The Arts
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Literary FictionJune 2021This Good Book
by Iain Hood
‘Sometimes I wonder, if I had known that it was going to take me fourteen years to paint this painting of the Crucifixion with Douglas as Jesus, and what it would take for me to paint this painting, would I have been as happy as I was then?’ Susan Alison MacLeod, a Glasgow School of Art graduate with a dark sense of humour, first lays eyes on Douglas MacDougal at a party in 1988, and resolves to put him on the cross in the Crucifixion painting she’s been sketching out, but her desire to create ‘good’ art and a powerful, beautiful portrayal means that a final painting doesn’t see the light of day for fourteen years. Over the same years, Douglas’s ever-more elaborately designed urine-based installations bring him increasing fame, prizes and commissions, while his modelling for Susan Alison, who continues to work pain and suffering on to the canvas, takes place mostly in the shadows. This Good Book is a wickedly funny, brilliantly observed novel that spins the moral compass and plays with notions of creating art.
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Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)March 2022The Green Indian Problem
by J.L. Willetts
Set in the valleys of South Wales at the tail end of Thatcher’s Britain, The Green Indian Problem is the story of Green, a seven year-old with intelligence beyond his years – an ordinary boy with an extraordinary problem: everyone thinks he’s a girl. Green sets out to try and solve the mystery of his identity, but other issues keep cropping up – God, Father Christmas, cancer – and one day his best friend goes missing, leaving a rift in the community and even more unanswered questions. Dealing with deep themes of friendship, identity, child abuse and grief, The Green Indian Problem is, at heart, an all-too-real story of a young boy trying to find out why he’s not like the other boys in his class. Longlisted for the Bridport Prize (in the Peggy Chapman-Andrews category)
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FictionJune 2022Still Lives
by Reshma Ruia
The glow of my cigarette picks out a dark shape lying on the ground. I bend down to take a closer look. It’s a dead sparrow. I wondered if I had become that bird, disoriented and lost.’ Young, handsome and contemptuous of his father’s traditional ways, PK Malik leaves Bombay to start a new life in America. Stopping in Manchester to visit an old friend, he thinks he sees a business opportunity, and decides to stay on. Now fifty-five, PK has fallen out of love with life. His business is struggling and his wife Geeta is lonely, pining for the India she’s left behind. One day PK crosses the path of Esther, the wife of his business competitor, and they launch into an affair conducted in shabby hotel rooms, with the fear of discovery forever hanging in the air. Still Lives is a tightly woven, haunting work that pulls apart the threads of a family and plays with notions of identity. Shortlisted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize
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January 2022The 7 Questions
The Ultimate Toolkit to Boost Self-Esteem, Unlock Potential and Transform Your Life
by Nick Hatter
Do you feel stuck in bad habits, or wonder why you procrastinate, or find yourself repeating old patterns? Every one of us has unlimited potential for personal growth. But it can’t be accessed by blindly following advice or rules: it’s uncovered by asking the right questions. In The 7 Questions, award-winning life coach Nick Hatter offers a toolkit for bringing clarity and self-awareness whenever you feel you’ve lost direction in life. Each question – from how you formed your opinion of yourself to whether your beliefs are serving you – will prompt you to look within and ultimately improve your self-esteem, confidence and emotional intelligence when the loss of a job, relationship or loved one brings you low. Drawing on vivid examples from the cutting edge of psychology and the author’s personal and professional experience, The 7 Questions will help you to coach yourself, unlock your potential and transform your life. First published by Piatkus Books in January, 2022
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Trusted Partner
Plantation Coffee in Jamaica 1790-1848
by Kathleen E.A. Monteith
Plantation Coffee in Jamaica, 1790–1848 is the first comprehensive history of the Jamaican coffee industry, covering a period of rapid expansion and decline. The primary objective is to examine the structure and performance of the industry and to demonstrate the extent to which it contributed to the diversity of the Jamaican economy and society in this period. All of this is examined within the context of a period characterized by significant structural shifts in the then emerging global economy. As a work in economic history, the book is based on solid archival research and econometric analysis. Kathleen E.A. Monteith examines the changing levels of production, trade, productivity, and profitability of the industry and discusses the people involved in the industry, both free and enslaved. A demographic profile of the coffee planters and their familial relationships is established. The work experience of the enslaved men, women and children in the coffee industry, their organization, the nature of their works and their resistance to enslavement are also discussed. The clash of interests between the former enslaved people and coffee planters with respect to labour availability in the industry in the immediate post-slavery period are discussed also. Throughout the book, wherever possible, comparisons are made with other sectors of the Jamaican economy, especially with the sugar industry. Differences are explained in terms of environment, scale and the nature of production. Plantation Coffee in Jamaica, 1790–1848 contributes fresh material and interrogates data in systematic ways not previously undertaken by scholars in this area. Strikingly original are the sections dealing with the backgrounds of the coffee planters, drawing on sources only recently available for exploitation, notably the Legacies of British Slave-Ownership database, family history and genealogical websites, and the sections dealing with profitability. This book compares well with other works in Caribbean history published at this level of scholarship. It has no immediate rivals in its specific field.
