Search results for ""author weird"

‘What do you do when the Second Coming is scheduled for next Wednesday? . . . Assemble at your nearest church? Make sure you’ve got clean underwear on? Confess those last sins? Send some goodbye texts to unbelieving friends? Take Paracetamol in case the rapture gives you the bends?’ Those and other neglected theological questions are rigorously examined in this book. With its gently satirical take on some of the weird ways in which people express their beliefs, it’s a book that will help you appreciate the true value of religion by exploring the comedy of its wilder excesses. Whether you’re a believer or a non-believer, fond of religion or a more than just a bit suspicious of it, you’ll find your assumptions are far from safe after reading it!

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This is Punpun Onodera’s coming-of-age story. His parents’ marriage is falling apart. His dad goes to jail and his mom goes to the hospital. He has to live with his loser uncle. He has a crush on a girl who lives in a weird cult. Punpun tries talking with God about his problems, but God is a jerk. Punpun keeps hoping things will get better, but they really, really don’t. Punpun has finally reunited with the love of his life, Aiko! But she isn’t as exciting and wonderful as he remembered. And she doesn’t make him exciting and wonderful. In fact, he thinks they’re both terribly banal. And now they’ve done something terrible....Punpun, what do you do when there’s no way out?

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An in-depth look at one of the film industry's most audacious working actors In 1982, a gangly teenager named Nicolas Coppola made his film debut and changed his name to Nicolas Cage, determined to distance himself from his famous family. Once he achieved stardom as the rebel hunk of 1983's Valley Girl, Cage began a career defined by unorthodox risks and left turns that put him at odds with the stars of the Brat Pack era. How Coppola Became Cage takes readers behind the scenes of the beloved cult movies that transformed this unknown actor into an eccentric and uncompromising screen icon with a wild-eyed gift for portraying weirdos, outsiders, criminals-and even a romantic capable of seducing Cher. Author Zach Schonfeld traces Cage's rise through the world of independent cinema and chronicles the stories behind his career-making early performances, from the method masochism of Birdy to the operatic torment of Moonstruck and abrasive expressionism of Vampire's Kiss, culminating with the astonishing pathos of Leaving Las Vegas. Drawing on more than 100 new interviews with Cage's key collaborators--including David Lynch, Martha Coolidge, John Patrick Shanley, and Mike Figgis--How Coppola Became Cage offers a revealing portrait of Cage's wildly intense devotion to his performances behind the scenes and his creative self-discovery as he drew on influences as far-flung as silent cinema and German Expressionism. These were all crucial ingredients in the creation of a singular acting style that rejects the limits of realism. Brimming with previously untold stories and insights, How Coppola Became Cage both revels in and demystifies Cage's onscreen eccentricities. No other modern actor has explored such profound creative extremes while bending the boundaries of good taste. Here is the origin story of an actor who truly is wild at heart and weird on top.

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Have YOU ever had a bad week? The hilarious new series taking the world by storm. He’s dressed up like a clown on national TV, his worst enemy is stealing the limelight, and there's definitely something weird happening with everyone's cats! Justin Chase is having the WORST WEEK EVER! At least he's found a new BFF in international pop sensation, teen heartthrob and Justin’s name twin, Justin Chase, right? Maybe not... As a case of mistaken identity leads to a disastrous kidnapping and Justin forced to race against the clock (and the ferocious dog) to escape! Monday was mortifying, Tuesday was tumultuous, Wednesday was wild, but now it's... THURSDAY! The fourth book in the hilarious new seven-part highly-illustrated series for fans of Tom Gates, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Treehouse series.

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This is a vivid, funny portrait of the four tumultuous years a young editor spent working in the gay press. Boston's weekly ""Gay Community News"" was ""the center of the universe"" during the late 1970s, writes Amy Hoffman in this memoir of gay liberation before AIDS, before gay weddings, and before The L Word. Provocative, informative, inspiring, and absurd, with a small circulation but a huge influence, ""Gay Community News"" produced a generation of leaders, writers, and friends. In addition to capturing the heady atmosphere of the times - the victories, controversies, and tragedies - Hoffman's memoir is also her personal story, written with wit and insight, of growing up in a political movement; of her deepening relationships with charismatic, talented, and sometimes utterly weird coworkers; and of trying to explain it all to her large Jewish family.

