I'm a demigod who was raised in hell. Now the gods say I earned the right to join them in Paradise.

But an eternally peaceful existence as a goddess?

Hard pass.

Especially if it means I would never get to see them again.

My thoughtful, merciless fae necromancer.

My charmingly ferocious dragon shifter.

My dreamy, unhinged Nightmare Prince.

And my beautifully brutal ice elemental.

These legacies are mine, and I refuse to let them go without a fight.

Which is why I found a way to return to the mortal realm, even if I don't remember what I did-yet. My memories of Paradise are returning slowly as I try to bring my quintet back from their twisted, broken madness.

I thought they were obsessed with me before, but now?

These cursed legacies are deliciously heartless when it comes to protecting me.

The feeling is completely mutual.

But if my quintet wants any kind of future together, I first need to fix the wreckage that I left the mortal world in.

Darkness, obsession, bloodshed, battle, divine vengeance, death...

It certainly sounds like the start of a happily ever after to me.

Intended for 18+ readers due to very strong language, graphic violence, dark themes, and explicit sex scenes, including group sex (no M/M). Please read the trigger warnings first. Book 4 of 4. No AI content here.

The secret is out: I'm the prophesied scourge, and according to the Legacy Council, my quintet and I must be hunted down and destroyed immediately.

With the size of the bounty they've put on our heads, there's no telling who we can trust. Going on the run feels cowardly, but it's necessary. We need time to regroup so I can move on to the next step of my plan to free the humans trapped in the Nether.

We also have to figure out how I'm being mysteriously bound to each of my matches. It should be impossible, yet the more we bond against all odds, the more powerful I feel.

Getting closer to them feels so good. No matter what my inevitable fate holds, they make it worth it.

But all this newfound power from bonding is doing something to the shadow heart in my chest-strengthening my link to the Entity and putting my quintet in even more danger.

And not the fun kind.

Amid this two-way game of cat and mouse with immortal monsters and navigating the intricacies of bonding with my quintet, an unexpected secret is emerging from the dark shadows of my past. Something I wasn't prepared for.

It seems the gods have been playing games.

Fine. Game on.

Intended for 18+ readers due to very strong language, graphic violence, dark themes, and explicit sex scenes, including group sex (no M/M). Please read the updated TW. Book 3 of 4. This book will end in a cliffhanger. No AI content here.

Assassinating the headmaster didn't go as planned. Now Everbound University is on a strict magical lockdown, and the Immortal Quintet has arrived to hunt down the person who killed their mage-which, ironically, isn't me.

I'm also looking for the true culprit so I can find Kenzie.

Meanwhile, the four gorgeous, stubborn legacies that I've fought tooth and nail to resist are starting to figure me out, little by little...but I'm also starting to understand them.

And the more I do, the more I wonder if the gods really did match our broken souls together perfectly.

As tensions rise and the Immortal Quintet turns up the danger for all students, our quintet is forced to work together to survive. But training together is a dangerous game all its own. Because the more I get of these legacies, the more I want.

If they thought me rejecting them was brutal, they haven't seen me fight to protect my own...

And now, that includes them.

Intended for 18+ readers due to strong language, violence, dark themes, and explicit sex scenes, including group sex (no M/M). Book 2 of 4. No AI content here.

Everbound University is the mandatory graduate school for anything that goes bump in the night. Not going isn't an option, unless you want to be hunted down for illegally inhabiting the mortal world.

All legacies-the descendants of the Four Houses-are required to attend because we're all cursed, and the only way to break our curses is through binding our hearts in a quintet. Becoming part of a quintet is a dream come true. Destiny fulfilled. A gods-given, merciful blessing.

For me, it's a hard pass. I can't be bound to anyone else.

Trust me, it wouldn't end well.

So when I'm placed in a quintet, I promptly reject all four of my matches for their own good. But these powerful, gorgeous, high-profile legacies must have no idea how to handle rejection, because...

The cutthroat blood fae shows me his soft side.

