my guide

Children's books

2011-12-25T04:48:00.000-08:00

A powerful tale of war, redemption, and a hero's journey.

Format: 4 CDs, Unabridged
Narrator: TBA

In 1914, Joey, a beautiful bay-red foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges toward the enemy, witnessing the horror of the battles in France. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey's courage touches the soldiers around him and he is able to find warmth and hope. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again?

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Fire alone can save our Clan...

For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by the powerful ancestors. But the warrior code is threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying -- and some deaths are more mysterious than others.

In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty . . . Who may yet turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.

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Classic novel of consuming passions, played out against the lonely moors of northern England, recounts the turbulent and tempestuous love story of Cathy and Heathcliff. A masterpiece of imaginative fiction, the story remains as poignant and compelling today as it was when first published in 1847.

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Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That's because he's being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he's really a wizard, just as his parents were. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.

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Six years of magic, adventure, and mystery make this paperback collection the perfect gift for Harry Potter fans of all ages.

Follow Harry from his first days at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, through his many adventures with Hermione and Ron, to his confrontations with rival Draco Malfoy and the dreaded Professor Snape. From a dangerous descent into the Chamber of Secrets to the Triwizard Tournament to the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, each adventure is more riveting and exhilarating than its predecessor, and now all six books are available together for the first time in a

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This collectible Harry Potter pop-up book, based on the creative development of the films, features exquisite original artwork by Andrew Williamson, concept artist for all eight movies. With dynamic pop-ups animating memorable moments and locations — like the Triwizard Tournament, Diagon Alley, and Hogwarts Castle — Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book offers a 3-D glimpse into the amazing world, as seen in the films.

This deluxe book will delight Harry Potter fans with dynamic pop-up ingenuity, insights from the creative team who turned JK Rowling’s stories into movie magic, fascinating facts about the magical universe seen in the movies, and Harry Potter memories and memorabilia packed into every page.

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The paperback edition of the legendary, record-breaking, best-selling fourth Harry Potter novel.

Harry Potter is midway through his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - even by wizarding standards. And in his case, different can be deadly.

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Readers beware. The brilliant, breathtaking conclusion to J.K. Rowling's spellbinding series is not for the faint of heart--such revelations, battles, and betrayals await in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that no fan will make it to the end unscathed. Luckily, Rowling has prepped loyal readers for the end of her series by doling out increasingly dark and dangerous tales of magic and mystery, shot through with lessons about honor and contempt, love and loss, and right and wrong. Fear not, you will find no spoilers in our review--to tell the plot would ruin the journey, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is an odyssey the likes of which Rowling's fans have not yet seen, and are not likely to forget. But we would be remiss if we did not offer one small suggestion before you embark on your final adventure with Harry--bring plenty of tissues.
The heart of Book 7 is a hero's mission--not just in Harry's quest for the Horcruxes, but in his journey from boy to man--and Harry faces more danger than that found in all six books combined, from the direct threat of the Death Eaters and you-know-who, to the subtle perils of losing faith in himself. Attentive readers would do well to remember Dumbledore's warning about making the choice between "what is right and what is easy," and know that Rowling applies the same difficult principle to the conclusion of her series. While fans will find the answers to hotly speculated questions about Dumbledore, Snape, and you-know-who, it is a testament to Rowling's skill as a storyteller that even the most astute and careful reader will be taken by surprise.

A spectacular finish to a phenomenal series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a bittersweet read for fans. The journey is hard, filled with events both tragic and triumphant, the battlefield littered with the bodies of the dearest and despised, but the final chapter is as brilliant and blinding as a phoenix's flame, and fans and skeptics alike will emerge from the confines of the story with full but heavy hearts, giddy and grateful for the experience. --Daphne Durham

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In one of the most hotly anticipated sequel in memory, J.K. Rowling takes up where she left off with Harry's second year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Old friends and new torments abound, including a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, an outrageously conceited professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, and a mysterious force that turns Hogwarts students to stone.

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As the Harry Potter sequence draws to a close, Harry's most dangerous adventure yet is just beginning . . . and it starts July 16, 2005.

