Search results for ""Author Weird"
Chronicle Books Ben Y and the Ghost in the Machine: The Kids Under the Stairs
George meets Ms. Bixby's Last Day in this inspiring, heartfelt novel-in-verse, the second in a new series from bestselling author K.A. Holt. This second book in a new series by K.A. Holt will appeal to fans of House Arrest, Rhyme Schemer, and Knockout, in addition to fans of Jason Reynolds's Track series. Ben Y's just about had it with school. Every corner she turns, she’s being called "Benita," getting Dress Coded by Mr. Mann for some supposedly inappropriate item of clothing, or running into the ineffable, inescapable, indefinable Ace—who makes her feel weird, weirdly seen, and strangely at peace, all at once. Even her best buds—Ben B, Jordan J, and Javier; the kids under the stairs—are all far too content following the rules and making their school newspaper under the attentive direction of their beloved teacher, Ms. J. And home's no better. Last year, Ben Y's older brother died, and the family is still learning how to cope—if by coping you mean coming home to cry at lunch, or secretly building a friendship bracelet empire, or obsessively visiting a chatroom to talk to Benito's ghost. When Benito suddenly starts typing back, Ben Y must act. But what happens when those very actions make Ben Y's deepest secrets impossible to hide? Readers will easily identify with the variety of funny, authentic lovable characters—not to mention the emphasis on a Minecraft-like game and fun visuals like online chats and doodles. Parents, kids, educators and librarians alike will love the way the book celebrates all the different ways to be smart—and recognizes all the different ways it's hard to be a kid. With a lovable cast of characters and raw, authentic emotion, this heartwarming, laugh-out-loud novel-in-verse tells an honest story about friendship, family, and personal identity that celebrates different types of intelligence and shows how every kid deserves to become their own "divergent" self. NEW UNDERSTANDING OF IDENTITY: The main character in this book is struggling to figure out how she defines herself, both on the inside and to others. It's a struggle many young readers will recognize from their own experiences. FRIENDSHIP ISSUES: This book navigates the difficulty of changing friendships, particularly when a new friend joins the group. It's an issue nearly every kid goes through in middle school, and will ring authentic to all young readers. POPULAR AUTHOR: K.A. Holt's books have been nominated for awards in over 30 states. She is popular on the school speaking circuit and presents keynote speeches throughout the year and all over the world, making her a trusted name and a favorite for middle grade readers. PERFECT FOR RELUCTANT READERS: Fewer words on each page make this book engaging and approachable for all different types of readers. The characters in the book also struggle with reading, but they are not shamed or looked down on for it, so readers with similar difficulties will feel understood. NEWSPAPER THEME: The kids in this story work on their school newspaper, turning their tech skills into something their teachers approve of—and something that allows them to stand up for what they believe in. MINECRAFT APPEAL: The characters in the book play Sandbox, which readers will instantly recognize as a fictionalized version of the immensely popular Minecraft, a game with over 74 million monthly players. Playing Sandbox is depicted as both cool and educational, which will uplift rather than shame young readers for playing video games, and inspire parents, teachers, and librarians to consider non-traditional approaches to traditional school. Perfect for: • Fans and players of Minecraft and other video games • Reluctant readers • Fans of Kari Holt • Educators
£12.99
Little, Brown Book Group Festival of Death: A thrilling murder mystery set among the roaring crowds of Glastonbury festival (The Mindful Detective)
'Quirky, compelling and thoroughly enjoyable' Kate Ellis'A super start to the series' Frances Brody'An entertaining murder mystery . . . witty' L C Tyler 'This quirky, fast-paced crime mystery is magically entertaining' - Dundee Courier Live music... and explosive death in front of an adoring audience - welcome to the world of the Mindful Detective . . .When Ethan Flynn, charismatic vocalist of supergroup Stigma, is electrocuted by his own guitar in front of 175,000 witnesses on the Pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival, suspicion falls on his tyrannical twin, Tyrone.Leading the murder investigation is Buddhist detective, Vincent Caine, and his partner, DI Shanti Joyce. To Shanti's consternation the pair have become known as 'the go-to team for weird stuff in the West Country' and few crimes come weirder than this. Amidst the pulsating beats of the festival, the unlikely duo struggle to untangle the wildly conflicting statements of minders, lovers, drug-fuelled roadies, and dodgy divas.Against the mystical backdrop of Glastonbury Tor and the tiny Somerset village of Kilton, the terrifying trail leads Shanti and Caine from clairvoyant Tarot readings to the cryptic lyrics of a lost song, cunningly concealed by the tragic superstar.Can the unlikely mix of Shanti's down-to-earth pragmatism and Caine's intuitive sleuthing skills solve this most singular of murders? Is the future of the world's greatest festival in peril? And what happens when two consummate professionals are forced to share a tent in the steamy heat of summer?Praise for Festival of Death'... A quirky, surprising read... it transports you to the heart of Glastonbury festival... 5*' UK Crime Book Club '...Startlingly original and funny' Sidmouth Herald
£18.89
University of Minnesota Press Dark Scenes from Damaged Earth: The Gothic Anthropocene
An urgent volume of essays engages the Gothic to advance important perspectives on our geological era What can the Gothic teach us about our current geological era? More than just spooky, moonlit castles and morbid graveyards, the Gothic represents a vibrant, emergent perspective on the Anthropocene. In this volume, more than a dozen scholars move beyond longstanding perspectives on the Anthropocene—such as science fiction and apocalyptic narratives—to show that the Gothic offers a unique (and dark) interpretation of events like climate change, diminished ecosystems, and mass extinction.Embracing pop cultural phenomena like True Detective, Jaws, and Twin Peaks, as well as topics from the New Weird and prehistoric shark fiction to ruin porn and the “monstroscene,” Dark Scenes from Damaged Earth demonstrates the continuing vitality of the Gothic while opening important new paths of inquiry. These essays map a genealogy of the Gothic while providing fresh perspectives on the ongoing climate chaos, the North/South divide, issues of racialization, dark ecology, questions surrounding environmental justice, and much more.Contributors: Fred Botting, Kingston U; Timothy Clark, U of Durham; Rebecca Duncan, Linnaeus U; Michael Fuchs, U of Oldenburg, Germany; Esthie Hugo, U of Warwick; Dawn Keetley, Lehigh U; Laura R. Kremmel, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; Timothy Morton, Rice U; Barry Murnane, U of Oxford; Jennifer Schell, U of Alaska Fairbanks; Lisa M. Vetere, Monmouth U; Sara Wasson, Lancaster U; Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, Central Michigan U.
£97.20
Faber & Faber The Snow Ball: The Dazzling Christmas Classic
When Anna is kissed by a mysterious stranger at a NYE masquerade ball, a dance of seduction begins.'So original and refreshing.' Hilary Mantel'Brilliantly seductive ... A witty, sexy, sophisticated treat.' Sarah Waters'Superb ... Sheer artistic insolence.' Iris Murdoch'A great novel ... A swirling, sumptuous, sensual feast.' GuardianLondon, New Year's Eve. Snow falls on a Georgian mansion, vibrating with the festivities of a masquerade ball within. Middle-aged divorcee Anna stands alone - until the clock chimes midnight and a mysterious figure kisses her on the mouth. Thus begins a dance of seduction charged by clandestine romances swirling around them, whipping the ball into an frenzy of operatic proportions - until the night climaxes, revealing unease beneath the glitter ... A scandalous sensation in 1964, Brigid Brophy's The Snow Ball is ripe to seduce a new generation of readers.'I read it in one sitting ... Wonderful!' Claire-Louise Bennett'A feminist remodelling of libertine fervour and passion.' Eley Williams'One of the wittiest British writers of the past half century ... A comet in her day.' Terry CastleWhat Readers Are Saying:An ornate masterpiece. Sensual, wicked, clever; its dark heart glittering. So pleasurable and original and weird.Takes the heady, lusty, excitement that comes with new love and mingles it with the exuberance, decadence, and hedonism of NYE ... A short swirling treat.A perfect little masterpiece, an opera in paperback ... I was seduced and I hoped and I flinched and I laughed and I admired.The lovechild of Angela Carter and Virginia Woolf: trippy and fluid, existential and erotic, funny and witty: a hedonistic comedy of manners.I think I love this crazy little book .. Super sexy ... Made me hoot out loud with glee for the language and audacity.Oh man, this was a lot of fun. Such a strong sense of intelligence and wit behind every sentence.