The charming dragon shifter won't leave me alone.

The unhinged nightmare prince calls me darling.

And the gorgeous ice elemental is as overprotective as he is cold.

They're the kind of deadly perfection that draws attention. Which is exactly what I'm trying to avoid, since no one can know my secret. I'll do whatever it takes to make them decide I'm not worth the chase. The problem is, no matter what I do to make them hate me, it only seems to have the opposite effect...

This is a why choose/reverse harem paranormal romance. If you like fated mates, multiple POV, dark academia, a variety of possessive guys who are unhinged for their girl, and an equally broken but determined FMC, this series is for you. Intended for 18+ readers due to strong language, violence, dark themes, and explicit sex scenes including group sex (no M/M). No AI content here. Book 1 of 4.

Over the last two decades, advances in the design, miniaturization, and analytical capabilities of portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) instrumentation have led to its rapid and widespread adoption in a remarkably diverse range of applications in research and industrial fields. The impetus for this volume was that, as pXRF continues to grow into mainstream use, analysts should be increasingly empowered with the right information to safely and effectively employ pXRF as part of their analytical toolkit. This volume provides introductory and advanced-level users alike with readings on topics ranging from basic principles of pXRF and qualitative and quantitative approaches, through to machine learning and artificial intelligence for enhanced applications. It also includes fundamental guidance on calibrations, the mathematics of calculating uncertainties, and an extensive reference index of all elements and their interactions with X-rays. Contributing authors have provided a wealth of information and case studies in industry-specific chapters. These sections delve into detail on current standard practices in industry and research, including examples from agricultural and geo-exploration sectors, research in art and archaeology, and metals industrial and regulatory applications. As pXRF continues to grow in use in industrial and academic settings, it is essential that practitioners continue to learn, share, and implement informed and effective use of this technique. This volume serves as an accessible guidebook and go-to reference manual for new and experienced users in pXRF to achieve this goal.

"In This We Hear the Light," is a exceptional collection of Cuba theme poetry by award winning poet, John B. Lee, - without a doubt some of his most outstanding work, juxtaposed by an equally splendid assembly of Cuba theme photography by Richard M. Grove. The poems and photographs represent the inspiration from many years of travelling in Cuba. Since first traveling to Cuba, John B. Lee came to love the island and to admire her people. "In This We Hear the Light," is an ekphrastic project, its literary efforts are beautifully complemented by Grove's exquisite photographs. The poems and the photographs aspire to capture something more deeply felt than the reflections of a mere tourist. Poetry and photography both hold the deep felt mysteries that come from understanding Cuba on an intimate and cherished level.

This book introduces the resources of contemporary social system theory, as pioneered by the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann and associated theorists. Luhmann's theory is very different from the general systems approach that dominated sociological thought for several decades after the Second World War. Norms and functions are not seen as fundamental premises of social systems and social order. Rather meaning, communication, and observation are set into the core of social life and its analysis. Meaning is seen as a medium that couples psychic and social systems or consciousness and communication. Observation is described as the introduction of distinctions and selections, and communication is the basic operation that connects observations and thereby allows for the emergence of observers: persons, interaction systems, organizations, and functional subsystems of society, such as the economy, politics, law, and art. Society itself is conceived as the encompassing unity of all communication, a universal set of references that makes observation and communication possible. Modern system theory does not join the quest for essential variables such as norms, values, or institutions. It selects observations and depicts their connectivity, their potential for processing information, building expectations about meaning in the world, and for structuring social systems. Contemporary social systems theory tries to explain the probability of the improbable: that communication occurs and reproduces a universe of meaning in which observers may orient themselves. Social system theory incorporates fresh insights from cognitive biology, the philosophy of consciousness, phenomenology, distinction theory, socio-cybernetics, and constructivism to explain the emergence of society. The authors of Observing Society describe how the theory moves beyond traditional sociological paradigms that attempt to explain social order and understanding with presumptions of intersubjectivity, collective conscience, communicative rationality, or normative consensus. Observing Society: Meaning, Communication, and Social Systems concisely outlines how social system theory offers sociologists an integrated set of practical and general analytical concepts, a promising agenda for scholarly inquiry, and a cutting-edge description of modern society. Using clear illustrations and effectively citing original material previously unavailable in English, Lee and Brosziewski carefully explain the logic of drawing distinctions to make observations, the concepts of meaning and communication, the forms of communication media such as speech and writing, the evolution of forms of organizing society, the functional differentiation of modern systems, and how social system theory informs sociological research and methodology. This book will hold significant relevance for collections in sociology, philosophy, German studies, European studies, and culture and media studies.

