Kirjahaku

"Peking, winter 1948. Encircled by Mao's Commuinst armies, Nationalist warlord Fu Tsoyi seeks the solution to saving Peking in his Taoist concubine's lessons in calligraphy and passion. Chief Inspector Bei wrestles with a string of brutal courtesan murders, slowly realizing with horror that the solution to the murders is tied to saving his beloved Peking, and China's emergence into the modern world.

When Long John Silver lures Jim Hawkins back to the Caribbean for Flint's second hoard, they stumble on perplexing clues to an ancient Chinese treasure. Two orphan girls in Havana help them unlock the secret. Tabitha, a runaway slave who saw her mother killed by the Spanish Commandante, lives only for revenge. Meilu, the last of an old Chinese colony in Havana, lost her family to smallpox. Teetering on the edge of womanhood, and wondering about the transformation, the two girls join with Hawkins and Silver in the quest for the treasure. Together they solve the mystery of four strange seashells in Billy Bones' sea chest, and fight Chinese mercenaries holding the key to Meilu's family history. In a sea cave below the Commandante's fortress, they come face-to-face with a Chinese sea goddess who has guarded the Emperor's jade, ceramics, and silk for 300 years. In the end Hawkins and Silver battle the Spanish garrison as the two young girls face the Commandante on the ramparts of the fortress-but now they know who they are, and can draw on the strength of their destiny.

Simple ways to a fuller and more vibrant existence, drawn from the Taoist tradition and shaped to fit our modern lives. Relax, You're Already Home explores how we can enrich our lives in modern America by incorporating simple habits discovered in the Taoist tradition. We don't have to dramatically reshape our lives or perform time-consuming rituals like meditation, kung fu, or breathing practices. Dr. Raymond Barnett instead shows how we can focus on basic daily Taoist habits through activities like going to the park, gardening, or enjoying a cup of tea. He even helps us create our own rituals around holidays, saints, historical figures or events, or anything else that resonates with us. This warm and accessible book is ideal for anyone whose life seems too fast and complicated, as well as for those who are interested in Eastern religions but don't have the time or inclination to take up esoteric practices. Complete with "interactives" that suggest exercises and probing questions, Relax, You're Already Home is a perfect primer for Taoism and a philosophy in its own right.