I'm Not Hanging Noodles on Your Ears and Other Intriguing Idioms From Around the World

"I’m not hanging noodles on your ears." In Moscow, this curious, engagingly colorful assertion is common parlance, but unless you’re Russian your reaction is probably "Say what?" The same idea in English is equally odd: "I’m not pulling your leg." Both mean: Believe me.
As author Jag Bhalla demonstrates, these amusing, often hilarious phrases provide a unique perspective on how different cultures perceive and describe the world. Organized by theme—food, love, romance, and many more—they embody cultural traditions and attitudes, capture linguistic nuance, and shed fascinating light on "the whole ball of wax."

Empire of Magic: medieval romance and the politics of cultural fantasy

Empire of Magic: medieval romance and the politics of cultural fantasy
Empire of Magic presents a beginning and genealogy for medieval romance and the King Arthur legend through the history of Europe's encounters with the East in crusades, travel, missionizing, and empire formation. It also produces definitions of "race" and "nation" for the medieval period and argues that the Middle Ages and medieval fantasies of race and religion have recently returned.
 

A Discourse for the Holy Grail in Old French Romance

The Holy Grail made its first literary appearance in the work of the twelfth-century French poet, Chrétien de Troyes, and continues to fascinate authors and audiences alike. This study, supported by a theoretical framework based on the psychoanalytic works of Jacques Lacan and the cultural theory of Slavoj Zizek, aims to strip the legend of much of the mythological and folkloric association that it has acquired over the centuries, arguing that the Grail should be read as a symptom of disruption and obscurity rather than fulfilment and revelation.

Seasons of the Heart: Men and Women Talk About Love, Sex, and Romance After 60

Journalist Zenith Gross encourages readers to discover their own ways to express love, sensuality, and sexuality during the 20 to 40 years of life after they turn 60. Through her interviews with more than 300 men and women, she uncovers the elements of and barriers to happiness that cross ethnic, economic, religious, and cultural boundaries. This book helps dispel the myths of aging and illuminates how good romance - and sex - can be in later life.

Three Weddings and a Kiss

Everyone loves a wedding...
Featuring three unlikely wedding couples, an enthralling romance anthology includes the beginning of a sequel to Kathleen E. Woodwiss's best-selling romance classic, The Flame and the Flower, along with works by Catherine Anderson, Loretta Chase, and Lisa Kleypas.