£9.99
Baen Books Haunted by the Past
Ishmael Jones knows all there is to know about solving mysteries. Together with his love and partner in crimes, Penny Belcourt, he specializes in cases of the weird and uncanny. Lucas Carr went to Glenbury Hall, an old country manor house turned hotel. He signed in at reception, took his key, and went upstairs to his room. But he never got there. Somehow he vanished along the way, with not a single clue to suggest what might have happened to him. Lucas belonged to the same mysterious organization that employs Ishmael and Penny, so they are sent in to solve the mystery. But when they arrive at grim and isolated Glenbury Hall, they discover it has a reputation as one of the most haunted old houses in England. None of the usual headless monks or walled-up nuns—just stories of lost souls that dance with the statues in the grounds; doors that won’t stay shut, and rooms that aren’t always there; and something that prowls the house in the early hours, endlessly searching. They say . . . it crawls. Does Lucas’ disappearance have something to do with the organization or the Hall’s haunted past? Ishmael and Penny have to work their way through a series of mysterious clues and misleading suspects, uncovering secret after secret, before they finally arrive at a truth that no one suspected. The problem with history is that it’s not always content to stay in the past. Praise for Haunted by the Past: "The 11th book in Green’s fantastical mystery series pokes fun at the genre, with fun and plenty of cathartic resolution for readers who like rueful chuckles with their chills. Recommended for those who like antiheroes with more than a bit of snark."—Library Journal Praise for the Ishmael Jones series: “[A] brisk, breezy mystery series . . . With convincing supernatural twists [and] witty chapter titles . . . readers will be anxious for sequels.” —Publishers Weekly “A new book from Green is always a treat for SF and urban fantasy fans, because they know that in his fictional worlds things are never quite what they seem until it’s too late. His first foray into more traditional crime fiction (albeit with an otherworldy flavor) will delight mystery readers, especially those who relish a bit of genre blending.” —Library Journal “Without a doubt, this is one of the best books the author has ever penned down.” —The Gatehouse “I really enjoyed the book. If anything it was over too soon. The author captures the English Country Manor Murder Mystery feel very well, as he sets up pretty much everybody as a suspect . . . I look forward to finding out more in future volumes.” —British Fantasy Society “Ishmael is a wonderful character, an extraterrestrial living among humans, and the series (this is the third installment) is a clever mixture of thriller and SF-horror genres. Green is best known for the Deathstalker space operas, but give this one a few more installments to develop, and it could well become Green’s masterwork.” —Booklist, starred review “Lovers of high-quality fantasy and science fiction should make it a point to seek this guy out, if they haven’t already.” —Booklist “This relatively new series is a wonderful balance of murder mystery and urban fantasy with a sci-fi twist . . . If you enjoyed Green’s previous books or if you are looking for a classic mystery with a modern twist, this is the series for you!” —That’s What I’m Talking About “Ishmael Jones is one of the most underrated series’ ever and I haven’t found one book in the series yet to disappoint . . . I can’t recommend this book and this whole series enough!” —Tiny Book Reviews Praise for Jekyll & Hyde Inc.: “This book is hard to put down. It is exciting from start to finish, with thrills and monsters waiting behind every dark corner.” —San Francisco Book Review "Green transforms Robert Lewis Stevenson’s classic horror novel into the launch pad for an exciting adventure. He takes readers through a romp involving multiple horror classics, updated to the twenty-first century in an amusing and entertaining read." —Ricochet "There’s something about Green’s dark humor that sucks me into many of his books. And, as violent and gory as this book is, it’s really about a good man striving to stay good in the worst circumstances." —Lesa's Book Critiques “It has all the grim and all the dark of many of the author’s previous series.” —Reading Reality Praise for the Deathstalkers series: “Green moves his plot at top speed, and his characters are alive and his background solid.” —Asimov's SF Magazine “An over-the-top masterpiece that veers between brutal comedy and touching riffs on love, loyalty and betrayal . . . bloody funny and extremely bloody.” —The Guardian “Space opera at its action best. The novel is populated with heroic figures reminiscent of Lancelot and Arthur and villains that make Darth Vader seem like a nice person . . . Once again, Simon R. Green has written a work that will appeal to Star War fans.” —Midwest Book Review “A guaranteed blood-and-thunder romp, shot-through with broad swathes of fashion parody, a sustained piss-take on ‘lives of the Rich and Famous’ and the occasional lance of satire. This last is refreshing stuff. It’s mostly aimed at Dictatorship, Fascism, Established Religion, the Toadying Media and so-forth—and it’s nice to find an author who knows that laughter is the most destructive weapon to aim at a repressive establishment. In short, very violent, very funny, very good.” —Infinity Plus About Simon R. Green: “Simon R. Green is a great favorite of mine. It’s almost impossible to find a writer with a more fertile imagination than Simon. He’s a writer who seems endlessly inventive.” —Charlaine Harris “A macabre and thoroughly entertaining world.” —Jim Butcher, on the Nightside series “Nobody delivers sharp, crackling dialogue better than Green, and no one whisks readers away to more terrifying adventures or more bewildering locales.” —Black Gate Magazine “As quintessentially British as fish and chips!” —SF Site “Simon R Green is one hell of a consistent writer—if you like your Fantasy /SF served with lashings of pulp mayhem, dollops of snarky characters and big piles of extreme gore, violence and horror. Mmm tasty.” —Fantasy Book Review UK “Simon R. Green is one of my all-time favorite writers and I haven’t read a book of his that I haven’t devoured. I hope he has many more years of writing left in him and suggest that if you need a fix, pick up his Ishmael Jones books.” —Crooked Reviews “A splendid riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, conveyed with trademark wisecracking humor, and carried out with maximum bloodshed and mayhem. In a word, irresistible.” —Kirkus, starred review on Night Fall “[F]or those who want a fantasy-genre mash-up that doesn’t slow down.” —Booklist on From a Drood to a Kill
£9.11
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Pickleball Is Life: The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Obsession
The ultimate keepsake for every pickleball fan—from a dink shot to the kitchen, everything a pickleballer needs to know in this fully illustrated guide to the world’s greatest recreational sport, packed with lots of joy, good humor, and even a little bit of wisdom.Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. Easy to learn, but impossible to master, it’s no wonder that nearly 5 million people nationwide have picked up their paddles and taken to the court. But people aren’t just dabbling in this up-and-coming activity, they are obsessed; some hit the court as many as five, six, even seven times a week. As Vanity Fair put it, pickleball has “won over everyone, from Leonardo DiCaprio to your grandparents.”Pickleball Is Life is the first book of its kind celebrating the weird and wonderful world of pickleball. It will take readers on a journey from the sport’s quirky origins to its modern-day cult following. Along the way, visual info graphs and illustrations will share even more pickleball knowledge, including etiquette tips, a DIY court, obscure rules, and pointers for (good-natured) trash talk. Also included are interviews with members of the three founding families from Bainbridge Island who are still very much involved in the sport and its growth.People of all ages, athletic abilities, and backgrounds have fallen in love with pickleball. Sure, it’s a good workout, but it’s also a cheerful way to interact with others—something folks crave now more than ever. So, whether they’re uninitiated or obsessed, this book will help readers find even more to love about the world’s greatest sport.
£12.99
New York University Press The Forbidden Body: Sex, Horror, and the Religious Imagination
From creature features to indie horror flicks, find out what happens when sex, horror, and the religious imagination come together Throughout history, religion has attempted to control nothing so much as our bodies: what they are and what they mean; what we do with them, with whom, and under what circumstances; how they may be displayed—or, more commonly, how they must be hidden. Yet, we remain fascinated, obsessed even, by bodies that have left, or been forced out of, their “proper” place. The Forbidden Body examines how horror culture treats these bodies, exploring the dark spaces where sex and the sexual body come together with religious belief and tales of terror. Taking a broad approach not limited to horror cinema or popular fiction, but embracing also literary horror, weird fiction, graphic storytelling, visual arts, and participative culture, Douglas E. Cowan explores how fears of bodies that are tainted, impure, or sexually deviant are made visible and reinforced through popular horror tropes. The volume challenges the reader to move beyond preconceived notions of religion in order to decipher the “religious imagination” at play in the scary stories we tell over and over again. Cowan argues that stories of religious bodies “out of place” are so compelling because they force us to consider questions that religious belief cannot comfortably answer: Who are we? Where do we come from? Why do we suffer? And above all, do we matter? As illuminating as it is unsettling, The Forbidden Body offers a fascinating look at how and why we imagine bodies in all the wrong places.
£25.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Alright, Alright, Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused
The definitive oral history of the cult classic Dazed and Confused, featuring behind-the-scenes stories from the cast, crew, and Oscar-nominated director Richard Linklater.Dazed and Confused not only heralded the arrival of filmmaker Richard Linklater, it introduced a cast of unknowns who would become the next generation of movie stars. Embraced as a cultural touchstone, the 1993 film would also make Matthew McConaughey’s famous phrase—alright, alright, alright—ubiquitous. But it started with a simple idea: Linklater thought people might like to watch a movie about high school kids just hanging out and listening to music on the last day of school in 1976. To some, that might not even sound like a movie. But to a few studio executives, it sounded enough like the next American Graffiti to justify the risk. Dazed and Confused underperformed at the box office and seemed destined to disappear. Then something weird happened: Linklater turned out to be right. This wasn’t the kind of movie everybody liked, but it was the kind of movie certain people loved, with an intensity that felt personal. No matter what their high school experience was like, they thought Dazed and Confused was about them.Alright, Alright, Alright is the story of how this iconic film came together and why it worked. Combining behind-the-scenes photos and insights from nearly the entire cast, including Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and many others, and with full access to Linklater’s Dazed archives, it offers an inside look at how a budding filmmaker and a cast of newcomers made a period piece that would feel timeless for decades to come.
£12.99
HarperCollins Publishers Once Upon An Algorithm
A brand new spicy STEM romance for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Sally Thorne! What do you do when your mortifying Friday night blind date is sitting opposite you at your desk on Monday morning? A hot blind date in Paris with no strings? Practical Leonie would never do such a thing! But when a new dating app that uses science and logic leads her to gorgeous, so-not-her-type Jack the chemistry is off the charts. Only, when the morning after proves that opposites definitely don’t attract, Leonie is relieved they never need to see each other again. Until she starts her new job and there he is, sitting in the boss’s office, the man behind the best and worst night of her life. Readers are obsessed with Once Upon An Algorithm ‘A delightful and engaging romantic novel that adds a fresh and modern twist to the world of love and algorithms.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Freaking PERFECTION. 10/10. This was just so so good. I couldn’t get enough of it and wanted a thousand more pages of this.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Trust me when I say you won't regret reading Once Upon An Algorithm and I hope you cherished their love story as much as I did.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'As someone who works on a SaaS product in real life, although as a marketer, it was almost weird (in a good way) to be placed in a setting that's so familiar. I'm used to not understanding much of what they professionally talk about in STEM romances, so it was fun to be on the other side this time.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
£9.99
Everyman Chess A Disreputable Opening Repertoire
A highly adventurous repertoire designed to meet 1 e4 with 1...e5 and take the initiative! The main problem Black faces in answering 1 e4 with 1...e5 is the plethora of opening systems available to White: the Ruy Lopez, Giuoco Piano, Scotch, Ponziani, King's Gambit, Vienna, Bishop's Opening and so on. Each is likely to be White's pet line, which usually means conducting the chess battle on the opponent's turf. One solution is to study the main lines of all these openings and hope to remember what to do if they appear on the board. Another, more enterprising approach is to turn the tables and make White fight on your territory. Adopting the latter course, CC-SIM Jonathan Tait shares their investigations into a myriad of disregarded, "disreputable" responses, which can set White thinking as early as move three. These lines are greatly under-estimated by contemporary theory and include weird and wonderful variations such as the Calabrese Counter-Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 f5), the Wagenbach Defence to the King's Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Nf3 h5), the Romanishin Three Knights (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Bc5), the Two Knights Ulvestad Variation (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 b5) and ultra-sharp lines of the Jaenisch Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 f5). The theory of the variations in this book is generally poorly understood. This has made them successful at all forms of play, including against online computer-assisted assault.
