Search results for ""Author Weird"

As long as humans have existed, they''ve had superstitions. From ancient mantras to lucky numbers, superstitions cover a broad range of lucky tricks, spells, rituals and old wives'' wisdoms to help ward away misfortune, and this book a tiny guide through that weird world.They may not always make a lot of sense, but it''s hard to argue with the power of a superstition - even non-believers find it hard to ignore a superstition once they''ve heard it. This book is packed with superstitions from around the world: learn how to ward off spirits in China, why you need to be careful with mirrors in Mexico and why you shouldn''t knit on your doorstep in Iceland. These superstitions are accompanied by trivia, facts and quotes from notable figures, making this the ultimate guide to superstitions... whether you truly believe them or not. Superstition is the reservoir of all truths.Charles Baudelaire, French poet (1821-1867)80 per cent.The percentage

Read more less

From the creator of Netflix original series Dead End: Paranormal Park comes the graphic novel series that started it all! “DeadEndia is immediately appealing with its colorful art, unique setting, and funny jokes, but I especially loved the complicated emotional arcs of the characters and the weird, spooky magic underlying everything!” —Molly Knox Ostertag, creator of The Witch Boy “Heart-warming, heartbreaking, heart-pounding, and heartfelt!" —Marika McCoola, The New York Times bestselling author of Baba Yaga’s Assistant Norma Khan has been split in two . . . literally! Dead End, the haunted hotel attraction at Phoenix Parks, has been rebuilt following the epic destruction that occurred there when Norma and her friends Barney and Pugsley saved the world. Unfortunately, Norma can’t keep herself together as a result. Not only is her friendship with Barney on the rocks, but she can’t seem to keep her own ghost inside her body. When Norma feels like she’s about to lose it all, her irksome friend and demon, Courtney, steps in to provide some unexpected support—though they are battling their own issues with identity and sense of belonging. Meanwhile, Barney can’t face going back to Phoenix Parks and is mourning the loss of his beloved friend Pugsley. When his boyfriend, Logan, urges him to get a job, an opportunity from the demon planes comes knocking, and soon Barney is climbing the ladder of success in the Demon Wrestling Federation. Barney’s glory in the ring quickly comes crashing down when the friends discover they’ve stepped into an eons old battle between the demons and the angels. Can they keep their relationships and sense of self intact while doing battle with the forces of good AND evil?Part workplace comedy, part supernatural horror adventure, with a splash of LGBTQ+ romance, The Broken Halo is perfect for fans of author Hamish Steele’s TV series Dead End: Paranormal Park who are in search of more adventures, for graphic novel lovers who want more diversity in their reads, or for anyone who has finished The Watcher’s Test and is ready for the next entry in the zany, creative, and laugh-out-loud funny world of DeadEndia.

Read more less

Michelle Wyatt's mum always joked with the family that if she ever developed Alzheimer's like her own mother-Michelle's grandmother-they should put her in a home and throw away the key. When she did ultimately succumb to the disease, the choice to put her in a nursing home became the only option. During the next six years, Michelle, a well-known television producer, visited her mum often while her dad kept a daily vigil in the nursing home.What Michelle and her family discovered throughout these challenging times was that allowing themselves to see the funny side of the weird and wonderful things they witnessed while visiting her mum made a difficult journey just that little bit easier.This memoir is a light-hearted but moving account of Michelle's experience with her mum's dementia-giving us an insight in how to cope compassionately, effectively and lastingly with a disease that affects over 850,000 people in the UK alone.

Read more less

Immerse yourself in the fascinating stories of ten real-life sea monsters, the myths and legends surrounding them, their discoveries and how they survive today.Around the world, sailors from ancient times onwards have told stories of colossal, deep-sea creatures that capsized ships and terrorised crews. Far from home, and often venturing into the unknown, it''s no wonder sailors put the dangers they faced down to the threat from sinister sea beasts. The oceans are mysterious places, and the deep-sea is one of the last places on Earth to be explored. So, while there may be no such thing as a sea serpent or mermaid, there are plenty of other weird and wonderful creatures lurking down there. Some of these real-life animals are the inspiration behind the sea monsters of myth. Others are so fantastical in their own right, it''s difficult to believe that they actually exist.This book brings together 10 real-life sea monsters, with fascinating facts, figures and fol

Read more less

They say, “Dogs are a man’s best friend.” True! But what if that man’s girlfriend/boyfriend, wife/husband, or mother-in-law has a cat? Is that the end for him? Is he resigned to an eternity of estrangement from this furry creature with which he shares his life partner, his favorite chair and his sock drawer? Now, famed comedian MIchael Showalter offers hope for men everywhere in their quest to understand and love cats in Guys Can be Cat Ladies Too: A Guidebook for Men and their Cats. In this intimate portrait of one man’s love for cats, you will learn the answers to burning questions such as: “Why are they all aloof and weird and stuff?” “They hate me, right?” “Is it true that they have 9 lives?” Armed with these and countless other valuable lessons, by the book’s end any guy can be on the fast track to becoming a cat’s best friend. Accompanied by hilarious info-graphic style illustrations, this book will serve as the ultimate guide to understanding cats.

Read more less

A friendly, accessible insight into the weird, but wonderful world of the bees you may find in your garden. From the common or garden bumblebees that nest in bird boxes, compost heaps and old mouse holes, making ‘Winnie the Pooh’ style honey pots to feed their babes, to the quirky wool carder bee; a solitary bee that combs the fluff from garden plants to line her brood cells and the amazing leaf-cutter bee that carves chunks out of plant foliage to seal its egg chambers. This book will reveal the secrets and fascinating lives of the bees that live and breed in your garden, from buzz pollination, to the bee robbers that cheat the plants and steal nectar by stealth. With a seasonal guide to explore what you are likely to see in your garden, great plants to grow to help them, plus other fascinating information on these secretive creatures, this book is designed to bring alive the world of garden bees before your very eyes.

