Search results for ""author weird"

Marijuana is the everyman drug. Teenagers surreptitiously toke on it, politicians refuse to inhale it, even your mum and dad have had a go. Marijuana is a mellow, let's put on a Barry Manilow CD, open a bottle of vino, and order a pizza drug. It's the easy drug. The no howling at the moon drug. No shooting up and losing your job.The Marijuana Chronicles presents 17 tales of the weird, wonderful and just plain stoned from some of the coolest most chilled out writers around. From drug busts to recipes, this is the stoner's definitive literary bible. Featuring brand-new stories by Joyce Carol Oates, Lee Child, Linda Yablonsky, Jonathan Santlofer, Thad Ziolkowski, Raymond Mungo, Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, Edward M. Gómez, Philip Spitzer, Dean Haspiel, Maggie Estep, Amanda Stern, Bob Holman, Rachel Shteir, Abraham Rodriguez, Jan Heller Levi, and Josh Gilbert. On the heels of The Speed Chronicles (Sherman Alexie, William T. Vollmann, Megan Abbott, James Franco, Beth Lisick, Tao Lin, etc.), The Cocaine Chronicles (Lee Child, Laura Lippman, etc.), and the The Heroin Chronicles (Eric Bogosian, Jerry Stahl, Lydia Lunch, etc.), comes The Marijuana Chronicles. Joyce Carol Oates, Lee Child, Linda Yablonsky, and other take short fiction to a higher level (though they don't inhale).

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The manga series that inspired the card game that swept the globe! Tenth-grader Yugi always had his head in some game—until he solved the Millennium Puzzle, an Egyptian artifact containing the spirit of a master gambler from the age of the pharoahs! Possessed by the puzzle, Yugi becomes Yu-Gi-Oh, the King of Games, and challenges evildoers to the Shadow Games…weird games with high stakes and high risks! In the ruins of Kul Elna, the village wherein the Millennium Items were made, Bakura prepares to complete a ritual that will unleash Necrophades…in the modern world! But if Yu-Gi-Oh changes the past, will the present change too, or is something stranger than time travel at work? * Triple the duels are rolled into this 3-in-1 edition of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! series—undivided and in its entirety for the first time! * Releases 4 times a year for 13 volumes. Series ends at volume 13. * Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game is the number one trading card game in the world. * The franchise is a $2 billion industry, with a top-rated TV show, trading cards, action figures, video games, and magazines. * Over 7.2 million Yu-Gi Oh! video games sold through in the US to date.* Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium Duels is available on XBox and Playstation. * Single volumes 1–38 have sold through over 880,000 copies (Bookscan, 2/17).

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We re living in a gig economy. But would you respond to an online ad seeking someone to search for escaped ants? Or take an offer for a free tattoo by someone who needs the practice? How about a mattress for sale tainted by geriatric love or a workout plan that involves throwing Virginia hams? And if you hit reply, and the poster is sketchy about the details or offers to pay you with a gift card for clams, how long would you keep the conversation going? When NYC copywriter Kelly Mahon started posting weird, fake gig ads as a creative outlet, she found that there was someone interested in every bizarre offer she came up with. And the subsequent awkward email threads were equally hilarious and bizarre. Race Me In A Lobster Suit collects Mahon s funniest fabrications, plus the hysterical email conversations that followed as she ratcheted up the crazy. While some respondants become suspicious, others seem willing to play along with the joke. And don t worry, everyone involved agreed to share their emails in the book, so there are no hard feelings. In a world where it seems like everyone s suspicious of everyone else, it s nice to know that there are still people who will at least consider helping a stranger reenact a recurring spider nightmare, or explain the principles of pig Latin to a baffled mother of three.

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The one where I become a mother...Charlotte Crosby is a woman of many talents - reality TV star, Celebrity Big Brother winner, businesswoman extraordinaire, Mastermind contestant - and now a mam!In the six years since her last memoir, the number 1 Sunday Times bestseller Brand New Me, Charlotte has been extremely busy. Leaving the bad boys of her past behind (what WAS she thinking?!), she has travelled the world, started a new family business, met the love of her life, dealt with cancer close to home, suffered the loss of her beloved Nana Jean, and had Alba, her perfect bundle of joy. Here, in Me, Myself and Mini Me, Charlotte talks us through the rollercoaster of these last few jam-packed years and opens up about the realities of pregnancy and parenthood. From dry vaginas and pre-natal depression, to 4am feeds and poo-namis, with her trademark warmth and humour Charlotte perfectly captures the weirdness and wonder of new motherhood.Packed full of heartfelt poems, flashbacks to hysterical life plans from years gone by, touching letters to her younger self, and lessons she has learnt along the way, Charlotte invites you to join her for the latest chapter of life in Crosby Manor.

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41 plants that will literally take your breath away. Or even eat you! There are many books about Plants. This title does not show the best known, but the most weird and phantastic ones. Welcome to this botanical garden, where human feet have not trodden for many years. Actually, one has-or rather a pair of them have. They belong to a passionate botanist who spends all his time in the company of flowers. He does not seem interested in people, as he feels himself to be a plant rather than a member of the species homo sapiens. He may seem strange-or even scary, like anything unknown-but rest assured that he is completely harmless just like his plants are . . . unless you’re a fly or a beetle, which his carnivorous plants love to eat, that is. No worries, those meat lovers might possibly snatch at your snack if you have a ham sandwich or a sausage in your bag, but that’s all. hough some of the plants from this forgotten botanical garden look predatory at first sight, even spooky, they are still just plants that can never catch you. Enough talking, though! Keep your hats on as our tour of the botanical garden begins . . .

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These projects are fun to build and fun to use Make lights dance to music, play with radio remote control, or build your own metal detector Who says the Science Fair has to end? If you love building gadgets, this book belongs on your radar. Here are complete directions for building ten cool creations that involve light, sound, or vibrations -- a weird microphone, remote control gizmos, talking toys, and more, with full parts and tools lists, safety guidelines, and wiring schematics. Check out ten cool electronics projects, including * Chapter 8 -- Surfing the Radio Waves (how to make your own radio) * Chapter 9 -- Scary Pumpkins (crazy Halloween decorations that have sound, light, and movement) * Chapter 12 -- Hitting Paydirt with an Electronic Metal Detector (a project that can pay for itself) Discover how to * Handle electronic components safely * Read a circuit diagram * Troubleshoot circuits with a multimeter * Build light-activated gadgets * Set up a motion detector * Transform electromagnetic waves into sound Companion Web site * Go to www.dummies.com/go/electronicsprojectsfd * Explore new projects with other electronics hobbyists * Find additional information and project opportunities

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This is a thrill-ride of an adventure, with illustrations by Ben Mantle bringing Boot's world to life. Fans of Toy Story and Charlie Changes into a Chicken will love this hilarious, warm-hearted story about a small robot on a big adventure, full of fun, friendship and a warehouse full of bouncy castles.'Fast, funny and furious. These are definitely my favourite robots.' Eoin ColferToy robot Boot has come a long way since it woke up in a scrapyard with only two and a half glitchy memories. It has a home with its robot pals in an abandoned amusement arcade, and has discovered what true happiness is - although it's still not sure why humans are so leaky and weird ... But when Boot and the gang stumble upon Rusty, an old, broken robot, forgotten in the back of a testing lab, it's time to spring into action. Boot knows there's something special about Rusty - but can they free the old robot and help it find its purpose?Illustrated throughout in glorious black and white by the award-winning Ben Mantle, this is an unforgettable tale of resilience and hope. Read more of Boot's adventures - shortlisted for the Sainsbury's Book Award - including Boot: small robot: BIG adventure and The Creaky Creatures.