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FictionJanuary 2020The Illusionist on the Skywalk (Sean Chuang)
by Wu Ming-Yi, Sean Chuang
* 2020 Japan International Manga Award (Silver)* 2020 Golden Comic Award* French, Japanese, and Korean rights have been sold for the original novel and a TV series is soon to be released. Man Booker prize nominee Wu Ming-Yi’s much-loved collection of nostalgic short stories, as a graphic novel. Let the artists whisk you back to Taipei of the 1980s, to the long-gone Chunghwa Market Bazaar and a world of magical memories. In 1980s Taipei, the Chunghwa Market Bazaar was home to hardware stores, snack stalls, record shops, tailors, locksmiths and seal-carvers – if you needed it, you could find it here. Any resident of Taipei at the time will have precious memories of the eight buildings that formed the market. And linking those buildings, they will remember, was a skywalk. And perhaps one day, on the skywalk, they saw an illusionist. The illusionist on the skywalk has many tricks. He can magic up a copy of a key, make the safety railing disappear, and have a papercut man stand up and dance. Children cluster round, trying to spot the trick to his tricks. Years later, those children are grown and the market is gone, and all that is left is stories steeped in magic: The elevator to the 99th floor that turns you invisible, the stone lion that walks into your dreams and joins you for a stroll, the drawing of a goldfish which comes to life and swims around its bowl (although if you look closely, you can see through it) and a curiously clever cat which keeps lonely old folk company. Adapted from a collection of short stories by Taiwan’s best-known writer, Wu Ming-Yi, this graphic novel has been created by two artists, each drawing four stories from the lives of those children who watched the illusionist on the skywalk. These are tales of adventure and setback, of love and death – of all that we must face as we grow up, told in a blend of nostalgia and magical realism. Let Wu Ming-Yi’s words and the art of Sean Chuang and Ruan Guang-Ming carry you back to 1980s Taipei.
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FictionDecember 2019Good Friend, Cancer
by Pam Pam Liu
When my mother gets cancer for the second time, she asked if I would keep her company through her chemotherapy. And of course, I said yes. But how am I meant to cope with it all? Pam Pam uses a clean but comical style to portray the joys and sorrows of accompanying a loved one through an illness. Despite the technical and medical wonders of the modern age, cancer remains one of humanity’s biggest enemies. And while we all know the patients themselves suffer, what of their loved ones, who find themselves sudden becoming carers, struggling with negative emotions, drained by the demands upon them? They too face a long physical and emotional battle. Good Friend, Cancer is a daughter’s first-hand account of her mother’s chemotherapy treatment. Finding herself now responsible for caring for her mother, she worries as she waits in the hospital that maybe her genes mean the same fate is in store for her. And she is also resentful – she has missed out on a change to follow her dreams and travel overseas. And most of all, and most unanswerably: why her? Graphic novelist Pam Pam’s simple style and plain strokes provide a humorous look at a harsh reality and turn misfortunes into charming tales. Over the course of 18 short comics, Pam Pam examines the traditional roles of a “daughter” and the pressures of being an adult as she portrays truths about family relationships which we all recognize – even if we cannot admit to it.
