection.

Leo Miller still wasn’t sure how he’d ended up standing alone on Primrose Hill on the most romantic day of the year, both hoping and dreading his Valentine would show up. The girl he’d thought would be a friend but had turned out to be so much more. The girl he owed the truth to, instead of the version she thought she knew.

‘With a powerful story, characters that truly come alive, and a romance worth swooning over, Saving June is a fresh, fun, and poignant book that I couldn't tear myself away from.’ – - Kody Keplinger, author of The DUFF If she'd waited less than two weeks, she'd have been June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that. When sixteen-year-old Harper’s sister June, the perfect, popular, pretty one to Harper’s also-ran, commits suicide just before her high school graduation, nothing in Harper’s world makes sense anymore. With her family falling apart, Harper has a plan – steal June’s ashes and take her sister to the one place she always wanted to go: California. Embarking on a wild road trip of impromptu gigs and stolen kisses with mysterious musician Jake, the one person who could hold answers about June, Harper’s determined to find peace for her sister. But will she find peace for herself along the way? Praise for Hannah Harrington ‘fresh, fun and poignant’ - Kody Keplinger ‘tender, funny and moving’ - Courtney Summers ‘raw, powerful, and absolutely spot-on’ - YA Reads.com

Autumn is coming. Anything could happen… Julia is contemplating an affair with ex-boyfriend Max after a chance meeting in the cereal aisle of the supermarket…and finding that he’s just as gorgeous as ever. Miranda has got it all: expensive clothes, a huge house and her enormously wealthy husband, Doug. So why does she feel as if something is missing? Faye is fed up of being treated like a child – she’s a teenager, and knows what she wants! She’s determined to escape her sleepy life at Primrose Cottage… Three women, each with two options, needing to make one choice. When it comes to affairs of the heart, nothing is ever simple! A perfect, feel-good read about love, life and family. Previously published as A Country Affair. Praise for Alice Ross: ‘For lovers of Catherine Alliot, Erica James and Fiona Gibson…this one was brilliant!’ – Amazon Reviewer

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING TITLE THE ORPHAN'S TALE OUT NOW Love will tear them apart… Helena and Ruth Nowak are like chalk and cheese: one staunchly outspoken and independent, the other gentle and caring. Caught up in the struggle of Nazi occupied Poland, the sisters have bound together and created an enviable bond that can’t be broken. Or so they thought… When Helena discovers a Jewish Allied paratrooper, wounded but alive, she risks the safety of herself and her family to hide him. As her feelings for the solider grow deeper, she finds her loyalties torn. Outraged at this impulsive choice that endangers them all, mild-mannered Ruth finds herself becoming increasingly jealous of Helena. As tensions are sparked, a singular act of betrayal unleashes a chain of events that will endanger them all and reverberate for decades to come. From hardship and heartbreak, this gut-wrenching tale puts to the test the ties of sisterhood in the shadow of WW2. Praise for Pam Jenoff: ‘[A] heartbreakingly romantic story of forbidden love during WW2’ – Heat ‘Must read’ – Daily Express

I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please. At the urge of her lucky-in-love brother, sixteen-year-old Lily has left a red notebook full of dares on her favourite bookshop shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept. Curious, snarky Dash isn’t one to back down from a challenge – and the Book of Dares is the perfect distraction he’s been looking for. As they send each other on a scavenger hunt across Manhattan, they’re falling for each other on paper. But finding out if their real selves share their on-page chemistry could be their biggest dare yet…. 'One of the best books I’ve ever read’ –The Guardian on Every Day

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING TITLE THE ORPHAN'S TALE OUT NOW! Forbidden love in the time of war, this is essential reading for fans of emotional historical romance, perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Maureen Lee. August 1940 and 16-year-old refugee Addie escapes Fascist Italy to live with her aunt and uncle in Atlantic City. As WW2 breaks, she finds acceptance and love with Charlie Connally and his family. But war changes everything: secrets and passions abound, and when one brother’s destructive choices lead to the tragic death of another, the Connally family is decimated, and Addie along with them. Now 18, she flees, first to Washington and then to war-torn London where she is swept up with life as a correspondent. But when Charlie, now a paratrooper, re-appears, Addie discovers that the past is impossible to outrun. Now she must make one last desperate attempt to find within herself the answers that will lead the way home. Praise for Pam Jenoff: ‘[A] heartbreakingly romantic story of forbidden love during WW2’ - Heat ‘Must read’ - Daily Express