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A School Library Journal Best Graphic Novel of 2019 A YALSA 2020 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers A YALSA 2020 Great Graphic Novel for Teens Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Roller Girl in this hilarious, one-of-a-kind graphic novel about a half-witch who has just discovered the truth about herself, her family, and her town and is doing her best to survive middle school now that she knows everything!Magic is harder than it looks. Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she’s about to discover that witches aren’t just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some eighth-grade bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens. It turns out that Founder’s Bluff, Massachusetts, has a centuries-old history of witch drama. And, surprise: Moth’s family is at the center of it all! When Moth’s new powers show up, things get totally out-of-control. She meets a talking cat, falls into an enchanted diary, and unlocks a hidden witch world. Secrets surface from generations past as Moth unravels the complicated legacy at the heart of her town, her family, and herself. In this spellbinding graphic novel debut, Emma Steinkellner spins a story packed with humor and heart about the weird and wonderful adventures of a witch-in-progress.

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'Very funny, moving and heartwarming' BOB MORTIMER'A bollockbuster!' ADAM BUXTONIf we are cowardly, we are told to grow someIf we're brave, we're said to have huge onesIf it's cold, they are liable to fall off - even if you're a brass monkeyIf we're in trouble, someone will threaten to break themIf we have to work hard, we might very well bust themIf we're in somebody's thrall, then they've got us by themAbout fifteen years ago, Richard Herring first took part in a campaign to encourage men to have a little (non-sexual) feel of their balls every now and again. But it was embarrassing and weird, and if there was something wrong, he didn't want to know about it.Anyway, that kind of stuff only happens to other people, doesn't it?At the start of 2021 Richard Herring was diagnosed with testicular cancer. For a man whose output includes a stand-up tour titled Talking Cock and who regularly interrogates our attitudes towards masculinity, it was a diagnosis that came with additional layers of complexity.Telling Rich's personal story alongside an exploration of what defines masculinity and 'maleness' in society, Can I Have My Ball Back? is not your typical cancer memoir. Whether they're nuts, bollocks, gonads or family jewels; from the phrase 'grow some balls' to infamous WWII songs about Hitler; Rich unpicks the tangle of emotions around his own testing times.

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Discover the weird and wacky history of the ancient Britons!Did the ancient Britons invent lego? Did aliens really land at Stonehenge? And just how did a plant help the Celts win battles?With an engaging question and answer format, this series draws young readers into the fascinating, sometimes gruesome, world of famous peoples and civilisations through history. Each spread opens with a simple question, opening up an exploration of an aspect of the life of a people or civilisation and busting some popular myths along the way!.The lively lay-out is supported by annotated photos and cartoons, making history fun and accessible for every young reader.Titles in the series: What happened to mummies' brains? And other questions about the Ancient EgyptiansDid the kings of Benin really keep pet leopards? And other questions about the kingdom of BeninDid the Celts really use hair gel? And other questions about the Stone Age, Iron Age and Bronze AgeWhy did the ancient Greeks use elephants in battle? And other questions about the ancient GreeksWhy did the Maya stick needles in their tongues? And other questions about the MayaDid the Romans really eat flamingos? And other questions about the RomansWhy did the Shang write on turtles? And other questions about the Shang Dynasty Did the Vikings really wear horns on their helmets? And other questions about the Vikings

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Discover the weird and wacky world of the ancient Greeks!Why did Minoans have strong ankles? How did an owl inspire a city? And why on Earth did the ancient Greeks exercise NAKED?With an engaging question and answer format, this series draws young readers into the fascinating, sometimes gruesome, world of famous peoples and civilisations through history. Each spread opens with a simple question, opening up an exploration of an aspect of the life of a people or civilisation and busting some popular myths along the way!.The lively lay-out is supported by annotated photos and cartoons, making history fun and accessible for every young reader.Titles in the series: What happened to mummies' brains? And other questions about the Ancient EgyptiansDid the kings of Benin really keep pet leopards? And other questions about the kingdom of BeninDid the Celts really use hair gel? And other questions about the Stone Age, Iron Age and Bronze AgeWhy did the ancient Greeks use elephants in battle? And other questions about the ancient GreeksWhy did the Maya stick needles in their tongues? And other questions about the MayaDid the Romans really eat flamingos? And other questions about the RomansWhy did the Shang write on turtles? And other questions about the Shang Dynasty Did the Vikings really wear horns on their helmets? And other questions about the Vikings

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'Like Sir David Attenborough, he has the rare ability to be an excellent communicator and has written an engaging book sprinkled with mind-blowing facts about the deep oceans' - Daily Express'A new informed perspective on the wide, watery world we inhabit' - Coast magazine 'Book of the month''The gripping story of how ocean science has advanced in recent years is captivatingly told by Jon Copley in this introduction to the deep ocean' - China Dialogue'Deftly conjures the wonders of a bathynaut's world' - NatureIt is often said that we know more about space than we do our own oceans, but is that really the case? Or do we in fact know a great deal more about the oceans than many people realise.The wellbeing of our oceans and the life contained within and around them has never been more important. But to truly understand the vital role they play, we need to first understand how the oceans work, how we explore them and learn about the mysteries they hold, and what our effect is on them.Between these pages is everything you need to know about our oceans, explained in 25 questions. Combining untold history of ocean exploration and personal account of what it's like to be a 'bathynaut' diving in a mini-submarine, Ask an Ocean Explorer brings to light weird and wonderful deep-sea creatures and how the oceans and their future is connected to our everyday lives.

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Chaim Caan was just out for a night of fun, blowing off some steam the way a young man will. After the better part of a year spent in COVID lockdowns, he was ready to let his hair down at a night club. But the young woman he encountered that night left him with something to remember her by: she turned Chaim into a vampire. Soon, Chaim finds himself thrust into a weird underground world of mysticism and enchantment as he navigates life as the newly undead, trying to reconcile his beliefs as an Orthodox Jew with the new reality that has been thrust upon him. He is forced to deal with a lot of change: to his body, to his mind, to his perceptions, to his relationships, and even to his world. He finds himself in parts of the world he had never dreamed of being in, and he finds himself doing things that he had never envisioned being a part of his life. And if he can come to terms with these changes, this mild-mannered young man might just find himself a hero. About 1636: The Devil's Opera, by Eric Flint and David Carrico: “Another engaging alternate history from a master of the genre.”—Booklist “. . . an old-style police-procedural mystery, set in 17th century Germany. . . . the threads . . . spin together . . . to weave an addictively entertaining story. . . . a strong addition to a fun series.”—The Galveston County Daily News

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A COSMOPOLITAN BEST NON-FICTION BOOK OF 2022 The Lonely Hunter explores the rise of singledom, the realities of loneliness, and whether it is possible to live contentedly alone. ‘So what’s going on in your love life?’ This seemingly innocent question at a dinner party prompted Aimée Lutkin to finally tell the truth: it had been six years since her last relationship, and she was starting to suspect that it would be better to accept the life she had as a single woman — a life she liked very much — rather than keep searching for a partner. But Lutkin’s answer was met with uproar; surely she couldn’t give up on love? So she threw herself into dating, going on two dates every week over a number of months. Documenting her experiences, Lutkin explores the reality of sexual relationships today and reveals how the cultural messages we receive shape our expectations of love. From weird Tinder hookups to the way the self care industry capitalises on our fear of being alone, and from the complexities of queer dating to the truth about the ‘loneliness epidemic’, she uses her experiences to fearlessly tell a wider story about how we love now.