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FictionMay 2020Son of Formosa
by Yu Peiyun, Zhou Jianxin
* 2021 Taipei Book Fair Award The true story of Tsai Kun-lin, born in Qingshui, Taichung, in 1930, as he lives through Japanese rule and the arrival of the Kuomintang. Polite and a good student, Tsai found himself sentenced to ten years in jail for “membership of an illegal organization” after attending a high school book club. This graphic novel recounts his tenacity and determination. The 1930s, Japanese-ruled Taiwan. A young boy, Tsai Kun-lin grows up, accompanied by picture books and folk tales. But the merciless flames of World War 2 soon arrive – protests, bombing and conscription will change his life forever. After the war, the young booklover learns a new language and hopes to finally live a life of peace, never expecting his attendance at a high school book club will land him in jail. Transported to the penal colony for political prisoners on Green Island, he loses ten years of his youth to torture, terror, hard labor, and brainwashing. This series of graphic novels draws on the actual events of Tsai’s life. At Taichung First Senior High School he was a trainee soldier and a good student; years later he was sentenced to ten years in prison for attending a high school book club. On release he worked in publishing and advertising, and founded Prince, a children’s magazine which kept Taiwan’s cartooning tradition alive during martial law. He raised funds to allow a rural little league team to compete in Taipei and, on retirement, became a human rights activist. Tsai’s life is Taiwan’s recent history writ small. There is darkness, but always a light; hardship, but always the strength to endure. A simple yet graceful style faithfully recreates the historical scenes, with the accurate use of the Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese languages bringing those times to life. The warmth and vitality of the storytelling demonstrate that while we cannot control events, we can, as Tsai did, persevere through them.
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December 2021Pediatric Telephone Protocols
by Barton D. Schmitt, MD, FAAP
Telehealth and telephone care serve as important tools to connect with patients and families, especially when we are practicing physical distancing. This comprehensive telehealth resource is a must-have for thousands of practices and call centers. From telehealth pioneer Barton D. Schmitt, MD, FAAP, this award-winning office essential efficiently steps triagers through more than 141 decision support protocols spanning 98% of today's most common complaints. Key updates in this edition Completely updated protocols, references, and resources New protocol, COVID-19—Diagnosed or Suspected Medication Questions And more
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December 2021Adult Telephone Protocols
by David A. Thompson
Now in its 5th edition, this powerful decision-support tool will guide triagers thorough each call with the same step-by-step checklist organization and ease-of-use features as its companion resource, Pediatric Telephone Protocols. This comprehensive resource includes protocols that cover 95% of the most common adult complaints. Look here for triage guidelines ranging from everyday problems such as back pain, insect bites, and sunburn to more serious conditions such as breathing difficulty, seizures, and wound care. KEY FEATURES Completely updated and revised 6 new protocols—Anxiety and Panic Attack, Breast Symptoms, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Flank Pain, Hip Pain, and Shoulder Pain Triage guidance updated to include video visit options
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August 2012English for Beauty Care Professionals: Refreshing Your Body and Mind
by Pei-Chin Hsieh（謝佩芩） / Brian Foden
This textbook is designed primarily for high-intermediate students and students in departments of beauty science, health beauty, and nursing.Based on breaking science and medical knowledge, English for Beauty Care Professionals: Refreshing Your Body and Mind represents the most comprehensive beauty care textbook to date. This book is a practical reference guide for English for beauty, introducing beauty care topics in a professional and easy to understand manner.This book tackles two major categories in the field of beauty: the face and the body. It includes 10 chapters of professional beauty care knowledge, important English grammar rules and usage tips, beauty product applications, and helpful step-by-step beauty care how-tos. This beauty care guide, illustrated throughout with more than 500 colorful pictures showing useful beauty concepts and vocabulary, provides both visually rich and textually engaging information about beauty care and is the most suitable reference book for beauty care professionals.FEATURES• Article. The article in each chapter focuses on essential beauty care knowledge and information, including skin histology, skincare regimens, and introductions to skincare products, facial masks, aromatherapy, and medical cosmetology.• Vocabulary, Phrases, and Sample Sentences. Terms related to and necessary for understanding beauty care are listed along with definitions and sample sentences.• Grammar in Use. Important English grammar in each article is clearly explained with examples.• Dialogue. Useful dialogues in different contexts associated with the topic serve as models of collaborative communication for students to engage in.• Post-Reading Exercises. Key concepts in each chapter are the focus of these exercises. The exercises include Reading Comprehension Questions, Grammar Practice, Listening Practice, and topic-related Practice and Pair Work, which allow students to evaluate and implement what they have acquired during the lesson.• Audio MP3. Audio MP3 containing audio examples of the articles, vocabulary, phrases and sample sentences, dialogues, and listening practices, is included with each book.• English-Chinese Glossary. The book concludes with an English-Chinese glossary covering translations and pronunciations of more than 300 key vocabulary words introduced in the book.