Read more less

Not all history is recorded in school textbooks or cast into towering monuments that shape city skylines. Quite often the most intriguing (and most bizarre) bits are forgotten and fall away into obscurity. In this fascinating book, Jem Duducu shines light on the almost forgotten, wonderfully strange, and often hilarious moments of history that would otherwise be lost forever. Forgotten History tells in delightful detail the stories of hard-to-believe events, people and inventions. Spanning the breadth of human history, this light-hearted and easy-to-read book is full to bursting with the bits from history that even a history enthusiast may otherwise have never known. Covering a wide variety of topics, from the time a Pope put his dead predecessor on trial to the awkward moment when the US Air Force accidentally dropped nuclear bombs on Spain, Forgotten History provides a journey through time to discover the weird and wonderful history that you didn’t learn about in school.

Read more less

'Do you need a human in the first place? If you do, do not adopt a human on impulse. You may not get the right one for your lifestyle.'George the Cat is the feline world's favourite agony aunt. Now he brings us his irresistible, hilarious A-Z guide for fellow felines to help them navigate the human world, understand their sometimes weird and idiotic behaviour, and help turn human failings to feline advantages. Includes advice on how to move a sleeping human to the very edge of their bed, enjoy the use of their empty boxes before they're thrown out, and to get doors opened for you whether or not you have a private catflap.George also has a word of advice for humans: 'Don't let your cat get his paws on this book!'For fans of Secret Thoughts Cats Have About Humans and 100 Ways for A Cat to Train Its Human by Celia Haddon.

Read more less

From Scott Aukerman and the comedic geniuses who created the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast comes a book that brings the chaotic, hilarious, outrageous characters of the pod to the page In Comedy Bang! Bang!: The Podcast, Scott Aukerman transports readers inside the zany world of the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast. The book features brand-new anecdotes and opinions from the wild cast of recurring characters, and matches the show in tone and wackiness, with essays, lists, plays, nods to running bits, and four-color illustrations throughout, helping to bring the zany, satirical, undefinable world of Comedy Bang! Bang! to the page. The book is curated by Aukerman and includes introductions by comedy legend Patton Oswalt, Broadway phenom Lin-Manuel Miranda, and singer “Weird Al” Yancovik. It also features pieces from Bobby Moynihan, Andy Daly, Paul Brittain, Ego Nwodim, and many more, all reprising roles of characters they’ve created for the podcast, taking readers even deeper inside the lives of these off-the-wall personalities.

Read more less

An artful and timeless exploration of love, loss, grief, and family, How Jack Lost Time will appeal to readers of Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, and other picture books for older readers and adults. Jack is not like other sea captains. Fishermen say he’s weird, but Jack only cares about one thing: the grey whale with the scarred dorsal fin, the one who swallowed up his son, Julos, years before. Jack promises he will not come home without Julos, even if it means losing himself in the process. Then, on a night like any other, Jack sees something lurking around his boat. He throws himself into the whale’s dark mouth. But is he too late? Will his son recognize him after years of being alone? Poignant, original, and vibrant, this contemporary nautical fable journeys into the heart of the human spirit, and will move readers young and old. Winner of the 2019 Governor General’s Award for Youth Literature—French Language

Read more less

'If the road you came in on led through several hells and you walked it more alone than you’d ever want anyone to be, if you were a wolf who chewed off her own leg to escape where you started out, if you paved the road with broken things and crawled in on your knees, this is your book, full of your people. Welcome home.' REBECCA SOLNIT, author of Men Explain Things to Me 'Quite frankly, everyone should read The Misfit’s Manifesto. Inspired by her TED talk, Yuknavitch (who has truly been through the worst life can throw at someone) argues that the things which mark you out as different don’t need to be bad thing: they’re what make you, you. She’s a privilege to read.' Emerald Street 'It’s filled with stories of how our differences might unite us rather than divide us. We could use the misfit know-how just now, as the world has become pretty chaotic.' Metro A manifesto that makes a powerful case for not fitting in - for recognizing the beauty, and difficulty, in forging an original path from Lidia Yuknavitch, one of the most celebrated TED speakers and a writer heralded for her brave and experimental writing. A misfit is a person who missed fitting in, a person who fits in badly, or this: a person who is poorly adapted to new situations and environments. It’s a shameful word, a word no one typically tries to own. Until now. Lidia Yuknavitch is a proud misfit. That wasn’t always the case. It took Lidia a long time to not simply accept, but appreciate, her misfit status. Having flunked out of college twice, with two epic divorces under her belt, an episode of rehab for drug use, and two stints in jail, she felt like she would never fit in. She was a hopeless misfit. She’d failed as daughter, wife, mother, scholar – and yet the dream of being a writer was stuck like ‘a small sad stone’ in her throat.The feeling of not fitting in is universal. The Misfit’s Manifesto is for misfits around the world – the rebels, the eccentrics, the oddballs, and anyone who has ever felt like she was messing up. It’s Lidia’s love letter to all those who can’t ever seem to find the ‘right’ path. She won’t tell you how to stop being a misfit – quite the opposite. In her charming, poetic, funny, and frank style, Lidia will reveal why being a misfit is not something to overcome, but something to embrace.Lidia also encourages her fellow misfits not to be afraid of pursuing goals, how to stand up, how to ask for the things they want most. Misfits belong in the room, too, she reminds us, even if their path to that room is bumpy and winding. An important idea that transcends all cultures and countries, this book has created a brave and compassionate community for misfits, a place where everyone can belong.The Misfit's Manifesto is an inspiring read that will captivate readers as much as Brené Brown's Daring Greatly and Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic. 'I cried when I read Lidia Yuknavitch's The Misfit's Manifesto. Lidia has created a safe space for those of us that have never fit in, for whom the world often seems an impossible place. This remarkable book is a house for people that didn’t believe they had a home.'STEPHEN ELLIOTT, author of The Adderall Diaries 'This book will save lives.'CHELSEA CAIN, New York Times bestselling author 'The best characters are misfits. Lidia Yuknavitch is a conduit for these voices. The ultimate misfit, she’s a seer and a seed, brave and tender, humble and humanitarian, a poet in the ancient sense of the word. Thank the stars for her. And this book.'SARAH GERARD, author of Sunshine State 'This book is nothing less than a life-changer. Lidia Yuknavitch is a miracle of a writer who makes you see the messes we make as a deeper, richer, more ravishing way of being alive together.'CAROLINE LEAVITT, author of Cruel Beautiful World and the New York Times bestseller Pictures of You 'A beautifully written field guide to being weird.' Kirkus Reviews

