Search results for ""author weird"

On Friday, Gabriel Reece gets struck by lightning while riding his motorcycle.It’s not the worst thing that happens to him that week.Gabe walks away from a smoldering pile of metal without a scratch–or any clothes, which seem to have been vaporized. And that’s weird, but he’s more worried about the sudden disappearance of his brother, Colin, who ditched town the second Gabe accidentally outed himself as gay.Gabe tries to sift through fragmented memories of his crummy childhood for clues to his sudden invincibility, but he barely has time to think before people around town start turning up dead, and Colin is the cops’ number-one suspect. Gabe is sure Colin is innocent, but even he has to admit the evidence is compelling. Especially once the home he shares with Gabe burns to the ground. When Eli Samm, a mysterious and attractive stranger, shows up looking for Colin too, Gabe thinks he might finally have an ally. Except it turns out Eli thinks Colin is a supervillain, and his mission is to put him down….

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Explore the darker side of house plants with this accessible guide to choosing, growing, and caring for carnivorous and predatory plants like Venus flytraps, pitcher plants (in all of their wild and wacky varieties), sundews, and other spooky guys.Carnivorous plants are among the most fascinating botanical specimens in this world. They're weird, they're gorgeous, and they're the perfect addition to your urban jungle of pothos, snake plants, and succulents. However, they can also be intimidating to grow and care for. Let Killer Plants -- with its light approach and adorable two-color illustrations -- be your guide as it walks you through the different types of carnivorous plants and how to keep each variety alive and well.The book answers the many questions you may have surrounding these freaks of nature, such as:* Where the heck do I buy a pitcher plant? Can I grow it from a seed?* Do I need to feed my carnivorous plant flies, or can it survive on water and light alone?* Will a Venus flytrap eat my gerbil?* I have a gnat problem -- what predatory plant can help?

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What's up with Cali? Why does she keep changing her gamer tag?It's summertime, and even though his good friend Cali moved to another city, Jaden can connect with her online almost every day to play their favorite game, Cross Ups. His mom has loosened her rules on how often he can play, and he has an amazing new controller that will make him even better at tournaments. But then he gets roped into a dorky summer camp with his buddy Hugh, and Cali starts acting really weird . . . So when a last-minute tournament spot opens up in Cali's city, Jaden jumps at the chance to go.But things go badly from the start. Jaden loses his controller on the train, and his reunion with Cali is awkward. She's unhappy, and Jaden can't figure out why, especially when she's getting better and better at Cross Upsand may even win the tournament. With its sharp dialogue and relatable characters, Anyone's Game, the second book in the Cross Ups series, chronicles the ups and downs of middle

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Smiling has been shown to relieve stress, boost the immune system, release endorphins, and even make us more attractive. It's the natural drug. Whether it's the sight of baby animals wrestling each other or watching pigeons fight over a Cheeto, there are more than enough funny, silly, and downright weird reasons to put a smile on your face inside this little book of joy, including: When the person in the next lane lets you ahead of them in heavy traffic When you finally get back into your own bed after being away from home You check the calendar on a Friday and realize that Monday is a holidayIn our overworked, overstressed day to day life, it’s difficult to find time to relax and enjoy the simple, little things in life. These simple little things that make us smile keep us going throughout the day and motivate us to carry on when things may seem difficult. With this book, you won’t have to look far to find these simple pleasures. So put down the Xanx and grab yourself a copy of 1,047 Reasons to Smile.

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In the citation accompanying Kay's recent award of the prestigious Ruth Lilly Prize, Christine Wiman wrote: "Kay Ryan can take any subject and make it her own. Her poems-which combine extreme concision and formal expertise with broad subjects and deep feeling-could never be mistaken for anyone else's. Her work has the kind of singularity and sustained integrity that are very, very rare…. It's always a dicey business predicting the literary future…[but] for this reader, these poems feel as if there were built to last, and…they have the passion, precision and sheer weirdness to do so."Salon compared the poems in Ryan's last collection to "Fabergé eggs, tiny, ingenious devices that inevitably conceal some hidden wonder." The exquisite poems in The Niagara River provide similarly hidden gems. Bafflingly effective, they seem too brief and blithe to pack so much wallop. Intense and relaxed at once, both buoyant and rueful, their singular music appeals to many people. Her poems, products of an immaculately off-kilter mind, have been featured everywhere from the Sunday funnies to New York subways to plaques at the zoo to the pages of The New Yorker.

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Winner of the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the Academy of Arts and Letters and the Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award. In each of these "weird and wonderful stories" (Boston Globe), Brad Watson writes about people and dogs: dogs as companions, as accomplices, and as unwitting victims of human passions; and people responding to dogs as missing parts of themselves. "Elegant and elegiac, beautifully pitched to the human ear, yet resoundingly felt in our animal hearts" (New York Newsday), Watson's vibrant prose captures the animal crannies of the human personality—yearning for freedom, mourning the loss of something wild, drawn to human connection but also to thoughtless abandon and savagery without judgment. Pinckney Benedict praises Watson's writing as "crisp as a morning in deer season, rife with spirited good humor and high intelligence," and Fred Chappell calls his stories "strong and true to the place they come from." This powerful debut collection marks Brad Watson's introduction into "a distinguished [Southern] literary heritage, from Faulkner to Larry Brown to Barry Hannah to Richard Ford" (The State, Columbia, South Carolina).

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'Wild and wonderful ... I doubt anyone will ever match Strandings for its sheer bravura, its wry insight, and its absolute, engulfing, and brilliantly enlivening whaleheadedness' PHILIP HOARE, ALBERT AND THE WHALE 'Addictive and scandalously fascinating' Caught by the River When Peter Riley was thirteen, a woman with blue hair and a comet tattoo asked him to help load the jaw of a sperm whale into the back of a Volvo 245. The encounter set Riley on a decades-long quest to make sense of what had happened. Enter the secretive world of whale scavengers. When a whale washes up on one of Britain's coasts, a fugitive community descends to claim trophies from the carcass. Some are driven by magical beliefs. Some are motivated by profit: there is a black market for everything from ambergris to whaletooth sex toys. But for others, the need goes much deeper. Join Riley on a tour of a stranded kingdom's weird outer reaches, where nothing is as it seems. Meet witches, pedlars, fetishists, conspiracy theorists and fallen aristocrats. And prepare for a final revelation, as the mystery of the comet woman tangles with the enigmatic symbol of Leviathan itself, beached on Britain's fatal shore.

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This is an exciting investigation into the most powerful predator in the ocean, shown in more than 200 images. It offers an in-depth coverage of every aspect of these creatures' natural history. It provides dramatic images from renowned wildlife photographers show sharks in action, while detailed illustrations reveal the complex inner workings of a shark's body. It includes exciting features throughout the book focus on particular topics - see the blue shark hunting its prey and the lemon shark giving birth to live young. It is perfect for 8- to 12-year-olds, for home or school use. Sharks are some of the most intriguing creatures in the sea, and here you will find out all about their infinite variety, basic instincts and survival skills. It helps you to compare the awesome jaws of the great white shark with the filter-feeding habits of the whale shark, the largest fish in the world. It shows you to discover how hammerheads detect and track their prey and how the weird-looking wobbegong becomes invisible. This book makes learning about natural history exciting and accessible, bringing the subject to life with action-packed photography and informative text.

