SUMMARY: Hagakure ("In the Shadow of Leaves"') is a manual for the samurai classes consisting of a series of short anecdotes and reflections that give both insight and instruction-in the philosophy and code of behavior that foster the true spirit of Bushido-the Way of the Warrior. It is not a book of philosophy as most would understand the word: it is a collection of thoughts and sayings recorded over a period of seven years, and as such covers a wide variety of subjects, often in no particular sequence. The work represents an attitude far removed from our modern pragmatism and materialism, and posesses an intuitive rather than rational appeal in its assertion that Bushido is a Way of Dying, and that only a samurai retainer prepared and willing to die at any moment can be totally true to his lord. While Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the warrior vassals of the Hizen fief to which the author belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition of samurai thought and came to influence many subsequent generations, including Yukio Mishima. This translation offers 300 selections that constitute the core texts of the 1,300 present in the original.<

She was the banshee, out for revenge against those she saw as guilty and her punishment. She had called down the curse on those that sent her to her death, falsely accused of witchcraft. At night she would go forth from her derelict cottage to hunt the unwary and now she has her sights set on another two victims to fill her with new power.<

Fantasy. 177608 words long. First published in 1979

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A Sleeping Beauty may be the damsel in distress, but her White Knight? Why her rather un-knightish best friend of course. And the White Knight's White Knight? Well... none other than her reluctant mortal enemy...When Haydyn falls victim to the mysterious Sleeping Disease, the world of Phaedra is thrown into Chaos. Rogan, Haydyn's best friend and handmaiden, is the only one who can save her. Together, with the Royal Guard and their young Captain, Wolfe Stovia, Rogan must set off across the provinces to find the Somna Plant that will wake Haydyn from her dying sleep.Beset on all sides by the chaos, Rogan tumbles into a dark world of kidnapping, prejudice, betrayal and love... a journey that will change her forever, and a journey that will change their world forever, if she does not retrieve the cure.

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Set in Spain, this novel revolves around Sanct' Germain who escapes to Mont Calcius from an atmosphere of religious upheaval. Once there, he helps the pregnant Csimenae deliver her child. Even though he is a vampire, Germain is benevolent enough to give her a drink of blood to save her life, ironically turning her into a vampire too. Many centuries later, she makes him regret his decision, as her brood of vampires seems to attract the attention of the fundamentally religious­that might prove to be their final undoing.

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From School Library Journal

YANCEY, Rick. The Curse of the Wendigo. Bk. 2. 423p. (Monstrumologist Series). S & S. 2010. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8450-4; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8973-8. LC number unavailable. ~Gr 9 Up–Will Henry, assistant to monstrumologist Pellinore Warthrop, finds a woman at his doorstep who seeks Warthrop's help in recovering her missing husband. He vanished while in search of a mythical creature known as the Wendigo, a vampirelike monster whose hunger for human flesh is insatiable. Will Henry and Warthrop travel to Canada to find Jack Fiddler, a Native shaman who was the last person to see Chanler alive. While he puts forward a supernatural scenario for Chanler's disappearance, Warthrop is convinced that there is a rational scientific explanation for everything, even when faced with seemingly incontrovertible evidence to the contrary. His stubborn commitment to the rational is challenged by his own mentor, Dr. von Helrung, who is about to propose that the Monstrumology Society accept mythological monsters as real. Refusing to accept what Chanler has become, Warthrop ends up endangering not only himself and Will but also the only woman he has ever loved. The style is reminiscent of older classic horror novels, such as Bram Stoker's Dracula, mixed with the storytelling sensibilities of Dickens. The ever-present, explicitly detailed, over-the-top, disgusting gore, however, is very much a product of modern times. The Curse of the Wendigo is certain to be popular with fans of The Monstrumologist (S & S, 2009), and the horror genre in general, but the disturbing, cynical tone makes the most appropriate audience for this book uncertain.–Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From

Starred Review Examples of literary horror don’t come much finer than The Monstrumologist (2009), and Yancey’s second volume sustains that high bar with lush prose, devilish characterizations, and more honest emotion than any book involving copious de-facings (yes, you read that right) ought to have. The new case: lepto luranis, aka the Wendigo, a vampiric creature whose mythic origins have monstrumologists divided. If they accept the existence of mystic shape-shifters, is not their “science” balderdash? Dr. Pellinore Warthrop has no interest until his former true love appears and begs him to find her husband—once Warthrop’s best friend—who has gone missing in search of the creature. Yes, female characters have arrived to the series and smashingly so, none better than Lilly, the talkative 13-year-old scientist who gives Warthrop’s faithful assistant, Will, his first kiss. The Monstrumologist was more propulsive, but the worthy trade-off here is the introduction of an alternate, monster-plagued 1888 New York, complete with irresistible historical cameos. So far, Yancey has written both books in the Monstrumologist series as if they were the last, going for broke and playing for keeps, no matter who or what ends up on the chopping block. This is Warthrop’s The Hound of the Baskervilles; if we hold our breath, maybe part 3 will come faster. Grades 9-12. --Daniel Kraus

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Product Description

In the first century BC, Ionian Priestesses made a bargain with cursed warriors called the Minot. When the truce fell apart, the Minot remained cursed, and the Ionians remained mistrustful of men. In modern-day Arizona, Jason Tyrone, son of a Minot and an outcast Ionian, has come to reclaim his heritage.

At the Seven Sisters Spa, where the Ionian women live and hide their true identity, Jason falls in love with the beautiful Sophia Thalia-and their passion will re-ignite a conflict that could destroy the Ionians.

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SUMMARY:
Sheriff Dan Gillis fears the presence of something evil in the coastal town of Potter's Bluff when visitors to the town strangely resemble people he knows are dead and buried and mysterious things begin to happen to his wife

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