The Empress Of Kisses

The Empress of Kisses explores the landscape of the human heart through free and formal verse. The poems chronicle a wide variety of relationships past and present, real and imagined, with family, friends, lovers, pop culture icons, mythological figures, historical events, and with words themselves. The collection features a special focus on the experiences of Generation X, the “forgotten generation.” "This book offers all the pleasures that poetry affords—sonic felicities, skilled wordplay, resonant insights, and unexpected destinations. This is a delightful and memorable book."—Beth Ann Fennelly, final judge, author of Unmentionables November 9th, 1989 For thirty years there is no kiss. Then there is the possibility of a kiss, like a rumble or a half-heard shout— did it come from this side or that side? When the kiss breaks through, we all struggle to register the impossible, how the wall came down, how their lips found each other, every obstacle reduced to rubble around their feet, the bright paint of her lipstick smeared, unintelligible graffiti all over the changed angles of his face.

This “blistering satire” of modern China was a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize and a New York Times Editor’s Choice novel (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Lenin’s Kisses is set in modern day China, in the village of Liven. Nestled within the Balou Mountains, the people have enough food and leisure to be content—until their crops and livelihood are obliterated by a snowstorm in the middle of summer. Then a county official arrives with a peculiar plan. He wants to use the villagers to start a traveling performance troupe. Next, he’ll take the profits and buy Lenin’s embalmed corpse from Russia and install it in a mausoleum to attract tourism. But the success of the Shuanghuai County Special-Skills Performance Troupe comes at a serious price. Named a finalist for the 2013 Man Booker International Prize, Lenin’s Kisses is “a satirical masterpiece” (Kirkus) that was on Best Book of 2012 lists from the New Yorker, MacLeans, and Kirkus, and was also a New York Times Editors’ Choice.

Kisses from Nick Flynn, Rebecca Makkai, Pico Iyer, Ilyse Kusnetz, Andre Dubus III, Christian Kiefer, Camille T. Dungy, Major Jackson, Bich Minh Nguyen, Terrance Hayes, Ada Limón, Honor Moore, Téa Obreht and Dan Sheehan, Kazim Ali, Beth Ann Fennelly, and others In this wide-ranging collection of essays, stories, graphic memoir, and cross-genre work, writers explore the deeply human act of kissing, and share their thoughts on a specific kiss—the unexpected and unforgettable, the sublime and the ambiguous, the devastating and the regenerative. Selections from beloved authors “tantalize with such grace that they linger sweetly in your mind for days” (New York Times Book Review), as they explore the messy and complicated intimacies that exist in our actual lives, as well as in the complicated landscape of the imagination. This is a book meant to be read from cover to cover, just as much as it’s meant to be dipped into—with each kiss pulling us closer to the moments in our lives that matter most.

Autumn’s Kiss—book two in the AUTUMN FALLS series by Bella Thorne—is perfect for fans of Descendants and Lisa Greenwald and Jessica Brody's books--and anyone looking for a sweet, silly, and fun read with just a touch of magic! Everyone knows how crazy junior year is, but Autumn Falls never imagined it would be so flirty. The wish-granting diary her father left her stopped working, leaving Autumn to decode what’s going on with her and Sean on her own. He seems into her . . . and he also seems into Reenzie. And when JJ steps up and tells Autumn he’s the one she should be with if she wants someone who really cares about her and a pop star makes a major play for her, Autumn is totally confused. Her friends have Big Drama issues going on too, and Autumn wants to be there for them. Then something mind-blowing happens. She’s suddenly given an incredible crazy-fun opportunity: a map that takes her anyplace she wants to go. At first it seems like an amazing gift. But showing up IRL where you’re least expected has life-changing consequences. Is Autumn ready to handle the fallout? Praise for Autumn Falls: “We promise you’re going to love it.” —Teen Vogue.com “You’ll be obsessed with Autumn Falls. It has basically everything you could ever want.” —Seventeen.com

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it, with the East as his ally and the empire as his enemy. He's finally managed to dismiss the memory of Kestrel, even if he can't quite forget her. Kestrel turned into someone he could no longer recognize: someone who cared more for the empire than for the lives of innocent people-and certainly more than she cared for him. At least, that's what he thinks. But far north lies a work camp where Kestrel is a prisoner. Can she manage to escape before she loses herself? As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover unexpected roles in battle, terrible secrets, and a fragile hope. The world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and Kestrel and Arin are caught between. In a game like this, can anybody really win?

