On the Verge of Lunacy

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel about a fireman who burns books, Guy Montag, who begins to doubt everything that he has learned, saw, and heard when he met Clarisse McClellan. Clarisse kept bothering him with questions and her carefree ways seems to him in contrast of what he's accustomed to. Clarisse's disappearance and his encounter with a woman who volunteered to be burned with her books has shaken his beliefs. He realized that he had had a desire all along to break away from the oppressive censorship and control of the government when he examines his secret collection of books saved from previous raids. Consequently, his life changed. Abandoned by his wife and hunted by his fellow firemen and the government, Guy Montag seeks answers and refuge. Although Fahrenheit 451 was inspired by a specific setting and event, the idea of the media's tremendous influence on people is similar to today's dependence on technology. Censorship and control might not be as ...

San Antonio Spurs

Most of Howard Phillips Lovecraft's writings are in this volume, the majority of which are short stories. As a fan of the horror genre I consider it important to not bypass H.P. Lovecraft. After all, he has inspired so many horror writers over the years. Although there is a tendency for his stories to become predictable, his style makes you want to read more. His characters are memorable; they can amuse, disgust, inspire, and horrify. Meanwhile his choice of words are excellent. He is a master at imagery; the play on words never fail to amaze me every time. What makes his stories so terrifying is the usual theme of probing the unknown and the consequences of that curiosity. Unlike most horror stories and movies today, Lovecraft doesn't use too much gore, sex and violence, and even ghosts. Yet his disturbing characters and the pervading atmosphere of hopelessness make all those mentioned above insignificant. Indeed the universe he created in his stories makes man insignific...

When Robin Sena was sent to replace a member in STN-J she had no idea that her job to capture witches whose powers have awakened will not only affect her later but endanger her as well. STN-J is the Japanese branch of an organization known as Solomon which captures witches identified through its database. Robin herself is a craft user, the significance of which did not matter to her until the organization decided she needs to be hunted.  Members of STN-J. From left: Dojima Yurika, Amon, Robin Sena, Sakaki Haruto, Karasuma Miho, and Michael Lee This 26-episode supernatural/detective series started slow but becomes interesting as Robin starts to notice and question the things done by the organization. The atmosphere has a more supernatural feel than a faster-paced detective story so it takes a while to grasp what the series is all about. Those who are used to fast-paced action series will find this series too dark and slow to appreciate but supernatural fans will fi...

Nura Rikuo now knows that in order to preserve harmony between humans and yokai he has to take the helm and lead by example to the members of the Nura Clan. Just as things are going smoothly for Rikuo, doubts about his ability to lead the clan resurface as rumors of an old enemy reach them. Hagoromo Gitsune, the youkai who was defeated and sealed by Rikuo's grandfather and the onmyouji Hidemoto of Keikain clan, is resurrected and unleashes her fury at Kyoto to fulfill her wish of giving birth to a son long since lost to her. Although Rikuo was able to defeat the Shikoku youkai in the past (prequel Nurarihyon no Mago), he has not mastered his powers yet. This time however, he finds allies in the onmyouji of the Keikain clan in which one his friends, Yura, is the heir. Rikuo also finds new friends at Tono village where he is sent to train before the fight at Kyoto. Rikuo and Yura realize that co-existence between humans and youkai is possible and they can also work together to...

Nura Rikuo looks like an average middle schooler with no remarkable traits but he is a different person when he is at home. Part human and 3/4 youkai, Rikuo is the successor of the Nura Clan --- an alliance of several youkai gathered by his grandfather Nurarihyon and his father Rihan before him. However, Rikuo does not want to acknowledge that part of his blood, choosing to live like a normal human instead. Some members of the clan see this as a weakness and begin to challenge Rikuo's abilities as a fighter and a leader. But Rikuo would gladly give up that post. This he cannot do and it would soon dawn on him that in order to protect his human friends and even his youkai family, he has to use his youkai powers to protect everyone. His ultimate test came at the hands of the wily Inugamigyoubu Tamazuki, leader of the Shikoku Hachijuhakki Yako faction. The Kiyojuji Paranormal Patrol, Rikuo's friends and classmates. From left Shima, Kana, Torii, Kiyotsugu,  and Mag...

Full title: Persian Literature Comprising the Shah Nameh, The Rubaiyat, The Divan and The Gulistan Various authors; with introduction by Richard J.H. Gottheil, PhD As the title says, this anthology features four of the best of Persian literature. Each section has introductory notes that provide the background of each author and the piece, the social climate in which the work was created, and its reception. The following are included in the two volumes of the e-book version*: Volume 1: The Shah Nameh (Book of Kings) by Firdusi (Abul Kasim Mansur), translated by James Atkinson The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam , translated by Edward Fitzgerald The Divan by Hafiz (Khwajeh Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafez-e Shirazi), translated by H. Bicknell Volume 2: The Gulistan (Flower-Garden) by Sa'di (Muslih-al-Din), translated by James Ross The book may seem like a challenging read at first glance but the translators did a good job and the introduction in each section w...