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‘Everything we do is touched by physics. Whether we’re on the motorway, at the beach or in the pub, its laws tell us what happens in our world and why.’From the big stuff (life, the universe and everything) to the small stuff (the mind-bending world of quantum physics), here is an accessible guide to the fascinating, awe-inspiring and sometimes downright weird world of physics. Learn about why heavier things don’t fall faster, why you have more energy when you’re sitting upstairs, and why time slows down as you speed up, and consider such philosophical questions as whether you can be invisible, and what happened to Schrödinger’s poor cat. If you don’t know your conduction from your convection, or your wormholes from your Ohm’s law, this is the book for you.

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Who can resist a good story, especially when it's being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mice, bears and gods. Here comes the bear who ate some really bad dessert and got very angry; a lazy man who would not put out a fire till it reached his beard; a princess who got turned into an onion; a queen who discovered silk, and many more weird and wonderful people and animals. Grandma tells the stories over long summer days and nights, as seven children enjoy life in her little town. The stories entertain, educate and provide hours of enjoyment to them. So come, why don't you too join in the fun?

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A fascinating and frightening collection of folk tale monsters, ghosts, and other scary things that dwell in the dark.Our world is a strange place. This hauntingly illustrated book peers into the dark spaces that lie somewhere between belief and imagination, and into the weird stories we tell to make sense of where and who we are. Here are tales of vengeful ghosts, bloodthirsty monsters, internet-conjured nightmares, lost souls, cryptid curiosities, demons, aliens, the undead, and the inexplicable, including: Enfield Poltergeist Jersey Devil Mothman Krampus El Silbón Betty and Barney Hill Abduction Headless Horseman Skunk Ape Onryō Loab Isla de las Muñecas Slender Man La Llorona Loch Ness Monster And many more... Acclaimed artist Ricardo Diseño brings a lifelong fascination w

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Some dinosaurs had a deadly bite and others could run super fast. Some had club-like tails and some could make the smelliest of farts - POO-WEE! But wait, don't run away... Because dinosaurs are actually awesome! From the ferocious hunters like Spinosaurus and T.rex to the gentle giants like Diplodocus and Titanosaurus, the speedy Velociraptor to the armoured Ankylosaurus, discover all the weird and wonderful things that made dinosaurs so AMAZING. Did you know that some dinosaurs laid eggs the size of footballs? Or that there's a fossilised dinosaur poo as long as your arm? And have you ever heard of a certain dinosaur that could outrun a racehorse? Find out about all this and more - and then decide: do YOU love dinosaurs?

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Little Gods established Jacob Polley as one of the leading talents of the younger generation; his third collection sees him extend that gift in often wholly unexpected directions. As before, Polley’s work is often unashamedly lyric, and displays a virtuosic range of form and address. However, the light has changed in The Havocs: these poems are often imbued with the weird, uncanny and otherworldly, drawing on the folkloric and mythic traditions of north Britain – as well as forms from older English traditions, including riddles and cautionary tales. However oblique his strategies, Polley’s work remains fixed on our most central concerns: our losses of faith, our working lives, our irrational fears and our loves. The Havocs charts a daring new turn in the work of one of our finest English poets.

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Mysteries abound in the second book of a new graphic novel series about finding friendship in unexpected places! This fun and funny buddy comedy is perfect for fans of Narwhal & Jelly, emerging readers, and all kids who love comics. Beak & Ally are back, and they’ve got some bedtime jitters! Late at night, the swamp is full of weird noises . . . spooky noises! Like the GUURNT GUURNT! of the horrible Grunty Beast, the CHH CHH CHH CHH of the chilling Chatter Ghosts, and the ZZUMP ZZUMP of the mechanical Zump Monster!How’s Beak the bird supposed to get any rest with all these strange sounds sounding off around him? Thankfully, Ally the alligator has some good ideas about where all the racket is coming from.

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Hoke Moseley is the star of the modern South Florida crime novel, birthed by Charles Willeford, whose forebear is John D. MacDonald and who, in his turn, has inspired Carl Hiaasen and Quentin Tarantino. Through Moseley we are witness to a Miami in transition, from lush retirement haven to capital of 1980s glamour, drugs and weird crime. Willeford's four Miami novels present a hero rather the worse for wear. Hoke sucks at life; in his mid-forties, with false teeth and an aching body, a bad divorce has left him with the cheap work and the care of two teenage daughters. His offbeat humour, brilliant writing and quirky sense of fashion have assured Charles Willeford a permanent place alongside the greats of modern crime fiction.