A must-read for fans of Jenny Han! Acclaimed writer Margo Rabb’s Kissing in America is “a wonderful novel about friendship, love, travel, life, hope, poetry, intelligence, and the inner lives of girls,” raves internationally bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love). In the two years since her father died, sixteen-year-old Eva has found comfort in reading romance novels—118 of them, to be exact—to dull the pain of her loss that’s still so present. Her romantic fantasies become a reality when she meets Will, who can relate to Eva’s grief. Unfortunately, after Eva falls head-over-heels for him, he picks up and moves to California with barely any warning. Not wanting to lose the only person who has been able to pull her out of sadness—and, perhaps, her first shot at real love—Eva and her best friend, Annie, concoct a plan to travel to the west coast. As they road trip across America, Eva and Annie confront the complex truth about love. In this honest and emotional journey that National Book Award Finalist Sara Zarr calls “gorgeous, funny, and joyous,” readers will experience the highs of infatuation and the lows of heartache as Eva contends with love in all of its forms. Since publication, this novel received 4 starred reviews and has been named: A Chicago Public Library Best Teen Book of the Year A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens A Miami Herald Best Book of the Year A Spirit of Texas selection A TAYSHAS High School Reading List Selection An Oprah Summer Reading List selection A Junior Library Guild selection An Amazon Best Book of the Month A Publisher’s Lunch Buzz Book for Young Adults

Nicola Lancaster is spending her summer at the Siegel Institute, a hothouse of smart, intense teenagers. She soon falls in with Katrina (Manic Computer Chick), Isaac (Nice-Guy-Despite-Himself), Kevin (Inarticulate Composer) . . . and Battle, a beautiful blond dancer. The two become friends--and then, startlingly, more than friends. What do you do when you think you're attracted to guys, and then you meet a girl who steals your heart? A trailblazing debut, reissued with an introduction by acclaimed author David Levithan, and copious back matter, including three graphic novel stories by Sara Ryan (and artists Steve Leiber, Dylan Meconis, and Natalie Nourigat) about the characters.

A tale of love, power and intrigue from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Diamond Eye. Powerful, prosperous, and expanding ever farther into the untamed world, the Roman Empire has reached its peak under the rule of the beloved Emperor Trajan. But neither he nor his reign can last forever... Brash and headstrong, Vix is a celebrated ex-gladiator returned to Rome to make his fortune. The sinuous, elusive Sabina is a senator's daughter who craves adventure. Sometimes lovers, sometimes enemies, Vix and Sabina are united by their devotion to Trajan. But others are already maneuvering in the shadows. Trajan's ambitious Empress has her own plans for Sabina. And the aristocratic politician Hadrian—who is both the Empress's ruthless protégé and Vix's mortal enemy—has ambitions he confesses to no one, ambitions rooted in a secret prophecy. When Trajan falls, they all will be caught in a deadly whirlwind that may seal their fates, and that of the entire Roman Empire...

This 1873 book is the second of six volumes documenting the controversial life of Nicon (1605-1681), Patriarch of Moscow.

He was a cold and emotionless king, ruthless and cruel. He tortured her to the point where she couldn't live or die.She was originally a naive, talented girl. She hated him for forcing her, but she could not do anything about it.The warmth of the hibiscus, the love and love of the night, the imprisoning of her, she was unable to escape ...What he wanted to invade was the whole of his body and mind; what he gave was Plato's love; she had nothing to rely on but to float in desire.The phoenix body was set in the sky, with one order being the last.She hated him for taking the torture and imprisoning her every night."Without saying a word, he simply threw her into the dragon bed and kept her by his side. He hated her for not understanding his intentions and for taking every day ..."