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Tenth-grader Yugi always had his head in some game - until he solved the Millennium Puzzle, an Egyptian artifact containing the spirit of a master gambler from the age of the pharoahs! Possessed by the puzzle, Yugi becomes Yu-Gi-Oh, the King of Games, and challenges evildoers to the Shadow Games...weird games with high stakes and high risks! Game master Ryo Bakura wants to use the power of his Millennium Ring to put the souls of Yugi, Jonouchi, Anzu and Honda inside his Monster World miniatures forever. Now, with 10-sided dice in hand, Yugi and Dark Yugi must hack and slash their way their Bakura's adventure and defeat the Dark Master Zorc…or die trying! Then, on the island called Duelist Kingdom, a Battle Royale is taking place to determine the greatest Duel Monsters player in the world! A fight with fisherman Ryota Kajiki is just a warmup for Yugi, the only person who's beaten Kaiba, the former world champion. But although Kaiba may be in a coma, his deck still lives…in the hands of an evil ventriloquist, who has stolen not only Kaiba's deck but his very soul!

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And you thought your adolescence was scary. Suburban Seattle, the mid-1970s. We learn from the outset that a strange plague has descended upon the area's teenagers, transmitted by sexual contact. The disease is manifested any number of ways - from the hideously grotesque to the subtle (and concealable) - but once you've got it, that's it. There's no turning back. As we inhabit the heads of several key characters - some kids who have it, some who don't, some who are about to get it - what unfolds isn't the expected battle to fight the plague, or bring heightened awareness of it, or even to treat it. What we become witness to instead is a fascinating and eerie portrait of the nature of high-school alienation itself - the savagery, the cruelty, the relentless anxiety and ennui, the longing for escape. And then the murders start. As hypnotically beautiful as it is horrifying (and, believe it or not, autobiographical), Black Hole transcends its genre by deftly exploring a specific American cultural moment in flux and the kids who are caught in it - back when it wasn't exactly cool to be a hippie any more, but Bowie was still just a little too weird. To say nothing of sprouting horns and moulting your skin . . .

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Andrew Motion has been close to the centres of British poetry for over fifty years.Sleeping on Islands is his clear-sighted and open-hearted account of this remarkable career. It takes us from scenes of a teenage home-life coloured by tragedy and silence - where writing was as much a refuge as an assertion - to the excruciations of early public appearances, to the decade he spent as Poet Laureate, promoting and ensuring the central place of poetry in a nation's character. Along the way, we hear about the risks and sacrifices involved, as well as the difficulties of sustaining a commitment to writing within a helix of other obligations. We see in close-up the significance of Motion's formative relationship with W. H. Auden and his subsequent friendship with Philip Larkin. And during his time as Laureate, we witness memorable encounters with Royalty and Prime Ministers, and discover the costs and complications that accompany such a high-profile role.By turns moving and humorous, this is the intimate story of a rare poetic life. And it proves Motion's contention that the poems we most enjoy 'are not weird visitations, or ornaments stuck on the surface of life, but part of life's daily bread'.

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At the age of seventy-one, the recluse Amelia finally leaves her home in the North Carolina mountains to find the world grown strange and almost deserted. In her quest to unravel the mysteries of this apocalyptic landscape, she encounters a neighbor turned into an apple tree, children trapped in mica, and her doppelgänger. Between these events, she reflects on the recent death of her immigrant father and the disastrous love affair with a woman that sent her into seclusion for half a century. Eventually, Amelia meets up with the time-stranded and dying Sir Walter Scott, who becomes an unwilling companion. Together they navigate the dystopic local town and the living, breathing shadow of a mountain, searching for answers. At the novel's end, Amelia grows to understand the origin of these mysteries when she meets a famous mother, who is nothing like the Gospels imagined her. The Gospel of Rot is a creative intervention into the Appalachian imaginary, steeped in the Southern gothic. It explores lesser-known, idiosyncratic, and historically taboo subjects: Biblical apocrypha, heterodoxy, mysticism, queerness, Cherokee lore, and the weird and the fantastic. It strives to upend and complicate any static conception of the Appalachian experience.

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The Waltharius, a medieval Latin epic poem of over 1400 lines, richly retells the story of a vigorous Germanic saga in the language and style of classical and Christian Latin poetry. Walter, its hero, is a pagan warrior ready to mock his enemies and mercilessly decapitate them, but also a pious Christian who refrains from premarital sex and stops to pray and ask for God's mercy in the middle of a battle. The poem varies remarkably in tone, providing both fervent moral commentary and bitter black comedy. The growing scholarship on the poem outside of Germany, where it has always been popular, no doubt results from its weird allure and eclectic nature. It has something for everyone. This new edition uses a fresh review of manuscripts - especially the recently discovered fragments at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - in order to provide a text and apparatus that will aid the reader in understanding the poem's tangled manuscript history. The notes are rather fuller than those of previous English-language editions, providing useful context to understand the complicated relationships among the Germanic, classical Latin, and Christian Latin traditions as well as tracking various themes and stylistic features that the poet employs.

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Home brewing and wine-making is fun, easy and hugely satisfying. If you garden or forage,can follow a recipe or make jam, and you enjoy a drink, this is the book for you. Andy's no-nonsense, easy-to-follow guide will enable the beginner and inspire the expertwith over 100 recipes including beer made from hops and but also yarrow, mugwort, elderand other foraged plants, great tasting wines from fruit, vegetables and the hedgerows,cider and perry from apples and pears, cordials from the leaves of a range of trees, and teas and fizzy drinks from herbs and wayside flowers.- Discover the secret language of home brewing and drinks making.- Make cheap, wholesome drinks, to your preferred taste and strengthin little time, with minimum fuss and no need for expensive equipment.- Turn your garden into a drinkers' paradise.- Find where and how to forage for success.- Impress your friends with the weird, wonderful and just plain tasty.Try Carrot Whisky, Sloe and Damson Rum, Parsnip Sherry, Elderberry and Blackberry Wine,Pumpkin Beer, Broom Tonic, Meadowsweet tea as well as classics such as Elderflowerchampagne, sloe gin, prison brew... Cheers!