£19.99
Abrams Let the Monster Out
An equal parts heart-pounding and heartfelt middle-grade mystery about facing––and accepting––your fears, perfect for fans of Stranger Things and The Parker InheritanceBones Malone feels like he can’t do anything right in his new small town: He almost punched the son of the woman who babysits him and his brothers, he’s one of the only Black kids in Langille, and now his baseball team (the one place where he really feels like he shines) just lost their first game. To make matters worse, things in town are getting weird. His mom isn’t acting like herself at all—she’s totally spaced out, almost like a zombie. And then he and his brothers have the same dream—one where they’re running from some of their deepest fears, like a bear and an eerie cracked mirror that Bones would rather soon forget.Kyle Specks feels like he can never say the right thing at the right time. He thinks he might be neurodivergent, but he hasn’t gotten an official diagnosis yet.His parents worry that the world might be too hard for him and try to protect him, but Kyle knows they can’t do that forever. Even though he’s scared, he can’t just stand by and do nothing while things in this town get stranger and stranger, especially not after he and Bones find a mysterious scientist’s journal that might hold answers about what’s going on.But when faced with seemingly impossible situations, a shady corporation, and their own worst nightmares, will Kyle and Bones be brave enough to admit they're scared? Or will the fear totally consume and control them?
£12.99
New York University Press The Forbidden Body: Sex, Horror, and the Religious Imagination
From creature features to indie horror flicks, find out what happens when sex, horror, and the religious imagination come together Throughout history, religion has attempted to control nothing so much as our bodies: what they are and what they mean; what we do with them, with whom, and under what circumstances; how they may be displayed—or, more commonly, how they must be hidden. Yet, we remain fascinated, obsessed even, by bodies that have left, or been forced out of, their “proper” place. The Forbidden Body examines how horror culture treats these bodies, exploring the dark spaces where sex and the sexual body come together with religious belief and tales of terror. Taking a broad approach not limited to horror cinema or popular fiction, but embracing also literary horror, weird fiction, graphic storytelling, visual arts, and participative culture, Douglas E. Cowan explores how fears of bodies that are tainted, impure, or sexually deviant are made visible and reinforced through popular horror tropes. The volume challenges the reader to move beyond preconceived notions of religion in order to decipher the “religious imagination” at play in the scary stories we tell over and over again. Cowan argues that stories of religious bodies “out of place” are so compelling because they force us to consider questions that religious belief cannot comfortably answer: Who are we? Where do we come from? Why do we suffer? And above all, do we matter? As illuminating as it is unsettling, The Forbidden Body offers a fascinating look at how and why we imagine bodies in all the wrong places.
£72.00
HarperCollins Focus Work from Home: A Coloring and Activity Book for Grown-ups (LOL as You WFH)
Remote employees, put your stress on mute with this hilarious grown-up coloring and activity book all about the joys and challenges of working from home. Farewell, fluorescent lights! So long, cubicle maze! The people have spoken and the work-from-home lifestyle is here to stay. Work from Home: A Coloring and Activity Book for Grown-Ups (LOL as You WFH) is perfect for anyone who knows and loves the wonderful (and at times wonderfully weird) experience of remote work.Hand-drawn quotes, hilariously relatable cartoons, and tons of activities from Mad Libs to word searches commemorate the fun and quirky parts of working from home such as: Baking sourdough between emails Vacationing for free via your screensaver Finally learning what your dog does all day Not needing a designated driver for after-work happy hour on Zoom Making work calls from your parked car so your kids don't interrupt The exhilarating liberation from office small talk Let your anxieties go as you enjoy these in-person features: Convenient lay-flat binding so you can color anywhere (not that you get out much) Perforated pages and a cover with gold foil embellishments High-quality stock paper—heavy enough to handle pencils, markers, or those pens you stole from the office For everyone who used to procrastinate about folding their laundry and now folds their laundry to procrastinate, let's admit it: It's been a long day. Why not commute from your kitchen table to your couch, take a deep breath, and color for a while? Because it turns out screen time might be a little overrated after all.
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Do You Speak Football?: A Glossary of Football Words and Phrases from Around the World
'At last, the definitive guide to football phraseology across the world... Sparky and very funny' – Paul Hayward 'Amusing and informative in equal measure' – Oliver Kay, The Athletic ‘A wonderful, endlessly delightful book’ – When Saturday Comes A new edition of an expertly compiled and utterly fascinating compendium of the weird and wonderful words and phrases used to describe football around the world. In this revised glossary of football words and phrases, discover the rich, quirky and joyously creative global language used by fans, commentators and players. From placing a shot 'where the owl sleeps' in Brazil, to what it means to use your 'chocolate leg' in the Netherlands, via 'Anglican' – a phrase adopted by Czechs to describe a disputed goal – and the now ubiquitous 'it's coming home', this comprehensively researched book entertains and informs in equal measure. Discover why a 'café crème' is more than a classic bistro order, what it means when an Indian coach uses his 'brain weapon' and why Dundee United supporters should keep their heads down in Nigeria. With over 750 terms from 89 countries (including 29 ways to describe a nutmeg), this is the definitive guide to the global language of football. ‘Funny, erudite, rich in detail and endlessly readable. Perfect for anyone who thinks they already know about the language of football’? Barney Ronay, The Guardian ‘A reminder that there are few better means of celebrating both our differences and similarities than the game of football’ ? The Guardian ‘Quirky, addictive, stuffed with anecdote, it's far more than a glossary … The writing is precise, light and often lovely. A treat’ ? Jonathan Northcroft, Sunday Times ‘A fascinating and necessary work’ ? Jonathan Wilson, founder of The Blizzard ‘Ein super Buch!’ ? Raphael Honigstein, The Athletic ‘Funny, informative and truly global’ ? 11Freunde
£12.99
Wave Books Madness, Rack, and Honey: Collected Lectures
This is one of the wisest books I've read in years...--New York Times Book Review No writer I know of comes close to even trying to articulate the weird magic of poetry as Ruefle does. She acknowledges and celebrates in the odd mystery and mysticism of the act--the fact that poetry must both guard and reveal, hint at and pull back...Also, and maybe most crucially, Ruefle's work is never once stuffy or overdone: she writes this stuff with a level of seriousness-as-play that's vital and welcome, that doesn't make writing poetry sound anything but wild, strange, life-enlargening fun. -The Kenyon Review Profound, unpredictable, charming, and outright funny...These informal talks have far more staying power and verve than most of their kind. Readers may come away dazzled, as well as amused...--Publishers Weekly This is a book not just for poets but for anyone interested in the human heart, the inner-life, the breath exhaling a completion of an idea that will make you feel changed in some way. This is a desert island book. --Matthew Dickman The accomplished poet is humorous and self-deprecating in this collection of illuminating essays on poetry, aesthetics and literature...- -San Francisco Examiner Over the course of fifteen years, Mary Ruefle delivered a lecture every six months to a group of poetry graduate students. Collected here for the first time, these lectures include "Poetry and the Moon," "Someone Reading a Book Is a Sign of Order in the World," and "Lectures I Will Never Give." Intellectually virtuosic, instructive, and experiential, Madness, Rack, and Honey resists definition, demanding instead an utter--and utterly pleasurable--immersion. Finalist for the 2012 National Book Critics Circle Award. Mary Ruefle has published more than a dozen books of poetry, prose, and erasures. She lives in Vermont.
£17.99
Springer International Publishing AG On the Inside of a Marble: From Quantum Mechanics to the Big Bang
Keeping in mind that we can only see the universe from the comfort of our home galaxy, Bascom begins his text by meticulously laying the necessary groundwork to understand the Big Bang’s mathematics without using any equations. He then paints a freeze-frame picture of our universe as if we had taken a three-dimensional picture with a giant camera. Within this picture, he traces forces beginning with the smallest (a single atom) to the biggest (the cosmos), keeping in mind that in this frozen moment everything further away from the observer spatially is also further away from the observer in time; that is, older. Soon a very real and very vivid image of the Big Bang appears (especially in things that are loud or hot), echoing down through time and into our everyday lives, reflected in every atom during every measurement. Then, slowly but deliberately, Bascom unfreezes this picture, ratcheting each moment from one to the next, showing us how and why quantum particles are constantly in contact with the Big Bang and why that allows the particles to pop in and out of existence from moment to moment, what a photon is, and what exactly we mean when we say that free space has energy. Whether you’re interested in the Big Bang, the weirdness of quantum mechanics, or simply enjoy thinking about the biggest, loudest, and oldest things in our universe, this book will help you question your deepest notions about time and space, while staying firmly rooted in empirical observation. Throughout the text, Bascom sidesteps traditional non-fiction modes, using colorful explanations and vivid imagery to place the reader in simultaneous contact with both the Big Bang and fundamental particles. As a result, Bascom provides the tools and language necessary to contemplate the strangeness of our universe.