Read more less

Meet Mia Macarooney, an ordinary eight-year-old who finds out she has an extraordinary super-secret in this first chapter book in the brand-new Mia Mayhem series!Mia Macarooney is a regular eight-year-old girl who finds out that she’s A SUPERHERO! Her life literally goes from totally ordinary to totally super when she’s invited to attend the afterschool Program for In-Training Superheroes a.k.a. THE PITS! And the crazy thing is, in a weird meant-to-be sort of way, all of this news somehow feels super right. Because all her life, Mia thought she was just super klutz...but it turns out, she’s just SUPER! So now, it’s up to Mia to balance her regular everyday life and maintain her secret identity as she learns how to be the world’s newest superhero! With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Mia Mayhem chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.

Read more less

Meet Mia Macarooney, an ordinary eight-year-old who finds out she has an extraordinary super-secret in this first chapter book in the brand-new Mia Mayhem series!Mia Macarooney is a regular eight-year-old girl who finds out that she’s A SUPERHERO! Her life literally goes from totally ordinary to totally super when she’s invited to attend the afterschool Program for In-Training Superheroes a.k.a. THE PITS! And the crazy thing is, in a weird meant-to-be sort of way, all of this news somehow feels super right. Because all her life, Mia thought she was just super klutz...but it turns out, she’s just SUPER! So now, it’s up to Mia to balance her regular everyday life and maintain her secret identity as she learns how to be the world’s newest superhero! With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Mia Mayhem chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.

Read more less

'Comyns's world is weird and wonderful . . . a neglected genius' LUCY SCHOLES, OBSERVER'A curious hybrid: a mixture of domestic disaster, social commentary, comedy, and romance . . . ' KATHERINE A. POWERS, BARNES & NOBLE REVIEW 'I defy anyone to read the opening pages and not to be drawn in, as I was . . . Quite simply, Comyns writes like no one else' MAGGIE O'FARRELL Pretty, unworldly Sophia is twenty-one years old and hastily married to a young painter called Charles. An artist's model with an eccentric collection of pets, she is ill-equipped to cope with the bohemian London of the 1930s where poverty, babies (however much loved) and husband conspire to torment her. Hoping to add some spice to her life, Sophia takes up with Peregrine, a dismal, ageing critic and comes to regret her marriage and her affair. But in this case virtue is more than its own reward, for repentance brings an abrupt end to the cycle of unsold pictures, unpaid bills and unwashed dishes . . .

Read more less

An award-winning engaging kids' guide to the official US state fossils. Did you know that Illinois's state fossil is the weird-looking Tully Monster, which had eyes on a pair of stalks and an elephant-like trunk that ended in a toothed claw? Or that Idaho's state fossil is the stocky Hagerman horse, named for the town where its bones were found? Fossils can be found in every state, and this engaging guidebook brings these ancient organisms to life. Each state entry contains details about the state fossil; an illustration of what the vertebrate, invertebrate, or plant looked like; a photograph or drawing of the fossil; and a state map showing where it can be found. Potential fossil candidates are proposed for states that do not yet have official state fossils, along with instructions on how to get state fossils designated. An appendix lists museums and parks where these fossils can be studied first-hand. This book is a fun resource for fossil enthusiasts and future paleontologists of all ages.

Read more less

Award-winning Filipino comic, and soon to be Netflix anime series! When dusk arrives in the city of Manila, that’s when you become the most likely prey of the underworld. Kidnappers and thieves will be the least of your worries. Beware the criminals that can’t be bound with handcuffs nor harmed with bullets. Beware the ones that crave for your blood, those who hold your heart ransom, and the ones that come to steal your soul. When crime takes a turn for the weird, the police call Alexandra Trese. Trese Vol 2 "Unreported Murders” contains four mysteries for Alexandra Trese to solve; including a murdered dwarven-creature, a police station held under siege by the undead, an elusive serial killer living in the sewers of the city, and an unassuming gated-community that’s willing to pay the price to live the privileged life. All the stories feature updated/re-mastered artwork, and a substantial bonus section about the monsters of Philippine myth, as told by its creators Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo!

Read more less

The new, hilarious yuri comedy! Hime gets roped into working at a weird café where the waitresses pretend to be students at an all-girl boarding school. She's strangely taken with her partner Mitsuki, who's so kind to her in front of the customers. There's just one problem...Mitsuki really can't stand her! Hime is a picture-perfect high school princess-she's admired by all and never trips up! So when she accidentally injures a café manager named Mai, she's willing to cover some shifts to keep her facade intact. To Hime's surprise, the café is themed after a private school where the all-female staff always puts on their best act for their loyal customers. However, under the guidance of the most graceful girl there, Hime can't help but blush and blunder! Beneath all the frills and laughter, Hime feels tension brewing as she finds out more about her new job and her budding feelings...