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He's hot. He's young. He's also evil. He's ... the librarian. Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Glee! in this darkly comic horror.Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Glee! in this darkly comic story. Perfect for fans of Point Horror and R. L. Stine, as well as readers who like their horror and romance with a light-hearted touch. When Cynthia Rothschild’s best friend, Annie, falls head over heels for the new high-school librarian, Cyn can totally see why; he’s really young and very good-looking. But after meeting Mr Gabriel, Cyn realizes something isn’t quite right. Maybe it’s the creepy look in the librarian’s eyes, or the weird feeling Cyn gets whenever she’s around him. Before long Cyn realizes that Mr Gabriel is, in fact ... a demon. Now, in addition to saving the school production of Sweeney Todd from technical disaster and trying not to make a fool of herself with her own hopeless crush, Cyn has to save her best friend from the clutches of the evil librarian, who also seems to be slowly sucking the life force out of the entire student body!

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A nostalgic tome dedicated solely to subjective recollections of the thrilling drama of a cinema manager arranging cinema usherette rotas and checking choc-ice deliveries might not be expected to attract many readers. Yet weird stuff kept happening to Nick Scudamore doing just this. Here he offers a memoir of sticky seats and of scary situations; dead bodies, robberies, audience near riots, bizarre public misbehaviour, even the occasional celebrity. And remarkable movies from the 1970s and 1980s, from high end art-house all the way through to soft-core smut and teen-trash. Both as a memoir and as social history, this autobiography provides much of interest for both the contemporary film enthusiast as well as for the historically curious general reader. From 1979 to 1987 Nick served as manager to a series of art-house cinemas in London, the Screen on Islington Green and the Paris Pullman in Chelsea to name but two. The operational and economic context of films and the film business as a whole has changed so very much in the forty years since the events he remembers that it seems now worthwhile to record just a little of this pre-internet history before it fades from his memory.

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It is a fact universally acknowledged that the British are obsessed with the weather. This is not surprising as no country in the world has such unpredictable weather, with such power to rule people's lives. THE WRONG KIND OF SNOW is the complete daily companion to this national phenomenon. From the Spanish Armada to the invention of the windscreen wiper, each of the 365 entries beautifully illustrates a day in the weird and wonderful history of the British and their weather. 31 January: The Big Freeze of 1963 brings the FA Cup competition to a halt: every football pitch in Britain is frozen: the third round takes 66 days to complete: the Pools Panel is formed as a result. 9 February: British Rail blames the 'Wrong Kind of Snow'. It was a journalist's phrase, but on this day in 1991 it stuck to the beleagured BR like flesh to ice. 15 July: The exceptionally hot and steamy summer of 1858 caused the Great Stink of London, resulting in the building of London's sewage system, still in use today. On the same day in 1930, rainfall in Yorkshire was so heavy that the Whitby lifeboat makes a rescue two miles inland.10 September: A violent storm rather than British sea power defeats the Spanish Armada in 1588. Had the weather held and the fleet reached home, it would have been hailed as a Spanish triumph. Four centuries later, bad light and rain stop play at the Oval . . . And much much more.

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"The poems of Anthony McCann are beautiful, brutal, and unerring. They present us with, or return us to, a complicated, violent, poignant, weird, and mysterious world--a world which is very particularly his, and also our own, re-sung. For some time now I have believed McCann to be one of the finest poets writing today."--Maggie Nelson "McCann demonstrates that the truth surrounds us all; our best way of connecting with it is through compassion and love. With equal parts exuberance and dread, the speaker encourages us to 'waste the whole day feeling these things.'"--Boston Review Thing Music is full of flesh, of creatures tangled in their worlds. Marked variously by the desert and coastal landscapes of Southern California and the intersections of phenomenology and anarchism, these poems are porous bodies, traversed by light and noise. From "Mouth Guitar": Now the pulsing afternoon takes each belly in its hands lifts it up towards some glass and all that's inside While he crawled on with his body towards vengeance or the state Anthony McCann lives in Los Angeles and teaches in the University of California-Riverside's Palm Desert MFA program. He is the "Poet Laureate" of Machine Project, and also teaches courses at the California Institute of the Arts.

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If you love the tingle of chilli on your tongue, get stuck in to this celebration of the all-conquering capsicum – from mild varieties to red-hot peppers – served with a spicy side of trivia, tips and recipes Chillies originated in the Americas but they’ve now gone global, finding their way onto our plates and into our hearts. Whether you get your fix in the form of classic dishes, hot sauces or new culinary creations, chillies offer all kinds of pleasures and possibilities. This book is the perfect pocket guide to these wonders of nature, exploring how they became so widely loved, where their heat comes from, and how they can beguile and benefit our bodies. The Little Book of Chillies will give you a taste of the following and much more: Discover all kinds of fun chilli-related trivia, including how the Scoville scale is used to measure heat levels Trace the journey made by capsicums across centuries and continents Get the lowdown on world-famous chillies as well as the world’s hottest Marvel at the weird and wonderful uses of chillies, from powders and pickles to pepper spray Whip up a selection of recipes with a kick, from a terrific chilli con carne to adventurous dessert options

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Many Freemasons have made the world a better place, while some have been villainous criminals. Members of the Craft have developed forensic science, solved famous crimes and invented all manner of things. Several members of the Royal Family have also been members. Masons have been very active in the criminal justice system, both as 'goodies' and 'baddies': it was a mason who formed the Special Branch to fight terrorism and another who brought the Moors Murders to an end. In some cases, such as the Cleveland Street Scandal, masons found themselves on both sides of the law. The medical profession is also well represented in lodges. Happily, it was a member of the Craft who rescued the Elephant Man, while another masonic doctor was the first to identify an occupational cancer. On the other side of the coin, there have been several evil masonic doctors who committed murder, and one masonic surgeon may have committed regicide, although his motives were merciful. This tells the stories of weird and wonderful masons too - celebrities, film makers, soldiers, explorers, world-famous businessmen, politicians, forgers and scoundrels. There are masons of every character, and all are covered in this book.

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This is a practical guide to caring for your pet, in step-by-step photographs. Ideal for 5- to 9-year-olds, this delightful book will show young readers how to get the most out of being a thoughtful and responsible pet owner. It is packed with essential information and advice, from choosing the right goldfish and preparing a home for it, to feeding it and keeping it healthy. Children will be able to get to grips with the technical aspects of looking after fish, all demonstrated in more than 60 easy-to-follow pictures. There is more to keeping a goldfish than just providing it with a good home. Owning even the smallest pet is a big responsibility - but an enjoyable one. This fascinating book is a useful and accessible guide for young animal lovers on how best to care for their pet. It will tell them all they need to know about the different varieties that are available - from the exotic oranda to the weird and wonderful bubble-eye - where to buy them, when and what to feed them, and which is the best tank to use. Practical guidance is complemented by over 60 detailed photographs showing how to clean and maintain the tank, and even how to keep goldfish outdoors, making this the only book a junior fish keeper will ever need.

