Two gods strike a bargain that leads them on a journey with devastating consequences in this lush historical fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Ann Liang. China in the age of brilliance, where gods freely wander the three realms. Amongst them is the cruel and beautiful Death God, who has never failed to collect a soul on time. Until now. For when he seeks out Rujia, the noble god of healing―and the only god he is fated to kill with his own hands―she makes him an offer he can’t refuse: she will help lift the excruciating, century-old curse placed upon him if he gives her a one-month reprieve. Rujia knows she isn’t as noble as everyone believes. Her deal with Death is merely an excuse to buy herself time while she figures out an escape plan. But when her plan causes the Celestial Palace’s collapse and the beloved crown prince’s disappearance, she and Death are both held responsible. The only way to avoid the wrath of all the other gods is to travel across the realms and safely retrieve the crown prince themselves. Yet the journey proves far more treacherous than expected. As the unlikely alliance between them blooms into more, and Death’s resolve to kill Rujia weakens by the day, neither can outrun their intertwined fate without devastating consequences: A mysterious plague. An empire-destroying flood. A thousand deaths―and rising―to restore the balance Rujia's disrupted. And if Rujia continues to live despite the will of the Heavens, this is only the beginning...

A look inside the TV show that watches you back In a house designed for manipulation, paranoia, and power plays, sixteen strangers are cut off from the outside world—watched every second by cameras, judged by millions. Welcome to Big Brother. A show ahead of its time, it was once dismissed as fluff television. Now this voyeuristic reality show has quietly become a cultural juggernaut, capturing the rawest truths of human behavior while building an intense, obsessive fanbase along the way.  But what are the costs of turning human lives into entertainment? What kind of psychological toll does it take to be put in isolation, under constant surveillance, in a perpetual state of suspicion? And what does it say about us as a society that we love to watch it unfold?  Behind the Mirror: Inside the World of Big Brother peels back the layers of the historic franchise and dives deep into the game that never sleeps. Through years of live footage, online discourse, and controversial castings, this eye-opening book unpacks how Big Brother has shaped and exposed societal dynamics around race, gender, identity, power, and surveillance. It's the story of a show that thrives in chaos and reveals a reflection of us all—ambitious, flawed, strategic, and deeply human. Whether you're a diehard fan or an unimpressed skeptic, Behind the Mirror will challenge what you thought you knew about reality TV.  Because if you think Big Brother is just a game, you haven't been paying attention.

A look inside the TV show that watches you back In a house designed for manipulation, paranoia, and power plays, sixteen strangers are cut off from the outside world—watched every second by cameras, judged by millions. Welcome to Big Brother. A show ahead of its time, it was once dismissed as fluff television. Now this voyeuristic reality show has quietly become a cultural juggernaut, capturing the rawest truths of human behavior while building an intense, obsessive fanbase along the way.  But what are the costs of turning human lives into entertainment? What kind of psychological toll does it take to be put in isolation, under constant surveillance, in a perpetual state of suspicion? And what does it say about us as a society that we love to watch it unfold?  Behind the Mirror: Inside the World of Big Brother peels back the layers of the historic franchise and dives deep into the game that never sleeps. Through years of live footage, online discourse, and controversial castings, this eye-opening book unpacks how Big Brother has shaped and exposed societal dynamics around race, gender, identity, power, and surveillance. It's the story of a show that thrives in chaos and reveals a reflection of us all—ambitious, flawed, strategic, and deeply human. Whether you're a diehard fan or an unimpressed skeptic, Behind the Mirror will challenge what you thought you knew about reality TV.  Because if you think Big Brother is just a game, you haven't been paying attention.

How far would you go to find The One? A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner the one you are genetically made for. That’s the promise made by Match Your DNA. A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance and love. Now five very different people have received the notification that they’ve been “Matched.” They’re each about to meet their one true love. But “happily ever after” isn’t guaranteed for everyone. Because even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking than others… A word-of-mouth hit in the United Kingdom, The One is a fascinating novel that shows how even the simplest discoveries can have complicated consequences.

A traditional American woman, a “tradwife” influencer, suddenly awakens in the brutal reality of 1855—where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel. My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive. Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the heir to a political dynasty? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it. Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a ruthless reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible. A gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening, Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood.

Evan Saatchi can’t keep his eyes off his new co-worker, Dalisay Ramos. Newly arrived from Manila to lead their travel app’s Asia division, nothing matters more to Dalisay than tradition and family. When Evan asks her out, she soundly rejects him for his cheek. Evan learns from his Filipino friends that Dalisay expects more from potential suitors. If he wants a chance with her, he’s going to have to go through the Five Stages, the same courtship ritual that lovers in the Philippines have performed for generations. At first, Evan is skeptical—what, exactly, does “servitude” entail? And he has to sing?! But when Dalisay bets Evan that he doesn’t have the nerve to make it through the stages, the game is on. As Evan attempts to prove to Dalisay that he can win her heart—and the bet—Dalisay is driven to distraction by Evan’s sexy labors, and soon their “courtship” turns into a sizzling secret. But when modern love and family expectations collide, Dalisay and Evan must find a way to carry a rich history into a shared future.

For well over a decade, critical race theory--the school of thought that holds that race lies at the very nexus of American life--has roiled the legal academy. In recent years, however, the fundamental principles of the movement have influenced other academic disciplines, from sociology and politics to ethnic studies and history. And yet, while the critical race theory movement has spawned dozens of conferences and numerous books, no concise, accessible volume outlines its basic parameters and tenets. Here, then, from two of the founders of the movement, is the first primer on one of the most influential intellectual movements in American law and politics.

Seven students are avoiding going to school, hiding in their darkened bedrooms, unable to face their family and friends, until the moment they discover a portal into another world that offers temporary escape from their stressful lives. Passing through a glowing mirror, they gather in a magnificent castle which becomes their playground and refuge during school hours. The students are tasked with locating a key, hidden somewhere in the castle, that will allow whoever finds it to be granted one wish. At this moment, the castle will vanish, along with all memories they may have of their adventure. If they fail to leave the castle by 5 pm every afternoon, they will be eaten by the keeper of the castle, an easily provoked and shrill creature named the Wolf Queen. Delving into their emotional lives with sympathy and a generous warmth, Lonely Castle in the Mirror shows the unexpected rewards of reaching out to others. Exploring vivid human stories with a twisty and puzzle-like plot, this heart-warming novel is full of joy and hope for anyone touched by sadness and vulnerability.