第2章 'Had I not been awake'

Margaret Atwood returns with a shrewd, funny, and insightful retelling of the myth of Odysseus from the point of view of Penelope. Describing her own remarkable vision, the author writes in the foreword, I've chosen to give the telling of the story to Penelope and to the twelve hanged maids. The maids form a chanting and singing Chorus, which focuses on two questions that must pose themselves after any close reading of the Odyssey: What led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to? The story as told in the Odyssey doesn't hold water: there are too many inconsistencies. I've always been haunted by the hanged maids and, in The Penelopiad, so is Penelope herself." One of the high points of literary fiction in 2005, this critically acclaimed story found a vast audience and is finally available in paperback.

In Now You See It, the prolific master of suspense and screenwriting (I Am Legend; The Incredible Shrinking Man) delivers a knock-out tale the likes of which have not been seen since Henry Clouzot's devlilish thriller Diabolique.

In the tradition of cooking with each season's bounty, Hannah Queen applies the same spirit to her baking, turning out an abundance of fresh cakes, trifles, biscuits, and more. From the citrus of winter to the bright squash of summer, more than 70 classic and modern dessert recipes celebrate locally sourced ingredients. Relish the sweet fruit of the spring with the delectable Rhubarb Custard Cake, and savor the ripe flavors of autumn with the Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Bourbon Buttercream. The wide range of flavors and recipes for year-round baking ensure you will never tire of these fresh indulgences. Featuring Queen's rich photography throughout, Honey and Jam not only showcases a collection of rustic desserts, but also captures the sprawling forests and farmlands of Blue Ridge, anchoring each recipe in the backdrop of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

Runt Higgins has a long to-do list. He needs to find out who cursed him, and why; he needs to make up with his best friend, Syke; and he needs to pass the Junior Henchman Training Program. That last one? Not likely. Professor Murphy hates Runt and is actively trying to fail him. The only way for Runt to pass the class and stay at Dr. Critchlore's school is to locate a rare mineral that Dr. Critchlore needs to make an Undefeatable Minion. To find it, Runt must travel to icy Upper Worb and battle gyrfalcons, yetis … and the loathsome team from Dr. Pravus's school. Their newest member? Runt's former best friend, Syke.

上古遗书《烈焰功法》现世，传说中能采天地灵气化为自身功法，得之三年小成可重铸筋骨，十年大成可纵横天下。一时江湖人争相夺之。书童叶宽机缘巧合下得之，暗中勤修功法，行侠仗义，终成一代大侠，书写了一段传奇。

《恍若梦中一相逢》在一场文化与历史的盛宴里洗涤心灵，倾注热情，修磨心性，超越美学。在新颖的唐诗与散文完美的交融里，让读者品尝文字的韵味，体悟人生的真理，探索自然的永恒。

七落，寒冬生。嗜好极多。最讨厌的事情是没有存在感，思维呈现跳跃式，喜欢不断地反省自我。在喧闹的吵嚷之市中，希望能够保持从容与淡静，不去模仿别人，也不愿复制自己，崇尚柏拉图式人生。

刘大壮出生于四川，后来家中突生变故，逃往东北，之后当兵在一场战斗中故意被俘，后被东北抗联的同志解救，送往河西村一农家养伤，期间结识了苏联红军排长诺夫斯基，俩人“村民的口中得知山上有个满是宝藏的“老虎洞”，并从中得到一份藏宝图，藏宝图上记录四个玉狮子的所在地，集齐后便可以在长白山找到遗失的安苏宝藏，俩人假借抗日为借口，为了发财而开始夺宝，最终虽然寻获宝藏，却付出了惨重代价。

“黄泉路上，忘川河中，三生石旁，奈何桥头，我可曾遇见过你······”一场莫名其妙的穿越，她成为丞相府人人欺压的京城第一丑女。太子狠绝拒婚，她被当成一种耻辱嫁给了残暴的不举王爷，进门当晚就被当成细作严刑拷打致死。岂料同样的躯壳下竟换了灵魂，身着血红嫁衣的她邪魅一笑：世人欺我辱我，我必加倍还之。宁可我欺天下人，也绝不让天下人欺我。额……那个什么王爷，为什么……她就下个毒，他怎么把解药给销毁了？她去杀个人，他怎么还跟着去放火呢？她去盗件宝贝，他居然把人家整个国库都搬空了！

是智趣历史首席讲师雾满拦江集数十年历史写作的精华之作，沿袭作者一贯的通俗易懂，幽默、智趣的风格，在历史的边角料和碎片中，剥丝抽茧，阐释权力、人性、情爱、处世、歧见、风雅、轶闻……历史在细节处，人性在细节处，988条有料而又多味儿的历史，据说每一条都能稍微改变一下你的世界观。

本书为公版书，为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品，供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。

我跟你说的，是个故事。故事有两层意思，一层意思是过去的事情——故，就是过去；事，就是事情、事件，合起来就是过去的事情——也就是说，它是真的，千真万确，真正发生过的，就像在此时此刻此地，我跟你讲这个故事一样，也像庙门口那尊石佛，只不过隔了几堵墙，几道门，你肉眼看不见而已；另一层意思，就是它可能是真的，也可能是假的，真真假假，假假真真，无人能辨，人们口耳相传，就成了故事。大和尚对小和尚说。那它到底是真的，还是假的？小和尚刨根问底。真的怎样，假的又如何？大和尚反问。

国内首部全景展现打黑风暴的纪实小说，深入第一线揭秘黑社会幕后的真实故事。

二十一世纪顶尖人物的她，有着与生俱来的骄傲于王者之气。却恰恰在乱世之中迷失了心，料不透世间变化和人心。独有一人，让她甚至付性命，褪去一身骄傲。丑女再度于世，却成了乱世佳人！--情节虚构，请勿模仿