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'Truly a slice of magic and a work of imaginative genius.' StarburstA mind-bending mystery spanning continents and centuries for all fans of Neal Stephenson and David Mitchell.'A witty and weird tale with shades of both Philip K Dick, and Kieron Gillen/Jamie McKelvie's comic The Wicked + The Divine.' SFX'An experience that is both absorbing and emotional' SciFi NowMy obsession begins in the magical year 1967, at Luce and the Photons' legendary last secret gig. That night changes my life: I must know who Luce is. But the deeper I dig, the more questions I turn up. Is Luce a rock star or a pretender? An artist or an acid trip?My redemption . . . or my delusion?Drawn into the machinations of mysterious powers, I become the dark shadow who follows the light of Luce. But who follows me? Are they agents of evil or figments of my imagination? And do they follow me still?The quest for Luce will lead me to the farthest corners of the earth and into the deadliest danger. I will lose everything and everyone I love . . . except for Luce.Who is pawn and who is player? Murderer or victim? Betrayer or saviour?I am the only one who knows the truth.This is the truth.This is The Book of Luce.

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Statistical mechanics is our tool for deriving the laws that emerge from complex systems. Sethna's text distills the subject to be accessible to those in all realms of science and engineering -- avoiding extensive use of quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and molecular physics. Statistical mechanics explains how bacteria search for food, and how DNA replication is proof-read in biology; optimizes data compression, and explains transitions in complexity in computer science; explains the onset of chaos, and launched random matrix theory in mathematics; addresses extreme events in engineering; and models pandemics and language usage in the social sciences. Sethna's exercises introduce physicists to these triumphs and a hundred others -- broadening the horizons of scholars both practicing and nascent. Flipped classrooms and remote learning can now rely on 33 pre-class exercises that test reading comprehension (Emergent vs. fundamental; Weirdness in high dimensions; Aging, entropy and DNA), and 70 in-class activities that illuminate and broaden knowledge (Card shuffling; Human correlations; Crackling noises). Science is awash in information, providing ready access to definitions, explanations, and pedagogy. Sethna's text focuses on the tools we use to create new laws, and on the fascinating simple behavior in complex systems that statistical mechanics explains.

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When AA meetings make her want to drink more, alcoholic murderess Maeve sets up a group for psychopaths … The dark, unpredictable, electrifyingly original new thriller from critically acclaimed cult author Will Carver.‘Totally insane, and I mean that in the best of ways. Maeve is a brilliant character … Incredibly dark and very funny’ Harriet Tyce, author of It Ends at Midnight‘I fell in love with Carver's murderous Maeve. This is an Eleanor Oliphant for crime fans. Carver truly at his best’ Sarah Pinborough, author of Insomnia‘Another wild ride … a darkly delicious page-turner’ S J Watson, author of Before I Go To Sleep––––––––––––––Welcome to the Club…Maeve has everything. A high-powered job, a beautiful home, a string of uncomplicated one-night encounters. She’s also an addict: A functioning alcoholic with a dependence on sex and an insatiable appetite for killing men. When she can’t find a support group to share her obsession, she creates her own. And Psychopaths Anonymous is born. Friends of Maeve. Now in a serious relationship, Maeve wants to keep the group a secret. But not everyone in the group adheres to the rules, and when a reckless member raises suspicions with the police, Maeve’s drinking spirals out of control. She needs to stop killing. She needs to close the group. But Maeve can’t seem to quit the things that are bad for her, including her new man…A scathing, violent and darkly funny book about love, connection, obsessions and sex – and the aspects of human nature we’d prefer to hide – Psychopaths Anonymous is also an electrifyingly original, unpredictable thriller that challenges virtually everything.––––––––––––––––––‘Carver is a smart, stylish writer who has created a uniquely scary personality. We glimpse the world seen through the eyes of a grotesque character who is just normal enough to leave us entertained and disturbed in equal part’ Daily Mail ‘Wickedly fun’ Crime Monthly‘Will Carver’s most exciting, original, hilarious and freaky outing yet … I loved it’ Helen FitzGerald, author of Worst Case Scenario‘So in-your-face it’s almost claustrophobic, it’s also a compulsive and unforgettable reading experience’ LoveReading ‘Carver highlights the dark side of the current era, such as the negative consequences of ubiquitous online porn and society’s disregard for its outcasts … [a] powerful look into the abyss of a psychopathic personality’ Publishers Weekly‘Vivid and engaging and completely unexpected’ Lia Middleton, author of When They Find Her‘Dark in the way only Will Carver can be … oozes malevolence from every page’ Victoria Selman, author of Truly Darkly Deeply‘A wickedly dark and funny novel, with a protagonist you can’t help but root for’ Lisa Hall, author of The Woman in the Woods‘Move the hell over Brett Easton Ellis and Chuck Palahniuk … Will Carver is the new lit prince of 21st-century disenfranchised, pop darkness’ Stephen J. Golds‘Maeve is the best female fictional character since Marla Singer...’ Christopher HooleyPraise for Will Carver‘Cements Carver as one of the most exciting authors in Britain. After this, he’ll have his own cult following’ Daily Express‘A novel so dark and creepy Stephen King will be jealous he didn’t think of it first’ Michael Wood‘One of the most compelling and original voices in crime fiction … The whole thing feels like a shot of adrenaline’ Alex North‘Deliciously fresh and malevolent story-telling … If you like something fresh and unusual, grab this book’ Craig Sisterson‘Weirdly page-turning’ Sunday Times‘Laying bare our 21st-century weaknesses and dilemmas, Carver has created a highly original state-of-the-nation novel’ Literary Review‘Arguably the most original crime novel published this year’ Independent‘At once fantastical and appallingly plausible … this mesmeric novel paints a thought-provoking if depressing picture of modern life’ Guardian‘This book is most memorable for its unrepentant darkness…’ Telegraph‘Unlike anything else you’ll read this year’ Heat

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Whether you’re welcoming a new puppy into your family or want to help your best friend overcome fears or problem behaviors, internationally renowned dog trainer and best-selling author Kyra Sundance presents your essential reference for positive dog training. Using a visually driven, playful presentation, Dog Training 101 offers step-by-step instructions to train your pup to be a happy, attentive, and well-mannered canine. You will use positive training methods—including humane counterconditioning and positive redirection—to build a joyful relationship with your dog, who will become a willing partner in the process. Teach your dog basic commands, such as: Sit Down Stay Come Drop it Leave it Learn real-world tactics for managing common household problems, such as: Leash pulling Jumping on visitors Begging at the table Getting into the trash can Growling Peeing (submissive, excited, and marking) Kyra will also help you teach your pup to overcome common fears, among them: Loud sounds Being left alone Certain people Vacuum cleaner The bathtub This comprehensive guide also includes step-by-step advice for bringing a new dog into your household: preparing for a new dog’s arrival, tips for a smooth transition into the household, introducing him or her to your family, and acclimating your dog to his or her new world.Fun games you can play with your dog offer both opportunities for bonding and a chance to practice rules and boundaries within a defined structure. A “Good to Know” chapter offers an array of useful information, including the Heimlich maneuver for dogs, a list of weird things dogs do that are perfectly normal, and a list of common poisons. Bond with your dog as you strive toward common goals with Dog Training 101.Also by Kyra Sundance, learn to do even more with your dog with: 101 Dog Tricks; The Dog Tricks and Training Workbook; 51 Puppy Tricks; 10-Minute Dog Training Games; 101 Dog Tricks, Kids Edition; The Pocket Guide to Dog Tricks; Kyra’s Canine Conditioning; and The Joy of Dog Training.