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Pre-order the new sharp, hilarious Justin Myers novel, LEADING MAN, now!'If you liked Bridget Jones's Diary, try this' BBC News*****James is 34 and fed up. His six-year relationship with Adam has imploded, he hates his job making up celebrity gossip, and his best friend Bella has just announced she's moving to Russia.Adrift and single in loved-up London, James needs to break out of his lonely, drunken comfort zone. Encouraged by Bella, he throws himself headlong into online dating, blogging each encounter anonymously as the mysterious Romeo.After meeting a succession of hot/weird/gross men, James has fans and the validation he's always craved. But when his wild night with a closeted Olympian goes viral and sends his Twitter-fame through the roof, James realises maybe, in the search for happy-ever-after, some things are better left un-shared. Seriously, wherefore art thou Romeo . . . From Justin Myers, author of sensational blog The Guyliner, this razor-sharp and cringingly candid account of one man's quest for The One is as sad, fearless and funny as dating itself.*****'If you liked Bridget Jones's Diary, try this' BBC News'So funny and sharp, yet tender and emotional too. I loved it!' Jill Mansell'I adored The Last Romeo . . . funny, clever and warm' Adam Kay, author of This is Going to Hurt'Funny, smart, tart' Russell T Davies, creator of BBC drama Torchwood'A savagely funny and poignant journey' Red Magazine'A frothy and insightful debut . . . an all-too-recognisable tale of the horrors and joys of attempting to find that special someone' Emerald Street'A razor-sharp tale, with fabulously drawn characters, crackling dialogue, real emotional heft and a wonderfully acerbic turn of phrase. Great fun' Sunday Mirror'A book we can all relate to . . . Myers' original take on modern dating is refreshing and timely' GQ'Myers has a wonderful style... [his] lines are sharp enough to murder' Independent'Sex and the City meets Bridget Jones's Diary in this sharp and pacey queer rom-com gone wrong for the digital age' Attitude'We can't remember the last time there was this much buzz in the literary world over a same-sex love story' Indy100'It's Bridget Jones meets Gossip Girl, and if you loved those, you'll adore this' Look Magazine'Insightful, heartfelt and witty' Laura Jane Williams'Myers is a natural raconteur and The Last Romeo is replete with the sharp wit and tenderness that made The Guyliner such a success' Sydney Morning Herald'What would you get if you were to combine Adrian Mole and almost any Marian Keyes novel? Justin Myers's brilliant debut novel and its lead, James' Sunday Times South Africa'Extremely funny, with real heart, depth and resonance' Daisy Buchanan'Warm, witty, wicked and wonderful . . . What an amazing debut' John Marrs, author of The One'Justin's writing is razor-sharp and so funny . . . I inhaled it in one sitting' Francesca Hornak, author of Seven Days of Us'Hilarious and insightful, The Last Romeo is the perfect blend of heart, spark and snark' Isabel Costello, Literary Sofa'Predictably wise, beautifully written and enormous fun' Marina O'Loughlin

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A Sunday Times Best Book for Children 2023 From million-copy bestselling author David Baddiel comes a laugh-out-loud collection of three short stories for readers of 8 and up, brilliantly illustrated by Jim Field and Steven Lenton. MEET ALFIE… THE BOY WHO COULD DO WHAT HE LIKED!Previously published for World Book Day 2016Alfie has a routine. To be honest he has a lot of routines.But then one day Alfie’s babysitter is unavailable, and Alfie’s parents get Mrs Stokes instead. Mrs Stokes doesn’t do routines. Instead, she just tells Alfie to do what he likes. And that’s when things start to go weird.Does everything get hilariously out of control? Yes.Does Alfie learn a valuable lesson? Nah. This isn’t that kind of story… DISCOVER CHRISSIE… THE GIRL WHO HAD NEVER BEEN ON A TRAIN!Chrissie loves trains. She has train books, train pictures – and, of course, model trains. But Chrissie has never been on an actual train. In part, because Chrissie doesn't find getting around as easy as other people. Then, Chrissie finally gets on a train, with her Grandpa Henry, to go down to London for an important operation. Her parents and Henry hope the journey will take Chrissie's mind off things. And they're right: but in a way they couldn't possibly imagine. Because Chrissie's trip from Scotland to London turns out to be quite literally magical – and changes her life forever. MARVEL AT ARIEL… THE CHILD WHO HAD NEVER BEEN ON HOLIDAY!Every year, Max, Lily and Jack are taken to Snoring-On-Sea for their holiday – quite possibly the most boring town in the world. There’s nothing to do and nothing to see – even the beach at Snoring-on-Sea is dull and grey. But this year, something DOES happen. The children meet someone on a tiny island out at sea – a mysterious child called Ariel. Ariel claims to have never left their tiny island, and to Ariel, everything about Max, Lily and Jack’s lives is amazing – fish and chips, fizzy drinks… even the view of the brick wall out of their bedroom window. And their new friend forces Max, Lily and Jack to see Snoring-On-Sea in a whole new light… Three hilarious, heart-warming and adventure-filled stories that will have you laughing out loud!

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Discover the incredible, edible science that happens every time you cook, bake, or eat with this children's book that is part-cookbook, part-science reference.This exciting kids' book tackles all the tasty science questions you have about food - plus plenty more that you hadn't even thought of! Science You Can Eat will transform your kitchen into an awesome lab through 20 fun food experiments. This quest of gastronomic wonder is so much more than just another science book for kids! It explores the science of food by asking questions you're hungry to know the answers to and putting them to the test through fun experiments.Cooking is just delicious chemistry, and the science experiments in this adorable kids cookbook will prove it. Once you understand science, you understand food. Find out why popcorn goes "pop" as you test it out for yourself. Explore how taste is affected by smell, know if carrots really can turn you orange, and finally discover whether eating insects is the future of food.There is a fantastic mix of fun facts and knowledge, context, and science experiments for kids in this educational book. The experiments are easy to execute at home with things you have around the kitchen. The instructions are detailed but easy to understand, so some kids could even adventure solo through its pages.Enjoy the delightful weirdness of tricking your taste buds, making slime taste delicious, investigating some of the strangest flavors around, and extracting iron from your cereal! Science You Can Eat helps your little one understand what's happening with their food and why. Each page is guaranteed to leave you hungry for more - we'd wager even adults will learn a thing or two from this culinary escapade.Explore, Experiment, And Learn!Explore the world of weird, mind-blowing, and often gloriously revolting (but tasty) science behind the food we eat; from why onions make us cry to the sticky science of chewing gum.Packed with activities for kids that allow you to use the power of science in the most delicious way. You'll concoct color-changing potions, make scrumptious ice-cream in an instant, and much, much more.Embark on this incredible edible adventure with TV presenter Stefan Gates AKA “The Gastronaut” and turn the things we eat from the ordinary into the extraordinary. Some of food fueled science you'll learn about:- Unusual foods- The world's smelliest fruit- Salt and other marvelous minerals- Ways of cooking- Drinks that glow and so much more!