Read more less

Welcome to The Nothing to See Here Hotel! Book your stay now for this fabulously funny series full of mayhem, monsters and more than a little bit of magic by bestselling author Steven Butler and illustrated by Steven Lenton.Life is never dull for Frankie Banister and the weird and wonderful guests of The Nothing to See Here Hotel - the no.1 holiday destination for magicals! But when Frankie is kidnapped and dragged off to a secret cistern-city deep in the dookiest depths of the sewers, things get a whole lot weirder!What has Frankie done to offend the mysterious ‘Boss’? Is he doomed to spend the rest of his life griping in the piping? Will he ever escape the dark and disgusterous dungeons? And what exactly is the gut-gurglingly named Poodly-Pipe?One thing’s for sure, Frankie is going to have to outwit old enemies and rely on new friends if he ever wants to see his HONKHUMPTIOUS home again…PRAISE FOR THE NOTHING TO SEE HERE HOTEL series:'This book is so good you won't blunking believe it!' Tom Fletcher'Hilariously funny and inventive, and I love the extraordinary creatures and the one thirty-sixth troll protagonist...' Cressida Cowell'A rip-roaring, swashbuckling, amazerous magical adventure. Comedy Gold.' Francesca Simon‘This hotel gets five stars from me’ Liz Pichon'A splundishly swashbungling tale of trolls, goblins and other bonejangling creatures. Put on your wellies and plunge into the strangest hotel you will ever encounter. This is a hotel I hope I never find! Wonderfully, disgustingly funny.' Jeremy Strong‘What a fun hotel! Book me in immediately!’ Kaye Umansky‘Exuberant story and witty illustrations, this is my kind of book!’ Chris Riddell‘Giggles guaranteed’ Nick Sharratt

Read more less

Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? have sex? smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations. As Mary Roach discovers, it’s possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA’s new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

Read more less

Discover the scientific secrets of Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, and more in J. K. Rowling’s universe.Movie-goers and young readers the world over have been spellbound by the tales of “the boy who lived.” J. K. Rowling’s stories have conjured ideas of magic and sorcery into our minds like no other book series before. But nature is its own magic. And Muggle scientists have uncovered answers for the weird and wonderful questions from the magic world. Questions such as: Who was the real Merlin? Who really was the last great wizard? Do real-life love potions work? Platform 9¾: are there real hidden railway stations in London? And many more! The Super Cool Science of Harry Potter is for any young fan of Harry Potter. You don’t need to be a witch or wizard to weave your magical way through the facts about your favorite characters, potions, spells, and mysteries from the boy wizard’s world!

Read more less

The inside of Derren Brown's head is a strange and mysterious place. Now you can climb inside and wander around. Find out just how Derren's mind works, see what motivates him and discover what made him the weird and wonderful person he is today. Obsessed with magic and illusions since childhood, Derren's life to date has been an extraordinary journey and here, in Confessions of a Conjuror, he allows us all to join him on a magical mystery tour - to the centre of his brain... Taking as his starting point the various stages of a conjuring trick he's performing in a crowded restaurant, Derren's endlessly engaging narrative wanders through subjects from all points of the compass, from the history of magic and the fundamentals of psychology to the joys of internet shopping and the proper use of Parmesan cheese. Brilliant, hilarious and entirely unlike anything else you have ever read before, Confessions of a Conjuror is also a complete and utter joy.

Read more less

Bring the wacky and weird world of the Garbage Pail Kids into your tarot practice with this illustrated deck inspired by the iconic trading cards! Beloved for nearly forty years, the Garbage Pail Kids have shocked, delighted, and entertained fans through a trademark combination of gross-out humor, sharp wit, and amazing artwork. Now, tarot enthusiasts and card collectors alike can celebrate their Garbage Pail Kids fandom with this official GPK tarot deck. Sure to delight GPK fans, avid collectors, and tarot readers alike, Garbage Pail Kids: The Official Tarot Deck and Guidebook is the perfect addition to your home library! A MUST-HAVE FOR COLLECTORS: GPK fans will enjoy seeing fresh interpretations of classic characters such as Adam Bomb, Spacey Stacy, Rob Slob, and more. Every card is conceptualized and stunningly painted by fan-favorite artist Miran Kim, whose unique vision combines powerful mysticism with the beloved style of Garbage Pail Kids.

Read more less

There’s more to Michigan than beautiful forests, shuttered factories, and miles and miles of stunning shoreline. Armed with this offbeat travel guide, you’ll soon discover the strange underbelly of the Great Lakes State. Michigan has monuments to fluoridation, snurfing, the designer of the Jefferson nickel, and the once-famous Mr. Chicken, as well as festivals honoring tulips, Christmas pickles, and a 38-acre fungus. It’s where you’ll find the World’s Largest Lugnut, the Nun Doll Museum, Joe’s Gizzard City, the Teenie-Weenie Pickle Barrel Cottage, Howdy Doody, and Thomas Edison’s last breath. The state also has its share of weird history—it’s where Harry Houdini perished on Halloween night in 1926, where skater Tanya Harding’s posse whacked Nancy Kerrigan, and where the Kellogg brothers invented popular breakfast cereals and less-popular yogurt enemas. Along with humorous histories and witty observations, Oddball Michigan provides addresses, websites, hours, fees, and driving directions for each of its 450 entries.