£24.30
Little, Brown Book Group Solstice of Death
'Quirky, compelling and thoroughly enjoyable' Kate Ellis'A super start to the series' Frances Brody'An entertaining murder mystery . . . witty' L C Tyler'This quirky, fast-paced crime mystery is magically entertaining' - Dundee Courier A dazzling dawn breaks over the Stonehenge midwinter solstice, where the assembled new-age revellers are horrified to discover a green-painted human hand dangling from beneath a mound of snow, high on one of the stone lintels.Leading the investigation into this peculiar death is DI Shanti Joyce and her partner, Vincent Caine. To Shanti's chagrin the pair have become known as 'the go-to team for weird stuff in the West Country' and this festive fatality is the mother and Father Christmas of odd and ritualistic crimes.Amidst the swirling flurries of Salisbury Plain, the unlikely duo discover that the deceased is none other than Hector Lovell-Finch, the eccentric Earl of Lovell Court, known to all as 'Finch' - and who also happens to be the father of the notoriously right-wing MP, Quentin Lovell-Finch.It is no secret that relations between father and son have become decidedly frosty since Finch's acrimonious divorce from Quentin's mother, his conversion to environmentalism, and second marriage to an indigenous Brazilian environmentalist half his age. Now there is the icy issue of who will inherit the ancient Lovell-Finch Estate.To make things more complicated, single mum Shanti has faithfully promised her son, Paul a magical Christmas with all the trimmings. Can this most knotty of English murders be untwined in just five days? And will the unlikely detective duo celebrate the season with merriment, mindfulness and mistletoe?Praise for Laurence Anholt'... A quirky, surprising read... it transports you to the heart of Glastonbury festival... 5*' UK Crime Book Club'...Startlingly original and funny' Sidmouth Herald
£18.89
Elliott & Thompson Limited Word Drops: A Sprinkling of Linguistic Curiosities
If you're logofascinated, you are literally spellbound by language.; This surprising compendium of 1,000 facts about words, language and etymology is here to inspire your curiosity and delight in discovery. In Word Drops, you can delve into a smattering of unexpected connections and weird juxtapositions, stumble upon a new or remarkable word, or learn of many a bizarre etymological quirk or tall tale.; - Did you know that the bowl made by cupping your hands together is called a gowpen?; - And speaking of bowls, the earliest known reference to bowling in English dates from 1555, when bowling alleys were banned by an Act of Parliament.; - And that ties in nicely with the fact that the English called the Germans 'Alleymen' during the First World War.; - But in Navajo, Germany is called Beesh Bich'ahii Bikeyah-or 'metal cap-wearer land'.; Word Drops is a language fact book unlike any other, its linguistic tidbits all falling together into one long interconnected chain just like the example above with each fact neatly 'dropping' into place beside the next.; What's more, throughout, footnotes are used to give some informative and intriguing background to some of the most bizarre facts, covering everything from traditional Inuit games to the origin of the Bellini cocktail, from the precise length of one 'jiffy' to what the Romans thought hoopoe birds ate, and from what to expect on a night out with Dr Johnson to Samuel Pepys's cure for a hangover. Want to know the longest palindrome in Morse code, or who The Great Masticator was? Curious to know what Norwegian steam is, or what a jaaaar is? The answers are all here.; For all of the logofascinated among us, this is an immensely pleasurable and unpredictable collection that is guaranteed to raise eyebrows (the literal meaning, incidentally, of supercilious).
£8.99
Quarto Publishing PLC Sink the Pink's Manifesto for Misfits: Be Different, Be Free, Be You
‘I love this book! Its vibrant and jumps off the page at you!’ Fearne Cotton‘A potent fruit-punch of a guide that didn’t really exist. Now that it does, it will be a blessing for so many that didn’t even realize they needed it until it’s in their hands.’ Jake ShearsA rousing, colourful and joyous manifesto dedicated to misfits everywhere seeking empowerment, their tribe and themselves. In a world plagued by boring binaries, restrictive labels and blinkered expectations, it is easy to feel out of step or like you don't belong. Sink the Pink's Manifesto for Misfits is dedicated to you: from finding your power to dreaming big, owning your space to chasing your joy, embracing your uniqueness to broadening your narrative, each cis-tem-crashing chapter will revolutionise how you see yourself, no matter where you are on your journey. Discover within thinkpieces, reflective exercises and living testimony from a brave community of self-proclaimed eccentrics, freaks, geeks, rebels and oddballs – including Jade Thirlwall (Little Mix), Yungblud and Spice Girl Mel C – to remind yourself that you are not alone and weirdos win in the end. Too fat, too femme, too weird, too much... lifelong outsider and inclusivity campaigner Glyn Fussell challenges such toxic notions, forces you to question the powers at play and confront internalised demons. With each of his witty commandments, you will learn why and how to reject the status quo tolive your life your way. He is the founder of Sink the Pink, the largest LGBTQ+ collective in the UK, whose events offer a portal to another world where anything is possible and everyone is welcome. His perspective-shifting book is an antidote to confusion, fear and repression. Feel the love, find self-acceptance and let your freak flag fly. Foreword by Lily Allen.
£14.99
HarperCollins Publishers Postcard From The Past
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY MARK HADDON In Postcard From The Past, Tom Jackson has gathered a collection of the funniest, weirdest and most moving real messages from the backs of old postcards. ‘Sublimely funny’ Jason Hazeley, author of the Ladybird Books for Grown Ups ‘My favourite Twitter account is now my favourite book. Irresistible!’ Jill Mansell ‘This book is an absolute treat’ Holly Walsh ‘Transfixing, beguiling, warmly haunting. These are the ghosts of a childhood’ Robin Ince ‘A hilarious and occasionally disturbing look at how the British remain resolutely small-minded wherever they go’ Charlie Higson ‘Six by four inch portions of pure heaven’ Rachel Johnson ‘Somehow both poignant and deeply creepy’ Samira Ahmed ‘One of Twitter’s most nourishing concepts – each one arriving like a bonsai Alan Bennett play’ Danny Baker ‘Beautiful. Inspiring. Educational. Hilarious’ Emma Freud ‘One of the saddest and funniest picture books you're ever likely to read’ Owen Hatherley, author of The Ministry of Nostalgia ‘Hilarious, haunting, silly, poetic and profound’ Danny Wallace ‘A book of rare and genuine beauty’ James O’Brien, LBC
£9.04
Hachette Children's Group Jamie McFlair Vs The Ultimate Brain Hack: Book 2
The laugh-out-loud new adventure featuring Jamie McFlair, from comedy duo Luke and Sean. Packed full of illustrations, this is perfect for 8+ readers and fans of Kid Normal and The Great Dream Robbery.Welcome to a new adventure starring our courageous young heroine Jamie McFlair, who so successfully thwarted her nasty uncle's monstrous plans a few months ago. But as we rejoin her, Jamie McFlair is ... sad. HUH!? Well, she just found out that she and her best friends - Daisy, Mel, and Jenners - are being split up and sent to different schools. Not one to admit defeat, Jamie discovers a way out of this unpleasant situation: Rubbsling's Academy for Creators, a school for famous kids. Because of their antics stopping the evil mastermind Barry Bigtime, Jamie and her friends have attracted some fans. It's enough to get them accepted into the school - they can stay together!But the school is ... weird. Located on a remote island, with strange teachers who give out punishments for NOT having your phone out in class, it all seems geared towards building the students' social media profiles. Though Daisy enjoys the attention, Jamie is suspicious that something isn't right. What is really going on at this school?Poor Jamie. What she's about to discover is that Barry Bigtime is bigtime back. Fallen from grace, outcast by society, and determined for revenge on Jamie, the school is the secret hiding place for his new plan...A plan to control the brains of all the children at the school, to make them do what he wants. A plan that is the first step towards controlling EVERY BRAIN ON THE PLANET!What questionable science is this!? How will this madness end?! Can Jamie rescue her friends and defeat Barry Bigtime once more, or will she become victim to THE ULTIMATE BRAIN HACK?
£8.05
HarperCollins Publishers My Cool Campervan: An inspirational guide to retro-style campervans (My Cool)
My Cool Campervan celebrates a new wave of interest in modern-retro campervans. Join Jane Field-Lewis and Chris Haddon as they set off on a 3500-mile trip to locate campervans and proud owners, sharing their memories of family holidays under candy-striped pop-top roofs and of sunny days and simple pleasures. Delve into a world of road-tripping as Jane and Chris introduce us to a succession of distinctive campervans, memorable locations and classic models, at times beautifully restored, and at others well-loved and well-used. My Cool Campervan reveals a world beyond the stereotype, of vintage vans from another era, forgotten rarities and beautifully restored mass-produced models. Chapters include:Old Retro: In the 1970s and 80s as the motor industry turned its sights towards the global market, campervan designs began to change.Simple Life: Exploring functional campervans where styling doesn’t overwhelm function and where vans are so well designed in the first place, there’s nothing more to add than the journey.Weird and Wonderful: From a converted French fire truck, to an ‘extension’ to a regular saloon car, these campers are customized, unusual and have been created to provide space.American Beauties: The large American Recreational Vehicles, or RVs, fulfill just about everyone’s expectations of a comfortable life on the road. The enduring appeal of the RV lies in its iconic design and long association with the romantic notion of the great road journey.Classics: Some vehicle designs last longer than others. The VW T2 campervan is, without doubt, the front runner.New Retro: Reflecting owners’ unique styles and interest, the vehicles here function as an artist’s workroom or as a photographer’s studio; these are not only places to camp out or chill out, they are happy extensions of creative lives.
£9.99
Bloodaxe Books Ltd War of the Beasts and the Animals
War of the Beasts and the Animals is Russian poet Maria Stepanova’s first full English-language collection. Stepanova is one of Russia’s most innovative and exciting poets and thinkers, and founding editor of Colta.ru, an online independent site which has been compared to Huffington Post in its status and importance. IImmensely high-profile in Russia for many years, recognition in the West has followed the publication of her documentary novel In Memory of Memory, first in German translation in 2018 and now with Sasha Dugdale's English translation – published by Fitzcarraldo in the UK and by New Directions in the US – longlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2021. War of the Beasts and the Animals includes her recent long poems of conflict ‘Spolia’ and ‘War of the Beasts and Animals’, written during the Donbas conflict, as well as a third long poem ‘The Body Returns’, commissioned by Hay International Festival in 2018 to commemorate the Centenary of the First World War. In all three long poems Stepanova’s assured and experimental use of form, her modernist appropriation of poetic texts from around the world and her constant consideration of the way that culture, memory and contemporary life are interwoven make her work both pleasurable and deeply necessary. This collection also includes two sequences of poems from her 2015 collection Kireevsky: sequences of ‘weird’ ballads and songs, subtly changed folk and popular songs and poems which combine historical lyricism and a contemporary understanding of the effects of conflict and trauma. Stepanova uses the ready forms of ballads and songs, but alters them, so they almost appear to be refracted in moonlit water. The forms seem recognisable, but the words are oddly fragmented and suggestive, they weave together well-known refrains of songs, apparently familiar images, subtle half-nods to films and music.