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This journal is designed to help singles keep track of their online dating lives as they navigate various levels of great, terrible and weird. Amusing and thought-provoking prompts guides users to set goals, challenge their expectations and get creative. With plenty of space to jot down the details of each date (plus emoji stickers to embellish), this journal invites online daters to commemorate their adventures from which they can learn and laugh. Includes: • Short introduction on how to use different sections • Personal Profile and Dating Profile to self-reflect and set goals • Alter Ego and Challenge exercises to shake things up • Opening Lines and First Date Ideas to jot down creative thoughts • Memorable Messages to immortalise the best and worst communications • Date Tracker to capture details of each date Stickers to call out date highlights and lowlights

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A smart and funny cartoon journal series starring Olga - girl-scientist-in-training - and her new pet MEH (species unknown). Olga, animal-scientist-in-training, knows for sure that animals are better than humans. When she grows up she will be known as Genius Professor Olga, and will probably invent some new species herself. When she finds a pink, hairy creature living in her rubbish bin one day, it’s a dream come true – she has discovered A WEIRD NEW SPECIES! It looks like a cross between a hamster and a potato, smells terrible and says only the word MEH! – it’s the perfect subject for Olga’s very scientific Observation Notebook (aka, this book).Wacky, laugh-out-loud cartoon storytelling for fans of Tom Gates, Barry Loser and Timmy Failure.

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Stay woke with a journal that helps you organise yourself and your goals, providing liberty, justice and some OMG WTF civic style for your activist life.Sporting a boldly iconic package and durable but more-flexible-than-Congress binding, this practical journal combines generous space for your jottings with spot images -- like the dizzyingly drawn outlines of gerrymandered districts that demand untangling -- and eye-opening, useful facts drawn from OMG WTF Does the Constitution Say?This journal features:Full-colour illustrated flexi binding.Hot takes on weird districts, outlining what gerrymandering has done to literally shape our governmentDozens of Did You Know facts about the founding documents, the founders, and why your votes matter -- locally and federally.Lined and blank interior pages, printed on woodfree paper.

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Prick is a stylish, practical, modern guide to the world of cacti and succulents."A comprehensive guide" BBC Gardeners' World MagazineCacti and succulents are the plant of the moment. Beautiful, affordable and - if you know how - easy to care for, they're a short cut to creating brighter, calmer, more relaxing spaces in the home and office.In Prick, cactus and succulent expert Gynelle Leon gives you all the knowledge you need to help your plants thrive in a simple, easy-to-understand way. Featuring: A plant gallery, showcasing the many weird and wonderful varieties A chapter of styling ideas to show off your plants A care guide to help your cacti and succulents flourish As an RHS-award-winning plant photographer and founder of London's only shop dedicated to cacti and succulents, Gynelle is the perfect guide on your path to cactus know-how.

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God created the heavens and the Earth- but, little-known fact, he outsourced the animals to the office of Heaven's Design Team! This hilarious and educational manga features weird real-life animals and puts even some humdrum critters in a strange new light. On the seventh day, God rested. But it turns out He started getting tired long before...In fact, when it came time to design the animals, God contracted the whole thing out to an agency...Heaven's Design Team! They love their work-the giraffe, the koala, the ping-pong tree sponge(?!)-but their divine client's demands are often vague, and the results are sometimes wild in more ways than one. Then there's prototyping and testing to worry about, not to mention Ms. Pluto's penchant for grotesque and Mr. Saturn, who just wants to make everything look like a horse...But in the end, all creatures great and small get their due!

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God created the heavens and the Earth- but, little-known fact, he outsourced the animals to the office of Heaven's Design Team! This hilarious and educational manga features weird real-life animals and puts even some humdrum critters in a strange new light. On the seventh day, God rested. But it turns out He started getting tired long before... In fact, when it came time to design the animals, God contracted the whole thing out to an agency...Heaven's Design Team! They love their work-the giraffe, the koala, the ping-pong tree sponge(?!)-but their divine client's demands are often vague, and the results are sometimes wild in more ways than one. Then there's prototyping and testing to worry about, not to mention Ms. Pluto's penchant for grotesque and Mr. Saturn, who just wants to make everything look like a horse...But in the end, all creatures great and small get their due!