Read more less

Twelve-year-old Maya is the only one in her South Side Chicago neighbourhood who witnesses weird occurrences like werehyenas stalking the streets at night and a scary man made of shadows plaguing her dreams. Her friends try to find an explanation - perhaps a ghost uprising or a lunchroom experiment gone awry. But to Maya, it sounds like something from one of Papa’s stories or her favourite comics. When Papa goes missing, Maya is thrust into a world both strange and familiar as she uncovers the truth. Her father is the guardian of the veil between our world and the Dark - where an army led by the Lord of Shadows, the man from Maya’s nightmares, awaits. Maya herself is a godling, half orisha and half human, and her neighbourhood is a safe haven. But now that the veil is failing, the Lord of Shadows is determined to destroy the human world and it’s up to Maya to stop him. She just hopes she can do it in time to attend Comic-Con before summer’s over.

Read more less

Lurking beneath Bath's genteel spa town facade is a tangle of hidden quirky lives and unusual events. Take Lola Montez, siren, harpy, courtesan, Royal mistress and Spanish dancer, born in County Sligo as Eliza Rosanna Gilbert. Her flamboyant lifestyle and turbulent private life had their roots in her time at a demure finishing school in Bath. Then there's the eerie tale of 'Lady Betty Cobbe's ghost', a bizarre Regency fable surrounding a spirit, a mysterious black ribbon, and accurate premonitions of death. A host of other strange people, such as Dr James Graham, who practised electrotherapy and advocated earth baths, and William Oliver the Viper Catcher, make up Bath's colourful cast of characters. Delving into Bath's peculiar history, Michael Raffael has gathered together a rich collection of stories about these weird individuals and their duels, telescopes, cakes, fizzy drinks, Bath Buns, Sally Lunns and plasticene. The result is a highly readable, eclectic compendium of curiosities that will appeal to Bath residents and visitors alike.

Read more less

Whether the heroes are tracking their quarry through the access tunnels beneath a space station's public corridors or looking for the source of weird alien tech in a hidden subterranean factory, no Game Master wants to spend time drawing every air recycler and trash compactor. Fortunately, with Paizo's latest Starfinder Flip-Mat, you don't have to! This line of gaming maps provides ready-to-use science-fantasy set pieces for the busy Game Master. This double-sided map features the maintenance tunnels and industrial machinery that fill the underbelly of a city or space station on one side and a futuristic, mechanized manufacturing plant on the other. Don't waste time sketching when you could be playing. With Starfinder Flip-Mat: Undercity, you'll be ready the next time your players delve beneath the streets!A special coating on each Flip-Mat allows you to use wet erase, dry erase, AND permanent markers with ease! Removing permanent ink is easysimply trace over any permanent mark

Read more less

''Armstrong has a good ear for dialogue, and the main characters, especially Jaime and Eve, stand out in full colour.'' - Winnipeg Free Press''The Women of the Otherworld universe has expanded and gained further definition with this latest entry. . . . If Kelly Armstrong writes it, then you should add it to your reading list if you want a darn good tale.'' - HuntressReviews.comNO HUMANS INVOLVED stars necromancer Jaime Vegas. She''s on a television shoot in Brentwood, Los Angeles when weird things start to happen. Invisible hands brush her arms, she sees movements out of the corner of her eye, unintelligible fragments of words are whispered in her ear. Jaime''s used to seeing the dead and hearing them clearly. But now, for the first time in her life, she knows what humans mean when they say they''re being haunted. Jaime is determined to get to the bottom of this, but she doesn''t realise how low her investigation will take her, or what hum

Read more less

Matt Riley takes us on a fascinating and bizarre behind-the-scenes journey into the weird and wonderful world of Thai football. Working as an English Media Officer in Thailand, Riley was given unique access, seldom granted to foreigners, to the country's most powerful clubs. Thai Football Tales: Beautiful Madness is a report on his time inside the Thai football bubble. From spending the afternoon with Bryan Robson in the Manchester United team hotel, to persuading a player stopping off in Bangkok on the way to sign for an A League club to abandon his journey and play in Thailand, no two days were ever the same. At a meeting in the northern city of Chiang Mai when helping a friend secure a coaching contract, the chairman Matt was negotiating with jumped into a cage to wrestle a tiger. And after interviewing the ‘King of Buriram’, Riley found his every move was being watched – and filmed! Thai Football Tales is a jaw-dropping first-hand account of a Westerner's experiences in a unique and colourful footballing culture.

Read more less

'Wonderful. You finish the book more alive than ever to the enduring mystery and miracle of that thing that makes us most human' STEPHEN FRY'Most popular books on language dumb down; Shariatmadari's smartens things up, and is all the more entertaining for it' THE SUNDAY TIMES, a Book of the Year'A meaty, rewarding and necessary read' GUARDIAN'Fascinating and thought-provoking . . . crammed with weird and wonderful facts . . . for anyone who delights in linguistics it's a richly rewarding read' MAIL ON SUNDAY - A word's origin doesn't tell you what it means today- There are languages that change when your mother-in-law is present- The language you speak could make you more prone to accidents- There's a special part of the brain that produces swear wordsTaking us on a mind-boggling journey through the science of language, linguist David Shariatmadari uncovers the truth about what we do with words, exploding nine widely-held myths about language while introducing us to some of the fundamental insights of modern linguistics.