Dalam perjalanan pulang, kembali Nabi Uzair (Ezra) dan keledai itu melewati pekuburan tua dan puing-puing kota mati yang menyeramkan itu. Sungguh mengherankan, tiba-tiba keledai itu ingin beristirahat di sana. Tanpa sadar, keledai itu berjalan ke tempat yang dibencinya itu. Uzair pun turut pula beristirahat. Ia turun dari punggung keledai itu dan menurunkan pula keranjangnya. Ia duduk di atas tanah sambil memeras anggur ke dalam sebuah mangkuk. Dikeluarkannya sepotong roti kering lalu dicelupkannya ke dalam perasan? anggur itu. Sambil menunggu rotinya menjadi lunak, Uzair melayangkan pandangannya ke puing-puing kota mati itu. I berkata,"Bagaimana cara Allah mengembalikan kota mati yang telah hancur itu?" Tidak lama setelah itu, Uzair merasa mengantuk dan akhirnya tertidur. Melihat tuannya tertidur, keledai itu berusaha membangunkannya dengan meringkik. Tapi majikannya tetap saja tertidur. Bahkan keledai itu pun ikut pula tertidur. Ketika bangun, keledai itu seperti sudah berada di alam lain. Keledai itu mendengar suara yang ditujukan kepada majikannya. "Hai Uzair, berapa lama kamu tinggal di sini?" "Saya tinggal disini selama sehari atau setengah hari." jawab Uzair. "Sebenarnya, engkau telah tinggal disini selama seratus tahun. Lihatlah makanan dan minumanmu yang telah berubah, dan lihatlah keledaimu yang telah menjadi tulang belulang. Kami menjadikanmu sebagai tanda kekuasaan Kami bagi manusia….

There lived one Yurine, a man of poor means even for those days. He loved saké wine, and scarcely ever spent a day without drinking some of it. Yurine lived near the place which is now called Sudzukawa, a little to the north of the river known as Fujikawa. On the day which followed Fuji San's appearance Yurine became ill, and was in consequence unable to drink his cup of saké. He became worse and worse, and, at last feeling that there could be no hope for him, decided to give himself the pleasure of drinking a cup before he died. Accordingly he called to himself his only son, Koyuri, a boy of fourteen years, and told him to go and fetch him a cup or two of the wine. Koyuri was sorely perplexed. He had no saké in the house, and there was not a single coin left wherewith to buy. This he did not like to tell his father, fearing that the unpleasant state of affairs might make him worse. So he took his gourd, and went wandering along the beach, wondering how he could get what his father wanted. While thus employed Koyuri heard a voice calling him by name. As he looked up towards the pines which fringed the beach, he saw a man and a woman sitting beneath an immense tree; their hair was a scarlet red, and so were their bodies…

Nabi Hud AS atau Eber AS (sekitar 2450-2320 SM) adalah seorang nabi yang diutus untuk Kaum 'Ad yang tinggal di al-Ahqaf, Rubu' al-Khali-Yaman. Nabi Hud AS dikenal dalam ajaran agama Islam, Judaism dan Nasrani. Namanya disebutkan sebanyak 7 kali dalam Al-Qur'an. Umat Muslim percaya bahwa Nabi Hud hidup sekitar 150 tahun dan diutus menjadi rasul pada tahun 2400 SM. Diriwayatkan bahwa beliau wafat di Timur Hadhramaut, Yaman. Nabi Eber AS atau Hud AS merupakan keturunan dari suku 'Aad, suku yang hidup di jazirah Arab, disuatu tempat bernama Al-Ahqaf yang terletak di utara Hadramaut antara Yaman dan Oman. Mereka adalah kaum penyembah berhala bernama Shamud, Shada, dan al-Haba. Mereka termasuk suku yang tertua sesudah kaum Nuh. Mereka dikaruniai oleh Allah SWT tanah yang subur, dengan sumber-sumber air yang memudahkan mereka bercocok tanam. Sebagaimana dengan kaum Nabi Nuh, kaum Hud, yaitu suku 'Aad tidak mengenal Allah sebagai Tuhannya. Mereka membuat patung-patung yang diberi nama Shamud dan Alhattar dan itu yang disembah sebagai tuhan mereka yang menurut kepercayaannya dapat memberi kebahagiaan, kebaikan dan keuntungan serta dapat menolak kejahatan, kerugian dan segala musibah. Ajaran dan agama Nabi Idris AS ?dan Nabi Nuh AS sudah tidak dijalankan lagi. Nabi Hud AS (Eber AS) memulai dakwahnya dengan menarik perhatian kaumnya suku 'Aad kepada tanda-tanda wujudnya Allah SWT yang berupa alam sekitar mereka dan bahwa Allah-lah yang menciptakan mereka semua dan mengaruniakan mereka dengan segala kenikmatan hidup.