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A dozen incredible stories about hockey’s legendary goalies, on and off the ice—including Carey Price, Marc-André Fleury, Roberto Luongo, and Henrik Lundqvist.“Hockey goaltenders have forever been thought of as unique, eccentric, weird and wacky. Also misunderstood. Randi Druzin’s Behind the Mask is a fascinating examination of a dozen of those who have played the position at the highest levels. This well-researched and well-written book is revealing and delightful at the same time.”—Roy MacGregorWhile his teammates rush up the ice in a coordinated attack, the goalie is alone in his net. And when the play turns back toward him, he's prepared to step in front of a frozen rubber disc traveling 100 miles an hour. He's the last line of defense in a pitched battle. The goalie stands apart, on and off the ice. Like the relief pitcher in baseball and the place kicker in football, he is a maverick.Behind the Mask profiles 12 legendary NHL goalies, emphasizing the traits that make each one unique. It blends accounts of the goalies on-ice exploits with anecdotes about their lives off the ice information gleaned from archival research as well as interviews with teammates, family members and the goalies themselves.The careers here cover the last half-century of professional hockey from the personal struggles of Roger Crozier and Ed Giacomin on their way to stardom in the 1960s, to the recent brilliance of Carey Price, whose character blends stoicism with a deep warmth and pride in his Indigenous background.Told with author Randi Druzin’s trademark mix of knowledge and wit, Behind the Mask has all the insight and color to make it a bestseller like her previous book on NHL goalies, Between the Pipes.Hockey goalies profiled include: Roger Crozier, Detroit Red Wings / Buffalo Sabres Rogie Vachon, Los Angeles Kings Gerry Cheevers, Boston Bruins Ed Giacomin, New York Rangers Tony Esposito, Chicago Black Hawks Vladislav Tretiak, Soviet Red Army Mike Palmateer, Toronto Maple Leafs Grant Fuhr, Edmonton Oilers Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks Marc-André Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins / Vegas Golden Knights Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

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THE TIKTOK SENSATION Meet BUNNY: the darkly funny, spellbinding trip of a novel that EVERYONE is talking about 'No punches pulled, no hilarities dodged, no meme unmangled. O Bunny you are sooo genius!' MARGARET ATWOOD We call them Bunnies because that is what they call each other. Seriously. Bunny. Samantha Heather Mackey is an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at Warren University. In fact, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort – a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other 'Bunny'. But then the Bunnies issue her with an invitation and Samantha finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door, across the threshold, and down their rabbit hole. Blending sharp satire with fairytale horror, Bunny provides a hilarious look at the dark side of female friendship from one of fiction's most original voices. 'The Secret History meets Jennifer's Body. Brilliant, sharp, weird... I loved it and I couldn't put it down.' KRISTEN ROUPENIAN 'Made me nod and cackle in terrified recognition.' LENA DUNHAM 'Hilarious, hallucinogenic freakery.' DAILY MAIL 'Cerebral and complusively readable.' VANITY FAIR

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In today’s world, science itself, which we are constantly being told is a neutral vehicle for wholly objective ideas and theories, is increasingly being hijacked and abused by the toxic modern cult of identity politics, of both left and right. But should we be too surprised by any of this? No, because this exact same sorry process has happened time and again before, under the rule of totalitarian political cults like the Nazis and the Soviets, both of which vigorously promoted various pseudoscientific theories of ‘Aryan Science’ and ‘Marxist Science’ on the sole grounds that they were ideologically correct as opposed to being factually so. Nazi racial pseudoscience and belief in nonsense like the ‘World Ice Theory’, which claimed that stars did not really exist and were actually just reflections of the sun off giant floating space-icebergs, were widely encouraged in the Third Reich, and used for long-term military weather-forecasting purposes. Likewise, the ideas of the renegade biologist Trofim Lysenko, who developed a deluded ‘anti-capitalist’ theory of genetics opposed to Darwin’s, were responsible for widespread famine in the USSR when Stalin allowed him to apply them practically towards the nation’s crop-harvests. Those academics and functionaries who disputed these clearly false pseudoscientific notions often found themselves in deep trouble – or, ultimately, dead. In this incisive and challenging study, author S.D. Tucker explores the often weird and fanciful theories that were proposed and took hold under these extreme regimes – and in doing so sends a word of warning to the modern world of the internet and social media where similar bizarre ideas are expounded and consumed with frightening gullibility. Everywhere from Western universities, schools and hospitals to Vladimir Putin’s Russia, absurd stories of sexist glaciers, racist gravity, socialist trees and NATO-backed mutant extra-terrestrial potatoes are being promoted as items of politically mandated scientific fact by compliant collaborators and credulous social media followers. Pseudoscientific narratives are even now used to justify the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, much as they were once used to justify the Nazi conquest of Europe or the spread of Communist revolution across the globe.

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Since 1973 KISS has recorded over 20 studio albums; been recognized as an innovator in rock presentations; witnessed a firestorm of rumors and controversies; remained a thorn in critics' sides; and continues to surprise its massive fan-following the KISS Army with various career twists and turns. Moreover many television shows movies toys and even comics have kept KISS a bigger-than-life name in entertainment for decades.ÞYet with all that has been written over the years there are subjects that fans have never put to rest when it comes to the hottest band in the land : What were the most significant concerts? Why did ÊPhantom of the ParkÊ turn out that way? What were the best ä and worst ä album covers? How did the comics come about? And what the heck is a deuce?ÞThese subjects and more appear in ÊKISS FAQÊ ä showcasing the good bad and the weird that has made KISS the legendary ultimate rock-and-roll party band still going strong after 40 years. Accompanying this entertaining work of solid rock scholarship are dozens of rare images ä from posters to live shots and beyond. Also included is a foreword by Bill Starkey the creator of the original KISS Army.

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From male bisexuality to religion in pop, Little Richard spent the 1950s pioneering ideas that are still too challenging for the mainstream. As a Black multimillionaire rock star, he was the most exciting person on the planet between 1955 and 1957, the years in which his seismic debut album was created. Featuring new interviews with famous fans including Sir Elton John, Dave Grohl, Joan Jett and Nile Rodgers, this is the first in-depth look at Here’s Little Richard since Richard Penniman’s death in May 2020. The book explores his roots in the queer underground of the American South, a scene so progressive you’d scarcely believe it thrived seven decades ago, and early rebel music such as jump blues, which soon collided with the emerging juggernaut that was rock’n’roll. When that weird alchemy occurred, the self-proclaimed Living Flame was ready to spark the likes of The Beatles, David Bowie and Prince into existence. Those close to the tale pinpoint the ways in which ‘Long Tall Sally’ and ‘Tutti Frutti’ remain omnipresent – and why the latter was the ‘WAP’ of its day. This is the story of how Little Richard changed the world in 28 minutes and 30 seconds. A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!