Go behind the scenes with an insightful look at horror filmsand the directors who create them The Spectacle of Isolation in Horror Films: Dark Parades examines the work of several of the genre's most influential directors and investigates how traditional themes of isolation, alienation, death, and transformation have helped build the foundation of horror cinema. Authors Carl and Diana Royer examine the techniques used by Alfred Hitchcock that place his work squarely in the horror (rather than suspense) genre, discuss avant-garde cinema's contributions to mainstream horror, explore films that use the apartment setting as the cell of horror, and analyze how angels and aliens function as the supernatural Other. A unique resource for film students and film buffs alike, the book also examines Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy and the fusion of science, technology, and quasi-religious themes in David Cronenberg's films. Instead of presenting a general overview of the horror genre or an analysis of a specific sub-genre, actor, or director, The Spectacle of Isolation in Horror Films offers an imaginative look at classic and contemporary horror cinema. The book examines Surrealist films such as Un Chien Andalou and Freaks, the connections among the concepts of voyeurism, paranoia, and alienation in films like Rear Window, Rosemary's Baby, Blue Velvet, and The Blair Witch Project; the use of otherworldly creatures in films such as The Prophecy, Dogma, and The Day The Earth Stood Still; and the films of directors George Romero, John Waters, and Darren Aronofsky, to name just a few. This unique book also includes an extensive A-to-Z filmography and a bibliography of writings on, and about, horror cinema from filmmakers, film critics, and film historians. The Spectacle of Isolation in Horror Films examines: Body Doubles and Severed Handsthe common ancestry of avant-garde art films and exploitation horror B-movies And I Brought You Nightmaresrecurring themes of psychological terror in Alfred Hitchcock's films Horror, Humor, PoetrySam Raimi's transformation of drive-in horror cinema Atheism and 'The Death of Affect'David Cronenberg's obsessions, interests, and cautionary messages in films ranging from Videodrome to Dead Ringers to eXistenZ and much more! The Spectacle of Isolation in Horror Films: Dark Parades is a unique resource of critical analysis for academics working in film and popular culture, film historians, and anyone interested in horror cinema.

Go behind the scenes with an insightful look at horror filmsand the directors who create them The Spectacle of Isolation in Horror Films: Dark Parades examines the work of several of the genre's most influential directors and investigates how traditional themes of isolation, alienation, death, and transformation have helped build the foundation of horror cinema. Authors Carl and Diana Royer examine the techniques used by Alfred Hitchcock that place his work squarely in the horror (rather than suspense) genre, discuss avant-garde cinema's contributions to mainstream horror, explore films that use the apartment setting as the cell of horror, and analyze how angels and aliens function as the supernatural Other. A unique resource for film students and film buffs alike, the book also examines Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy and the fusion of science, technology, and quasi-religious themes in David Cronenberg's films. Instead of presenting a general overview of the horror genre or an analysis of a specific sub-genre, actor, or director, The Spectacle of Isolation in Horror Films offers an imaginative look at classic and contemporary horror cinema. The book examines Surrealist films such as Un Chien Andalou and Freaks, the connections among the concepts of voyeurism, paranoia, and alienation in films like Rear Window, Rosemary's Baby, Blue Velvet, and The Blair Witch Project; the use of otherworldly creatures in films such as The Prophecy, Dogma, and The Day The Earth Stood Still; and the films of directors George Romero, John Waters, and Darren Aronofsky, to name just a few. This unique book also includes an extensive A-to-Z filmography and a bibliography of writings on, and about, horror cinema from filmmakers, film critics, and film historians. The Spectacle of Isolation in Horror Films examines: Body Doubles and Severed Handsthe common ancestry of avant-garde art films and exploitation horror B-movies And I Brought You Nightmaresrecurring themes of psychological terror in Alfred Hitchcock's films Horror, Humor, PoetrySam Raimi's transformation of drive-in horror cinema Atheism and 'The Death of Affect'David Cronenberg's obsessions, interests, and cautionary messages in films ranging from Videodrome to Dead Ringers to eXistenZ and much more! The Spectacle of Isolation in Horror Films: Dark Parades is a unique resource of critical analysis for academics working in film and popular culture, film historians, and anyone interested in horror cinema.