£12.00
HarperCollins Publishers Inc A Hot Glue Gun Mess: Funny Stories, Pretty DIY Projects
In this beautiful paperback edition featuring French flaps, hugely popular lifestyle blogger, YouTube star, and designer Mr. Kate (Kate Albrecht) offers a stunning collection of step-by-step personal style and home projects-woven in with quirkily hilarious stories and anecdotes. Do you dream of finding ways to infuse do-it-yourself projects into every aspect of your life and have fun doing it? From the quirky personality behind the Mr. Kate brand comes a not-so-average DIY lifestyle book that will make your dreams of creating unique how-to projects become reality. Filled with 50 unique and approachable projects, along with hysterical, unfiltered stories from Mr. Kate's crazy life, A Hot Glue Gun Mess will show how life can inspire art. Growing up with a high-powered Hollywood father and an oddball, down-to-earth mother, Kate Albrecht had a childhood that was anything but normal. From how her first period influenced her to become an artist to how her friendship with a high-priced hooker encouraged DIY beauty products, Mr. Kate's stories are weird, wonderful, personal, inspiring, and downright hilarious. Her love of self-expression inspired Mr. Kate to create her own DIY life and a social media platform to connect with young women everywhere. Her projects involve style, home design, and beauty, including DIY nail art techniques, upcycled projects for your old jeans , and watercolor curtains. You don't have to be a seamstress, metalsmith, or expert at anything to enjoy these projects, all of which are doable in under two hours and require a minimal number of supplies. Now you, too, can become a DIY diva!
£16.10
Myrmidon Books Ltd The Lost Sessions
Will could never have predicted how much his life would change when he is knocked from his bicycle by a hit-and-run driver whilst returning home from the London clinic where he works as a psychotherapist. His wife, Lara, takes him to an A&E where he is diagnosed with concussion. Having cancelled his clients’ upcoming appointments, he spends much of the following week in fitful sleep whilst Lara goes out to work. When Will returns to his practice, something is very weird and very wrong. It seems that Will – or a form of Will – held the appointments with his regular clients whilst he was at home asleep. This Will gave some shocking therapy that was completely out of character for him – and he finds himself bringing up things in their history of which they themselves have no memory. The sessions go badly. Will’s one new client is Guy, who claims to be regularly disturbed in his flat by his sister, dressed in a red sweater and white jeans and who has been dead for five years. Walking home, Will passes the London Eye. A young woman in a gondola smiles at him and takes his picture. She wears a red sweater and white jeans. When Will takes Lara to a restaurant, the same woman appears at the next table and, to Lara’s consternation, smiles at Will. Later, she appears at his studio, having made an appointment. She says her name is Emma, that she is indeed Guy’s sister and is dead. She wants Will to be her therapist. Will refuses, telling her to see her doctor. But Emma clearly has other plans. Chance encounters with her become more frequent and more bizarre. What’s more, as they start to take a toll on Will’s marriage, his livelihood and even his sense of self, it seems that Emma knows a lot more about Will than she should.
£18.00
Pajama Press Music for Tigers
From Governor General’s Literary Award finalist Michelle Kadarusman comes a novel about a young violinist who discovers her mother’s family secretly harbor a sanctuary for extinct Tasmanian tigers in the remote Australian rainforest Shipped halfway around the world to spend the summer with her mom’s eccentric Australian relatives, middle schooler and passionate violinist Louisa is prepared to be resentful. But life at the family’s remote camp in the Tasmanian rainforest is intriguing, to say the least. There are pig-footed bandicoots, scary spiders, weird noises and odors in the night, and a quirky boy named Colin who cooks the most amazing meals. Not the least strange is her Uncle Ruff, with his unusual pet and veiled hints about something named Convict Rock. Finally, Louisa learns the truth: Convict Rock is a sanctuary established by her great-grandmother Eleanor—a sanctuary for Tasmanian tigers, Australia’s huge marsupials that were famously hunted into extinction almost a hundred years ago. Or so the world believes. Hidden in the rainforest at Convict Rock, one tiger remains. But now the sanctuary is threatened by a mining operation, and the last Tasmanian tiger must be lured deeper into the forest. The problem is, not since her great-grandmother has a member of the family been able to earn the shy tigers’ trust. As the summer progresses, Louisa forges unexpected connections with Colin, with the forest, and—through Eleanor’s journal—with her great-grandmother. She begins to suspect the key to saving the tiger is her very own music. But will her plan work? Or will the enigmatic Tasmanian tiger disappear once again, this time forever? A moving coming-of-age story wrapped up in the moss, leaves, and blue gums of the Tasmanian rainforest where, hidden under giant ferns, crouches its most beloved, and lost, creature.
£12.99
Permuted Press Chasing Normal: Growing Up, Letting Go, and Finding Joy in Being Different
In a time where many feel lost, alone, or afraid—and where social media makes us think that everyone has it better, bigger, or brighter—Chasing Normal is a humorous and poignant memoir about learning to embrace yourself, along with the messy life you lived that made you who you are today.As a kid growing up in Indiana surrounded by cornfields and deep poverty, with two emotional terrorists for parents, all Craig Greiwe ever wanted was to be normal. In his youth, he lived under the stairs in Dickensian misery. Once he managed to make it to college, things got about as weird as might be expected for a teenager who grew up reading The 1978 World Book Encyclopedia for kicks. From an emotional breakdown at the top of a mountain at one school to setting off a chain of events that nearly blew apart Columbia Law School a few years after that, his life was anything but normal. Along the way, he found a long-distance foster mom 2,000 miles away; slept his way to success in Hollywood; had his heart broken; discovered secrets about the people who raised him; and was finally adopted by Norman-Rockwell-esque parents at the age of twenty-four. Chasing Normal is the story of a man who grew up trying to be like everyone else, only to realize that being yourself is the only way forward. His stories range from wild to painful and sometimes humorous, but ultimately, they are a journey about compassion, salvation, and eventually, joy. Chasing Normal stands out as a hopeful beacon for anyone who’s ever felt “other”—which is just about everyone. Like a lighthouse on a hill, this book offers direction to an illuminating place where we can learn to embrace ourselves, no matter how messy a life we lived.
£15.76
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Fat Duck Cookbook
In this beautiful, smaller format edition of the award-winning Big Fat Duck Cookbook, we hear the full story of the meteoric rise of Heston Blumenthal and The Fat Duck, birthplace of snail porridge and bacon-and-egg ice cream, and encounter the passion, perfection and weird science behind the man and the restaurant. Heston Blumenthal is widely acknowledged to be a genius, and The Fat Duck has twice been voted the Best Restaurant in the World by a peer group of top chefs. But he is entirely self-taught, and the story of his restaurant has broken every rule in the book. His success has been borne out of his pure obsession, endless invention and a childish curiosity into how things work - whether it's how smell affects taste, what different flavours mean to us on a biological level, or how temperature is distributed in the centre of a souffle. In the first section of The Fat Duck Cookbook, we learn the history of the restaurant, from its humble beginnings to its third Michelin star (the day Heston received the news of this he had been wondering how exactly he would be able to pay his staff that month). Next we meet 50 of his signature recipes - sardine on toast sorbet, salmon poached with liquorice, hot and iced tea, chocolate wine - which, while challenging for anyone not equipped with ice baths, dehydrators, vacuum pumps and nitrogen on tap, will inspire home cooks and chefs alike. Finally, we hear from the experts whose scientific know-how has contributed to Heston's topsy-turvy world. With an introduction by Harold McGee, incredible colour photographs throughout and illustrations by Dave McKean, The Fat Duck Cookbook is not only the nearest thing to an autobiography from the world's most fascinating chef, but also a stunning, colourful and joyous work of art.
£54.00
Baylor University Press We Were a Peculiar People Once: Confessions of an Old-Time Baptist
Most Baptists today have adapted rather well to the modern world—that is, they worship as they live, in ways that don't much deviate from the general cultural milieu. It was not always so. In the past, the ways of Baptists were eccentric, their children were sometimes embarrassed by them, and their grandchildren were astonished by many features of their communal Christian life and practice, some of which now seem hilarious. Yet David Lyle Jeffrey shows that in their firm faith and strong character, these forebears still have much to teach. The legacy of "old-time" Baptists is rich: in ways we might not recognize, we are still living on spiritual capital they built up a century ago.In this fast-paced and thought-provoking memoir, Jeffrey recalls growing up in the "old-time" Scottish Baptist tradition in rural Canada. With nostalgia, good humor, and sometimes lament, he considers his own theological and spiritual formation in a nearly vanished variety of Christian culture. Jeffrey reflects on events and customs that today may seem esoteric or quaint, perhaps even comical. Along the way, he considers the lessons a fading brand of Baptist life may hold for Baptists in the twenty-first century. Jeffrey offers witty and insightful commentary on theological matters such as sin, salvation, and grace, and practices like baptism, worship, and Sabbath-keeping.The Baptists of Jeffrey's youth encouraged abstinence from pleasures most folks took for granted. Their churches were often small, but they were the vital, stable hub of family and communal life through good times and bad, and had an extraordinary missional and evangelistic impact that belied their marginal status. This confessional recollection of a world of weird and wonderful "peculiar people" is an expression of Jeffrey's gratitude to the ones he knew.