Read more less

Winner of THE HW FISHER BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZESPECTATOR, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, TLS, FINANCIAL TIMES, GUARDIAN, DAILY MAIL and SUNDAY TELEGRAPH BOOKS OF THE YEAR'Imagine Wolf Hall rewritten by John le Carré ... gripping ... a rare achievement' Tom Holland, GuardianIt is 1501. Henry VII has won the throne of England through luck, guile and ruthlessness. But for many he remains a usurper. Now, his elder son is to marry, in a wedding upon which the fate of the country, and the entire Tudor dynasty, will hang ...'A masterpiece. Rich, resonant and utterly compelling' Helen Castor, Sunday Telegraph, Books of the Year'Gripping ... brilliant ... The enigmatic Henry is brought thrillingly to life as one of the most unlikely but tenacious kings ever to wear the English crown' Dan Jones, Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year'Thrilling and sinister' Simon Sebag Montefiore, Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year'Enthralling ... Penn captures the weirdness, the ferocity, and a glint of unexpected tenderness' The Times Literary Supplement, Books of the Year

Read more less

Filled with messy, complicated characters, We Are Mayhem is a debut YA novel about finding your strength, embracing your weird, and being who you truly are - no matter what.When Birdie's parents move the family from their gated New Jersey community to the Catskills, Birdie thinks life as she knows it is once againjust like it was when she quit gymnasticscompletely over. But when Birdie's friends ditch her during a dare gone wrong, she finds herself staring down the barrel of a shotgun wielded by Mad Mabel the Mother of Mayhem, and Birdie strikes a deal with Mabel to work off her crime.Abigail Rose, Mabel's granddaughter, is convinced that Birdiewhose big, strong arms have always felt like the bane of her existence is destined to help pull her family's male-dominated indie wrestling promotion in a more feminist direction. With no way to return to or escape her past and no clear course into her future, Birdie has to find a way to somehow make

Read more less

Chief Superintendent Philippe Maigret the most decorated police officer in Paris - has been given an undercover assignment by his friend, Christophe Saint-Valéry, the Minister of Police. He is to find an ancient grimoire an 18th Century book about witchcraft stolen from the Aix-en-Provence reference library some months ago. What a waste of the man's talent and courage, we might think. But that would be wrong! Someone is using the grimoire for a specific purpose, and animals are being killed in weird ways. How long before the perpetrator takes an even bigger step? Maigret and his English wife Meg have barely left Paris when they make a gruesome discovery, or rather their cat does, which changes everything: he must cooperate with the Gendarmerie: they are in their territory now. And that seriously upsets his professional balance. Is a month in a lovely cottage in Provence during springtime all expenses paid - really worth this amount of drama? However, more is

Read more less

Operating Instructions for the Millennial set: a fiercely honest account of becoming a mother before you're "ready."If you feel totally alienated by the cutesy, sanctimonious tone of the "motherhood industrial complex," this is the book for you.After getting accidentally pregnant in her twenties, Meaghan O'Connell realized that brutally honest, agenda-less resources on the emotional and existential impact of motherhood were nowhere to be found. In And Now We Have Everything, she offers a brave new perspective on the transition into motherhood. With her dark humor and a hair-trigger B.S. detector, Meaghan addresses the pervasive imposter syndrome that comes with unplanned pregnancy, the second adolescence of a changing postpartum body, the myth that giving birth is a "magical" experience, the problem of sex post-baby, the strange push to make 'mom friends', and the fascinating weirdness of stepping into a new, not-yet-comfortable identity. Addressing the fears and anxieties of Millennial women in an unflinchingly frank, funny, and visceral way, Meaghan fills a void in the discussion on motherhood, identity, what it means to be ready.

Read more less

Dive in and explore the ocean layer by layer in this tactile introduction to habitats, and the animals who live there, for the very young.Starting in the deepest parts of the ocean where no drops of sunshine can reach, there are weird and wonderful creatures who live there. Swimming up through the cold and salty water, look out for wide, open jaws and sharp, pointy teeth! On the way, spot the starfish, pass through the perfect place for whales to find food to eat until you reach the busy and bustling surface. Here you'll find bright coral reefs, colourful fish and ocean creatures.This innovative non-fiction board book series takes a key STEM topic for toddlers and gives it a fresh new life. Featuring bold and bright illustrations from Natasha Durley, the chunky, shaped pages allow little hands to investigate different animal homes. Ideal for fans of the Hello, World! series, Campbell's Busy series and Usborne's Peep Inside series.

Read more less

Discover the movies, celebrities, politicians, artists, writers and historical figures responsible for the world's most inspiring, amusing and just plain weird quotes.This multiple-choice card game is designed for history and pop-culture obsessives, as they battle to match quotes with the person who uttered (or penned) them. Packaged as 430 cards in a deck, this simple game can be played anywhere you''d like.An example round: a card is pulled that reads, The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. Players must decide if they would attribute this quote to A) Walt Disney, B) Barack Obama or C) Steve Jobs.If players said the answer on the back of the card (Walt Disney), they''ve got their first point. And so each round goes, with two to infinite players, until you reach the end of the playing deck when the player with the most points wins.This game will test your general knowledge as you uncover some of the best gaffes that modern history has

Read more less

There is something about a shapeshifter — a person who can transform into an animal — that captures our imagination; that causes us to want to howl at the moon, or flit through the night like a bat. Werewolves, vampires, demons, and other weird creatures appeal to our animal nature, our 'dark side,' our desire to break free of the bonds of society and proper behaviour. Real or imaginary, shapeshifters lurk deep in our psyches and remain formidable cultural icons.The myths, magic, and meaning surrounding shapeshifters are brought vividly to life in John B. Kachuba's compelling and original cultural history. Rituals in early cultures worldwide seemingly allowed shamans, sorcerers, witches, and wizards to transform at will into animals and back again. Today, there are millions of people who believe that shapeshifters walk among us and may even be world leaders. Featuring a fantastic and ghoulish array of examples from history, literature, film, TV and computer games, Shapeshifters explores our secret desire to become something other than human.