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February 2016English for Specialized Science and Technology (2nd ed.)
by JoAnne Juett
English for Specialized Science and Technology is a textbook designed for students studying in science and technology related fields, as well as for general readers interested in scientific and technical subjects.What is the design of this book?This book has 46 chapters. Each chapter is an article that models a scientific or technical essay and is followed by several sets of exercises designed to help the reader identify vocabulary specific to scientific and technology writing.What is the purpose of this book?The aim of this book is to help students develop basic skills in reading science and technology related publications, including essays, magazines, reports, etc.Using context clues and word analysis, the reader will engage in discovering meaning and use of 15—20 subject-related words in each article. By working through each chapter of this book, the student will enhance his or her vocabulary skills and analytical reading skills.Besides vocabulary and reading skill development, this textbook also provides excellent resources for research on current scientific and technical topics.What is the content of this book?Contained in this book are 46 chapters of information about some of the most recent and exciting topics in the scientific and technical area. It includes Green Building, Biomedical Engineering, Hybrid Cars, Stem Cells, Semiconductors and Energy Efficiency, Nanomanufacturing, Mobile Computing, Food Biotechnology, Renewable Energy, Climate Change, Spacecraft Systems, Light Pollution, and Mars etc.
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May 2019The Science of Destiny Reading Using Bazi: Demystifying BaZi the Logical Way（20K）
by Gwan-Hwan Hwang Ph.D.（黃冠寰） / Hsing-Fen Chiang（江幸芬）
Bazi is the powerful and ancient art of destiny reading used by the Chinese for many centuries. Let Dr. Hwang unveil the mystery of Chinese fortune telling through an analytical and logical approach. Readers who are patient enough to read the book in its entirety will not only be rewarded with the tools and ability to unlock their future, but also fulfil their life’s potential. This book is not only for those who are interested in understanding Chinese metaphysics, but also for anyone who would like to clear up any doubts or misunderstandings about this wonderful art of destiny reading. Study BaZi, the most popular Chinese art of fortune telling, in an entirely new and easy way! Forget about the myths and superstitions that have surrounded it for centuries. Let Dr. Hwang lead you to unveil the mysterious art of BaZi with a logical and analytical perspective. Dr. Gwan-Hwan Hwang, Ph.D., is a professor of Engineering at Tsing-Hua University in Taiwan, with dozens of papers published in global engineering conventions and SCI journals. His name is also listed in Marquis Who’s Who. With this background, Dr. Hwang studied BaZi for years with the same scientific discipline as he has done in the academic field of engineering. With a logical and scientific approach, he was able to decipher the ancient art of destiny readings, dusting off the misconceptions and superstitions that have been misleading practitioners and the general public alike for generations, and restoring BaZi to its original beauty. Dr. Hwang further strengthened his theory by verifying it with thousands of real-life cases, many of which he has been tracking for years. This book summarizes the best of his findings as well as the most representative cases he has gathered so far. Unlike other books about fortune telling, which almost always resort to divine power or myths that cannot be explained with logic, Dr. Hwang illustrates everything about the art of BaZi in a logical and systematic way, making everything easy to understand. Readers shall be able to quickly grasp the concepts and theory behind BaZi, and apply it in their day-to-day lives. In this book, Dr. Hwang summarizes the principles of BaZi in a systematic way. Readers will be able to quickly understand the system and logic behind BaZi, and start applying it in their daily lives. In the modern era, where uncertainty has become the norm, a tool that helps people better understand and guide themselves through different situations is more valuable than ever. The art of BaZi, in the hands of those who truly understand it, is like a compass. It not only helps reveal one’s personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, but it also guides one through life’s vicissitudes. Mastering BaZi helps us to better know who we are, manage our lives, and create our own destinies.