£34.66
Coffee House Press The Rise & Fall of the Scandamerican Domestic: Stories
Christopher Merkner is a Shirley Jackson for the contemporary Midwest, where the ties of family and community intersect darkly with suburban American life. In these stories, an enraged village gaslights unsuspecting vacationers and a young man delays a impending confession, fondling the nostrils of his mother's pet pig. Sharp and uneasy, for these inheritors of tradition, that which binds them most closely-offering stability and identity and comfort-are precisely the qualities that set them back, pull them down, burden, limit, and ruin them. "Merkner's first short story collection provides a voyeuristic vantage point on fractured lives. He has the striking ability to turn the familiar into the uncanny and morph the comfortable into the weird, and, clearly, he's at home in that strange realm. In most of the stories, we witness lives at the moment an individual's identity begins to fray, sometimes slowly and sometimes swiftly. These changes are both painful and thought provoking to witness through the book's unrelenting first-person perspective. At times Merkner's prose evokes unease, but more often it encourages a chuckle, and his plot twists will leave even the most seasoned reader surprised. In each story, even those that only run for three pages, the tension mounts deliciously, many times with no foreseeable relief. The true beauty of these tales lies in their delicate endings, which manage to both tie up loose ends and leave everything hanging, so that they are simultaneously satisfying and mysterious. Such complexity makes great reading for lovers of short fiction, and for all who wish to witness a new master at work."-Booklist Christopher Merkner teaches creative writing at West Chester University. His work has appeared in Black Warrior Review, Cincinnati Review, Fairy Tale Review, Gettysburg Review, New Orleans Review, and Best American Mystery Stories. He and his wife and kids live in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
£12.72
DC Comics Blackest Night Omnibus: 10th Anniversary
The haunting epic that plunged the DC Universe into darkness collected in its entirety for the first time ever! The Blackest Night is now here. As black rings rain from the sky former, friends and loved ones rise from their graves as twisted monsters with only one mission: Death. A war has been brewing between the different colored Lantern Corps the Green fighting the Yellow, the Red trying to destroy all, the Blue attempting to broker peace between the tribes. However, the real battle is now here: the undead Black Lanterns are coming and seemingly nothing can stop them. Putting aside old vendettas, it s up to Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps to lead DC s greatest champions as well as their deadliest foes in a battle to save the Universe from an army of the dead! Written by comics superstar Geoff Johns (Doomsday Clock, DC: Rebirth, Justice League) and drawn by some of the hottest artists in the game such as Ivan Reis (Justice League, Superman, Aquaman), Patrick Gleason (Batman and Robin, Superman). The Blackest Night Omnibus is a must-have for longtime fans and new readers looking to take the plunge into darkness. Collects Adventure Comics #4-5,7, Blackest Night #0-8, Blackest Night: Batman #1-3, Blackest Night: The Flash #1-3, Blackest Night: JSA #1-3, Blackest Night: Superman #1-3, Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #1-3, Blackest Night: Titans #1-3, Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #1-3, Catwoman #83, Green Arrow #30, Green Lantern #43-53, Green Lantern Corps #39-47, Phantom Stranger #42, Starman #81, Suicide Squad #67, The Atom and Hawkman #46, The Power of Shazam! #48, The Question #37, Untold Tales of Blackest Night #1 and Weird Western Tales #71.
£122.40
University of California Press That's Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them
A 2022 Best Comedy Book, VultureA rousing call for liberals and progressives to pay attention to the emergence of right-wing comedy and the political power of humor. "Why do conservatives hate comedy? Why is there no right-wing Jon Stewart?" These sorts of questions launch a million tweets, a thousand op-eds, and more than a few scholarly analyses. That's Not Funny argues that it is both an intellectual and politically strategic mistake to assume that comedy has a liberal bias. Matt Sienkiewicz and Nick Marx take readers––particularly self-described liberals––on a tour of contemporary conservative comedy and the "right-wing comedy complex." In That's Not Funny, "complex" takes on an important double meaning. On the one hand, liberals have developed a social-psychological complex—it feels difficult, even dangerous, to acknowledge that their political opposition can produce comedy. At the same time, the right has been slowly building up a comedy-industrial complex, utilizing the humorous, irony-laden media strategies of liberals such as Jon Stewart, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver to garner audiences and supporters. Right-wing comedy has been hiding in plain sight, finding its way into mainstream conservative media through figures ranging from Fox News's Greg Gutfeld to libertarian podcasters like Joe Rogan. That's Not Funny taps interviews with conservative comedians and observations of them in action to guide readers through media history, text, and technique. You will find many of these comedians utterly appalling, some surprisingly funny, and others just plain weird. They are all, however, culturally and politically relevant—the American right is attempting to seize spaces of comedy and irony previously held firmly by the left. You might not like this brand of humor, but you can't ignore it.
£21.00
Simon & Schuster Pyramid of One
Thursday, November 25: Evening, my crib Spirit Level: Cold and stuffedOkay, just when I thought things were totally perfect and Bevan and I were going to live happily ever after together (or, like, go to the movies), I remembered the Katie Parker factor!! AND Katie has been giving me the super cold shoulder, and I mean F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G cold!! She must know. As if things aren’t weird enough, Mom wants the Grizzlies to go to the state regional competition to cheer on the Titans and see a real competition. I’m psyched to watch all the cheering, especially since the Grizzlies are getting a bit restless without a big game on the horizon. But if Katie knows about me and Bevan, the temp of this super high-pressured weekend is going to get really cold—REALLY fast. And something tells me that this competition is going to have MORE than its fair share of stunts—on AND OFF the mat. Oh brother… Just when things with the Titan cheer trio are finally looking up (or at least straight across), Maddy finds herself in yet another tangled web. Her crush, Bevan—who everyone knows head Titan cheerleader Katie Parker just broke up with—asks Maddy out! Still hoping to one day make the Titan team, Maddy has to choose: Table for one, or pyramid OF one? All is definitely NOT fair in love and cheerleading. Meanwhile, without a "real" game in sight to cheer for, the Grizzlies are starting loose steam and it's up to Maddy, Jacqui, and Coach Carolyn to give them something to CHEER for. When the Titan's big cheerleading competition sectionals brings both teams to one place for one pressure-filled weekend, the stakes rise as cheerleaders start performing stunts on AND off the mat--breaking hearts, spirits, and even ankles!
£7.96
Big Finish Productions Ltd Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures 2.1 - Back to Earth
A second series of adventures from Big Finish begins, featuring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor. Time and again, the Doctor finds himself returning to his favourite planet. Dropping in on history or the present-day, whether it's kings, commuters or ordinary people, he's never met anyone who wasn't important... 1.1 Station to Station by Robert Valentine. A deserted railway platform can be the loneliest place on Earth. But when Saffron is stranded at Underbridge station, she meets echoes of the past - and a fellow lost traveller. And the Doctor knows that something is hunting them... 1.2 The False Dimitry by Sarah Grochala. Moscow: 1605: the old Tsar is dead - but some blame unnatural forces. Perhaps the mysterious Doctor in the palace can help? A successor advances on the Kremlin with an army, preparing the country for war. But Tsarevich Dimitry is not what he seems... 1.3 Auld Lang Syne by Tim Foley. Every December, Mandy Litherland gathers the family at Foulds House to see in the New Year. Not everyone appreciates her efforts. At least the caretaker seems friendly - if a little weird. Mandy hopes she'll see him again next year - but perhaps she already has... CAST: Christopher Eccleston (The Doctor), Alexander Arnold (Dimitry Ivanovich), Sean Baker (Witherow), John Banks (Tsar Boris Fyodorovich Godunov/Captain Mikhail Mikhailovich Zubov), Ian Bartholomew (The Grimminy-Grue/Gordon), Katy Brittain (Oksana Vladimirovna Kuznetsova/Robot), Leah Brotherhead (Mandy Litherland), Wendy Craig (Great Aunt Bette), Patricia England (Mrs Hodkin), Indigo Griffiths (Saffron Windrose), Greig Johnson (Frank), Jack Myers (Aleksander (Sasha) Petrovich Kuznetsov), Hayley Tamaddon (Auntie Sue). Other parts played by members of the cast.
£42.20
Thames & Hudson Ltd The Spectacle of Illusion: Magic, the paranormal & the complicity of the mind
'A spectacular treasury of treats. Page after page of utter joy: I can’t tear my eyes away' - Derren BrownIn The Spectacle of Illusion, professional magician-turned experimental psychologist Dr. Matthew L. Tompkins investigates the arts of deception as practised and popularised by mesmerists, magicians and psychics since the early 18th century. Organised thematically within a broadly chronological trajectory, this compelling book explores how illusions perpetuated by magicians and fraudulent mystics can not only deceive our senses but also teach us about the inner workings of our minds. Indeed, modern scientists are increasingly turning to magic tricks to develop new techniques to examine human perception, memory and belief. Beginning by discussing mesmerism and spiritualism, the book moves on to consider how professional magicians such as John Nevil Maskelyne and Harry Houdini engaged with these movements – particularly how they set out to challenge and debunk paranormal claims. It also relates the interactions between magicians, mystics and scientists over the past 200 years, and reveals how the researchers who attempted to investigate magical and paranormal phenomena were themselves deceived, and what this can teach us about deception. Highly illustrated throughout with entertaining and bizarre drawings, double-exposure spirit photographs and photographs of spoon-bending from hitherto inaccessible and un-mined archives, including the Wellcome Collection, the Harry Price Library, the Society for Physical Research, and last but not least, the Magic Circle’s closely guarded collection, the book also features newly commissioned photography of planchettes, rapping boards, tilting tables, ectoplasm, automata and illusion boxes. Concluding with a modern-day analysis of the science of magic and illusion, analysing surprisingly weird phenomena such as ideomotor action, sleep paralysis, choice blindness and the psychology of misdirection, this unnerving volume highlights how unreliable our minds can be, and how complicit they can be in the perpetuation of illusions.
£19.95
Quarto Publishing PLC Cult Musicians: 50 Progressive Performers You Need to Know
WHAT MAKES A CULT MUSICIAN? Whether pioneering in their craft, fiercely and undeniably unique or critically divisive, cult musicians come in all shapes and guises. Some gain instant fame, others instant notoriety, and more still remain anonymous until a chance change in fashion sees their work propelled into the limelight.Cult Musicians introduces 50 musicians deserving of a cult status. The book charts a plethora of genres and boundary-breakers – from afrobeat and art pop to glam rock and proto punk; Bjork and PJ Harvey to Aphex Twin and Wiley. Discover little knowns with small, devout followings and superstars gracing the covers of magazines – each musician is special in their individuality and their ability to inspire, antagonise and delight. Cult Musicians is an essential addition to any music lover's library, as well as an entertaining introduction to our weird and wonderful world of music. Also in the series: Cult Artists, Cult Filmmakers + Cult WritersThe musicians: Alex Chilton, Alice Coltrane, Aphex Twin, Arthur Lee, Arthur Russell, Betty Davis, Bjork, Bobbie Gentry, Brian Eno, Brigitte Fontaine, Captain Beefheart, Delia Derbyshire, Edith Piaf, Fela Kuti, Frank Zappa, Gil Scott-Heron, Iggy Pop, J Dilla, John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Kat Bjelland, Kool Keith, Laurie Anderson, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Lili Boulanger, Lydia Lunch, Manu Chao, Marianne Faithfull, Mark E. Smith, Mark Hollis, Moondog, Nick Cave, Nick Drake, Nico, Patti Smith, Peaches, PJ Harvey, Robert Wyatt, Roky Erickson, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Sandy Denny, Scott Walker, Serge Gainsbourg, Sixto Rodriguez, Sun Ra, Syd Barrett, The Slits, Tom Waits, Wiley, Yoko Ono.