Karena ketekunannya dalam beribadah dan menuntut? ilmu, Nabi Idris (Enoch) dikaruniai Allah SWT pengetahuan yang luas dan dalam. Dialah manusia pertama yang menulis dengan pena serta satu-satunya Nabi yang tinggal di surga tanpa mengalami kematian. Nabi Idris atau Enoch lahir di Munaf, sebuah daerah di Mesir. Dia adalah keturunan ke enam Nabi Adam, dari Yazid bin Mihla’iel bin Qinan bin Syits. Dia kakek bapak Nabi Nuh AS. Nabi Syits mengajarkan Idris membaca Shafiah. Allah SWT menurunkan 30 Shahifah kepada Nabi Idris AS yang berisi petunjuk untuk disampaikan kepada umatnya (keturunan Qabil yang durhaka kepada Allah). Idris kecil mempelajari Shafiah dengan tekun, karena kesukaannya membaca itulah, ia mendapat gelar “Idris”, yang artinya orang yang tekun belajar. Dia belajar membaca dan menulis tanpa mengenal waktu dan tempat. Dia menjadi Nabi pertama yang menulis dengan Pena yang terbuat dari batu kerikil. Tidak mengherankan bila Allah menganugerahkan ilmu pengetahuan yang luas. Beliaulah yang mula-mula pandai ilmu hitung dan ilmu bintang, dan beliau pula manusia pertama yang merancak kuda, menggunting pakaian yang terbuat dari kulit binatang dan menjahitnya. Dia mempunyai kekuatan yang hebat dan bertabiat gagah berani, sehingga diberi julukan “Asadul Usud”, artinya Singa dari segala Singa. Dia tidak pernah lalai sedikitpun dari mengingat Allah, walau sedang sibuk menghadapi persoalan penting sehari-hari. Hingga Allah memberikan derajat yang tinggi padanya. Seperti halnya Nabi Adam dan Nabi Syits, Nabi Idris juga menerima Wahyu Allah melalui Malaikat Jibril yang berupa 30 Shahifah yang berisi petunjuk untuk disampaikan kepada Umatnya. Beliau di utus berdakwah kepada umat keturunan Qabil (Cain)…….

Asia Folklore Tales of The Beautiful Moon Maiden: Bilingual edition

Japanese Folklore The Story of Love & Reincarnation

"The Man Without a Country" first appeared in the Atlantic Monthlyfor December, 1863. It was the author's wish that it be published anonymously, in the hope that it might be ascribed to some officer of the Navy; but unfortunately, the man who compiled the year's index for the magazine, which was mailed with the December number, recognized Dr. Hale's handwriting, and gave him credit for it in the index. The story was written during the darkest period of the Civil War, and this war is perhaps the gloomiest period in the history of our great republic in the history of our great Republic; it was written at a time when one-half of the people in the United States were burning with patriotism, and were ready to lay down their lives to preserve the Union, while the other half were striving to disrupt what to them was merely a confederation of States, in no wise binding, and were damning the United States, even as did Philip Nolan; at at time when the President was bending low under the weight of sorrow for the loss of thousands of noble men who were falling in battle, and was enduring in pitiful silence the villification that was heaped upon him by the "copper-head" opposition; at a time when patriotism was preached in the pulpit, sung by our poets, and exhaled with every breath. The story launched in such an atmosphere, met with immediate favor. It was reprinted everywhere without regard for copyright, and was translated into several foreign languages. It was accepted by many as a narrative of actual facts, and provoked many discussions as to whether Philip Nolan was a real person; some even went so far as to identify him.

Bilal was a black slave, almost certainly the son of slaves, and is believed to have been from Abyssinia (now known as Ethiopia). ?Being born into servitude, he probably never expected life to offer him more than hard work, pain and drudgery. ?However Bilal walked the earth at a very momentous time. ? He was a slave in the city of Mecca when an unlettered man began to call the people to worship One God. ?This man was Muhammad, the Messenger of God, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, and his message was for all of humanity. ? When a person is poor or destitute, hungry or afraid, or beaten bruised and broken, a message infused with the concepts of mercy, forgiveness and justice is very appealing. ?The down trodden were just the sort of people who flocked to the side of Prophet Muhammad, eager to take comfort in his words, and deeds. ? Bilal, possibly the first African to convert to Islam accepted the message whole heartedly. ?Life for Bilal was about to get a great deal worse. ?Like a drowning man holding the rope that will drag him to safety, Bilal clung to the words of the One God and they were essential in saving his life…..