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In the third volume of the What Happens Next? graphic novel series, YOU decide whether Sunbright Middle School's student newspaper is a hit or if Megan and her friends will have to stop the presses forever!Megan Hathaway was supposed to be helping put together a newspaper for her English class...but everything is going wrong.Weird Randall keeps trying to mail potatoes, evil Vice-Principal Mr. Fisher has imprisoned the class''s best artist, and...oh geez...Olivia just yarked in a trombone! Can you help Megan save school journalism?! Or will you let Sunbright Middle School''s secrets remain hidden forever?!With more than twenty-five different endings, Newsroom Nonsense is a breaking news saga you'll be coming back to over and over.

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A grim take on Grimm tales, one where the hunted become the hunters!In a world where fairy tales are fact and humans live in fear of werewolves, witches, and monsters, only the Hunters Guild can keep the monsters at bay. These red-hooded fighters are anything but little, and only those able to pay a king’s ransom can afford their services, but it's a small price to stay alive.The final exam aboard the Ironworks reaches its climax! Velou’s goal of getting everyone to pass requires all of the trainees to work together, but some remain reluctant. Then, things take a sudden, weird turn after the exam, when Cinderella and the Guild start making uncharacteristic moves. Not only that, the mayor, who Velou thought dead, returns and exposes the shocking truth about their world!

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Our lives are filled with amazing stories–the juicy ones just might better be told when we're dead. That's what this prompted journal by Brass Monkey is for. Use the 250+ prompts inside to spill the beans on all the fun and/or slightly illegal things you've done in your life–and share them with the world. Later. You know, well after the statute of limitations. • Features 286 unique life-story prompts like: ‘Who I plan to haunt (and why)' and ‘I'm not a burglar, but I did once break into a. . .' • Spot-varnished hardcover. • Book measures 4.5" wide by 8.5" tall (114mm x 216mm). • Includes 200 pages of content. • There's even space for additional confessions in the back–you know, the ones that are too weird for even us to come up with.

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Can I Have a Word? is the ultimate strategy book for word-game lovers. It introduces the reader to a host of weird and wacky words that will not only help them to become better word-game players but also enhance their enjoyment of competing. It covers key word-game themes, the mastery of which is vital for success, such as: - Two- and three-letter words- Using a Q, Z, J or X to maximum effect- Dealing with the letter V and other problem tiles- Coping with a rack full of consonants or one heavy in vowels- Making seven- and eight-letter words - Tips for victory.Readers will find this amusing, light-hearted book immeasurably enriches their vocabulary, enabling them, without the drudgery of studying a dictionary, to recall all kinds of unusual and interesting words just when they need them most.

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Blast Through the Past takes a look at some of the weird jobs people in the past had to do and the skills they needed to order to explore new lands, win battles or make amazing breakthroughs in science. Get under the skin of the most famous and infamous, the cleverest and some of the the barmiest people who have shaped history.Take a chronological look at a whole host of ancient warriors. From the earliest civilisations of ancient Sumer, to the seafaring exploits of the Vikings, blast around the world visiting the fighting pharaohs, the fearless Spartans, the ruthless Romans and their love of Gladiators entertaining them in staged battles, the bloodthirsty Mayans and more. Discover if you would have had what it takes to be a legionnaire, a wild celtic warrior or even be as successful a leader as Alexander the Great!Blast Through the Past is a series aimed at children aged 8+.

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Entertaining, informative, and fun. Educational, trivial, and profound. Astonishing, amazing, and surprising. That’s history! Take a weird and wonderful tour of American history with this treat of stories, trivia, and facts! From Juan Ponce de León to John Wayne to Jane Doe to the little-known stories hidden inside bigger historical events, The Book of Facts and Trivia: American History combines the educational, profound, and trivial into a rich account of American history facts (and the interesting role Johns—and Juans and Janes—played along the way)! You’ll learn about the United States through hundreds of absorbing stories and interesting tidbits such as … Our sixth president, John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), had a pet alligator while in the White House. Graceland, located in Memphis, Tennessee, is America''s second-most visited home. The first is Thomas Jefferson''s Monticello.