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Looking across the cultural landscape of the twenty-first century, its literature, film, television, comic books, and other media, we can see multiple examples of what Shelley S. Rees calls a “changeling western,” what others have called “weird westerns,” and what Michael K. Johnson refers to as “speculative westerns”—that is, hybrid western forms created by merging the western with one or more speculative genres or subgenres, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, and alternate history.Speculative Wests investigates both speculative westerns and other speculative texts that feature western settings. Just as “western” refers both to a genre and a region, Johnson’s narrative involves a study of both genre and place, a study of the “speculative Wests” that have begun to emerge in contemporary texts such as the zombie-threatened California of Justina Ireland’s Deathless Divide (2020), the reimagined future Navajo nation of Rebecca Roanhorse’s Sixth World series (2018–19), and the complex temporal and geographic borderlands of Alfredo Véa’s time travel novel The Mexican Flyboy (2016). Focusing on literature, film, and television from 2016 to 2020, Speculative Wests creates new visions of the American West.

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“Chickens are a lot more mainstream than veganism and a little bit like kombucha: super weird twenty years ago, now somewhat popular and made even more so by logos, brands, and hashtags.” So begins Gina Warren’s deep dive into the backyard chicken movement. Digging into its history and food politics, she provides a highly personal account of the movement’s social and cultural motivations, the regulations it faces, and the ways that chicken owners build community. Weaving together interviews with urban agriculture advocates, entrepreneurs such as a $225 per hour “chicken consultant,” animal rights campaigners, and a fabulous cross-section of chicken enthusiasts, Warren sheds light on Americans’ complex relationship with animals—as guardians, companions, and eaters—and what it means to be a conscious eater. As Warren chronicles her own misadventures raising chickens, her pursuit of what’s best for her own flock leads past chicken tutus and gourmet chicken treats and into serious attempts at sustainable eating, such as cooking insects and dumpster diving. The result is a fresh and charming story that speaks to backyard chicken owners, while also raising questions about sustainable farming, industrial agriculture, and our connections with the animals we love.

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"A world of green: a new and weird world of grim, dark shadows and frenzied activity; of conflicting sounds varying from the roar and thunder of overhead gantries, the sharp, shrill staccato beat of automatic hammers, to the echoing ring of steel upon steel, and the hollow wheezing and thumping of the hydraulic moulding machines".Starting as an apprentice at Bevan's foundry, Ieuan Morgan enters a new and testing world. His colleagues soon turn out to be his tormentors while life at home is not without its challenges. It is hard for the young man to sustain his dreams of one day being a writer, and of a better world. Things have to get worse before getting better so unemployment casts its long shadow over the town. But the lay-offs give the gifted Ieuan time to read and think and on a visit to the fair to meet Sally, a gentle, consumptiveyoung woman from the wrong side of the tracks.With this, his destiny changes course. Written with a deep authenticity born from bitter experience, William Glynne-Jones depicts life in the fictional town of Abermor and especially the daily grind of foundry life, in a workplace fraught with dangers. Farewell Innocence is a heartfelt and affecting account of a young man's rites of passage in hard times.

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Why are you wearing THAT?! Only joking, you look great! That's the title of this book, which is all about the clothes that people have worn throughout history. Once upon a time, humans didn't wear very much at all, except for the odd animal fur. Nowadays, we have all sorts of cool, weird and wonderful fashions. But how did these fashions develop? And where did they come from? How do people even make clothes? Read this book to find out the answers to these questions and much, much more! You'll learn about three-metre-wide skirts, shoes so pointy they need to be chained to your knees, sports team kits and the future of fashion. Why Are You Wearing THAT? A history of the clothes we wear is part of the Astro range from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Astro books are ideal for struggling and reluctant readers aged 7-11. Each book is dual-banded so that children can improve their fluency whilst enjoying exciting fiction and non-fiction relevant to their age. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and questions to support reading at home and develop comprehension skills. Interest age: 10-11 Reading age: 7-8 years

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Maths is all around us. From a single snowflake to the changing seasons; from our favourite songs to the buildings we live in, and even the way our planet spins through space. Don't believe it? Just open up this book and discover some of the weird and wonderful ways that maths affects our everyday lives. You'll also find out about some pioneering mathematicians - from Leonardo Fibonacci, who studied sequences in numbers and nature nearly 800 years ago, to Ada Lovelace, who helped to develop the first computer codes. You can even try some challenges yourself to help you master maths. One day, you could use maths to unlock more strange secrets of the universe! The Hidden Maths Inside Everything is part of the Astro range from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Astro books are ideal for struggling and reluctant readers aged 7-11. Each book is dual-banded so that children can improve their fluency whilst enjoying exciting fiction and non-fiction relevant to their age. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and questions to support reading at home and develop comprehension skills. Interest age: 9-10 Reading age: 7-8 years

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With contributions from twenty-three poets, three engineers, and over thirty musicians, Pink Thunder presents a musical and lyrical experiment by award-winning songwriter / composer Michael Zapruder, to see what happens when poems are sung instead of spoken. Potent with weird, funny, and singular possibilities, Pink Thunder's playful and startling songs take their form entirely from the shape of the poems from which they are made. The result is a collection of musical readings both compelling and surprising. You are invited to listen. This full-color hardcover book reproduces the poems in lush hand-lettered versions illuminated by Arrington de Dionyso. It also contains an artist’s statement by Michael Zapruder and an introduction by Scott Pinkmountain. In addition, it comes with a CD containing twenty-two tracks. The book also features photographs from the recording sessions and the Wave Poetry Bus Tour. A one-of-a-kind project with a unique design to match, Pink Thunder will undoubtedly change the way you both think about and experience poetry and music. Contributing poets include: Joshua Beckman, David Berman, Carrie St. George Comer, Gillian Conoley, Bob Hicok, Noelle Kocot, Dorothea Lasky, Brett Fletcher Lauer, Anthony McCann, Valzhyna Mort, Hoa Nguyen, Sierra Nelson, Tyehimba Jess, Travis Nichols, D.A. Powell, Matthew Rohrer, Mary Ruefle, James Tate, Joe Wenderoth, Dara Weir, and Matthew Zapruder.

