Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly has enjoyed tremendous popularity in Europe and America since its debut in 1904. It has also inspired a global-level debate about whether the tragic heroine of the opera, Cho-Cho-san, was based on a real-life model. Starcrossed looks at this controversy and presents compelling evidence that, in fact, there was no real life Cho-Cho-san. Nonetheless, the author demonstrates that, despite the cultural disparities...

This book is a behind-the-scenes look at the bizarre crime of astronaut Lisa Nowak, who drove 900 miles to intercept and confront her romantic rival in an airport parking lot--allegedly using diapers on the trip so she wouldn't have to stop. This is a riveting journey inside the high-pressure world of one of America's most elite agencies and the life of one beleaguered astronaut.

When a meteorite lands in the hills of an Amish town, it begins to have strange effects on the families of Mary and Aaron who are trying to decide whether or not they should marry. Aaron and his family believe that the star is a sign from Gott that they should be married...while Mary's family believes that the star is an omen that they should call the marriage off...Which one is right?

Parsons' good-hearted sidekick Ben is now a member of the Robinson family group, but David objects when he discovers that Ben is in love with his daughter Joanna. Meanwhile, Emily must act as midwife when Elizabeth prepares to give birth.