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An extraordinary collection from the architect of the Polity universe, Neal Asher's The Gabble - And Other Short Stories reveals a universe of unbridled imagination, and each one is a delight in itself.Much of Neal Asher’s fiction is set in the galactic civilization he calls the Polity, an alliance of human-populated worlds. And in this collection of thirteen marvellously inventive and action-packed short stories, Asher is on top form. You can expect conflicted humans, fiendishly clever plot twists, extraordinary technologies and so much more. The discerning reader can also savour tales of alien poisons, the walking dead, the Sea of Death, and the putrefactor symbiont. No one does weird, wonderful and downright gruesome aliens better than Neal Asher, so prepare to visit his favourites. Sample the lifestyles of creatures such as the gabbleduck and the hooder, as Asher takes you on a wild ride into his vividly-imagined futures.

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In a country with millions of cat owners, it’s not unusual to find felines in coffee shops, hotel lobbies, and museums; being taken for stroller rides; or even serving as train stationmasters. But how did this cat mania start? Why does it continue to grow? And—are there really Buddhist funeral services for cats? In this lively, tip-to-tail cat compendium, Japanese culture maven Manami Okazaki shares the weird and wonderful realities of Japan’s cat shrines, temples, and festivals; interviews toy artisans, fashion designers, and even an architect; and looks at cat-centric social media, manga, and mascots. From ubiquitous manekineko dolls and Doraemon collectibles to Maro, a cos-playing Internet celebrity, every aspect of Japan’s ongoing love affair with cats springs to life. Accompanied by fun and adorable photographs, this pop culture book is the purrrfect addition to any cat-lover’s coffee table.

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Marianne Gray is getting married in Glamis Castle and her mother is in a state of superstitious terror. To English lecturer, Gina Gray, Glamis means Macbeth, and Macbeth means weirdness and woe - bad luck at best, and murder at worst. Nobody else is worried, but – as Gina says – why take the risk? She is right, of course. Murder strikes, and Gina, who prides herself on her success as an amateur detective, quickly finds that there is no place for her as a sleuth this time - the Scottish police have cast her as their prime suspect. Isolated and helpless, Gina can only sit by an idyllic loch-side and watch and wait while Detective Superintendent David Scott, her on/off lover of many years, pursues the London connections to the killing, and Freda, her fifteen-year-old granddaughter, confronts the terrifying possibility of a long-buried crime that could blow her family apart…

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Battle or befriend more than 100 weird and alien life forms in this creature collection for the Starfinder Roleplaying Game! Every new world and space station comes with its own dangers, from strange new cultures to extraterrestrial predators to massive spacefaring organisms capable of battling starships. Inside this book, you’ll find rules and ecological information for creatures from across the known worlds, plus exotic alien gear, complete magical polymorphing rules, and more. A robust selection of template grafts gives you the tools you need to populate any planet with environment-appropriate fauna, and racial rules for many of the new species let you be the alien! Want to play an intelligent, multi-legged centipede? An emotionless, mask-wearing mollusk? An uplifted bear? Explore the limits of your galaxy and your game with Starfinder Alien Archive 2!

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Everyone has weird thoughts sometimes. But for seventeen-year-old Dani Solomon, strange thoughts have taken over her life. She loves Alex, the little boy she babysits, more than anything. But one day, she has a vision of murdering him that's so gruesome, she can't get it out of her mind. In fact, Dani's convinced that she really will kill Alex. She confesses the thoughts to keep him safe, setting off a media frenzy that makes "Dani Death" the target of an extremist vigilante group. Through the help of a brave therapist, Dani begins to heal her broken mind. But will it be too late? The people of her community want justice . . . and Dani's learning that some thoughts are better left unsaid.

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Winner of Best Books with Facts in the 2013 Blue Peter awards, voted for by children.This paperback edition includes a link to download a free audio version of the book read by Sir Tony Robinson.In Sir Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders World War II, Sir Tony Robinson takes you on a headlong gallop through time, pointing out all the most important, funny, strange, amazing, entertaining, smelly and disgusting bits about World War II! It's history, but not as we know it!Find out everything you need to know in this brilliant, action-packed, fact-filled book, including:- Just how useful mashed potato is- How the Battle of Britain was won- What it takes to be a spy- How D-Day was kept a surpriseFor more World War history facts in this fun series, discover World War I.