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September 2017Easy Ways to Avoid Errors in English
by Liming Jing / Dennis James Le Boeuf
This book shows you the most common errors in English and gives you clear explanations about how to correct them. It also offers you interesting examples of how English grammar is used in the real world. It explains vocabulary, easily confused words, idioms, spelling, formal and informal styles, and many of the differences between American and British English. This colorful and useful book is a simple-to-use and dictionary-like grammar book. It is a valuable book to help you prepare for taking the TOEFL and other English tests.
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October 2017English Grammar & Practice: Basic
by Dennis Le Boeuf/Liming Jing
The Fun Grammar Book teaches all the basic grammar rules you need for speaking and writing in English. It is easy-toteach, easy-to-learn presentations of English grammar and exercises.The full color pictures and interesting rhyming examples in the book will help you relax while learning grammar rules. Grammar explanations are clear, simple, concise, and easy to teach and learn. Real and lively examples show you how grammar rules work and how to avoid common mistakes. Humorous and fascinating rhyming sentences enhance your understanding of and familiarization with English grammar. Rhymes provide fun while teaching you rules, vocabulary, pronunciation, and useful sentences. A wide diversity of creative exercises will guide your step-by-step success in comprehending grammar rules. Your writing will be improved through exercises where you match, fill in the blanks, underline the correct answers, decide whether the sentences are right or wrong, correct the mistakes, and make up, rewrite, and reorganize sentences. Clear entry layout with vivid color illustrations will help you easily understand difficult grammar points.
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December 2020Grammar Growth Curve
by 丁宥榆, 謝右
用彩圖圖解學英文文法，輕鬆搞懂文法重點，必學觀念一次掌握！ 本書針對初級程度者編寫，涵蓋必學的重要文法概念，適合當作英文輔助教材，供課堂上補充使用，亦可用作自修教材。條列式文法解說內容深入淺出，搭配圖解簡單明瞭，並精心設計豐富多元練習題，幫助學生記憶與活用，從此搞懂英文文法！ 本書特點1. 條列初級必學基礎文法收錄初級必學的文法條目，難易度適中，並以主題式分類編排文法。循序漸進按步驟學習，讓初學者能夠輕鬆掌握核心文法概念。 2. 一頁文法一頁練習，學完文法立即練習每單元採對頁編排，左頁文法說明文法重點，右頁立即做練習，每單元分量適中好消化，學習進度好安排，能聚焦學習重點，也能立即檢視學習成效。 3. 列點說明好抓重點各單元內的文法條目採條列式說明，清楚明瞭好吸收。一次搞懂一個觀念，讓初學者拋開煩雜的文法說明，不易混淆，艱澀文法也能輕易上手。 4. 彩色圖解說明文法概念上千張大量彩圖幫助學生用圖像式記憶學習文法，輕鬆理解記憶抽象文法概念，一次掌握必學文法觀念。 5. 豐富例句幫助活用文法文法概念編有豐富而多元的生活化例句，取材廣泛，舉凡運動、休閒、閱讀、飲食等，並用顏色標註文法重點字與解說，方便對照文法要點，理解更容易。 6. 表格分析文法要點更好懂大量採用表格式說明、歸納重點與進行比較，讓初學者也能一目瞭然，有效捕捉重點資訊。 7. 密集練習活用文法好簡單佔全書一半分量的練習題，能讓初學者透過大量練習，在練習中學會文法運用於實際生活中，不用死背文法要點。練習題型多元活潑，且融入大量看圖作答題，以簡單、切中練習目標為主，幫助學生訓練與加強文法實力。
