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INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER "A delightful mix of gothic, mystery, and romance. I had such fun reading this book!" — Gwenda Bond, New York Times bestselling author of Not Your Average Hot Guy In this wickedly whimsical Gothic murder mystery brimming with romance, betrayals, and chills, a fake spiritualist is summoned to hold a séance for a bride who died on the eve before her wedding, but as nefarious secrets are revealed, the line between hoax and haunting blurs. Be careful what you conjure... In Victorian London, Genevieve Timmons poses as a spiritualist to swindle wealthy mourners—until one misstep lands her in a jail cell awaiting the noose. Then a stranger arrives to make her a peculiar offer. The lord he serves, Mr. Pemberton, has been inconsolable since the tragic death of his beautiful bride-to-be. If Genevieve can perform a séance persuasive enough to bring the young lord peace, she will win her freedom. Soothing a grieving nobleman should be easy for someone of Genevieve’s skill, but when she arrives at the grand Somerset Park estate, Mr. Pemberton is not the heartbroken lover she expected. The surly—yet exceedingly handsome—gentleman is certain that his fiancée was murdered, even though there is no evidence. Only a confession can bring justice now, and Mr. Pemberton decides Genevieve will help him get it. With his knowledge of the household and her talent for illusion, they can stage a haunting so convincing it will coax the killer into the light. However, when frightful incidents befall the manor, Genevieve realizes her tricks aren’t required after all. She may be a fake, but Somerset’s ghost could be all too real… A Dreadful Splendor is delicious brew of mystery, spooky thrills, and intoxicating romance that makes for a ghoulishly fun and page-turning read.

Vedanta provides the ultimate answers regarding our real nature, this life and the world we are in, and thus guides us in leading a life of peace and happiness. Bhaja Govindam reveals the subtle and profound message of Vedanta (the wisdom of the Upanishads) in a simple, direct and concise manner, and that too through exquisite poetry. Importantly, it presents practical ways to apply Vedanta to daily life, cutting through the numerous terms and concepts in spirituality. For most people, Bhaja Govindam – authored by Adi Shankaracharya – is just a beautiful song, ever filling their hearts with devotion towards Lord Krishna. But, in reality, every verse presents us with an understanding of life and shows us how to lead a life that is filled with peace and happiness, and finally leading us to fulfilment. Bhaja Govindam shows us how we suffer in life because of the wrong perceptions (delusions) regarding ourselves and life in this world. That is why this text is formally referred to as Moha-mudgara? (literally meaning: ‘the hammer that destroys delusion’). It helps us remove the wrong perceptions so that we can be free from suffering and be endowed with ever-lasting happiness. This book is a translation and commentary (in English) on Bhaja Govindam and offers quotes from other texts, including Bhagavad Gita, Vivekachoodamani, Srimad Bhagavatam and Upanishads. Thus, this book becomes a comprehensive guide for any spiritual seeker, even for those who are not familiar with the various concepts of Vedanta.

This timely book brings together the stories of St Francis - his preaching to birds, rejection of wealth, caring for lepers, befriending animals and living simply, his poetry and hymnody in praise of creation that is still sung today - and the influential writings and examples of inspiring Franciscans who have followed him such as Clare, Bonaventure, Duns Scotus and Angela of Foligno, and draws them into conversation with contemporary concerns for our planet. It gathers 800 years of accumulated wisdom and practical examples of how Franciscans have found ways to live at home and at peace with creation. It explores that long tradition and experience to ask what lessons can be drawn for today to challenge and enable readers to re-visit their own relationship with creation.

There is scepticism regarding the role of values in business. Values are at best implemented as checklists and codes of conduct and not as a fundamental way of enhancing stakeholder well-being, including employees, customers, vendors and the larger ecosystem. Organizations take note of values only when instances of ethical malpractices surface—be it financial, gender-based, intellectual property and so on. Values bring out the best in individuals, teams and the organization by establishing a strong foundation for actions and interactions. Right from improving the effectiveness of day-to-day meetings to creating a culture of creativity and innovation, values form the substratum for every aspect and functioning of the organization. This book establishes a strong rationale for instilling values in business organizations by demonstrating how values are the foundation for excellence, productivity, creativity, quality and for creating a stress-free work environment. By presenting experiences, challenges, inspirations and conflicts regarding values, the book will help employees at all levels strengthen their conviction regarding values at the workplace. Addressing managers at all levels and the leadership, the book pragmatically discusses how to build and nurture a values-based culture in the organization. The authors examine the subject of values from the point of view of each individual’s personal journey, and finally delve into the crucial topic of values-based leadership, which is indispensable for a culture of values

Youthful Hearts, Sunshine and Shattered Dreams overtures profounder understandings into the interconnections between life, dreams, experiences especially on the celebration of successes and on contending with the life’s difficulties in achieving one’s dreams. The socio-political issues implicitly and explicitly embedded in this collection of short stories that youngsters the world over have to deal with, how to tide with destitution, how to get educated to have a better life, how to relate to the Creator, how to live in peace and order, how to live in a life mysteriously destined to happen to anyone but retaining still his/her individuality to be able to still connect with the world created especially for everyone are some of the in this book.

Originally published in 1962, this is the fascinating account of Brother Marshall Keeble’s missionary journey to Africa with Brother Lucien Palmer in 1960, including a visit to the Holy Land, Palestine. “This was Brother Keeble’s greatest missionary journey for the Lord, and he has made many journeys. On this trip he preached with great power. His influence was felt and it will live on in Africa, as he now has sons and daughters in the Gospel in that far away land, and through them the work of our Lord will continue.[...] “With great joy the experiences had by Brother Keeble on this journey have been written, and he hopes you will find much pleasure in this narrative. May it cause you to have a great increase of faith to use the jet age to God’s glory in advancing his kingdom in every nation of the world.”—Lucien Palmer, Preface

Textiles comprise a vast and wide category of material culture and constitute a crucial part of the ancient economy. Yet, studies of classical antiquity still often leave out this important category of material culture, partly due to the textiles themselves being only rarely preserved in the archaeological record. This neglect is also prevalent in scholarship on ancient Greek religion and ritual, although it is one of the most vibrant and rapidly developing branches of classical scholarship. The aim of the present enquiry is, therefore, to introduce textiles into the study of ancient Greek religion and thereby illuminate the roles textiles played in the performance of Greek ritual and their wider consequences. Among the questions posed are how and where we can detect the use of textiles in the sanctuaries, and how they were used in rituals including their impact on the performance of these rituals and the people involved. Chapters centre on three themes: first, the dedication of textiles and clothing accessories in Greek sanctuaries is investigated through a thorough examination of the temple inventories. Second, the use of textiles to dress ancient cult images is explored. The examination of Hellenistic and Roman copies of ancient cult images from Asia Minor as well as depictions of cult images in vase-painting in collocation with written sources illustrates the existence of this particular ritual custom in ancient Greece. Third, the existence of dress codes in the Greek sanctuaries is addressed through an investigation of the existence of particular attire for ritual personnel as well as visitors to the sanctuaries with the help of iconography and written sources. By merging the study of Greek religion and the study of textiles, the current study illustrates how textiles are, indeed, central materialisations of Greek cult, by reason of their capacity to accentuate and epitomize aspects of identity, spirituality, position in the religious system, by their forms as links between the maker, user, wearer, but also as key material agents in the performance of rituals and communication with the divine.