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Remarkable birds of South Africa is not meant to be a field guide, but rather gives the reader an overview of the huge variety of birds right on our doorstep. Arranged in taxonomic order, it provides the reader with fascinating notes about the weird and wonderful lives and habits of many bird families or species. There is information on their appearance, voice, preferred habitat, distribution, feeding behaviour, breeding method and much more. Each family is illustrated with carefully chosen full colour photographs. This title is a celebration of our great avian diversity. But sadly, many of South Africa's bird species are endangered and even face extinction due to habitat modification and human disturbance. Remarkable Birds offers a glimpse into the fascinating world of birds and hopefully this title will contribute to knowledge and interest in the remarkable diversity of birds with which South Africa has been blessed.

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For you to be here today reading this requires a mind-boggling series of lucky breaks, starting with the Big Bang and ending in your own conception. So it's not surprising that we persist in thinking that we're in with a chance, whether we're playing the lottery or working out the likelihood of extra-terrestrial life. In Chance, a (not entirely) random selection of the New Scientist's sharpest minds provide fascinating insights into luck, randomness, risk and probability. From the secrets of coincidence to placing the perfect bet, the science of random number generation to the surprisingly haphazard decisions of criminal juries, it explores these and many other tantalising questions.Following on from the bestselling Nothing and Question Everything, this book will open your eyes to the weird and wonderful world of chance - and help you see when some things, in fact, aren't random at all.

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The Georgian era is known for its lavish fashions and sumptuous food, as well as being a time of great social and political change. It saw the birth of the Industrial Revolution, the abolition of the slave trade and the expansion of the British Empire throughout the world. It is also an era greatly associated with the Arts – prolific writers and artists such as Shelley, Wordsworth, Austen and Turner changed the British cultural landscape. History is not just about kings and queens, or battles lost and won, it is also about the way ordinary people lived and changed the world around them. Mike Rendell covers some of the weird and wonderful facts about the era, as well as debunking some of the myths, in easy-to-read, bite-size sections. Find out about the vicar who discovered aspirin and the man who made his fortune from a toothbrush, alongside the personal lives of the monarchy.

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Gregory Leadbetter’s first full collection of poems, The Fetch, brings together poems that reach through language to the mystery of our being, giving voice to silence and darkness, illuminating the unseen. With their own rich alchemy, these poems combine the sensuous and the numinous, the lyric and the mythic.Ranging from invocation to elegy, from ghost poems to science fiction, Leadbetter conjures and quickens the wild and the weird. His poems bring to life a theatre of awakenings and apprehensions, of births and becoming, of the natural and the transnatural, where life and death meet. Powerful, imaginative, and precisely realised, The Fetch is also poignant and humane – animated by love, alive with the forces of renewal. ‘The Fetch is a terrific, precise and dazzling collection. The whole book exemplifies a poetry of being that shows what is possible when we allow ourselves to be fully human in our perception and poetry.’ – David Morley

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Students of Christian spirituality often have an ambivalent attitude to primary sources from the past. On the one hand they are intrigued by the mysterious otherness' of their and the promise that this very otherness' my take them into exciting uncharted territory. On the other hand, they lack the confidence to navigate this territory, so that what begins as strangely intriguing can quickly become just too weird.'The SCM Reader in Christian Spirituality not only offers a collection of readings from the classic texts of Christian spirituality but also gives the reader a way into these texts that enables them to be received as living and relevant for both personal spirituality and ministry.An introductory section guides the student through the process and offers techniques for approaching these often ancient texts. The Reader then presents readings from the patristic to the end of the early modern period, encompassing both the Eastern and Western church traditions, group

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Many of us are quiet geniuses at the art of procrastination. We tend to feel so guilty about everything we haven’t done yet (and the hours frittered away as though we were immortal), we never get around to reflecting on why we delay and how we might do so less often. It seems as if we have procrastinated too much to deserve a new start. Far from it. As this book shows, procrastination isn’t a weird affliction we alone have been cursed with: it’s a fascinating and solvable design-flaw of the human animal. The goal is not to remove procrastination altogether (it sometimes has things to teach us), but to understand its roots and plot a nimble path around it. This is a book about managing our procrastination, getting the most out of our afternoons on the sofa and then sometimes daring to get on with the most important tasks in our lives.