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THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR. THE MOST ORIGINAL BOOK OF 2021'Sheer inventiveness, wit, complexity, erudition, unexpectedness and originality' The Times***The village of Much Hemlock has always been a right-wing stronghold. British. Solid. Traditional. Then they move in. They're different from everyone else: they have a weird religion, an aggressive vegan agenda, and too many children. They may seem quiet and peace-loving, but who knows where it could lead?They are a family of human-sized rabbits, the result of an inexplicable anthropomorphising event half a century before. With a mass rehoming to Wales for 1.2 million rabbits looming, long-term resident Peter Knox is drawn from his customary spot on the fence and must choose his corner: a cosy job-for-life at the Rabbit Compliant Taskforce, or stand with the rabbits - and weather the full brunt of human savagery.It'll take a rabbit to teach a human humanity . . .PRAISE FOR JASPER FFORDE'The Constant Rabbit is Jasper Fforde's most chilling and realistic book yet' Guardian 'You won't read anything quite like this in 2020 - or beyond that too' CultureFly 'Is there anyone who can write satire quite like Fforde?. . . An astonishingly well-crafted work of social and political satire.' Kirkus 'Fforde presents a milquetoast cog in an absurdly bureaucratic wheel, this time cleverly skewering Brexit, conservative politics, and white supremacy in this surprisingly uplifting tale of one man doing his best, even if it is the bare minimum.' Booklist 'The Constant Rabbit is designed to shake readers out of that complacency: to recognise that merely holding liberal values is not enough to prevent the quickening advance of racism and xenophobia in this country. One must act.' Financial Times 'A serious minded comedy' Mail on Sunday READERS LOVE THE CONSTANT RABBIT'This is Jasper Fforde at his absolute best. Clever, thought-provoking and relevant, whilst maintaining the absurdity that we have come to love Fforde for' 5*'A real classic - the sort of book that will be read in fifty or a hundred years' time' 5*'[Jasper Fforde's] ability to take something relatively normal and turn it on it's head is sublime, ridiculous and so enjoyable! Quirky, funny, satirical tale with pertinent reflections on current times.' 5*'This book couldn't have come at a better time. Frighteningly poignant given the state of world. It's a truly wonderful piece of work

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The Bible is filled with passages that are so baffling we tend to ignore them. Yet the passages that seem weird might be the most important. This collection of essays from Bible Study Magazine will shock you, intrigue you, and completely change the way you view the Bible. Dr. Michael S. Heiser visits some of the Bible's most obscure passages, unveiling their ancient context to help you interpret them today. Read this book, and you'll never be bored by the Bible again.Part One: Old TestamentThe Ancient's Guide to the GalaxyWalk Like an IsraeliteEven the Bible Needed UpgradingSpellchecking the BibleWhy Circumcision?The Abandoned Child and the Basket CaseA Tale of Courage We Never TeachCounting the Ten CommandmentsIs There Really a Sin Offering?There's a Devil in the DetailsLove Potion: Numbers 5Is My Bible Right?The Most Horrific Bible StoryRighting a WrongWhen Giants Walked the EarthThe Divine ArrowPromise Undelivered?Sanctified Dirt1003 BC Census: Who Authorized It-God or Satan?Cookin' the BooksSlaying the Sea MonsterDoes God Need a Co-Signer?The Witness in the CloudsWho Wrote the Book of Proverbs?Immanuel's Mother: Virgin or Not?Standing in the CouncilJeremiah: Double Vision?Why the Ark of the Covenant Will Never Be FoundHe, Him, Me, Myself, and IBizarre Visions for the Worst of TimesDo the Dead Sea Scrolls Answer the Canon Question?Part Two: New TestamentBurying HellMy Guardian AngelThe New Testament Misquotes the Old Testament?"I Saw Satan Fall like Lightning": When?The Healing SerpentWho Took Verse 4 out of My Bible?What Walking on Water Really MeansBorn Again ... and Again and Again?Dumbledore Meets Philip & PeterPaul's Lost LettersDestiny & DestinationA Female ApostleSigned, Sealed, and Delivered-to Satan?Treason & TranslationCharlton Heston Had CompanyWhen Abraham Met JesusHow Many Times Is Jesus Coming Back?What's Jesus Waiting For?God's Right-Hand Woman? Wisdom in HebrewsBaptism as Spiritual WarfareJesus Is God: Jude and Peter Tell Me SoWhen Angels Do TimeTough LoveJesus, God, a.k.a., The Name666: What Theories Add Up?Perspective Changes EverythingConstantine, Conspiracy, and the Canon

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A collection of the most mind-boggling and outrageous True Crime cases you've ever read. Stories so bizarre, creepy and compelling that you can't stop turning the pages - the perfect gift for True Crime lovers.Are you a hardcore true crime fan? Do you know all the ins and outs of popular cases and killers? Are you kind of sick of hearing the same old stories over and over? Do you long to be truly disturbed by strange and scary details that just don't happen every day?Then you are sure to enjoy The Most Bizarre True Crime Stories Ever Told!Inside you'll find: - Tales of the paranormal: Did a dead woman really solve her own murder? Have dreams helped investigators track down killers? Did a demon possess a man and force him to kill?- Terrifying mysteries: What was happening in the Soka Forest of Horrors? How can authorities have stacks of DNA evidence and still not be able to track down such a careless killer? How many innocent people have been killed because they knew too much.- The strangest details of any true crime cases: How many murder attempts can one man survive? How long can someone live with a corpse in their house? How did a cannibal who committed a horrific crime not only walk free, but become a celebrity?- Bizarre true crime stories you've never heard before!As horrifying as the details of well-known cases can be, real true crime fanatics are looking for something more than the run of the mill murders they've heard about a thousand times. They're looking for mysteries, twists and turns, and seemingly-impossible circumstances that take a case from lacklustre to legendary.The Most Bizarre True Crime Stories Ever Told delivers the horrifying, interesting, weird, and disturbing tales that really get true crime connoisseurs excited. Lock your doors, close your blinds, and get ready to read about some of the strangest, and most bone-chilling true crime cases the word has ever seen.

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Return to the weird and wonderful world of Maudlin Towers for a second adventure – brilliantly written and illustrated throughout by Chris Priestley in this striking and funny package. Mildew and Sponge don’t think much of Maudlin Towers, the blackened, gloom-laden, gargoyle-infested monstrosity that is their school. But when they are told the school might close, our heroes realise that being apart and somewhere else could be even worse! But what starts out as a secret hunt for buried treasure quickly becomes weirder than Mildew and Sponge could ever have imagined. Who is that new boy who can get people to do whatever he wants just by looking them intently in the eye? (A hypnotist!) Why does that strange teacher have tattoos and a beard? (He’s really a pirate also looking for the treasure!) Could their heartbroken English teacher hold the key to this riddle of riddles? (Just maybe …) Most importantly, can Mildew and Sponge save the day – and the school – once more? This hugely funny, deliciously creepy and action-packed series is perfect for 8+ readers who like their mysteries with a twist. Fans of Lemony Snicket and Chris Riddell will love Maudlin Towers.