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Australia -Culture Smart! appears on Oprah's Austalian Adventure! Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships. Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include * customs, values, and traditions* historical, religious, and political background* life at home* leisure, social, and cultural life* eating and drinking* dos, don'ts, and taboos* business practices* communication, spoken and unspoken Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers. Sunday Times Travel . . . the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries. Global Travel . . .full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas. Observer . . .as useful as they are entertaining. Easyjet Magazine . . .offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world. New York Times

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Football School Epic Heroes is part of the bestselling Football School series, which teaches you about the world through football, packed with superstar stories, fun facts and laugh-out-loud illustrations. Perfect for readers 7+ and recommended by the National Literacy Trust, BookTrust, the Premier League and parents and teachersCelebrate the greatest names and teams in football history with this collection of 50 true stories.Discover the greatest football moments of all time in this collection of 50 exciting stories, perfect for fans of Football School: Star Players. Discover the incredible stories of heroes such as Messi, Ronaldo, Klopp and Rapinoe, but also the tales of the dog that helped win the league for his team and the team who won the championship with the very final kick of the game. Bringing together the best names in the game with some truly weird, wonderful and hilarious occurrences, this book is a must-read for any young football fan.“We love this book series!” Match of the Day Weekly “Intelligent, inspiring, funny” Head of Education, Premier League Collect the series! Football School Season 1­–4 Star Players Epic Heroes Football School Terrific Teams 20 Fantastic Football Stories The Amazing Quiz Book The Incredible Joke Book The Ultimate Puzzle Book The Greatest Ever Quiz Book – out in 2022!

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The natural world is filled with diverse - not to mention quirky and odd - animal behaviors. Consider the male praying mantis that continues to mate after being beheaded; the spiders, insects, and birds that offer gifts of food in return for sex; the male hip-pocket frog that carries his own tadpoles; the baby spiders that dine on their mother; the beetle that craves excrement; or the starfish that sheds an arm or two to escape a predator's graps. "Headless Males Make Great Lovers and Other Unusual Natural Histories" celebrates this extraordinary world of animals with essays on curious creatures and their amazing behaviors. Marty Crump - a tropical field biologist well known for her work with the reproductive behavior of amphibians - examines here the bizarre conduct of animals as they mate, parent, feed, defend themselves, and communicate. Crump's enthusiasm for the unusual behaviors she describes - from sex change and free love in sponges to aphrodisiac concoction in bats - is visible on every page, thanks to her skilled storytelling. Steeped in biology, "Headless Males Make Great Lovers" points out that diverse and unrelated animals often share seemingly bizarre behaviors - evidence, Crump argues, that these natural histories, though outwardly weird, are successful ways of living. Illustrated throughout, "Headless Males Make Great Lovers" will enchant the general reader with its tales of blood-squirting horned lizards and intestine-ejecting sea cucumbers - all in the service of a greater appreciation of the diversity of the natural histories of animals.

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Finn and Explorer Troop 301 get trapped on a planet riddled with viral robots in the third book of this funny chapter book series based on the award-winning kids’ podcast!Finn’s best robot bud, Foggy, comes down with a weird virus while exploring a planet full of dancing robots. But he won’t let Finn help him. Foggy only wants to dance the Hokey Pokey with his new robot friends!Now Finn and Explorers Troop 301 have to find a cure before the robots attack. But can Finn also fix his friendship with Foggy? Or will his robot BFF stay on the two-stepping planet forever?Blast off into a brand-new adventure inspired by the popular award-winning kids’ podcast! Like the podcast, the books are sort of like Scooby-Doo meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in space. The story centers on Finn Caspian, an 8-year-old boy aboard The Famous Marlowe 280 Interplanetary Exploratory Space Station. He and his friends Abigail, Elias, and Vale are Explorers Troop 301, taking off from the Marlowe to explore uncharted planets, help the occasional alien, and solve a mystery that threatens to destroy the Marlowe.The books in this series are for kids ages 7 to 12 looking for a funny illustrated story to tear through. They contain no violence, a little bit of suspense, and some aliens who are real chuckleheads...

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The third in our award-winning Atlas series, following Dinosaur Atlas and Animal Atlas, Lonely Planet Kids’ Bug Atlas focuses on the magical miniature world of creepy crawlies. Continent by continent, we take a tour around the globe to uncover fascinating bugs, insects, scorpions, spiders and other icky things that live around, alongside - and often even on - us.Maps show where the critters live, while gatefolds and flaps open to reveal their wonderful, and sometimes very weird, mini lives. From spiders the size of dinner plates, stick insects as long as golf clubs and mega-ant colonies that stretch across countries to cannibal mantises, zombie ants, giant millipedes, beautiful butterflies, shiny iridescent beetles and more, this is a fascinating, in-depth exploration of the world of bugs.As with previous titles in this series, Bug Atlas features a mixture of art and photography, densely packed with information and illustrated with incredible images.Features include: Detailed maps of every continent showing where all the fascinating bugs live. Data boxes for each amazing species, listing its name, size, habitat, diet and more. Life-size elements, both big and small, showing you just how enormous a goliath-bird eating spider is (you don’t want to know) to tiny bugs that share our homes almost unnoticed. Incredible macro photography revealing the minute detail of these minibeasts Animal Adaptations – Showing how each species is perfectly adapted for its environment, including the amazing camouflage of leaf insects. About Lonely Planet Kids: Lonely Planet Kids - an imprint of the world's leading travel authority Lonely Planet - published its first book in 2011. Over the past 45 years, Lonely Planet has grown a dedicated global community of travelers, many of whom are now sharing a passion for exploration with their children. Lonely Planet Kids educates and encourages young readers at home and in school to learn about the world with engaging books on culture, sociology, geography, nature, history, space and more. We want to inspire the next generation of global citizens and help kids and their parents to approach life in a way that makes every day an adventure. Come explore!

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Culture has been referred to as a shared frame, the lens through which group members make sense of the world. It has been robustly linked to economic outcomes on the macro level and is also directly linked to decision-making: in recent years, experimental and behavioral economists have found evidence that culture impacts behavior in games and impacts value orientation, trust, fairness, cooperation and enforcement. Culture research in experimental economics is still in its early stages and part of the challenge is methodological and conceptual: how to measure culture and how to define the level at which individuals share a culture. In the coming years, this research will help delineate where the results from our current experiments apply. For example, do current results speak specifically to WEIRD (Western Educated Industrialized Rich Democracies) societies? Do they say something more fundamental about human nature across time, experience, and geography? With increasing migration and globalization, subject pools may become more culturally diverse and cultural questions therefore increasingly important for experimentalists. The contributions in this volume are both conceptual and experimental. The earlier chapters discuss new approaches to the measurement of culture and how to conceptualize and define values and beliefs and the groups that share them. The latter experimental chapters contribute to the growing body of literature that documents cultural differences in social and economic behavior.

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'Wide ranging, backed by science and research, informative and easy to understand, this is a great book for the sleep-deprived' Lisa Artis, The Sleep CouncilWhen was the last time you had a proper night's sleep?In today's fast-paced, non-stop world, research by the UK's Sleep Council has found that almost a third of us don't get enough sleep most nights. Insomnia can wreak havoc on everyday life - leaving us feeling exhausted, irritable and unwell. Lack of sleep has also been linked to a whole host of long-term chronic conditions including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity and depression.But don't despair - help is at hand! This book is packed with easy to read and simple to follow tips, as well as some weird and wonderful tricks, all gathered from expert scientific research, that will help you fall asleep and stay asleep. You may be surprised to learn that everything from having a purpose in life to warming your feet, from what you eat through the day to how you breathe, from how much time you spend outdoors to reframing your thoughts and mindset can all help you get a better night's rest.A good night's sleep can help change your life for the better, and this book will help you to achieve it.