Part of a series that offers mainly linguistic and anthropological research and teaching/learning material on a region of great cultural and strategic interest and importance in the post-Soviet era.

How does rock music impact culture? According to authors B. Lee Cooper and Wayne S. Haney, it is central to the definition of society and has had a great impact on shaping American culture. In Rock Music in American Popular Culture, insightful essays and book reviews explore ways popular culture items can be used to explore American values. This fascinating book is arranged alphabetically for quick and easy reference to specific topics, but the book is equally enjoyable to read straight through.The influence of rock era music is evident throughout the text, demonstrating how various topics in the popular culture field are interconnected. Students in popular culture survey courses and American studies classes will be fascinated by these unique explorations of how family businesses, games, nursery rhymes, rock and roll legends, and other musical ventures shed light on our society and how they have shaped American values over the years.

How does rock music impact culture? According to authors B. Lee Cooper and Wayne S. Haney, it is central to the definition of society and has had a great impact on shaping American culture. In Rock Music in American Popular Culture, insightful essays and book reviews explore ways popular culture items can be used to explore American values. This fascinating book is arranged alphabetically for quick and easy reference to specific topics, but the book is equally enjoyable to read straight through.The influence of rock era music is evident throughout the text, demonstrating how various topics in the popular culture field are interconnected. Students in popular culture survey courses and American studies classes will be fascinated by these unique explorations of how family businesses, games, nursery rhymes, rock and roll legends, and other musical ventures shed light on our society and how they have shaped American values over the years.

B. Lee Cooper offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of contemporary American society as it has been captured and transmitted in the lyrics of more than 3,000 popular recordings. By tracing the permutations of American popular music from the end of the Big Band/Swing Era through the Age of Rock, the author presents a thematically structured analysis of popular music lyrics from 1950 through 1985. Cooper divides his lucid commentaries and lists of songs into fifteen sections, each dealing with a particular social, political, or personal theme. In the brief essays that precede the lengthy discographic sections, the author explores the ways in which popular music has dealt with such issues as religion, death, education, youth culture, transportation, mass media, protest, military activity, women's liberation, and drug use and abuse. An illustrative discography of 45 r.p.m. records follows each section of commentary. An extensive bibliography of books, articles, and special reports appears at the end of the volume, along with a selected discography of album-length recordings which supplements the extensive 45 r.p.m. listings.

In the summer of 1930, two federal prohibition agents were murdered. The first died in a hail of buckshot on a dark street in Aguilar, Colorado. Six weeks later, the second agent and his vehicle disappeared on a sunny afternoon along a New Mexico state highway south of Raton. These events occurred during the era when the government legislated a ban on alcohol manufacture, distribution, and sales within the United States. During their 50-year search, the authors sought answers to why no one was ever prosecuted for these crimes. This is the first book to correlate the two murders, identify how and why they occurred, name the parties involved and the roles they played. The authors interviewed many individuals associated with the events and discovered a trove of National Archives files containing incident reports, suspect interview notes, the dead agents' daily activity logs and their personnel files. Building upon this base, they located the remaining documents generated by state and local law enforcement officers and additionally data mined private and public contemporary newspaper collections. The shadows along the trail lift as the light of truth is shown upon this mystery. Two federal agents can now rest in peace.