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Take on the role of a shape-shifting MEGAHERO in this fully interactive, wacky, choose-your-own-destiny adventure story.You and your mega-computer sidekick, PAL, must save the world from MegaBite - an ultra-skilled and not-very-nice computer hacker. The evil genius has built a web of scams online - can you possibly morph into the right shapes to unravel his coordinated cyber attacks?? Written by the award-winning duo Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore (AKA the 2STEVES) and illustrated by the hilarious Pipi Sposito. Reading age from 7 to 9 years old. Interest range from 7 to 12 years old - suitable for reluctant readers and less confident older readers. Printed using a font approved by the British Dyslexia Association on off-white paper.Read and laugh along with the whole series!October 2020I HERO: MegaHero: Sushi Man - 9781445169477I HERO: MegaHero: Professor Weird - 9781445170039November 2020I HERO: MegaHero: DinaSaw - 9781445170084I HERO: MegaHero: Miss Take - 9781445170091December 2020I HERO: MegaHero: MegaBite - 9781445170121I HERO: MegaHero: Queen of Hearts - 9781445170152

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Venue Stories is an anthology of creative non-fiction that remembers, celebrates and reinvigorates our complex and plural relationship with small and independent music spaces. Written by musicians, promoters, fans and academics who have a shared passion for small music venues and musical cultures in all their splendid variety, this anthology features memoir, essays, life writing, historiography and autoethnography. Each chapter is united by a focus on the personal, the sensory and half-remembered. These are stories that cross disciplinary lines and blur distinctions between creativity, reportage and critical analysis. Venue Stories pays a visit to the toilet venues, back rooms and ad-hoc club nights that make up so much of our musical landscape. It spends time in small and local venues and asks what they mean in personal and cultural terms. Writers visit celebrated spots, long forgotten spaces and emergent venues. Whatever the lineage, they are independent, original and wonderfully weird. The stories are memories of seismic gigs and life-altering raves. They are mosaic remembrances and recollections; funny, heart-breaking, rage induced and sometimes a combination of all of these things. This is a collection of stories by and for fans, band members, merch sellers, pint pullers, journalists with a freebie, roadies with a backache and sound techs with an earache.

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What’s up with Cali? Why does she keep changing her gamer tag? It’s summertime, and even though his good friend Cali moved to another city, Jaden can connect with her online almost every day to play their favorite game, Cross Ups. His mom has loosened her rules on how often he can play, and he has an amazing new controller that will make him even better at tournaments. But then he gets roped into a dorky summer camp with his buddy Hugh, and Cali starts acting really weird . . . So when a last-minute tournament spot opens up in Cali’s city, Jaden jumps at the chance to go. But things go badly from the start. Jaden loses his controller on the train, and his reunion with Cali is awkward. She’s unhappy, and Jaden can’t figure out why, especially when she’s getting better and better at Cross Ups—and may even win the tournament. With its sharp dialogue and relatable characters, Anyone’s Game, the second book in the Cross Ups series, chronicles the ups and downs of middle school with a relevant, contemporary twist.

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Welcome to Rockhead Primary, a school so ordinary even the teachers think it's boring. But things start to change when a builder knocks down an internal wall and reveals something totally weird... Now the school has been invaded by an invisible intruder from another galaxy. Verna Lee and Jamie Ballard investigate, but our dynamic Year 6 duo are stumped by the alien's antics. Can they track it down and save the human race from a terrible fate? Can they even save themselves? The answers to all these questions are inside this book. Open it...if you dare! Forbidden Classroom: The Intruder is part of the Astro range from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Astro books are ideal for struggling and reluctant readers aged 7-11. Each book is dual-banded so that children can improve their fluency whilst enjoying exciting fiction and non-fiction relevant to their age. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and questions to support reading at home and develop comprehension skills. Interest age: 9-10 Reading age: 7-8 years

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Addictive Fun for Word Puzzlers!The beloved Game of the Year winner, in puzzle book form. Filled with 575 puzzles, Bananagrams! The Official Book takes the anagram to new brain-twisting levels. In fact, four levels?Easy to Extra Hard?spread across seven clever puzzle types, from Banana Splits (solve letter substitution scrambles in rapid-fire fashion), to Banana Leaves (a progressive search for four-, five-, six-, and seven-letter words that will challenge you for hours, to Banana Filling?what happens when you add a "K"?; and more.. Even if you've never dipped your hand into the Bananagrams pouch, the book stands on its own with hours of challenging play. Plus, there are glossaries; special strategies for Bananagrams: The Game; a list of "Weords"?weird words that are cool to play; two- and three-letter words to take your game to the next level; fun banana facts; and, of course, an answer key. Written by the only three-time National Scrabble Champion, Joe Edley. Wordle fans, crossword solvers, and other word puzzlers will go bananas for these games!

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Geoffrey Beevers, Louise Jameson and Dan Starkey perform these stories and features from the celebrated book of the same name.First published in 1976, The Amazing World of Doctor Who thrilled fans with short stories and strips featuring the Fourth Doctor, Sarah and Harry in brand new adventures. It also supplied the low-down on the Doctor's past history and some of the foes he'd encountered to date.This nostalgic audio edition includes 'The Sinister Sponge', 'The Vampires of Crellium', 'On The Slippery Trail' and 'The Mission', plus 'A New Life' and 'Avast There' from the 1976 Doctor Who Annual. 'The Psychic Jungle' and 'Neuronic Nightmare' are multi-voice tales with thrilling sound design, and there are also charming mini-features on the Daleks, the Cybermen, the TARDIS and more.Dan Starkey (Strax), Louise Jameson (Leela) and Geoffrey Beevers (the Master) lend their vocal talents to these weird and wacky stories from the pages of the famous vintage book.Readings produced by Neil GardnerSound design by David DarlingtonExecutive Producer for BBC Audio: Michael Stevens©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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'Brilliantly funny' - Abi Elphinstone on You Can't Take an Elephant on Holiday 'You will laugh out loud' - Guardian on You Can't Take an Elephant on the Bus _______________ A band of weird and wonderful creatures try to compete in the most unsuitable sports in this fifth title in the bestselling You Can’t Let an Elephant... series. Have you ever seen a weightlifting wombat, or a figure-skating alligator? How about a pole-vaulting hippo, or an octopus . . . playing table tennis? Get ready for all sorts of hilarious animal antics in this side-splitting picture book from the creators of the bestselling You Can't Take an Elephant on the Bus. From zebras playing cricket to a walrus on a mountain bike, this book will make you laugh out loud. Jam-packed with silly animals and all your favourite sports, it's riotous, irresistible fun! _______________ Don't miss out on the other hilarious books in this series: You Can’t Take an Elephant on the Bus, You Can't Let an Elephant Drive a Digger, You Can't Call an Elephant in an Emergency, and You Can't Take an Elephant on Holiday. Collect them all!

