Alchemy of Bones

by Robert Loerzel

Author	: Robert Loerzel
Publisher	: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages	: 276
Release	: 2024-03-18
Genre	: True Crime
ISBN	: 0252055934

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On May 1, 1897, Louise Luetgert disappeared. Although no body was found, Chicago police arrested her husband, Adolph, the owner of a large sausage factory, and charged him with murder. The eyes of the world were still on Chicago following the success of the World's Columbian Exposition, and the Luetgert case, with its missing victim, once-prosperous suspect, and all manner of gruesome theories regarding the disposal of the corpse, turned into one of the first media-fueled celebrity trials in American history. Newspapers fought one another for scoops, people across the country claimed to have seen the missing woman alive, and each new clue led to fresh rounds of speculation about the crime. Meanwhile, sausage sales plummeted nationwide as rumors circulated that Luetgert had destroyed his wife's body in one of his factory's meat grinders. Weaving in strange-but-true subplots involving hypnotists, palmreaders, English con artists, bullied witnesses, and insane-asylum bodysnatchers, Alchemy of Bones is more than just a true crime narrative; it is a grand, sprawling portrait of 1890s Chicago--and a nation--getting an early taste of the dark, chaotic twentieth century.

Island of Bones

by Joy Castro

Author	: Joy Castro
Publisher	: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages	: 145
Release	: 2012-09-01
Genre	: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN	: 0803271441

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What is “identity” when you’re a girl adopted as an infant by a Cuban American family of Jehovah’s Witnesses? The answer isn’t easy. You won’t find it in books. And you certainly won’t find it in the neighborhood. This is just the beginning of Joy Castro’s unmoored life of searching and striving that she’s turned to account with literary alchemy in Island of Bones. In personal essays that plumb the depths of not-belonging, Castro takes the all-too-raw materials of her adolescence and young adulthood and views them through the prism of time. The result is an exquisitely rendered, richly detailed perspective on a uniquely troubled young life that reflects on the larger questions each of us faces in a world where diversity and singularity are forever at odds. In the experiences of her past—hunger and abuse, flight as a fourteen-year-old runaway, single motherhood, the revelations of her “true” ethnic identity, the suicide of her father—Castro finds the “jagged, smashed place of edges and fragments” that she pieces together to create an island all her own. Hers is a complicated but very real depiction of what it is to “jump class,” to not belong but to find one’s voice in the interstices of identity.

The Mortal Instruments Companion

by Lois H. Gresh

Author	: Lois H. Gresh
Publisher	: St. Martin's Griffin
Total Pages	: 223
Release	: 2013-06-18
Genre	: Young Adult Nonfiction
ISBN	: 1250039282

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The Mortal Instruments Companion, a must-read guide to the wildly popular Mortal Instruments series, is a terrific gift for the millions of fans both young and old—especially with the Sony Pictures film version of City of Bones, the first book in the series, hitting theaters in August 2013. Written by the New York Times bestselling author of The Twilight Companion and The Hunger Games Companion, the book takes fans deeper into the world of the Shadowhunters created by Cassandra Clare—a gritty urban fantasy world full of demon hunters into which Clary Fray, a Brooklynite previously unaware of the magical world, is suddenly and inexplicably pulled. The Mortal Instruments Companion includes fascinating background facts about the action in all seven books, a revealing biography of the author, and amazing insights into the series' major themes and features—from the nature of evil and the Downworlders, to the power of the Sight, to the Mortal Instruments themselves. It's everything fans have been hungering for since the very first book! This book is not authorized by Cassandra Clare, Margaret K. McElderry Books, or anyone involved in the City of Bones movie.

Matilda Bone

by Karen Cushman

Author	: Karen Cushman
Publisher	: HarperCollins
Total Pages	: 197
Release	: 2000-10-16
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 0547533233

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Into the fascinating, pungent setting of Blood and Bone Alley, home of leech, barber-surgeon, and apothecary, comes Matilda, raised by a priest to disdain worldly affairs and focus on spiritual matters. To Matilda's dismay, her work will not involve Latin or writing, but practical tasks: lighting the fire, going to market, mixing plasters and poultices, and helping Peg treat patients. She is appalled by the worldliness of her new surroundings, and the sharp-tongued saints she turns to for advice are no help at all. Filled with the witty dialogue and richly authentic detail that Karen Cushman’s work is known for, Matilda Bone is a compelling comic novel about a girl who learns to see herself and others clearly, to laugh, and to live contentedly in this world. Author’s note.

A Lair of Bones

by Helen Scheuerer

Author	: Helen Scheuerer
Publisher	: Curse of the Cyren Queen
Total Pages	: 384
Release	: 2021-07-14
Genre	: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN	: 9780648673149

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A deadly contest. A vaulting ambition. How far will one cyren go to win? Mighty cyrens have ruled the ancient lair of Saddoriel for centuries. A cavernous fortress, a subterranean labyrinth of tunnels and levels, powered by magic and music... From the moment she was born, Roh, the daughter of an infamous criminal, has been despised by her own kind. Restricted to the Lower Sector and forced to work as a common bone cleaner, she has always believed she belongs above: where lies adventure... and power. Opportunity arises in the form of the Queen's Tournament, a treacherous set of trials that could see the victor crowned ruler of the entire lair. Up against the most cunning, dangerous cyrens in all the realms, does Roh stand a chance? A Lair of Bones is the first gripping book in the dark fantasy quartet, Curse of the Cyren Queen.