We could tell you, but then we'd have to Obliviate your memory.

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Celebrate the world of Harry Potter with the book of eight stickers. Then let your imagination spin back time with the collectable Time-Turner-featuring rotating inner rings and a functional hourglass-inspired by the Time-Turner used by Hermione Granger in the popular movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

2011-12-25T04:34:00.000-08:00

Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he’s innocent. Or at least sort of.

The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he’s going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for the holidays?
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the story of a boy's adventures growing up in a small town on the banks of the Mississippi river over a hundred years ago. The cheerful, adventurous hero plays truant to form a pirate band and, together with his best friend, Huckleberry Finn, finds fun and excitement, and buried treasure, along the shores of the great river.

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When Mowgli, the man's cub, is adopted by a pack of wolves there is great hostility and confusion in the jungle. But with the help of his friends, the bear and the panther, Mowgli soon learns how to survive.

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I think this is a very strong beginning to what could be an interesting book. If the writing stays as tight as that in the excerpt, the reader should be swept along. However, if there are too many instances of inconsistency, the reader will quickly become frustrated.
Amazon.com Review
A must read, especially for boys - a very hard audience to impress. It would be very easy to get teens to read writing of this caliber. Wonderful!

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2011-12-25T04:29:00.000-08:00

Plunge down a rabbit hole to explore an incredible, dreamlike realm where animals not only talk, they sing, dance, argue, tell jokes, and behave in the most unexpected fashion. This complete and unabridged edition of one of the best-known and most-loved works of English-language fantasy includes John Tenniel's celebrated drawings
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Grimms’ Fairy Stories, as it is commonly known today, is originally the Children’s and Household tales which is a collection of German origin fairy tales first published in 1812 by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the Brothers Grimm. The first volumes were much criticized because they were not regarded as suitable for children, both for the scholarly information included and the subject matter. Many changes through the editions – such as turning the wicked mother of the first edition in Snow White and Hansel and Gretel to a stepmother, were probably made with an eye to such suitability. They removed sexual references, such as Rapunzel’s innocently asking why her dress was getting tight around her belly, and thus naively revealing her pregnancy and the prince's visits to her step mother, but, in many respects, violence, particularly when punishing villains, was increased.

The book includes illustrations, active table of contents, and a free audiobook link for download (which can be downloaded separately using a PC/Mac) at the end of the book.

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Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

Sneak Peek at Chapter TItles from Inheritance
Mooneater
To Feed a God
Black-Shrike-Thorn-Cave
A Crown of Ice and Snow
A Cradle Song
Dancing with Swords
A Sea of Nettles
No Honor, No Glory, Only Blisters in Unfortunate Places
The Hall of the Soothsayer
Burrow Grubs

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One of the most beloved children's books of all time and the inspiration for a feature film, a television miniseries, and a Broadway musical, The Secret Garden is the best-known work of Frances Hodgson Burnett. In this unforgettable story, three children find healing and friendship in a magical forgotten garden on the haunting Yorkshire moors.

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It was supposed to be a harmless camping trip. Six wayward teenagers who'd run into trouble with the law, and their court-appointed guardians, Sara and Martin Randhurst. Three nights on a small, deserted island off of Michigan's upper peninsula. A time to bond, to learn, to heal. Then Martin told a campfire story about the island's history. Of the old civil war prison hidden in there, and the starving confederate soldiers who resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. Everyone thought it was funny. They even laughed when Martin pretended to be dragged off into the woods. But Martin didn't come back. And neither did Sara when she went in search of him. Then the laughter stopped. The group soon began to realize that this deserted island wasn't so deserted after all. And perhaps Martin's ridiculous story had more truth to it than anyone thought. What's the most horrifying thing you can imagine? This is a hundred times worse...

Romance books

2011-12-25T04:14:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus is going to have a rough season... Lauren Alexander is raising her daughter alone. Abandoned by her family for her decision to keep her daughter Kristen, she has done a pretty good job for the last six years. Or she thought she had. That's why she is crushed when little Kristen gives up her wish for a toy or goodie and instead asks Santa for a present for her mother. But delivering Daddies isn't Santa's bag.
But this Santa has a plan...