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‘Funny, anarchic, original and gloriously silly.’ ― Richard Osman‘Ted and Nancy are my favourite funny foxes EVER.’ ― Liz Pichon, author of Tom Gates‘I CACKLED ALOUD on practically every page. Comic gold, tinged with such tenderness.’ ― Kiran Millwood Hargrave ‘Grimwood is like Winnie-the-Pooh written by the Pythons, and so madly inventive and funny I was howling with laughter by the third page. This is about to become a fundamental part of 21st century childhood’ ―​ Caitlin Moran Laugh your head off with this fully-illustrated new series from award-winning Nadia Shireen. Perfect for readers age 7 to 107, fans of Dog Man, Roald Dahl, Mr Gum and David Walliams, and anyone who loves to laugh. Fox cub siblings Ted and Nancy are on the run from Princess Buttons, the scariest street cat in the Big City. They flee for Grimwood, expecting to find refuge in the peaceful countryside. Instead, they are met with thieving eagles, dramatic ducks, riotous rabbits and a whole host of unusual characters. Grimwood is . . . weird. But when Princess Buttons tracks them down, Nancy and Ted and the animals of Grimwood must unite in a mind-bending race against time . . . This memorable, distinctive and warm-hearted comedy series will have kids begging to read more.Grimwood: Attack of the Stink Monster! the must-read third Grimwood adventure​ OUT NOW! Nadia Shireen has won awards for her picture books including the UKLA Book Award for Good Little Wolf, and her latest, Barbara Throws a Wobbler, has been described as a ‘little doorway of joy’ by Caitlin Moran. She’s also been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and has been Writer-Illustrator in Residence for BookTrust. Grimwood is her first series for older readers.PRAISE FOR GRIMWOOD: 'Grimwood is where I want to be. A carnival of crazed confused comical critters that is more real than real life. Lots of things make me laugh but Grimwood makes me laugh out loudest.' ― Frank Cottrell-Boyce 'Gloriously anarchic, properly funny and highly illustrated with dynamic black-and-white art, this is a quirky delight for children – and their parents, too.' ― The Bookseller 'Dark, original and laugh-out-loud funny' ― The Times 'This book made my face hurt! Relentlessly funny.' ― Rob Biddulph 'Like Watership Down, but funny. You’ll laugh hysterically on every page.' ― Caitlin Moran 'Fantastic.' ― Lauren Laverne 'Pure genius!' ― Louie Stowell 'Made us laugh out loud.' ― Jim Smith, author of Barry Loser 'You’re in for a treat!' ― Selom Sunu, illustrator of Look Both Ways 'Utterly HILARIOUS' ― Sophy Henn, author-illustrator of Pizazz ‘Every page of the book zings with invention and joie de vivre’ ― The Financial TimesPRAISE FOR NADIA SHIREEN: 'Shireen’s latest book confirms her as one of the brightest and best picture book creators working in Britain today ... Sensational.' ― Observer

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Following their acclaimed Ghost Stories and Weird Women, award-winning anthologists Leslie S. Klinger and Lisa Morton present a new eclectic anthology of ghosty tales certain to haunt the reader long past the closing page.In Haunted Tales, the reader will enjoy discovering masterpieces like Algernon Blackwood’s terrifying “The Kit-Bag,” Oscar Wilde’s delightful “The Canterville Ghost,” and F. Marion Crawford’s horrific “The Screaming Skull,” as well as lesser-known gems by some of literature’s greatest voices, including Virginia Woolf’s “A Haunted House,” H. G. Wells’s “The Story of the Inexperienced Ghost,” and Rudyard Kipling’s “They.” Haunted Tales also resurrects some wonders that have been woefully neglected, including Dinah Mulock’s “M. Anastasius” (which Charles Dickens called “the best ghost story ever written”); E. F. Benson’s “The Bus-Conductor” (the source of one of the most iconic lines in horror); and E. and H. Heron’s “The Story of the Spaniards, Hammersmith” (the debut adventure of Flaxman Lowe, fiction’s first psychic detective). Whether the stories are familiar or overlooked, all are sure to surprise and astonish the reader long past the closing of this book’s cover.

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From Heather Corinna, founder and director of Scarleteen.com, and Isabella Rotman, cartoonist and sex educator, comes a graphic novel guide that covers essential topics for preteens and young teens about their changing bodies and feelings. Join friends Malia, Rico, Max, Sam and Alexis as they talk about all the weird and exciting parts of growing up! This supportive group of friends are guides for some tricky subjects. Using comics, activities and examples, they give encouragement and context for new and confusing feelings and experiences. Inclusive of different kinds of genders, sexualities, and other identities, they talk about important topics like: - Bodies, including puberty, body parts and body image - Sexual and gender identity - Gender roles and stereotypes - Crushes, relationships, and sexual feelings - Boundaries and consent - The media and cultural messages, specifically around bodies and sex - How to be sensitive, kind, accepting, and mature - Where to look for more information, support and help A fun and easy-to-read guide from expert sex educators that gives readers a good basis and an age-appropriate start with sex, bodies and relationships education! The perfect complement to any school curriculum.

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Main Street America is kicking up its heels--and you're invited tothe party! Goodbye sprawl-and-mall--hello downtown! Long-neglected towncenters are coming to life once again, and the buzz is back on mainstreets all across the country. Come celebrate their rebirth withthis one-of-a-kind guide to over 700 local festivals and eventsnationwide. From the weird and wacky to the wild and wonderful, thefun starts with Main Street Festivals. Which will you dofirst? Enter a rubber duck race . . . Join a "walk of art" scavenger hunt. . . Find hot-rod heaven . . . Play cow patty bingo . . . See antiques and heirloom displays . . . Discover "bullistic" bull riding . . . Go to a hog slopping contest. . . Eat black dirt cake . . . Hear blues, bluegrass, and brass bands .. . Watch a Little Miss National Peanut Pageant . . . Inside you'll also learn where to find: an onion rodeo, cornstalkshooting, a beautiful baby bagel contest, arts and craftsdemonstrations, the perfect-pierogie cookoff, a slugburger fest,quilting exhibitions, farmer olympics, and more. . . . There'ssomething for everyone in Main Street Festivals.

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Preface viiIntroduction viiiPART ONE ECCENTRIC THINGS WE DO 1Chapter 1 The Eccentric Year 3Daily Events 3, January 4, February 8, March 12, April 13, May 19, June 26, July 34, August 37, September 43, October 48, November 51, December 55, Various dates 58, Fairs 60, Travel information 64Chapter 2 Eccentric Pastimes 73Collections of eccentrics 73, Eccentric interests 81, !is rather eccentric race 83, On the road to Eccentricity 91, Odd associations 97, Eccentricity on display: Britain's top odd museums 101, Travel information 112Chapter 3 Barmy Bureaucracy and Curious Charities 115Paying the rent in roses, nails and parsnips 115, Britain's weird courts that court disbelief 117, Worth the weight 123, Britain's most eccentric jobs 123, Key to eccentricities 123, Curse of the underground mutton 126, Getting the dole 126, Travel information 129PART TWO ECCENTRIC PEOPLE 131Chapter 4 The Aristocrats of Eccentrics 133!e tunnelling duke and other odd aristos 133, Hellfire and heroism 137, Bonke

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Cara Delevingne is living the dream. Signed by Storm Models founder Sarah Loukas - the same woman who spotted Kate Moss - when she was just 17, Cara's career has reached dizzying heights. As the face of DKNY, Burberry and Chanel, Cara's startling blue eyes gaze down from billboards across the world. Known for her irreverent style and kooky sense of humour, Cara is no poster-girl for perfection. Rather, with her thick eyebrows and snubbed nose, she pushes the boundaries of modern-day beauty, embodying the edgy girl-about-town, kicking about with celebs like Rita Ora, Rihanna and Jake Bugg. The granddaughter of English Heritage chairman Sir Jocelyn Stevens, Cara can count Joan Collins and Conde Nast managing director Nicholas Coleridge among her godparents. But while her roots are far from gritty, it is Cara's wild side that garners the most column inches and makes her a constant source of fascination the world over. In this, the first unauthorised biography of the British beauty, Abi Smith reveals Cara's life behind the lens, exploring just how she manages to be both weird and wonderful.

