The second part of Medievalism and the Academy identifies the four specific questions that have come to focus recent scholarship in medievalism: What is difference? what is theory? woman? God? The impact of cultural studies on contemporary medieval studies is investigated in this latest volume of Studies in Medievalism, which also offers an account of the developing interest of contemporary cultural theorists inthe medieval period. Rather than dismissing the connection between medieval studies and cultural criticism as an expression of academic self-interest, the essays identify specific questions which engage both, such as race, history, women, religion, and literature. Topics include the use of Augustine by postcolonial theorists; the influence of studies in medieval mysticism on the development of women's studies programs; and the influence of Foucault and NewHistoricism on the study of medieval history. Contributors: ELLIE RAGLAND, TIMOTHY RICHARDSON, MICHAEL BERNARD-DONALS, CLAY KINSNER, LINDA SEXSON, REBECCA DOUGLASS, LOUISE SYLVESTER, RICHARD GLEJZER, CHARLES WILSON, ANDREW J. DELL'OLIO

Pismawallops Island is a quiet place where nothing much happens, even at the High School. That's why JJ MacGregor likes it. So when a high-handed new member of the PTA threatens to disrupt the even tenor of life in the middle of Puget Sound, JJ insists someone needs to take a firm stand against her. But then Letitia Lemoine shows up very dead in the freezer where there should have been 30 boxes of ice cream bars, and JJ worries that someone might have taken her command too seriously. Not the sort to sit back while someone else solves her problems, JJ just can't help asking a few questions. But someone wants her to stop-and an acerbic sense of humor, insatiable curiosity, and carefully hidden dedication to duty lead her into more trouble than she knows how to handle.
A fun and exciting new mystery series from the author of "The Ninja Librarian"

The Ninja Librarian, Book Two When Big Al wakes up one morning and finds the Ninja Librarian has left town, everything seems to go wrong. And just about the time she's thinking maybe the town can cope after all, he comes back. After that, it's business as usual in Skunk Corners: bad guys, irritated skunks, and crises big and small that require the Librarian's unique brand of outside-the-box thinking and direct action.

The Ninja Librarian is a humorous set of tall tales set in the highly fictional gold-country town of Skunk Corners. It's the story of a dusty, tough, unfriendly town that gets a new outlook on life thanks to the advent of the Ninja Librarian-a mild-mannered librarian who offers his wisdom with a little extra when folks don't listen.