A hands-on lab guide in the Python programming language that enables students in the life sciences to reason quantitatively about living systems across scales This lab guide accompanies the textbook Quantitative Biosciences, providing students with the skills they need to translate biological principles and mathematical concepts into computational models of living systems. This hands-on guide uses a case study approach organized around central questions in the life sciences, introducing landmark advances in the field while teaching students—whether from the life sciences, physics, computational sciences, engineering, or mathematics—how to reason quantitatively in the face of uncertainty. Draws on real-world case studies in molecular and cellular biosciences, organismal behavior and physiology, and populations and ecological communities Encourages good coding practices, clear and understandable modeling, and accessible presentation of results Helps students to develop a diverse repertoire of simulation approaches, enabling them to model at the appropriate scale Builds practical expertise in a range of methods, including sampling from probability distributions, stochastic branching processes, continuous time modeling, Markov chains, bifurcation analysis, partial differential equations, and agent-based simulations Bridges the gap between the classroom and research discovery, helping students to think independently, troubleshoot and resolve problems, and embark on research of their own Stand-alone computational lab guides for Quantitative Biosciences also available in R and MATLAB

If your beginning reader loves Pokemon, then you gotta catch this phonics reading program! These twelve simple, fun Pokemon stories are specially designed to help kids learning their letter sounds. Learn to read with help from your favorite Pokemon! This boxed set of twelve easy-to-read books is designed just for kids learning their letter sounds. The fun, action-packed stories in each book feature beloved Pokemon like Pikachu, Piplup. Totodile, Meowth, Shuckle, Sandile, and many more.

This book provides a self-contained description of the measurements of the magnetic dipole moments of the electron and muon, along with a discussion of the measurements of the fine structure constant, and the theory associated with magnetic and electric dipole moments. Also included are the searches for a permanent electric dipole moment of the electron, muon, neutron and atomic nuclei. The related topic of the transition moment for lepton flavor violating processes, such as neutrinoless muon or tauon decays, and the search for such processes are included as well. The papers, written by many of the leading authors in this field, cover both the experimental and theoretical aspects of these topics.

Like that Biblical, astronomical star of Bethlehem, The Christmas Carol Reader guides readers on their quest for information about Christmas songs. Studwell gathers a composite picture of the world's most important and famous carols and includes an ample selection of lesser-known Christmas songs. All of the carols are presented in their historical and cultural contexts which adds to readers'understanding and appreciation of the songs.As the only book that covers this elusive topic, The Christmas Carol Reader informs and entertains readers on over 200 songs of all types (sacred and secular), of all periods (Middle Ages through the 20th century), and from a number of countries and cultures. Because many of the songs in The Christmas Carol Reader fit into more than one distinct category, Studwell wisely divides the songs into two major groups--those that reflect Christmas as a Holy Day and those that celebrate Christmas as a Holiday. Here is just a sample of the breadth of coverage of songs: Sacred: From Heaven Above to Earth I Come; O Come, O Come Emmanuel; Angels From the Realms of Glory; As With Gladness Men of Old; O Holy Night (Cantique de Noel); Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne Secular: Happy Holiday; A Holly Jolly Christmas; God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen; Silver Bells; Here Comes Santa Claus; I'll Be Home for Christmas Medieval: Puer Natus in Bethlehem (A Boy Is Born in Bethlehem); Coventry Carol; I Sing of a Maiden; La marche des rois (The March of the Kings); In Dulci Jubilo 1500--1700's: Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella; I Saw Three Ships; Carol of the Bagpipers 1800's: Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful); O Little Town of Bethlehem; What Child Is This?; It Came Upon a Midnight Clear; Stille Nacht, Heiliege Nacht (Silent Night) Spirituals: Go Tell It on the Mountain; I Wonder as I Wander; Mary Had a Baby; Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow Little Known: O Bethlehem!; The Sleep of the Infant Jesus; Song of the Nuns of Chester Countries and Cultures: O Tannenbaum; Lulajze Jezuniu (Polish Lullaby); Fum, Fum, Fum; Carol of the Bells; Patapan; El rorro (The Babe) As readers learn about the history and nature of the Christmas carol in general and the specific history of individual religious and secular carols, they will learn some history and nature of the holiday season which can bring more enjoyment into their celebrations for years to come.On long winter nights, The Christmas Carol Reader can be read continuously as a series of fact-based commentaries on Christmas music. For shorter periods in between holiday activities, readers can peruse one of the topical sections or select, with the aid of the title index, an individual essay of interest. As a library reference, this book can provide facts for research on Christmas songs or just provide an entertaining education for curious library patrons.

