Every lover of music finds themselves, at privileged moments, in ecstasy – certain that what they are hearing has captured, somehow, an incontrovertible truth. In Bach’s Architecture of Gratitude James Crooks explores this profound aesthetic experience in a case study of J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor – widely considered among the greatest works of the western choral canon.The book begins with an investigation of compositional principles – of what we might call the mass’s mus...

Does the world we inhabit offer us hospitality or indifference? This question is central to the spiritual literature of all cultures. In We Find Ourselves Put to the Test James Crooks returns to the Bible’s book of Job to explore the enduring relevance of that question and its philosophical dimensions.Beginning with the puzzle of Job’s famous stoicism and nihilism in the face of loss, Crooks explores the contradictions of suffering as dramatized in the dialogue between Job...

**LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE TRANSGENDER FICTION LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDFINALIST FOR THE PUBLISHING TRIANGLE'S EDMUND WHITE AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION“Writing a funny book is hard. Writing a convincing takedown of one of America’s most popular prejudices is harder still. Writing a funny novel in which complex, imperfect characters make a compelling case for one of our culture’s most maligned groups—that takes smarts and

Cupcakes, pizza, a Norwegian Forest Cat, and … murder!Zoe, cousin and assistant to Lauren Crenshaw, cupcake baker and owner of the Norwegian Forest Cat Café in sunny Northern California, enters a local pizza making competition.Lauren, and her gorgeous Norwegian Forest Cat, Annie, hope she wins.While Zoe practices all week long, Lauren makes dozens of red velvet cupcakes for the event.Zoe doesn't win first place, but after the competition, sh...

In the 1950s and '60s Jacksonville faced daunting problems. Critics described city government as boss-ridden, expensive, and corrupt. African Americans challenged racial segregation, and public high schools were disaccredited. The St. Johns River and its tributaries were heavily polluted. Downtown development had succumbed to suburban sprawl. Consolidation, endorsed by an almost two-to-one majority in 1967, became the catalyst for change. The city's decision to consolidate with surrounding...

A new batch of chocolates and troubles of the heart cause a string of disasters for the Chocolate Box’s new owner, Charity PennThe vintage seaside town of Camellia Beach, South Carolina seems like the perfect place for romance with its quiet beach and its decadent chocolate shop that serves the world’s richest dark chocolates. The Chocolate Box’s owner, Charity Penn, falls even further under the island’s moonlit spell as she joins Althea Bays and the rest of the tu...

Charity Penn must smoke out a killer to stop her beachside chocolate shop from going up in flames in this “addictive” culinary cozy mystery series “that keeps you up late reading” (San Francisco Book Review)Chocolate shop owner Charity Penn is finally settling into life in the quirky South Carolina seaside town of Camellia Beach cooking up chocolate treats. She’s even helped organize the town’s lively beach music festival which has brought rollicking crowd...

Who is the Piper? . . .Special Agent Patrick Bowers returns in an electrifying prequel to the Bowers Chess series from critically acclaimed, national bestselling novelist Steven James.A mysterious suicide and a series of abductions draw Patrick into a web of intrigue involving an international conspiracy where no one is who they appear to be and the stakes have never been higher.Soon, Patrick discovers that the secret to stopping th...

The innovative Newcastle Challenging Behaviour Model for dementia care has recently been updated, leading to new advances in the field. This revised second edition guide to assessment and treatment of behaviours that challenge associated with dementia includes these latest developments along with new sections on what have traditionally been considered controversial topics.The new chapters cover issues including:- End of life care- Use of therapeutic dolls- Lies...

A sleuthing chocolatier is the only thing standing between an eccentric seaside town and the deadly plot to destroy it in this cozy culinary mystery for fans of Joanne FlukeWhen Charity Penn receives a letter saying she won a trip to Camellia Beach, South Carolina complete with free cooking lessons at the town’s seaside chocolate shop, The Chocolate Box, she’s immediately skeptical. She never entered any contest. Her former prep school friend offers to look into th...

The New York Times and USA Today**–bestselling author of the Wishing River series delivers a heartwarming Christmas romance “worthy of a Hallmark adaptation” (Booklist).**As the spirit of Christmas lights up Silver Springs, three generations of women gather at their dysfunctional family’s B&B, hoping to reconcile in time for the holidays....

Perfect for fans of Anita Hughes and Jenny Colgan, the mistletoe is hanging and the Christmas lights twinkling in Fortune’s Cove—but there are holiday secrets lurking in the far shadows.Annie Hamilton is a single mother of two and veterinarian whose family is on the verge of falling apart. Her husband has passed away, her teenage son is finding trouble at every turn, and she’s desperately struggling to keep it all together. When she decides to leave the city for Fo...