Showing results by author "A. Rivers" in All Categories

Every great nation or empire has had at least one horrific military loss or disaster in their history, and the Roman Empire, perhaps the greatest empire that ever existed in the Western world, was no exception to this rule. While Rome certainly suffered defeats and outright massacres over the course of its long and storied history, none of them were as disturbing for the Empire as the battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE.

Throughout the history of warfare, the practice of placing blame on innocent parties in order to justify attacking them has been a constant feature. In the 20th century, this practice began to be commonly referred to as a “false flag” operation. The essence of a false flag scenario is that it is conducted by one party or government and “made to appear as though another party sponsored it".

Christmas is the most important holiday of the year. After the corresponding days that exalt the national pride of each country, such as Independence Day in the US, Victory Day in Russia, or Bastille Day in France, it's December 25 that articulates the life, the work, and the economy in much of the world, including many non-Christian countries. Since ancient times, the beginning of winter has been the occasion for most people to eat, drink, dance, and get together to beat the drum and take a break.

Although apartheid is typically dated from the late 1940s until its dismantling decades later, segregationist policies had been the norm in South Africa from nearly the moment European explorers sailed to the region and began settling there. Whether it was displacing and fighting indigenous groups like the Khoi and San, or fighting other whites like the Boer, separation between ethnicities was the norm in South Africa for centuries before the election of Malan signaled the true rise of the Afrikaner far right.

Prussian leaders, especially Otto von Bismarck, the chancellor and advisor to Prussia’s king, believed Prussia could be a united power, but only without the traditional Austrian dominance. At the time, the Austrian empire was a collection of ethnically diverse peoples and had been dominated by a socio-political conservatism that sought to keep the empire ruled in Hapsburg tradition. After Prussia was victorious in the Austro-Prussian War, Bismarck played a waiting game where the unification of Germany was concerned, as the joining of the southern states would have to be overcome.

The United States has one of the most technically sound criminal justice systems in the world. Mostly derived from English common law, the U.S. Constitution explicitly lays out when and how a citizen can be searched and arrested, as well as their other rights to trial. But, as with many of the Constitution’s powers, the experiences of the colonists at the hands of the British shaped our legal system’s criminal procedure laws.

Hinduism is one of the world’s great religions, dominating the Indian subcontinent for most of the last millennium, and its largest temple is an unbelievably magnificent structure located in Angkor, Cambodia. Known in English as Angkor Wat ("City Temple"), the gigantic complex continues to fascinate the world, both due to its sheer grandeur and size, as well as its ornamental decorations both inside and out.

When an unexpected storm hits, forcing a young couple on a road trip to seek shelter within an abandoned school in the woods, they witness strange phenomena and stumble upon corpses. Soon FBI agent Emma Griffin finds herself in the middle of a case that forces her to investigate the past to sort out the mystery behind the twisted occurrences in the present. With a trail of missing girls, strange oddities, and red herrings, Emma and all involved find much more than they bargained for.

Riley Emerson is probably the last person anyone would expect to be a nanny. For starters, her life has fallen apart. Her boyfriend just cheated on her. She lives with her mom, and she might have a drinking problem. But Oliver Brian is desperate.

To say Edith Stein lived a remarkable life would be a dramatic understatement. Born in Breslau (then part of Germany) at the end of the 19th century, Edith was raised as an observant jew, only to turn her back on religion right around the time World War I devastated the continent. In the wake of the war, during which she earned a doctorate and began working as an assistant at the University of Freiburg, she began reading the works of the legendary St. Teresa of Ávila, one of the most influential Catholic saints in history.

How much of the past do you carry with you? It's a question FBI Agent Emma Griffin has dealt with throughout her career. This time is different. Months after a case brought her face to face with her own past and an unresolved disappearance that haunted her, she finds herself delving into the past of one of those closest to her. She learns about the turning moment of Dean's life and the torment that still follows him as they try to find closure for him. The investigation brings up another question possibly more difficult than the first.

Del best seller del New York Times, el autor de "Redeeming Love" and "The Masterpiece" llega la poderosa historia de dos mujeres, separadas por siglos, que se unen a través de un diario destrozado mientras se enfrentan con Dios, los esposos e incluso ellos mismos. La vida de Sierra Madrid acaba de ponerse patas arriba cuando descubre el edredón artesanal y el diario de su antepasada Mary Kathryn McMurray, una joven que fue desarraigada de su casa sólo para soportar duras condiciones en el Sendero de Oregón.

Adventure and calamity strike when a model wife and mother takes an uncharacteristic risk. She joins her daughter and sister for a roadtrip along the San Andreas Fault, just as a major earthquake hits. The quake causes extensive damage and strands the women for days. Best-selling novelist Anne Rivers Siddons, author of Downtown and Colony, charts this remarkable trip that forever transforms these three strong women and their relationships to one another.

The Civil War was the deadliest conflict in American history, and had the two sides realized it would last four years and inflict over a million casualties, it might not have been fought. Since it was, however, historians and history buffs alike have been studying and analyzing the biggest battles ever since. Americans have long been fascinated by the Civil War, marveling at the size of the battles, the leadership of the generals, and the courage of the soldiers.

To the Aztecs, Huitzilopochtli wore a blue-green hummingbird helmet and was draped in pure white heron feathers. He carried a smoking mirror, an obsidian mirror, a shield, darts, and the serpent Xiuhcoatl that carried with it the fury and might of the sun. Everything about him - from his clothes to his weapons - emanated and defined royalty.

The Garde values four ideals: The Truth we twist. The Beauty we flaunt. The Freedom we grant. The Power we take. I believed their lies until Lacey O'Shea. She's the only daughter of the Garde's leading family, and she was meant to be mine. Her father stole her from me to sell to another. So I stole her back. But there's more to the conspiracy that kept us apart, and we have to keep our relationship secret from her former fiancé, the Baron, to find the truth. He wants to lock her away, but she's a bird desperate to flee her gilded cage.

Who would want to kill the beloved First Daughter of Myanmar? As the case takes multiple unexpected turns, Bella finds herself questioning everyone around her. Foreign affairs, a missing billionaire heir, and a trail of bodies connected to the unstable nation. The truth of this case will have consequences. One that could create a ripple of bloodshed across the globe.

Joan Rivers is a groundbreaking, award-winning, internationally renowned entertainment goddess. She’s also opinionated - especially when it comes to people she hates. Like people who think giving birth is a unique achievement. Or well-adjusted - a.k.a. boring - ex-child stars who don’t even have a decent addiction. With all of her diverse experiences, it stands to reason that Joan has seen, done, said, and heard a lot of hateful things. Thank god, she took notes.

My desires have always stopped at vengeance. She's made me want more. My vendetta will destroy everything in my path, and I won't risk bringing her into my world. I never suspected she'd snake her way in on her own. I craved a bite of her sugar and spice, but my little vipera is fangs and venom. Now, all I want is to be bitten.

Shy, awkward, and with troubles of her own, Bell Johnson is no stranger to hiding her pain. When Jesse forces himself into her life, she's at risk of her defenses crumbling. Does Bell have the strength to survive Jesse and his demons, or is she fated to become another casualty in the self-destruction of Jesse Carter?