A pathbreaking history of the United States' overseas possessions and the true meaning of its empire We are familiar with maps that outline all fifty states. And we are also familiar with the idea that the United States is an "empire," exercising power around the world. But what about the actual territories--the islands, atolls, and archipelagos--this country has governed and inhabited? In How to Hide an Empire, Daniel Immerwahr tells the fascinating story of the United States outside the United States. In crackling, fast-paced prose, he reveals forgotten episodes that cast American history in a new light. We travel to the Guano Islands, where prospectors collected one of the nineteenth century's most valuable commodities, and the Philippines, site of the most destructive event on U.S. soil. In Puerto Rico, Immerwahr shows how U.S. doctors conducted grisly experiments they would never have conducted on the mainland and charts the emergence of independence fighters who would shoot up the U.S. Congress. In the years after World War II, Immerwahr notes, the United States moved away from colonialism. Instead, it put innovations in electronics, transportation, and culture to use, devising a new sort of influence that did not require the control of space. Rich with absorbing vignettes, full of surprises, and driven by an original conception of what empire and globalization mean today, How to Hide an Empire is a major and compulsively readable work of history.

Backstabbing pirates. Extravagant dinner parties. Falling in love with the one man who’s out of reach. Seventeen-year-old Emma doesn’t know who she is or where she came from. The not-exactly-legal merchant ship she was raised on is the only home she’s ever known, and she’s had enough of the captain’s lies. Her plans to break free from her three-masted prison are thrown off course by a deadly mutiny, and she finds herself on the run with a target on her back. A charming naval officer becomes her unlikely companion, and though they’re constantly running from danger, Emma is even more afraid of the feelings she’s developing for a man she’ll likely never see again—if she can ever make it home. Maggie’s only friend in the world is the kitchen boy who works in her manor. When Maggie’s mother dies, she’s left to be raised by a controlling father whose only concern is marrying her off to the highest bidder. But when Maggie returns from finishing school, she finds that the kitchen boy isn’t a boy anymore, and he’s starting to feel like much more than just a childhood best friend. How can she choose a husband from the upper crust of society when her heart lies with the boy downstairs? When Emma’s and Maggie’s fates collide, the secrets from the past begin to unravel. But when danger finds them, will they regret pulling the thread?

A cursed lord, a feisty librarian, and their disguised pet dragon. Being the first librarian in their small town is everything Beatrice Montgomery has ever dreamed of–except no one in town knows what to make of her, or the library. But spending her days surrounded by books is an occupation beyond her wildest dreams, and she'll do whatever it takes to make the library a success. Lord Alexander Dunham's time is running out. Providing for his estate and the people dependent on him before his curse ruins his life is his first priority--and that means he needs a wife, immediately. Proposing a marriage of convenience to the feisty librarian seems like the perfect he gets a wife, she gets funds for her library, and the sorcerer trying to steal his estate gets nothing. Even with his lips sealed about the curse, a transforming dragon watching his every move, and a wife who's winning over everyone on their estate, their marriage of convenience should have solved all of Alexander's problems. Unfortunately, he's falling for his wife, and it's causing a new he's no longer willing to die. Can Alexander and Beatrice outwit the most powerful sorcerer in the Northlands, or will Beatrice lose the man she's growing to love? Once Upon A Rose is a Beauty and the Beast fairytale retelling and the second book in the Galamere Chronicles. Each standalone book is a retelling of a beloved story or fairy tale, with the swoon-worthy sweet romance of a Hallmark movie, the wholesome and heartwarming feeling of cozy fantasy, and the comfort of a found family of friends, with a sprinkling of danger and a dash of magic. ❤️ Marriage of Convenience❤️ Beauty and the Beast Retelling❤️ Forced Proximity❤️ Grumpy/Sunshine

The Professor and the Madman, masterfully researched and eloquently written, is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary -- and literary history. The compilation of the OED, begun in 1857, was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. When the committee insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.

The Professor and the Madman, masterfully researched and eloquently written, is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary -- and literary history. The compilation of the OED, begun in 1857, was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. When the committee insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.

A dying stranger collapses on Bex Ellington’s farm, leaving her with a cryptic message and a strange magical affliction. She soon notices her skin changing, shifting between natural flesh and a gritty, sand-like texture as the magic within her stirs. The one thing Bex understands is the message’s destination: Gravers Junction. Desperate for answers, she sets out with her adopted sister, Nina, across the sweeping tall grass prairies of Graveyard Territory, a fearsome land with a grim reputation where few survive. There, Bex and Nina learn that not everyone in Graveyard Territory is human, and that survival means living by a different set of laws. When Bex interferes in a werewolf confrontation, she draws the attention of an alpha who demands retribution, not just from her, but from the town that shelters her. Given one week before his return, the people of Gravers Junction rally to prepare Bex for a fight she may not survive. To survive, Bex must learn what it means to wield dustslinger magic and decide who to trust in a town full of secrets, including the sheriff sworn to protect it, a man who stirs feelings she believes she left buried with her husband. Secrets of Gravers Junction is the first short novel in a new adult romantic fantasy series with alternate Old West vibes. Featuring slow-burn romance, a hidden supernatural world, found family, protective heroes, and a dangerous frontier where magic and monsters dominate the land.