Read more less

From computer games to figurines and maid cafes, men called “otaku” develop intense fan relationships with “cute girl” characters from manga, anime, and related media and material in contemporary Japan. While much of the Japanese public considers the forms of character love associated with “otaku” to be weird and perverse, the Japanese government has endeavored to incorporate “otaku” culture into its branding of “Cool Japan.” In Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan, Patrick W. Galbraith explores the conflicting meanings of “otaku” culture and its significance to Japanese popular culture, masculinity, and the nation. Tracing the history of “otaku” and “cute girl” characters from their origins in the 1970s to his recent fieldwork in Akihabara, Tokyo (“the Holy Land of Otaku”), Galbraith contends that the discourse surrounding “otaku” reveals tensions around contested notions of gender, sexuality, and ways of imagining the nation that extend far beyond Japan. At the same time, in their relationships with characters and one another, “otaku” are imagining and creating alternative social worlds.

Read more less

Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ Set For Adaptation By See-Saw, Pure Fiction TelevisionCSI meets Harry Potter in this fantastic SPECIAL EDITION graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch, writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series! This Deluxe Writers' Edition presents the full script of the graphic novel along with the unlettered, full-color artwork, allowing the reader to read the original script and see the artwork side-by-side. Grant is part of a very special London police unit. Full-time cop and part time wizard he works on rather unusual crimes - those that involve magic and the general weirdness that permeates London's dark underbelly. His latest case begins with a perfectly innocent car on a homicidal killing spree - without a driver. But, before you know it, there's a Bosnian refugee, the Most Haunted Car in England, a bunch of teenagers loaded on Ketamine and seemingly-harmless wooden bench with the darkest of pasts...

Read more less

Winner of the Newbery Medal“A charming, intriguingly plotted novel.”—Washington PostNewbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly’s Hello, Universe is a funny and poignant neighborhood story about unexpected friendships. Told from four intertwining points of view—two boys and two girls—the novel celebrates bravery, being different, and finding your inner bayani (hero). “Readers will be instantly engrossed in this relatable neighborhood adventure and its eclectic cast of misfits.”—BooklistIn one day, four lives weave together in unexpected ways. Virgil Salinas is shy and kindhearted and feels out of place in his crazy-about-sports family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, brave, and secretly lonely, and she loves everything about nature. Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister, Gen, is always following her around. And Chet Bullens wishes the weird kids would just stop being so different so he can concentrate on basketball.They aren’t friends, at least not until Chet pulls a prank that traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at the bottom of a well. This disaster leads Kaori, Gen, and Valencia on an epic quest to find missing Virgil. Through luck, smarts, bravery, and a little help from the universe, a rescue is performed, a bully is put in his place, and friendship blooms. The acclaimed and award-winning author of Blackbird Fly and The Land of Forgotten Girls writes with an authentic, humorous, and irresistible tween voice that will appeal to fans of Thanhha Lai and Rita Williams-Garcia.“Readers across the board will flock to this book that has something for nearly everyone—humor, bullying, self-acceptance, cross-generational relationships, and a smartly fateful ending.”—School Library Journal

Read more less

Pack your brain with football fun and trivia ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup! Did you know? The world’s largest football shirt is over 80m long. In 2002, Australia won a World Cup qualifying game by 31–0. Danish referee Henning Erikstrup’s fake teeth fell out when he went to blow the final whistle. The youngest person to be signed by a football club was less than 2 years old. From record-breaking goals to the world's most extraordinary players, from stunning stadiums to weird and wonderful mascots, discover over 100 fascinating football facts, specially selected for readers aged 7. Look out for more Amazing Facts books:Amazing Facts Every 6 Year Old Needs to KnowAmazing Facts Every 7 Year Old Needs to KnowAmazing Facts Every 8 Year Old Needs to KnowAmazing Facts Every 10 Year Old Needs to Know

Read more less

Amaze your friends and take your next steps in STEM with these weird and wonderful experiments. You don’t need any special equipment to get started. Test your tastebuds with Sense-sational Science. Make some disgusting Ectoplasmic Gunk. Trick your friends with The Incredible Rubber Egg. Create your own Volcanic Eruption. Revolt your family with a Pus-filled Boil. There are clear step-by-step instructions and ‘Fact Files’ explain the science behind each experiment. Slimy science is freaky, fascinating and fun! INCLUDES THESE SLIMY EXPERIMENTS: Squidge ’n Sniff, Tricky Tastebuds, Bouncing Light, Mighty Magnifier, Floating Eyeball, The Incredible Rubber Egg, The Magic Ice Cube, Crystal Crust, Ghastly Gassy Creatures, Balloon Belcher, Slimy World, Volcanic Eruption, Underwater Fountain, Invisible Ink, Ectoplasmic Gunk, Jumping Bugs, Professor Brainstorm Cocktail, The Amazing Twister, Fake Fossil Footprint and Pus-filled Boil.

Read more less

Award-winning Filipino comic book and now Netflix anime series! When the sun sets in the city of Manila, don’t you dare make a wrong turn and end up in that dimly- lit side of the metro, where blood-sucking aswang run the most-wanted kidnapping rings, where gigantic kapre are the kingpins of crime, and magical engkantos slip through the cracks and steal your most precious possessions. When crime takes a turn for the weird, the police call Alexandra Trese. The Trese Volume 1-6 Box Set contains the first 6 volumes of the bestselling, critically acclaimed Filipino horror series, collected into an attractive box set compilation, and includes a folded bonus poster, featuring original box/poster designs by series artist Kajo Baldisimo. Each volume in the series features updated/remastered artwork, as well as extra material, including Alexandra’s journal entries chronicling her creature encounters and more.