Kyle Preston knows what it is like to be abandoned too. Luckily he found the support of loving adoptive parents and has turned himself into one of the most successful Real Estate developers in town.

Building a house is easy. Building someone's trust is a whole other story. But a little Christmas magic can make all the difference in the world.

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Blake Harrison: Rich, titled, and charming… And in need of a wife by Wednesday so he turns to Sam Elliot who isn’t the business man he expected. Instead, Blake is faced with Samantha Elliot, engaging and spunky with a voice men call 900 numbers to hear. Samantha Elliot: Owner of Alliance, her matchmaking firm, and not on the marital menu... That is until Blake offers her ten million dollars for a one-year contract. All she needs to do is keep her attraction to her husband to herself and avoid his bed. But Blake’s toe-curling kisses and charm prove too difficult to combat. Now she needs to protect her heart so she can walk away when their mercenary life together is over.

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Jenny Fortune was desperate.Just because of a little "bad luck" associated with one of her finest creations, she was losing her customers in droves. Widower Trace McBride seemed to be her only solution. He had three hellion daughters in need of a woman's touch. And since wearing the gown at her own wedding seemed the best way to turn her luck around, Jenny was determined to convince Trace that they would make the perfect match. If only things had turned out to be that simple!

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From New York Times bestselling author Courtney Milan...

A perpetual wallflower destined for spinsterhood, Lady Elaine Warren is resigned to her position in society. So when Evan Carlton, the powerful, popular Earl of Westfeld, singles her out upon his return to England, she knows what it means. Her former tormenter is up to his old tricks, and she's his intended victim. This time, though, the earl is going to discover that wallflowers can fight back.

Evan has come to regret his cruel, callow past. At first, he only wants to make up for past wrongs. But when Elaine throws his initial apology in his face, he finds himself wanting more. And this time, what torments him might be love...

Unlocked is a novella of 28,000 words (about 111 pages).
About the Author
Courtney Milan’s debut novel was published in 2010 to instant critical acclaim. Now a New York Times and a USA Today bestseller, her books have also received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Her second book was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010. She has been a RITA® finalist and an RT Reviewer’s Choice nominee for Best First Historical Romance.

Courtney lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, a medium-sized dog, and an attack cat. Before she started writing historical romance, she experimented with various occupations: computer programming, dog-training, scientificating... Having given up on being able to do any of those things, she’s taken to heart the axiom that those who can’t do, teach. When she’s not reading (lots), writing (lots), or sleeping (not enough), she can be found in the vicinity of a classroom.

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Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s life is set to blow sky high when international murder hits dangerously close to home, in this dynamite novel by Janet Evanovich.

Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, and she’s flying back to New Jersey solo. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could be anyone. And a ragtag collection of thugs and psychos, not to mention the FBI, are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying.

Only one other person has seen the missing photo—Stephanie Plum. Now she’s the target, and she doesn’t intend to end up in a garbage can. With the help of an FBI sketch artist Stephanie re-creates the person in the photo. Unfortunately the first sketch turns out to look like Tom Cruise, and the second sketch like Ashton Kutcher. Until Stephanie can improve her descriptive skills, she’ll need to watch her back.

Over at the bail bonds agency things are going from bad to worse. The bonds bus serving as Vinnie’s temporary HQ goes up in smoke. Stephanie’s wheelman, Lula, falls in love with their largest skip yet. Lifetime arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt moves into Stephanie’s apartment. And everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii?

Morelli, Trenton’s hottest cop, isn’t talking about Hawaii. Ranger, the man of mystery, isn’t talking about Hawaii. And all Stephanie is willing to say about her Hawaiian vacation is . . . It’s complicated.

The hardcover edition of Explosive Eighteen contains a tear-out calendar inside!

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Ruth Anne Barbellis—unhappily nicknamed "Rhubarb" by her lifelong enemy, Bobby Wichowski—is in Wedding Hell. Why?

Her sister is marrying Bobby's brother.