Prophet Dawud or David is recognized in Islam as a prophet, messenger (Rasul), and lawgiver of God, and as a righteous king of the United Kingdom of Israel, which itself is a holy country in Islam. He similarly figures prominently in the Torah and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. David is perhaps most famous in Islam for defeating the Philistine giant Goliath (Jalut), when he was a soldier in the army of King Saul's (Talut).His genealogy goes back through Judah, the son of Prophet Jacob (Ya'qub), to Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim). The figure of Prophet David is of extreme importance in Islam because he was one of the few prophets to receive a named revealed book. It says in the Quran that the Zabur, the Biblical Psalms, were given to David. David's son, Prophet Solomon (Sulaiman), took over the task of prophecy after his death and he was made the subsequent King of Israel.The Judeo-Christian and Islamic views of David, however, differ in some aspects. Muslims generally do not accept the sins of adultery and murder attributed to David in the Hebrew Bible, as they feel that prophets – in their belief the utmost chosen and elect of God – would never commit such grave crimes.Islamic belief holds that God taught David the making of armour. The Quran says the 'iron was made soft for him', through which David could make instruments for protection against enemies. However, the rule in this story is to use weapons of defence only in true war (e.g., if you are fighting for freedom of worship) and not to simply use weapons for degenerate violence. Later accounts in Muslim literature have references to David's armour-making abilities. God says in the Quran:We favoured David with excellence, (and commanded): "O mountains and birds, glorify the greatness of God with him." And We made iron pliable for him. "Make long coats of mail," (We said), "and fix their links, and do the right. I surely see whatsoever you do." (Quran, surah 34 (Saba), ayat 10-11)David was a man of superb strength, slaying Goliath in his raw youth. But God afterwards had bestowed upon him various gifts, including those of kingship and prophethood. Thus, the wise king would frequently praise God, in unison with the nature around him. Many scholars believe he was given the gifts of music as well, and would sing his prayers too, as he was blessed with great eloquence. The Quran mentions David's praise of God:Bear with patience what they say, and remember Our votary David, man of strength. He surely turned to Us in penitence. We subjugated the chiefs (of tribes) to struggle day and night with him, And the levied birds. They were all obedient to him. (Quran, sura 38 (Sad), ayat 17-19)

Tied To The Memory

Japanese Folklore Lady of The South Wind

Cheyenne and the Great Christmas Rescue

At the time that the Tang dynasty was reigning there lived a man named Liu I, who had failed to pass his examinations for the doctorate. So he traveled home again. He had gone six or seven miles when a bird flew up in a field, and his horse shied and ran ten miles before he could stop him. There he saw a woman who was herding sheep on a hillside. He looked at her and she was lovely to look upon, yet her face bore traces of hidden grief. Astonished, he asked her what was the matter. The woman began to sob and said: “Fortune has forsaken me, and I am in need and ashamed. Since you are kind enough to ask I will tell you all. I am the youngest daughter of the Dragon-King of the Sea of Dungting, and was married to the second son of the Dragon-King of Ging Dschou. Yet my husband ill-treated and disowned me. I complained to my step-parents, but they loved their son blindly and did nothing. And when I grew insistent they both became angry, and I was sent out here to herd sheep.” When she had done, the woman burst into tears and lost all control of herself. Then she continued: “The Sea of Dungting is far from here; yet I know that you will have to pass it on your homeward journey. I should like to give you a letter to my father, but I do not know whether you would take it.” Liu I answered: “Your words have moved my heart. Would that I had wings and could fly away with you. I will be glad to deliver the letter to your father. Yet the Sea of Dungting is long and broad, and how am I to find him?” “On the southern shore of the Sea stands an orange-tree,” answered the woman, “which people call the tree of sacrifice. When you get there you must loosen your girdle and strike the tree with it three times in succession. Then some one will appear whom you must follow. When you see my father, tell him in what need you found me, and that I long greatly for his help.” Then she fetched out a letter from her breast and gave it to Liu I. She bowed to him, looked toward the east and sighed, and, unexpectedly, the sudden tears rolled from the eyes of Liu I as well. He took the letter and thrust it in his bag………

In the land of Annam there once dwelt a man named Su, who sailed the seas as a merchant. Once his ship was suddenly driven on a distant shore by a great storm. It was a land of hills broken by ravines and green with luxuriant foliage, yet he could see something along the hills which looked like human dwellings. So he took some food with him and went ashore. No sooner had he entered the hills than he could see at either hand the entrances to caves, one close beside the other, like a row of beehives. ?So he stopped and looked into one of the openings. And in it sat two ogres, with teeth like spears and eyes like fiery lamps. They were just devouring a deer. The merchant was terrified by this sight and turned to flee; but the ogres had already noticed him and they caught him and dragged him into their cave. Then they talked to each other with animal sounds, and were about to tear his clothes from his body and devour him. But the merchant hurriedly took a bag of bread and dried meat out and offered it to them. They divided it, ate it up and it seemed to taste good to them. Then they once more went through the bag; but he gestured with his hand to show them that he had no more. Then he said: “Let me go! Aboard my ship I have frying-pans and cooking-pots, vinegar and spices. With these I could prepare your food.” The ogres did not understand what he was saying, however, and were still ferocious. So he tried to make them understand in dumb show, and finally they seemed to get an idea of his meaning. So they went to the ship with him, and he brought his cooking gear to the cave, collected brush-wood, made a fire and cooked the remains of the deer. When it was done to a turn he gave them some of it to eat, and the two creatures devoured it with the greatest satisfaction….