£12.99
Titan Books Ltd Elric, Vol.5: The Vanishing Tower
Collecting the fifth volume of the classic comic adaptation of Michael Moorcock's bestselling fantasy saga! With his reluctant companion Moonglum in tow, the albino emperor embarks upon a perilous quest in search of the dark sorcerer Theleb K'aarna. But in order to achieve his goal, he must first prove himself against the many horrors of the Young Kingdoms and form an unlikely pact with the beautiful and mysterious, Myshella - the Empress of the Dawn. Based on Michael Moorcock's most popular work. Essential reading for all fans of the novels - the epic tales brought to life with luxuriant imagination! Perfect for fans ofFables, Sandman, Elfquest, andA Game of Thrones. Elric's antihero protagonist will also appeal to readers looking for an alternative to Tolkienesque Fantasy. Praise for Michael Moorcock Library Previous Volumes: "This spectacular, resplendently flamboyant adaptation is a deliciously elegant, savagely beautiful masterpiece of the genre effortlessly blending blistering action and gleaming adventure with the deep, darkly melancholic tone of the cynical, nihilistic, Cold-War mentality and era that spawned the original stories." - Comics Review "Fantasy of the highest order, with dragons, pirates and magic swords coming together into an incredibly epic and robust world"- Adventures In Poor Taste Captures all the weird and terrible beauty of Moorcock's novels, and the new edition is a perfect companion to Titan's other Elric offerings."- Ron Marz (Silver Surfer, Green Lantern) "Unforgettable action and intrigue...a must-read for any fans of science fiction, sorcery or sword-and-sorcery epics!"- Comics Bulletin "Richly deserves to be back in print...can't wait to return to the dreaming city!"- SFX "Working together, these three creators made an adaptation that remains faithful to the original novel but never feels like a mere adaptation or retelling of the source material. They made Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone novel into their great comic book."- Newsarama"
£32.39
Tuttle Publishing Tokyo Travel Sketchbook: Kawaii Culture, Wabi Sabi Design, Female Samurais and Other Obsessions
Tokyo Travel Sketchbook traces the journey of illustrator and graphic designer Amaia Arrazola on a four-week trip through the beating heart of Tokyo.When Arrazola accepts a month long artist's residency in the Japanese capital, she has little idea of what to expect but gamely packs her paints and pencils and seizes the opportunity to create an illustrated diary of her time there, filling the pages of her sketchbooks with curious images of life in the world's largest city.This book provides readers with a unique vision of Japan's capital, as seen through the eyes of an artist. Arrazola immerses herself in the cult of Hello Kitty and the pop-eyed charms of "Kawaii" cute culture, while conveying the collision of traditional and modern Japanese culture in the female Samurais she meets and draws.The city's cultural curiosities come alive in a metropolis that is ever on the go, as she browses sex shops, drinks pink coffee, eats spaghetti sandwiches and photographs subway sleepers. Throughout her explorations, Arrazola uses the concept of wabi sabi as a guiding principle—coming to see her own life and artworks as examples of "flawed beauty" and imperfectly perfect Zen design.The result is a fresh, often funny, one-of-a-kind look at a city that works hard and plays hard—in many surprising ways. At the heart of Tokyo Travel Sketchbook are two contradictory Japans—the glittering neon world of a high-tech ultramodern society existing side-by-side with a nation where ancient tradition holds sway and where the unadorned, the simple and the silent are prized and celebrated as much as the new, the fashionable and the trendy. These competing realities make for a memorable visual journey and a stunning souvenir of a stranger's brief stay in a strange land.From smoking laws to high-tech toilets, Arrazola finds beauty in the weirdness and imperfection of this modern metropolis.*Recommended for readers ages 14 & up*
£15.29
DK How Space Works: The Facts Visually Explained
Embark on an awe-inspiring and informative journey through our Solar System and beyond in this illuminating astronomy book! Discover how big the Universe is, why our view of the sky is constantly changing, what came before the Big Bang, and so much more in 3... 2... 1…. Blast Off! Inside the pages of this comprehensive guide to astronomy for beginners, you’ll discover: • Simple text and step-by-step graphics that make astronomy easy to understand • Fun facts and tip-of-the-tongue questions are presented through bite-sized factoids and question-and-answer features • Clear explanations demystifying more advanced topics such as cosmic rays, dark matter, and black hole collisions Take a peek at what lies beyond the stratosphereThis out-of-this-world reference book about space introduces you to the weird and wonderful discipline of astronomy and space exploration. From the structure of the Milky Way to the Earth’s nearest celestial body, the Moon, How Space Works takes you on an unforgettable tour through the stars and galaxies, and to the furthest reaches of space!Answering all your burning questions about space, from ancient white dwarf stars to the Mars Rover, this visual guide explains the essentials of astronomy through bold graphics and step-by-step artworks. It’s the ultimate book for armchair astronomers and space-technology enthusiasts looking for reliable and up-to-date facts and explanations.Don’t let the learning stop - try the rest of the series!DK's How Things Work series uses dynamic graphics and jargon-free text to explain the modern world simply and clearly. Packed with fascinating facts and stats, these visual guides cover everything from science to philosophy, making complex topics more accessible than ever before!
£22.42
Pajama Press Music for Tigers
From Governor General’s Literary Award finalist Michelle Kadarusman comes a novel about a young violinist who discovers her mother’s family secretly harbor a sanctuary for extinct Tasmanian tigers in the remote Australian rainforest Shipped halfway around the world to spend the summer with her mom’s eccentric Australian relatives, middle schooler and passionate violinist Louisa is prepared to be resentful. But life at the family’s remote camp in the Tasmanian rainforest is intriguing, to say the least. There are pig-footed bandicoots, scary spiders, weird noises and odors in the night, and a quirky boy named Colin who cooks the most amazing meals. Not the least strange is her Uncle Ruff, with his unusual pet and veiled hints about something named Convict Rock. Finally, Louisa learns the truth: Convict Rock is a sanctuary established by her great-grandmother Eleanor—a sanctuary for Tasmanian tigers, Australia’s huge marsupials that were famously hunted into extinction almost a hundred years ago. Or so the world believes. Hidden in the rainforest at Convict Rock, one tiger remains. But now the sanctuary is threatened by a mining operation, and the last Tasmanian tiger must be lured deeper into the forest. The problem is, not since her great-grandmother has a member of the family been able to earn the shy tigers’ trust. As the summer progresses, Louisa forges unexpected connections with Colin, with the forest, and—through Eleanor’s journal—with her great-grandmother. She begins to suspect the key to saving the tiger is her very own music. But will her plan work? Or will the enigmatic Tasmanian tiger disappear once again, this time forever? A moving coming-of-age story wrapped up in the moss, leaves, and blue gums of the Tasmanian rainforest where, hidden under giant ferns, crouches its most beloved, and lost, creature.
£9.99
Dorling Kindersley Ltd The Bedtime Book of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life: Meet More Than 100 Creatures From Long Ago
Get to know more than 100 of the world's favourite dinosaurs and other prehistoric life forms with this essential illustrated introduction.This must-have first book on dinosaurs and other ancient creatures is filled with beautiful illustrations and storybook text on every page, perfect for early readers who want to know more about the life that once roamed our planet. The Bedtime Book of Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric Life includes the earliest life that appeared in the ocean, to the giant dinosaurs, and the wonderfully weird mammals that followed them. Children aged 3-5 can discover a huge variety of organisms that are shown within the three chapters, which cover the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras. With old favourites, such as Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops, as well as new discoveries, including Yi and Changmiania, there is something for every young fan of the primeval world.Inside the pages of this exciting dinosaur book, you'll find:- An introduction to the essential information about each prehistoric species in a friendly, accessible way.- Beautiful and accurate illustrations combined with introductory reference text about a wide variety of dinosaurs and other ancient plants and animals.- Engaging text for young children that can be read aloud - perfect for parents, carers, and children to enjoy at bedtime. - A one-hit introduction to prehistoric life, featuring more than 100 animals - an essential addition to every 3-5 year old's library.This exciting dinosaur guide helps to develop an early understanding of the prehistoric world for little ones and clearly explains the key features of each animal or plant, as well as how to say their names. A timeless gift book, this is a must-have for parents, carers, and educators who want to introduce core dinosaur knowledge at a young age in a fun and engaging way.
£12.99
Firefly Books Ltd Animal Eyes: How Creatures See and How Their Eyes Have Adapted to Their World
Imagine being able to see in ultraviolet wavelengths, or locating your next meal in near darkness, or being able to rotate your eyes independently so you can see nearly everything around you without moving your head. These are just a few examples of the incredible adaptations animals’ eyes have made to help them survive and thrive in their habitats. Animal Eyes introduces young readers to the wonderful, wideranging and sometimes downright weird eyes that make up the animal kingdom. The book starts with a crash course in how eyes and vision work — covering everything from the biology of eyes to the physics of light to the features that protect eyes and keep them clean. Following this is a survey of 40 of the world’s most interesting animal eyes, replete with gorgeous full-bleed and inset photos and detailed captions. Here are just some of the animals covered: The bald eagle sees four to five times better than humans; in fact it can see small prey as far as 2 miles away; Bees can see ultraviolet bull’s-eye patterns on flower petals, directing them to specific flowers; Domestic cats have strong low-light vision, which allows them to hunt in the dark. A special feature called a tapetum lucidum is a reflective layer under their retinas. This gives cats and other animals that distinct eye glow; Peacock mantis shrimp are said to have the best vision in the world. Their compound eyes rotate independently in all directions on the end of stalks. Their eyes are unlike any other animal’s: they can detect ultraviolet light, infrared light and have 16 photoreceptors. They can also see polarized light. Animal Eyes is sure to enthrall and inspire the next generation of young naturalists with its informative text and beautiful photos.