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Hilarious, touching and thought-provoking, Hoot is a modern classic, now celebrating its fifteenth anniversary. Winner of the Newbery Honor award and a New York Times bestseller, Carl Hiaasen's first novel celebrates the natural world with his trademark wit and warmth.Roy Eberhardt never wanted to move to Florida. In his opinion, Disney World is an armpit. Roy’s family moves around a lot so he’s used to the new-kid drill – he's also used to bullies like Dana Matherson. And anyway, it’s because of Dana that Roy gets to see the mysterious running boy who runs away from the school bus and who has no books, no backpack and, most bizarrely, no shoes. Sensing a mystery, Roy starts to trail the mystery runner – a chase that will introduce him to many weird Floridian creatures: potty-trained alligators, cute burrowing owls, a fake-fart champion, a shoeless eco-warrior, a sinister pancake PR man, new friends and some snakes with sparkly tails. As the plot thickens, Roy and his friends realise it's up to them to save the endangered owls from the evil Mother Paula's pancake company who are planning to build a new restaurant on their home . . .

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Join Monkey D. Luffy and his swashbuckling crew in their search for the ultimate treasure, One Piece!As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally gained the power to stretch like rubber…at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years, later, Luffy sets off in search of the “One Piece,” said to be the greatest treasure in the world...Sure, lots of people say they want to be the King of the Pirates, but how many have the guts to do what it takes? When Monkey D. Luffy first set out to sea in a leaky rowboat, he had no idea what might lie over the horizon. Now he's got a crew--sort of--in the form of swordsman Roronoa Zolo and treasure-hunting thief Nami. If he wants to prove himself on the high seas, Luffy will have to defeat the weird pirate lord Buggy the Clown. He'll have to find a map to the Grand Line, the sea route where the toughest pirates sail. And he'll have to face the Dread Captain Usopp, who claims to be a notorious pirate captain...but frankly, Usopp says a lot of things...

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Fear is the primary reason we fail to share the gospel with our friends, family, and coworkers. We're afraid of looking weird or out of touch. We're afraid we won't have the right answers to their questions. We're afraid that if they reject the gospel, they're really rejecting us. We don't want to make things awkward or strain our relationships. So we say nothing because our discomfort feels bigger than our loved ones' ultimate destination if they remain outside of the body of Christ. We know it's not, but it's just so hard to get over our fear. Apologist Ray Comfort can help. In Anyone but Me, he shows you how to overcome your fears by developing ten critical, biblical characteristics so that you can confidently share the message of salvation with those you care about most. If you've been longing to see a dear friend, family member, or coworker come to Christ, now is the time to begin becoming the faithful witness they need. Because we never know how much more time we will have to proclaim God's good news.

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Minecraft meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid in book 2 of the very popular 8-Bit Warrior series of the journal of a young Minecraft villager who dares to dream of becoming a Minecraft warrior! THESE ARE THE REAL BOOKS BY CUBE KID! DIARY OF AN 8-BIT WARRIOR: FROM SEEDS TO SWORDS WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AS WIMPY VILLAGER KINDLES 5-8. Pet slimes. A potion brew-off. A creepy forest that no one will explain. What’s a twelve-year-old warrior-in-training to do? As Runt and his friends continue their battle preparation, they face their biggest challenges yet—and it’s not just those zombies decked out in body armor (which is really weird, by the way). Runt’s got a brand new nemesis who will stop at nothing to claim the top spot in the warrior competition at school. And, to make matters worse, there’s a strange girl following him around wherever he goes. But old enemies will become new allies as the town rallies to save the school from a series of mysterious mob attacks. Can Runt and his friends take down the biggest, baddest boss mob yet?

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Discover the weird and wonderful world of Maudlin Towers – brilliantly written and illustrated throughout by Chris Priestley in this striking and funny package. Mildew and Sponge don’t think much of Maudlin Towers, the blackened, gloom-laden, gargoyle-infested monstrosity that is their school. But when a meteorite crash-lands in the school grounds, things become even stranger than they have ever been before! Not only do a group of schoolgirls and their teacher turn up needing somewhere to stay, but further investigation of the meteorite soon proves that it might be a spaceship. Could aliens be hiding in the school grounds somewhere? (You might have spotted them already!) Plus, has anyone noticed a giant eyeball floating about the place? Most importantly, can Mildew and Sponge save the day – and the school – once more? This hugely funny, deliciously creepy and action-packed series is perfect for 8+ readers who like their mysteries with a twist. Fans of Lemony Snicket and Chris Riddell will love Maudlin Towers. Have you read all of Mildew and Sponge's adventures? Maudlin Towers: Curse of the Werewolf Boy Maudlin Towers: Treasure of the Golden Skull Maudlin Towers: Attack of the Meteor Monsters

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‘It’s a bit weird to be sitting at the Arctic Circle chatting to a fit boy with your dad’s ashes in your backpack.’ Rory's dad was an explorer. Well, not literally. Literally, he was a geography teacher. But inside, she knows, he was Bear Grylls. And when he dies suddenly in an accident, Rory knows she needs to make one last expedition. With a plastic compass and Dad's ashes at her side, Rory sets off in the footsteps of all the dead beardy explorers before her, to get Dad to the North Pole. Before Mum finds out they've gone. Tatty Hennessy's play A Hundred Words for Snow is about being an explorer in a melting world. It's a coming-of-age story. With polar bears. The play won the Heretic Voices Monologue Competition and was first produced at the Arcola Theatre, London, in 2018. A new production was performed at the 2018 VAULT Festival, where it was the winner of a VAULT Origins Award for outstanding new work from the VAULT Festival. It then toured the UK, with a run at the Trafalgar Studios in London's West End in 2019. This edition also includes the diary of her research trip to the Arctic Circle, and the short play Distant Early Warning, set in 2053 in what was once Greenland.

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The music of Crosby, Stills and Nash, and especially their 1969 self-titled debut album, exemplified the Woodstock generation – three men, three voices, one common view of freedom and justice. Their decision to recruit Neil Young before their first public performance fundamentally altered CSNY the band dynamic. Worldwide acclaim and success followed: their first three albums, released 1969-1971, have sold almost 30 million copies. In 1974 they embarked on the biggest stadium tour then attempted, playing baseball and football stadiums and racetracks across the US to thousands of fans. They were also pop stars, securing nine top 40 singles between 1969 and 1982. And yet, today, with Neil Young regarded as a musical legend with a classic back catalogue, his colleagues Crosby, Stills and Nash remain far less acclaimed. They comprised Crosby: the drug-addled hippy with weird songs and golden voice, Stills: the blues man and guitar genius and Nash: the hard-as-nails balladeer with a strong social conscience. Together, at their best, they were unbeatable. This book tells you why, aiming to set things straight, with an album by album analysis of CSN’s five studio albums, as well as the three they made with Neil Young.