The goal of this book is to foster a basic understanding of factor analytic techniques so that readers can use them in their own research and critically evaluate their use by other researchers. Both the underlying theory and correct application are emphasized. The theory is presented through the mathematical basis of the most common factor analytic models and several methods used in factor analysis. On the application side, considerable attention is given to the extraction problem, the rotation problem, and the interpretation of factor analytic results. Hence, readers are given a background of understanding in the the theory underlying factor analysis and then taken through the steps in executing a proper analysis -- from the initial problem of design through choice of correlation coefficient, factor extraction, factor rotation, factor interpretation, and writing up results. br br This revised edition includes introductions to newer methods -- such as confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling -- that have revolutionized factor analysis in recent years. To help remove some of the mystery underlying these newer, more complex methods, the introductory examples utilize i EQS /i and i LISREL /i . Updated material relating to the validation of the Comrey Personality Scales also has been added. Finally, program disks for running factor analyses on either an IBM-compatible PC or a mainframe with i FORTRAN /i capabilities are available. The intended audience for this volume includes talented but mathematically unsophisticated advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and research workers seeking to acquire a basic understanding of the principles supporting factoranalysis. br br Disks are available in 5.25" and 3.5" formats for both mainframe programs written in Fortran and IBM PCs and compatibles running a math co-processor. br

Encounter the trailblazers whose recordings expanded the boundaries of technology and brought "popular" music into America's living rooms!Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895--1925 (winner of the 2001 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award of Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research) covers the lives and careers of over one hundred musical artists who were especially important to the recording industry in its early years. Here are the men and women who brought into American homes the hits of the day--Tin Pan Alley numbers, Broadway show tunes, ragtime, parlor ballads, early jazz, and dance music of all kinds.Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895--1925 compiles rare information that was scattered in hundreds of record catalogs, hobbyist magazines, newspaper clippings, phonograph trade journals, and other sources. Look no further! This volume is the ultimate resource on the subject!You will increase your knowledge in these areas: the recording industry's formative years artists'personalities and musical styles popular music history history of recording technologyPopular American Recording Pioneers: 1895--1925 provides a unique "who's who" approach to popular music history. It is the definitive work on the music that was popular during America's coming of age. No music historian should be without this volume.

Encounter the trailblazers whose recordings expanded the boundaries of technology and brought "popular" music into America's living rooms!Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895--1925 (winner of the 2001 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award of Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research) covers the lives and careers of over one hundred musical artists who were especially important to the recording industry in its early years. Here are the men and women who brought into American homes the hits of the day--Tin Pan Alley numbers, Broadway show tunes, ragtime, parlor ballads, early jazz, and dance music of all kinds.Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895--1925 compiles rare information that was scattered in hundreds of record catalogs, hobbyist magazines, newspaper clippings, phonograph trade journals, and other sources. Look no further! This volume is the ultimate resource on the subject!You will increase your knowledge in these areas: the recording industry's formative years artists'personalities and musical styles popular music history history of recording technologyPopular American Recording Pioneers: 1895--1925 provides a unique "who's who" approach to popular music history. It is the definitive work on the music that was popular during America's coming of age. No music historian should be without this volume.