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Like any country, the United Arab Emirates have had their share of criminals, accidents, natural disasters and downright weird incidents. Most of these events merit a few pages in the newspapers before disappearing from history. This book brings the tragic, strange and illuminating stories from the 1970s back to life in a compilation of 168 of the best, drawn from past UAE newspapers - UAE News, Emirates News, Abu Dhabi News and the Gulf Weekly Mirror. The common theme of the articles are that they have all had an impact on safety, security and stability of the UAE, and cover a vast range of topics from smuggling deaths to murders, from assassinations to plane hijackings, and from mermaid hoaxes to UFO sightings. Together, they provide a fascinating glimpse into the past, and many of the stories still resonate today.

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Einstein's theory of general relativity opens the door to other universes, and weird universes at that: universes that allow time travel, universes where you can see the back of your head, universes that spin and bounce or multiply without limit. The Book of Universes gives us a stunning tour of these potential universes, introducing us along the way to the brilliant physicists and mathematicians who first revealed their startling possibilities. John D. Barrow explains the latest discoveries and ideas that physics and astronomy have to offer about our own universe, showing how these findings lead to the concept of the "multiverse"—the Universe of all possible universes. New ideas force us to confront the possibility that our visible universe is a tiny region, governed by its own laws, within a Multiverse containing all the strange universes that could be—an idea that is among the most exciting and revolutionary in all of modern science.

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In the second book in the Time After Time series our favourite time-travelling best friends are back! What if something happened long ago that still makes you sad? Graham is Molly and Beth’s favourite uncle, so they really want to help him fix the past – and since the girls know of a mysterious door that can take them back in time, maybe they can! But how can they find who they’re looking for without apps or social media? And what will the girls make of the 60s, where the hairstyles are wild, the slang is weird and no one’s heard of ciabatta? And can they help Graham fix a friendship that was destroyed back in 1960? The girls soon discover that fun with friends is just the same whatever time you live in and that real friendship lasts forever – even when you’re apart. This is an exciting story about time-travel, family, friendship and love.

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Meet Suee: Twelve years old, wears her hair to the left in a point, favors a black dress, has no friends—and she likes it that way! When Suee transfers to the dull and ordinary Outskirts Elementary, she doesn’t expect to hear a strange voice speaking to her from the darkness of the school’s exhibit room, and she certainly doesn’t expect to see her shadow come to life. Then things start to get really weird: One by one, her classmates at school turn into zombie-like, hollow-eyed Zeroes. While Suee investigates why this is happening, her shadow gains power. Soon, Suee must confront a stunning secret that her shadow has been hiding under her own two feet—something very dark and sinister that could put Suee and her newfound friends at risk!

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In this third book in the series, Harley goes on a time-twisting adventure! On a school trip to the Inventia Jurassic Coast, Harley finds an unusual fossil. Has she discovered an entirely new species of dinosaur? Her class nemesis, Fenelda, doesn't believe it, so Harley decides to build a time machine to prove the discovery and win the 'best invention' competition. But messing around with time can have unexpected, dinosaur-size effects... Vashti Hardy’s immersive world building, cool science and tech, weird and wonderful inventions, warm and funny characters – all perfectly pitched for younger readers. A modern-day INSPECTOR GADGET meets THE WORST WITCH, with a STEM twist. Full of brilliant illustrations from George Ermos! Collect them all: Harley Hitch and the Iron Forest and Harley Hitch and the Missing Moon

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This book is about the weird and wonderful lesser-known ‘spirit’ entities of ancient Egypt –daemons, the mysterious and often fantastical creatures of the Egyptian ‘Otherworld’ – and the closely related spirits of the dead, which together conjure the excitement of all things otherworldly. Daemons and spirits are generally defined in Egyptology as creatures not of this world, which do not have their own cult centre, and both groups are frequently listed together in protective spells. This volume explores the general nature of daemons and spirits in ancient Egypt and discusses a selection in more detail: it uses artefacts from Wales’s important collection of Egyptian objects at the Egypt Centre at Swansea University, in which are to be found a dwarf daemon with sticking out tongue; several guardian daemons of the Otherworld; creatures who are part snake and part feline; spirits of deceased humans; and a Greek satyr Silenus, companion to the wine god Dionysus.