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Dive to the darkest depths of the deep blue sea, weave in and out of colourful coral reefs and learn about the incredible people who are trying to save our oceans in the fourth book in Matt Robertson’s award-winning Do You Love? series Investigate shipwrecks where scorpionfish hide, dive down to the Mariana trench to meet a dumbo octopus, marvel at ocean giants and dart in between manatees in mangrove forests to find out why oceans are magnificently mega! Did you know lobsters keep their teeth in their tummies? Or that you can find rivers and lakes beneath the ocean? And did you know that sea stars have no brain or blood? Explore the wonders of our underwater worlds on every page, from coral reefs, sharks and the deep to shipwrecks, weird fish and frozen seas, there's so much to discover! With fun and colourful illustrations and bursting with facts, Do You Love Oceans? is perfect for readers who want to explore Earth's spectacular seas, discover the wildlife that lives there and find out why our oceans need protecting. Matt Robertson is the award-winning illustrator of Do You Love Bugs?, Do You Love Dinosaurs? and Do You Love Exploring?

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With fans far and wide, cacti and succulents come in myriad shapes and sizes too. These firm favourites of Instagram influencers are perfect for adding greenery indoors, and can add structure and detail to outdoor spaces as well. Smaller plants are companions for 'generation rent', since they are easily moved from place to place. Generally low-maintenance, being 'plant mum' to one or two of these tiny plants often starts a life-long fascination, and an ever growing horde.The Little Book of Cacti and Succulents is an inspiring and indispensable guide to growing these fascinating plants. Detailed Plant Profiles are divided into sections according to style and shape, from beautiful trailing plants to intricately formed rosettes. At the beginning of the book, you'll find practical advice on getting started, caring for the plants through the year and how best to show your plants off. You can also discover how to grow your collection using various propagation techniques with step-by-step guidance.Cacti and succulents provide year-round interest for very little input, and caring for their fascinating forms is an enchanting hobby. Full of beautiful photography and sweet illustrations, The Little Book of Cacti and Succulents is an encouraging and down-to-earth guide to these weird and wonderful plants.

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Danuta Gleed Literary Award finalistCity of Victoria Butler Book Prize finalistIntensely imaginative and darkly emotional, the weird and wonderful stories in Double Dutch deftly alternate between fantasy and reality, transporting readers into strange worlds that are at once both familiar and uncanny — where animals are more human, and people more mysterious, than they first appear.Shape-shifters, doppelgangers, and spirits inhabit the extraordinary worlds depicted in Trunkey’s stories: a single mother believes her toddler is the reincarnation of a terrorist; Ronald Reagan’s body double falls in love with the first lady; a man grieves for his wife after a bear takes over her body. The collection also includes moving tales grounded in painful and touching reality: a young deaf girl visits Niagara Falls before she goes blind; an elephant named Topsy is killed on Coney Island by Thomas Edison in 1903; and a woman learns the truth about her son’s disappearance while searching with her husband in the Canadian Rockies.This enchanting and, at times, heartbreaking debut collection of stories hails the arrival of an exceptional new literary talent.

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Winner of the National Poetry Series Mothers masquerading as witches and sepulchral bellhops who reveal themselves to be fathers: in Justin Boening's debut collection of poems, selected for the National Poetry Series by Wayne Miller, nothing is as it seems. Peopled by figures both uncanny and tragic--lionesses who dance and cry, surgeons who carry with them the trauma of past lives, an opera singer whose notes go awry--Not on the Last Day, but on the Very Last uses the language of dreams and of fairy tales to deliver a keenly felt exploration of family, grief, regret, and belonging. Here everything stands for something else. But though the Freudian mother and father lurk behind every sequined costume, continue to strip away the masks, Boening suggests, and you'll find an even more primal absence at the center--Nobody, No One, mortality, death. Beyond that, we find, lies only the truth of our relationships with each other. Shot through with mournfulness, gorgeously spangled in its language--"a squall of chrysanthemums / and the weird"--Not on the Last Day, but on the Very Last is an unforgettable collection about our human failings and the grace we each seek.

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This title contains sizzling party food and drink ideas from the Hot new cuisine. The drink recipes alone are enough to base a party around - Coconut Mojitos or Watermelon Martini anyone? There is nothing like una fiesta latina. You feel the warmth as soon as you walk in the door. You are greeted with a wave of festive music, the animated conversations of good friends, and the irresistible aroma of tamales, empanadas, and grilled meats. All the little plates in this colorful cookbook are perfect for throwing your own party - Latin-Style. Set the scene with a few pasabocas (appetizers), including homemade guacamole on sauteed corn cakes and spicy chipotle flavored crab cakes. Throw in some finger foods such as spring rolls of tuna, coconut, and rice or cumin-scented empanadas stuffed with steak. For a more sit-down celebration, treat your guests to roasted chicken with fabulously flavored mashed potatoes (secret ingredient: lobster!) and a drizzle of creamy peanut sauce. Or maybe some Crispy East Coast Oysters with a beautiful saffron aioli. The recipes are suitable for almost every level of cook and are interesting and original without being weird.

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Say hello to sensational science with this fast-fact-packed tour of all things energy-related. It's the perfect way for children aged 9 plus to brush up on their S.T.E.M. stats and cement what they have learned in class with this fun book.Energy explores the most incredible, weird and most awe-inspiring facts about different types of energy in bite-sized chunks of text, so readers won't be overwhelmed with information. Funny illustrations and photos are designed to hold their interest, and help them engage with S.T.E.M. topics.Energy takes a look at electricity, sound and light, as well as nuclear, chemical and renewable energy. There is also a fun activity to race tin cans using static electricity for budding STEMsters to try out, too.The Stupendous and Tremendous Science series is ideal for all children aged 9+ who are studying S.T.E.M. topics at school or who simply have a fascination with science. It covers all the core topics in a fun and accessible way.Title in the series:Ecstatic and Excellent EnergyHappy and Healthy Human BodyPowerful and Pongy PlantsSoaring and Spectacular Space

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The richness of memory is a curse and a gift.Twisting and turning against the soul-sicknesses of late-capitalism, Chris Hutchinson's new collection of poems scrolls through myriad moods and aesthetic guises, by turns hallucinatory, despondent, and serene. Authenticity and artifice collide and collude. Political and personal boundaries blur as do the categorical divisions between content and form. Imagine an architecture of breezeways, a freeway of exit ramps, a literature of repurposed literary conventions, the past "re-presented" in endless waves of arrival.Here we find a nostalgia for modernist disjuncture, there a yearning for symbolist depth, and everywhere a fondness for surfaces which, ironically, coax the reader to peel back the stylish veneer.Haunted by a weird range of historical personages, while travelling from Houston to the moon and several places in between, the lyric "I" bears witness to its own endless destruction and reconstitution.At once escapist and socially engaged, Hutchinson's poems enact the ephemeral and fluid nature of our linguistic experiences, tracing those ecstatically tortuous processes by which we might sometimes find, even in the midst of loss, the value of our lives beyond the spheres of war, toxic rhetoric, and neo-liberal commerce.

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