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A wonderfully written and entertaining book which places Britain under the microscope and asks who we are today and how we’ve changed as a nation. ‘Entertaining and absorbing’ – The Sunday Times In 1841 there were 734 female midwives working in Britain, along with 9 artificial eye makers, 20 peg makers, 6 stamp makers and 1 bee dealer. Fast forward nearly two centuries and there are 51,000 midwives working in the UK and not an eye maker in sight! For the past two centuries, the National Census has been monitoring the behaviour of the British: our work-lives, homes lives and strange cultural habits. With questions on occupation, housing, religion, travel and family, the Census is a snapshot of a country at any given epoch, and its findings have informed the economy, politics and every other national matter for decades that followed. Now, for the first time ever, the Census findings of the past two centuries are collected in to a wonderfully written and entertaining book which places Britain under the microscope and asks who we are and how we’ve changed as a nation. On our occupations, our working lives, relationships; our quirks, habits, weird interests and cultural beliefs – this book takes the reader on a journey through the statistical findings of one of the most valuable pieces of ongoing historical research of modern times, and asks us what these fascinating numbers tells us about the Britain in the 21st century.

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LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2020 LONGLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE 2019 LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION 2019 LONGLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE 2019 SHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA CROWN AWARDS 2019 'A highly original novel' - Sunday Times, PAPERBACK BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2019 There is a space between life and death: it's called waxworks. Born in Alsace in 1761, the unsightly, diminutive Marie Grosholtz is quickly nicknamed 'Little'. Orphaned at the age of six, she finds employmet in Bern, Switzerland, under the charge of reclusive anatomist, Dr Curtius. In time the unlikely pair form an unlikely bond, and together they pursue an unusual passion: the fine art of wax-modelling. Forced to flee their city, the doctor and his protegee head for the seamy streets of Paris where they open an exhibition hall for their uncanny creations. Though revolution approaches, the curious-minded flock to see the wax heads, eager to scrutinise the faces of royalty and reprobates alike. At 'The Cabinet of Doctor Curtius', heads are made, heads are displayed, and a future is built from wax. From the gutters of pre-revolutionary France to the luxury of the Palace of Versailles, from casting the still-warm heads of The Terror to finding something very like love, Little is the unforgettable story of how a 'bloodstained crumb of a girl' went on to shape the world... 'Don't miss this eccentric charmer' @MargaretAtwood 'Absolutely brilliant' Susan Hill 'Rich and engrossing, there is an extraordinary potency to Carey's material ... A visceral, vivid and moving novel' GUARDIAN 'In this gloriously gruesome imagining of the girlhood of Marie Tussaud, mistress of wax, fleas will bite, rats will run and heads will roll and roll and roll. Guts'n'gore galore: I bloody loved it' SPECTATOR 'A tale as moving as it is macabre' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'One of the most original historical novels of the year... Macabre, funny, touching and oddly life-affirming, Little is a remarkable achievement' SUNDAY TIMES 'Beautifully published... poignant... absorbing' LITERARY REVIEW 'Clever and intriguing' DAILY MAIL 'Marie's story is fascinating in itself, but Carey's talent makes her journey a thing of wonder' NEW YORK TIMES 'By turns witty, ghoulish, poignant and curiously life-affirming, Little is a historical novel unlike any other' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE 'It is Carey's uniquely inventive style that makes this novel so completely, wickedly, addictive' BIG ISSUE 'Edward Carey is one of the strangest writers we are privileged to have in this country' OBSERVER 'Carey creates an indelible character in Little, sprinkles idiosyncratic drawings throughout and folds his narrative in cunning ways...' BBC 'Full of rich historical detail and beautiful illustrations ... a rare treat of a novel that will stay with you long after you turn the final page' HEAT 'Compulsively readable: so canny and weird and surfeited with the reality of human capacity and ingenuity that I am stymied for comparison. Dickens and David Lynch? Defoe meets Atwood? Judge for yourself...' Gregory Maguire, author of WICKED

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The waters around Australia, the world’s smallest continent, are home to the greatest diversity of sharks and rays on Earth. Fully 100 of these sea creatures (along with their little-known relatives, the chimaerids) have been named or described since the first edition of this book—the biggest revision of the Class Chondrichthyes since the time of Linneaus. This second edition of Sharks and Rays of Australia brings more than 300 of these species to life in newly commissioned, full-color illustrations.Here, in precisely painted detail, are the weird silvery ghost shark and the remarkably camouflaged ornate wobbegong; spurdogs and swell sharks; the primitive frilled shark and the blacktip, a fast swimmer capable of leaping out of the water like a dolphin. Peter Last and John Stevens review the major shake-ups in the elasmobranch family tree—sorting out, for instance, dogfishes and skates—and include updated family keys, the latest information about species ranges, and new distribution maps. Extensively revised species descriptions reflect additional fisheries and newly gleaned life history and biological information—all essential to conservation efforts as sharks die in commercial bycatches and end up on restaurant menus. An essential tool for conservation biologists trying to save threatened sharks, now under siege worldwide, this marvelous volume will also appeal to fish biologists, divers, naturalists, commercial and recreational fishermen, and anyone with an appreciation for these ancient evolutionary survivors.

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Benjamin Percy is a versatile and propulsive storyteller whose genre-busting novels and story collections have ranged from literary to thriller to postapocalyptic. In his essay collection, Thrill Me, he laid bare for readers how and why he channels disparate influences in his work. Now, in his first story collection since the acclaimed Refresh, Refresh, Percy brings his page-turning skills to bear in Suicide Woods, a potent brew of horror, crime, and weird happenings in the woods. A boy in his uncle’s care falls through the ice on a pond and emerges in a frozen, uncanny state. A group of people in therapy for suicidal ideation undergoes a drastic session in the woods with fatal consequences. A body found on a train and a blood-soaked carpet in an empty house are clues to a puzzling crime in a small town. And in a pulse-quickening novella, thrill seekers on a mapping expedition into the “Bermuda Triangle” of remote Alaska are stranded on a sinister island that seems to want them dead. In story after story, which have appeared in magazines including the Virginia Quarterly Review, Orion Magazine, McSweeney’s, and Ploughshares, Percy delivers haunting and chilling narratives that will have readers hanging on every word. A master class in suspense and horror, Suicide Woods is a dark, inventive collection packed to the gills with eerie, can’t-miss tales.

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This book is about having ideas and-a much longer haul-making them work. David Jones, best known for his Daedalus column, tells many stories about creators and their creations, including his own fantastical-seeming contributions to mainstream science-such as unrideable bicycles and chemical gardens in space. His theory of creativity endows each of us with a Random-Ideas Generator, a Censor, and an Observer-Reasoner. Jones applies the theory to a wide range of weird scientific experiments that he has conducted for serious scientific papers, for challenging printed expositions, and for presentations to a TV audience. He even suggests new ones, not yet tried! Creativity is as essential to science as curiosity, physical intuition, and shrewd deduction from well-planned experiments. But, says Jones, ingenuity is very uncertain-even for the greatest inventors, about 80 percent of ideas fail. Jokiness can help, and so can lots of random data. Jones has copious clever advice that will help you have that madly brilliant private thought in the first place-and will encourage you to take it further. Neither dense nor demanding, The Aha! Moment is engrossing, edifying, and scientifically serious; yet it is lightly written, has many jokes, and asks lots of silly questions. As Jones shows, it can often pay to take an absurd idea seriously.

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