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There's a legend about the Watch House... Scrape beneath the whitewash and you'll find terror. You'll find him. Tynemouth, late 1970s. Christmas is coming and Front Street's swinging. But Anne, dumped here while her parents sort their divorce, isn't in the mood. She escapes to the castle, the Priory, and the beaches. Best of all, the Watch House. The old coastguard's place is packed with weird treasures and no one bothers her. Until lights start to flicker and something stirs in the dark nights... Buried deep in the past is a secret which now threatens everything. Only Anne can stop it. The Watch House is an epic new adaptation of Carnegie Medal-winner Robert Westall's original novel, from Olivier Award-winning theatre-maker Chris Foxon. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at Laurels Theatre in Whitley Bay, in December 2023.

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Terry Pratchett in his own wordsWith a foreword by Neil GaimanTerry Pratchett earned a place in the hearts of readers the world over with his bestselling Discworld series – but in recent years he became equally well-known as an outspoken campaigner for causes including Alzheimer’s research and animal rights. A Slip of the Keyboard brings together the best of Pratchett’s non fiction writing on his life, on his work, and on the weirdness of the world: from Granny Pratchett to Gandalf’s love life; from banana daiquiris to books that inspired him; from getting started as a writer to the injustices that he fought to end. With his trademark humour, humanity and unforgettable way with words, this collection offers an insight behind the scenes of Discworld into a much loved and much missed figure – man and boy, bibliophile and computer geek, champion of hats, orang-utans and the right to a good death.

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A sweet and gentle story about sisters, trust, parrots, disappearing . . . and doing the right thing. Eight-year-old Izzy is more curious, playful and clumsy than her serious, grown-up sister Carrie. In fact Izzy is much more like Gran, an eccentric scientist who has a house full of weird and wonderful pets. But when one of Gran's experiments backfires, Izzy discovers that she has the ability to become invisible! That is, unless Perky the parrot is perched on her shoulder, or she has one of his feathers safely stowed in her pocket. Yikes!While Gran searches for an antidote, Izzy explores her invisibility - to her and Perky's amusement - but Mum, Dad and Carrie aren't impressed. Can Izzy prove that she is using her invisibility to help those around her, and regain her sister's trust?

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A suspenseful and spooky series, perfect for fans of Goosebumps, from bestselling duo Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs.When a bullying incident sends twelve year-old Nico Holland over the edge of a cliff into the icy waters of Still Cove, where no one ever goes, friends Tyler and Ella – and even 'cool kid' Opal – rush to his rescue . . . only to discover an island hidden in the swirling mists below. Shrouded by dense trees and murky tides, the island appears uninhabited, although the kids can't quite shake the feeling that something about it is off. As the group delves deeper into the unknown, their discoveries – and their lives – begin to intertwine in weird and spooky ways. Something ancient has awakened . . . and it knows their wishes and dreams – and their deepest secrets. Do they have what it takes to face the shadowy things that lurk within their own hearts?Continue the chilling adventure with The Beast.

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The true story of an A&E doctor that became a huge word-of-mouth hit. Forget what you have seen on Casualty or Holby City, this is what it is really like to be working in A&E. Dr Nick Edwards writes with shocking honesty about life as an A&E doctor. He lifts the lid on government targets that led to poor patient care. He reveals the level of alcohol-related injuries that often bring the service to a near standstill. He shows just how bloody hard it is to look after the people who turn up at the hospital door. But he also shares the funny side – the unusual ‘accidents’ that result in with weird objects inserted in places they really should have ended up – and also the moving, tragic and heartbreaking. It really is an unforgettable read.

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Color a fun and fiendish kawaii world!Have a ghoulishly good day with the luminescent coloring pages of Manga Sparkle: Creepy Cute. If you're a fan of Japanese anime, manga, kawaii, or chibi art, you'll love this purple-accented coloring book full of lovable ghosts and diabolically cute demons. Grab your colored pens and pencils, sit for a spell, and add a dash of color to spooky treats, possessed toys, bewitched bunnies, and more! Get ready to embrace the weird and wonderful, from ghost kitties and vampire bats to friendly goth unicorns.- More than 45 illustrations of eerily adorable animals in magical settings - Easy-to-color art with purple accents for extra fun- Perforated pages make it easy to share your finished pieces with friends

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