£12.95
Bradt Travel Guides Ben le Vay's Eccentric Oxford
This new edition of Ben le Vay's irrepressible and irreverent guide to one of the greatest of English cities has been updated and expanded to include even more entertaining tales. There are more civilian/non-academic eccentrics, there is more local history, and there's a particularly fascinating bit of military history about Oxford that even many locals have never heard of. Dreaming spires, honeyed stone, cycling dons ... forget all that tourist twaddle, says Benedict le Vay. Find out the secrets the colleges don't want you to know, the inside track on the best pubs and eating places, the scandal and gossip about nutty professors and disgraceful students past and present, the brilliant stories about the great, the good and the bad. With 8 maps and a mix of colour and black and white illustrations and photographs, this is the essential guide to take you beyond the normal sights. William Morris called Oxford 'a perfect jewel' of a city; Benedict le Vay goes in search of the quirkier gems among its medieval back alleys. Here roam batty dons, daft students, barmy aristocrats and political firebrands. Who does that gargoyle remind you of? Why is a shark plunging into that man's house? When do students jump naked into the River Cherwell as Latin hymns are sung? What powers the 'Cosmic Triangle' of vibrant East Oxford? How do you control a punt without looking like a plonker? . The pubs where Inspector Morse and Bill Clinton enjoyed a pint . Where to eat a great fry-up in a unique setting . Where to find a weird museum . Calendar of annual eccentric events Press acclaim for le Vay's previous Bradt Eccentric guides: 'Wonderfully barmy', 'The ultimate guide', 'A must', 'Endlessly fascinating', 'One of the best'
£15.00
Mango Media MinuteEarth Explains: How Did Whales Get So Big? And Other Curious Questions about Animals, Nature, Geology, and Planet Earth (Science Book for Kids)
STEM for Kids ― Fun for Kids (Ages 8-10)#1 New Release in Children's Books: Environment & Ecology, Atlases, Anatomy, and Earthquake & VolcanoIn their debut illustrated science book for kids, the team behind the popular YouTube channel MinuteEarth answers all of your child’s wackiest questions about animals, nature, and science alongside engaging images of the natural world.From the scientists, writers, and illustrators at MinuteEarth. Have you ever wondered where Earth’s water came from? Or why leaves change color in the fall? Entertain and educate your kids with fun facts about animals, nature and the wonders of the earth.Amazing STEM for kids, explained simply. With over 300 million views, MinuteEarth simplifies such serious subjects as geology, ecology and biology making them fun for kids. Featuring their signature puns and fun illustrations, this first book in the MinuteEarth Explains series explores topics ranging from weird animal facts to extreme weather, making science for kids enjoyable and unforgettable.Curious questions about our awesome planet. Whether your child is obsessed with the wonder of nature, can’t learn enough interesting facts about animals, or is fascinated by volcanoes, MinuteEarth Explains captures their imagination and fosters an interest in animals, the Earth, and ocean life! By combining humor with rigorous research, this book provides fun facts about animals, nature, science and more in an equally engaging and informative way for kids.MinuteEarth Explains captivates kids with answers to: Why do some animals get gigantic? Why do rivers curve? Can plants talk? How much food is there on earth? And more! If you’re looking for nature books for kids (8-10) or earth science books for kids―or if your child loves books such as The Big Book of Birds, Why?: 1,111 Answers to Everything, or The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth―then your whole family will love this debut book by MinuteEarth!
£16.95
Ablaze, LLC Manix Abrera's 12
Filipino comic artist and three-time National Book Awardee Manix Abrera, in cooperation with ABLAZE, presents "12". Twelve remarkable stories, weird and surreal, thought-provoking yet funny, sometimes disturbing, others terrifying, but nonetheless always enchanting. Twelve genuinely touching stories, all drawn in Manix’s simplistic style, devoid of words, but communicate loudly and resonate wildly with your emotions. Each story presents itself in its own charm, with intriguing twists – a young man spends his entire life searching for answers but shock awaits when he finally gets that eureka moment; someone finds love that unexpectedly finds somebody else; two men argue over who goes first on an escalator; a mother and daughter fight over a cockroach; a drunk man urinates on a tree and gets a big surprise – making you wonder how these mundane plots can turn out bizarrely, prompting you to reflect and crave for more! One story reveals a mysterious horror encountered in gloomy desolate highways. Another shows how some group of scientists acquire superpowers because someone hesitated to dissect a frog. A young girl attaches her eyes to a balloon so she can look for her mother above a crowd. What is the meaning of life? Is finding happiness worth it when you lose what really matters the most? Would you even know what matters the most? Embrace pain and sorrow. Hope for love and will for hope. Manix Abrera’s 12 breaks all language barriers in the world of storytelling, but cuts straight into your soul, touches your heart in several dimensions you can and cannot imagine. Allow this collection of wordless comic stories speak to you in your own voice and transport you into a whole new exciting universe, at your own pace and power.
£13.99
Goose Lane Editions A Sharp Tooth in the Fur
The thirteen provocative stories in A Sharp Tooth in the Fur, Darryl Whetter's first collection, offer lots of sex, a bit of violence, and a wickedly clever exploration of human nature.Backed into emotional corners, Darryl Whetter's men are creatures of feckless energy and intermittent idealism. Their fragile relationships break up easily, and men who don't retreat into pot-fuelled lethargy revert to ambitious self-destruction. Excellent as he is at capturing his characters' essence, Darryl Whetter is mature enough to view the men in particular, but also the women, with considerable irony. Whetter's "heroes" are often men in their twenties or thirties, men with little self-knowledge but boundless self-centredness and sexual appetite.The event that propels several stories is the break-up of a marriage, a love affair, or a liaison of convenience. When separation doesn't inspire pot-induced lethargy, it goads these men to frenzy. Backed into emotional corners, they revert to self-destruction. Sometimes, as in the hilarious "Profanity Issues," valiantly suppressed rage, shame, and terror erupt at a weird angle, and blind loyalty to an impulsive misjudgement snowballs into weeks of public humiliation. "Non-Violent, Not OK" is an insider's view of the 2001 Quebec City riot. The central character, Chuck, is encouraged in an abstract sort of way by his lazily liberal prof, equipped by a father who thinks money fixes everything, and armed with pop-psych instructions from a bloodless riot manager. Innocent of ideology, he wanders aimlessly around in the tear gas, offering his Maalox-based eye-spray to friend and foe alike. In "A Sharp Tooth in the Fur," an ex-couple acts out a highly original sexual fantasy that's as hilarious as it is shocking. From the classroom to the laundromat, from Paris to the mosquito-infested Ontario bush, Whetter dissects a portion of human experience that has never been so deftly explored, revealing the psyche of the 20-something male.
£15.99
Dorling Kindersley Ltd All About Chemistry
What is the world made of? All About Chemistry explores the chemistry of everyday things, from how blood needs iron to why helium balloons are lighter than air.It's the perfect introduction to chemistry for kids aged 8-12. They will learn all about this exciting realm of science with one of the world's most famous science professors, Robert Winston! Elements make up everything around us - our computers, our bodies, our foods and drinks. They make up trees and grass, cars and roads, and are the fundamental building blocks of our incredible world.Robert Winston takes children of all ages on a scientific adventure through the explosive world of atoms, elements and the periodic table in this outstanding educational book for kids.This kids' science book is designed with easy-to-understand, kid-friendly language, questions and fun facts. The contents are clearly organised, while the bold, colourful design and engaging stories work together to make learning about the elements a fun and exciting experience for budding scientists.Explore, Discover And Learn!Learn how lightbulbs work and explore what's on your plate and in your water. The whole periodic table is explained and catalogued, and common elements, including sodium, gold, and iron are explored. Learn about elements weights, melting points and types. All About Chemistry brings to life what the world is made of in a fresh and fun way.It's a truly educational kids book that looks at this weird and wonderful side of science through a unique and exciting biography of the elements.Packed with fun facts about science for kids covering:- Metals- Gases- Matter- The periodic table- Oxygen, and more!Check out other fantastic titles in the DK Big Questions series of children's books including Evolution Revolution, What Do You Believe?, Why PI?, and Show Me The Money covering big questions for little people about evolution, religion, maths and finance.
£9.99
Little, Brown Book Group This Will Only Hurt a Little: The New York Times Bestseller
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'Busy is a legit writer with a voice as clear as a bell' Tina Fey 'Funny, refreshingly candid memoir about Hollywood, motherhood and BFFhood' Cosmopolitan'Judy Blume meets Karl Ove Knausgaard meets one brave woman from Arizona' Miranda JulyA memoir by the beloved comedic actress known for her roles on Freaks and Geeks, Dawson's Creek, and Cougartown who has become 'the breakout star on Instagram stories . . . imagine I Love Lucy mixed with a modern lifestyle guru' (New Yorker).Busy Philipps's autobiographical book offers the same unfiltered and candid storytelling that her Instagram followers have come to know and love, from growing up in Scottsdale, Arizona and her painful and painfully funny teen years, to her life as a working actress, mother, and famous best friend.Busy is the rare entertainer whose impressive arsenal of talents as an actress is equally matched by her storytelling ability, sense of humor, and sharp observations about life, love, and motherhood. Her conversational writing reminds us what we love about her on screens large and small. From film to television to Instagram, Busy delightfully showcases her wry humor and her willingness to bare it all.'I've been waiting my whole life to write this book. I'm just so grateful someone asked. Otherwise, what was the point of any of it??''Candid, painful and extremely wryly funny' Stylist'Like most women, famous or not, bad things have happened to Busy Philipps - as well as weird stuff, jawdropping stuff and heartwarming stuff' Refinery29'This Will Only Hurt a Little has stopped me in my tracks completely' Sophie Heawood, Observer
£14.99