"This book is made of the stories told by the Northern folk,-the people who live in the land of the midnight sun, where summer is green and pleasant, but winter is a terrible time of cold and gloom; where rocky mountains tower like huge giants, over whose heads thunder rolls and crashes, and under whose feet are mines of precious metals."--p.1-2.

Ken Follett’s magnificent historical epic begins as five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage. A thirteen-year-old Welsh boy enters a man’s world in the mining pits. . . . An American law student rejected in love finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson’s White House. . . . A housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with a German spy. . . . And two orphaned Russian brothers embark on radically different paths when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution. From the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty, Fall of Giants takes us into the inextricably entangled fates of five families—and into a century that we thought we knew, but that now will never seem the same again. . . .

"In the Days of Giants" is an excellent read for everyone interested in Norse mythology and culture. It will introduce you to the magical world of Norse heroic and scheming gods, clever trolls, elves and giants. Contents: The Beginning of Things How Odin Lost His Eye Kvasir's Blood The Giant Builder The Magic Apples Skadi's Choice The Dwarf's Gifts Loki's Children The Quest of the Hammer The Giantess Who Would Not Thor's Visit to the Giants Thor's Fishing Thor's Duel In the Giant's House Balder and the Mistletoe The Punishment of Loki

"'Traditional' (i.e. medieval) gigantology, both scholarly and - to the extent that it existed - popular, was rooted in biblical and classical texts, and portrayed giants as depraved, evil, and godless: very different from what we see in Rabelais. Dante developed them as denizens of Hell. Giants were primarily antediluvian, and were generally understood as a race distinct from (or debased from) humanity. Key biblical giants included the nephilim (offspring of the 'sons of God and daughters of men' in Genesis 6) and the anakim (indigenous opposition to the settlement of Canaan in Numbers and Deuteronomy).

In the Days of Giants, by Abbie Farwell Brown, tells the stories of Norse mythology. There are many stories in the book, and though they were written for children, adults will enjoy them too. Written in a narrative tone, the book is a nice introduction to Norse mythology.

Set in the politically tumultuous Boston medical world of the early 1990s, Days of the Giants follows intern Slater Barnes through a conflict between Boston City Hospital staff and corrupt municipal officials. Despite facing a life-threatening medical diagnosis of his own, Barnes chooses to train in one of the country's most demanding teaching institutions, Boston City Hospital. Inspired by the public hospital's mission to treat patients regardless of personal resources, and undaunted by its deteriorating physical condition, Barnes finds meaning in his work and falls in love with the institution. But when Boston mayor Peter Doyle pushes a vast rebuilding plan for the hospital through Boston City Council, corrupt city officials mastermind a scheme to turn the plan into a profit. In so doing, they threaten the hospital's very existence and force Barnes and the rest of the BCH staff to defend it. Then, a resident is murdered... A portion of the proceeds from sales of this book will be donated to Boston-area hospitals and health-related charities.

A delightful retelling of some of the most loved and famous Norse tales-from the beginning of the world, and how Odin traded one of his eyes in exchange for wisdom, to the use of the god Kvasir's blood to create the "Mead of Poetry," and the cataclysmic intrigues with the Jötun giants. Read here of the tales of Skadi, Loki and his evil children, Thor's Quest, the dwarfs and their gifts, Balder and the mistletoe, and finally the captivity of Loki, awaiting the Ragnarök, or end of the earth. An enthralling read which will provide old and young alike with new insights into one of the most majestic European mythological story sets. "This book is made of the stories told by the Northern folk,-the people who live in the land of the midnight sun, where summer is green and pleasant, but winter is a terrible time of cold and gloom; where rocky mountains tower like huge giants, over whose heads the thunder rolls and crashes, and under whose feet are mines of precious metals. Therefore you will find the tales full of giants and dwarfs,-spirits of the cold mountains and dark caverns." Contents The Beginning of Things How Odin Lost His Eye Kvasir's Blood The Giant Builder The Magic Apples Skadi's Choice The Dwarf's Gifts Loki's Children The Quest of the Hammer The Giantess Who Would Not Thor's Visit to the Giants Thor's Fishing Thor's Duel In the Giant's House Balder and the Mistletoe The Punishment of Loki