California Bones

by Greg van Eekhout

Author	: Greg van Eekhout
Publisher	: Macmillan
Total Pages	: 303
Release	: 2014-06-10
Genre	: Fiction
ISBN	: 1429946857

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When Daniel Blackland was six, he ingested his first bone fragment, a bit of kraken spine plucked out of the sand during a visit with his demanding, brilliant, and powerful magician father, Sebastian. When Daniel was twelve, he watched Sebastian die at the hands of the Hierarch of Southern California, devoured for the heightened magic layered deep within his bones. Now, years later, Daniel is a petty thief with a forged identity. Hiding amid the crowds in Los Angeles—the capital of the Kingdom of Southern California—Daniel is trying to go straight. But his crime-boss uncle has a heist he wants Daniel to perform: break into the Hierarch's storehouse of magical artifacts and retrieve Sebastian's sword, an object of untold power. For this dangerous mission, Daniel will need a team he can rely on, so he brings in his closest friends from his years in the criminal world. There's Moth, who can take a bullet and heal in mere minutes. Jo Alverado, illusionist. The multitalented Cassandra, Daniel's ex. And, new to them all, the enigmatic, knowledgeable Emma, with her British accent and her own grudge against the powers-that-be. The stakes are high, and the stage is set for a showdown that might just break the magic that protects a long-corrupt regime. Extravagant and yet moving, Greg van Eekhout's California Bones is an epic adventure set in a city of canals and secrets and casual brutality--different from the world we know, yet familiar and true. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ashlords

by Scott Reintgen

Author	: Scott Reintgen
Publisher	: Ember
Total Pages	: 385
Release	: 2021-02-16
Genre	: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN	: 0593119207

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"A page-turning inferno of a book." -- Stephanie Garber Red Rising meets The Scorpio Races in this epic fantasy following three phoenix horse riders--skilled at alchemy--who must compete at The Races--the modern spectacle that has replaced warfare within their empire. Every year since the Ashlords were gifted phoenix horses by their gods, they've raced them. First into battle, then on great hunts, and finally for the pure sport of seeing who rode the fastest. Centuries of blood and fire carved their competition into a more modern spectacle: The Races. Over the course of a multi-day event, elite riders from clashing cultures vie to be crowned champion. But the modern version of the sport requires more than good riding. Competitors must be skilled at creating and controlling phoenix horses made of ash and alchemy, which are summoned back to life each sunrise with uniquely crafted powers to cover impossible distances and challenges before bursting into flames at sunset. But good alchemy only matters if a rider knows how to defend their phoenix horse at night. Murder is outlawed, but breaking bones and poisoning ashes? That's all legal and encouraged. In this year's Races, eleven riders will compete, but three of them have more to lose than the rest--a champion's daughter, a scholarship entrant, and a revolutionary's son. Who will attain their own dream of glory? Or will they all flame out in defeat?

Napier's Bones

by Derryl Murphy

Author	: Derryl Murphy
Publisher	: Chizine Publications
Total Pages	: 0
Release	: 2011
Genre	: Magic
ISBN	: 9781926851099

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In a world where numbers are magic, Dom searches for an item of immense power while on the run from a powerful enemy.

The Accidental Alchemist

by Gigi Pandian

Author	: Gigi Pandian
Publisher	: Gargoyle Girl Productions
Total Pages	: 340
Release	: 2020-10-27
Genre	: Fiction
ISBN	: 1938213130

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"Filled with magic, intrigue, and humor, this series is sure to delight fans of cozy mysteries and urban fantasy."―Book Riot A chance for a new beginning in Portland, Oregon. A stowaway from Paris. Can alchemist Zoe Faust solve the mystery of an ancient book in time to save her new friend? Unpacking her belongings in her new fixer-upper house, alchemist Zoe Faust can't help but notice she's picked up a stowaway. Dorian Robert-Houdin is a living, breathing gargoyle―not to mention a master of French cuisine―and he needs Zoe's expertise to unlock the secrets of a centuries-old text. Zoe, who's trying to put her old life behind her, isn't so sure she wants to reopen her alchemical past...until a crime committed on her front porch leaves her no choice. Don't miss the first novel in the award-winning series from USA Today bestselling author Gigi Pandian! Includes recipes! Praise Winner of the Left Coast Crime Lefty Award. "Zoe and Dorian are my new favorite amateur-sleuth duo!" ―New York Times bestselling author Victoria Laurie "A whimsical and charming supernatural mystery."―Mystery Scene "Mysterious, captivating, and infused with the rich history of the Northwest...fantastic." ―Portland Book Review "This reviewer is eagerly anticipating more from this series, and a return of a cast more fun than an episode of Portlandia."―RT Book Reviews "Pandian...launches a supernatural cozy series that hits high marks for a modern twist on an ancient practice. Amusing supporting characters and historical details solidify this engaging mystery." ―Library Journal "[A] lighthearted supernatural mystery...Pandian sets this series apart from other fluffy paranormal mysteries with Zoe's cute nonhuman sidekick and some mouthwatering vegan recipes." ―Publishers Weekly "Readers won't want to put this book down." ―Vegetarian Journal "[A]n eccentric and charming cast of characters readers are going to want to spend more time with." ―RT Book Reviews Online "A magical, whimsical cozy that will delight readers who enjoy Juliet Blackwell and Heather Weber mysteries!"―Agatha Award-winning author Avery Aames (aka Daryl Wood Gerber) "Gigi Pandian's pen never disappoints." ―New York Times bestselling author Juliet Blackwell