Read more less

Archie McBudge knows his lucky underpants must really work, because when he and his mum are summoned to Honeystone Hall in the remote Scottish village of Dundoodle, they find Archie has inherited not only the enormous hall, but the whole of the world-famous McBudge Confectionery Company from Great-Uncle Archibald. That’s a new home, a fortune and a lifetime’s supply of treats rolled into one! But all is not well in Dundoodle, and when Archie reads the mysterious letter his great-uncle left him, he finds himself on a quest to save his family’s company from ruin. With the help of his new friends Fliss and Billy, Archie has to try to figure out the puzzles of Honeystone before his sweet future melts away like an ice lolly in the sun! Fans of How to Train Your Dragon and Tilly and the Time Machine will be hungry for this delicious mystery full of weird clues, strange creatures, malevolent relatives and lots and lots of SWEETS!

Read more less

It’s a race against time! Press play on Out of Time!, the fourth graphic novel in the awesome action-packed, New York Times bestselling series by YouTube’s favorite family of gamers, FGTeeV!The FGTeeV family gamers have survived their fair share of glitchy gaming consoles and weird goings-on. But when Duddz can’t stop gaming on his fancy new eWatch, the whole family winds up sucked into the watch and on a perilous adventure across space and time!To find their way home, Duddz, Moomy, Lexi, Mike, Chase, and Shawn are going to have to avoid being eaten by a T-Rex, win a joust against a brave knight, and fight angry space invaders! But when they meet a familiar face (ANOTHER Duddz?!), will they be able to return everyone to the right timeline before it’s too late?Game like you’ve never gamed before in the fun-filled fourth graphic novel adventure from YouTube sensation FGTeeV, with more than 41 MILLION subscribers and over 50 BILLION views!

Read more less

You’re entitled to your own opinion but not your own factsFantasy is the USA’s primary product. From the Pilgrim Fathers onward America has been a place where renegades and freaks came in search of freedom to create their own realities with little objectively regulated truth standing in their way. The freedom to invent and believe whatever the hell you like is, in some ways, an unwritten constitutional right. But, this do-your-own-thing freedom also is the driving credo of America's current transformation where the difference between opinion and fact is rapidly crumbling. So how did we get to this weird pseudo-reality, where science and objective facts are dismissed in favour of opinions and wild speculation, or indeed, fantasies? The post truth, fake news, free-for-all mentality isn’t exactly a new phenomenon. If you want to understand Trump's America, how the lines between reality and illusion have become dangerously blurred, you have to go back to the very beginning and take a dizzying road trip across five centuries of crackpot delusion and make-believe from Salem to Scientology.Fantasyland is a journey that connects the dots between crazed franchises of true believers – a rich freak show tapestry from Mormons to Flat-Earthers and satanic panic, new age quacks to anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists of every stripe, creationists to climate change deniers, UFO-obsessives to gun-toting libertarians, showmen hucksters from P T Barnum to Trump himself, all topped off with a dangerous dose of anti-government paranoia and pseudoscience. Along the way, New York Times bestselling author Kurt Andersen has created a unique and raucous history of America and a new paradigm for understanding our post-factual world.

Read more less

SOCIAL GAME – Would you rather compete in a three-legged race with JFK, Madonna, or Serena Williams? Well, that probably depends on what you’d have to do with the other two. Consider this ‘Kiss*, Marry, Kill’ for people who are tired of the same old options. HOW TO PLAY - Players draw 3 random ‘celebrity’ cards and 3 equally random ‘activity’ cards–then full-on debate about which would make the ideal pairings. There’s a catch though–you’re not deciding which ones you would pick, but what you think that round’s ‘judge’ would choose. Aka, you win points for knowing just how weird your friends are. PERFECT PARTY GAME - Bring Of ‘All The People’ to your next party and watch it be a guaranteed hit! You really think your friends would rather sit next to JFK on a 14 hour flight over Madonna? Play the game and find out! It's a game that will give you a night of hila

Read more less

UNICORN BOY is the first in a colourful, hilarious and heartwarming graphic novel series about a shy kid who unwillingly sprouts a unicorn horn and uses his newfound magical powers to help those in need! Perfect for fans of Jamie Smart or those moving on from Dog Man.''One of the best comics I''ve read in a long time! Imaginative, thrilling, and with so many surprising twists, everyone should be reading Unicorn Boy!'' - Jamie Smart, creator of BUNNY vs MONKEYThe first few years of Brian''s life were unremarkable - nothing weird about this kid, no sir. Then he found a bump on his head. And it grew ... And grew ... And grew... Into a full-blown, sparkling, SINGING unicorn horn! It was the last thing a shy kid like Brian could ever want - but destiny waits for no Unicorn Boy. And when shadowy creatures from another realm kidnap his best friend Avery, Brian must accept his fate as a hero and go on

Read more less

A play about grief and looking at someone that little bit more closely. Tom's brother Luke is dead. This has upset a lot of people but it hasn't upset Tom. Or, rather, it has upset him, but in ways he can't explain and other people can't understand. You see, Tom and Luke were never friends. In fact, Tom didn't really like Luke at all. So it's an odd decision - to try and bury Luke in the pavement of the Tunstall Estate where he was killed. But to Tom, it sort of makes sense, in a stupid-weird kind of way. As he sleeps out on the pavement, he comes across planning officials, tramps, undertakers, police officers, sisters, mothers, estate agents, ghosts, pavement elephants, sky dragons and a strange lad called Tight who wants to sell him a Travelcard. Written specifically for young people, Burying Your Brother in the Pavement was part of the 2008 National Theatre Connections Festival and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK.

Read more less