She's trussed up in a bridesmaid dress that must have been designed originally as a Victorian Torture Chamber.

To teach them a lesson, she and Bobby have been assigned to the Kiddie Table.

And that's only the beginning...

2011-12-25T04:04:00.000-08:00

Here, Have a Husband tells a story the prospect of marriage in a society plagued by a strict, government matchmaking program that pairs and binds applicants to the perfect partner from a simple questionnaire. Told from the sarcastic point-of-view of strong-willed Rainy Clarke, the story begins when the fresh-out-of-college heroine receives the news of her government-assigned engagement to one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. Caught up in a high-profile engagement turned government publicity stunt, Rainy begins to realize that love and marriage are not always the same things, especially in the eyes of the government. The fight to reverse the strict marriage matchmaking system, that seems to be a thorn in the lives of not only her but those around her, falls on Rainy’s shoulders. Filled with relationships that shape every part of existence, Here, Have a Husband triumphantly proves that the right to happiness is something worth fighting even the most formidable opponent for.

Here, Have a Husband advanced as a quarter-finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. ABNA Expert Reviewers wrote that "the premise of the story is original. This is a traditional fiction romance novel, yet with a twist" and that "fans of chick-lit will undoubtedly snap up this novel and cry for more."

Enjoy Here, Have a Husband? Review it on Amazon, like it on Facebook, share it with your friends!
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A delightful ebook original novella from New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James. Winning the Wallflower introduces Lucy and her best friend Olivia—who just happens to be the heroine in Eloisa’s next book, The Duke Is Mine, on sale 12/27. Includes lengthy bonus excerpts from 4 other titles.

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'Anna is looking for Mr Right. For just one night. Her dreaded high school reunion is looming and she's determined to have the perfect partner to show off. She has three months to find this charming, intelligent, handsome man and is convinced he is just around the corner. But which corner?'

Daily Mirror 'Marisa is Ireland's queen of romance!'
Daily Record 'Highly entertaining!'

Mr Right for the Night reached no.1 in the Irish book charts, no. 2 on Amazon Kindle UK and no. 1 on Amazon USA Kindle humor. The author has sold over one million books and is translated into a dozen languages.
About the Author
Marisa Mackle lives in Dublin, where she edits Aerweekly magazine for Aer Lingus. MR RIGHT FOR THE NIGHT is her first novel.

travel books

2011-12-25T03:56:00.000-08:00

Ken Jennings, best known for his epic winning streak on Jeopardy! in 2004, returns to the writing world with Maphead, a charming, funny, and of course, informational book about the world of maps and the people who love them. Even if maps are not your thing, Jennings writes about them with such affection and humor that the topic becomes fascinating; the clever captions for the maps in the book alone are worth the read. (The first map in the book compares shapes of places that were “separated at birth” and are therefore soul mates. Included: Lake Michigan and Sweden). From the politics of geocaching to the ups and downs of the contestants participating in the National Geographic Bee (which, according to Alex Trebek, should have its own prime-time show like the spelling bee), Jennings captures the excitement and wonder of places. --Caley Anderson

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The world’s bestselling travel book is back in a more informative, more experiential, more budget-friendly full-color edition. A #1 New York Times bestseller, 1,000 Places reinvented the idea of travel book as both wish list and practical guide. As Newsweek wrote, it “tells you what’s beautiful, what’s fun, and what’s just unforgettable— everywhere on earth.” And now the best is better. There are 600 full-color photographs. Over 200 entirely new entries, including visits to 28 countries like Lebanon, Croatia, Estonia, and Nicaragua, that were not in the original edition. There is an emphasis on experiences: an entry covers not just Positano or Ravello, but the full 30-mile stretch along the Amalfi Coast.
Every entry from the original edition has been readdressed, rewritten, and made fuller, with more suggestions for places to stay, restaurants to visit, festivals to check out. And throughout, the book is more budget-conscious, starred restaurants and historic hotels such as the Ritz,but also moderately priced gems that don’t compromise on atmosphere or charm.

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The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).

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You can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling in Italy.

From the beaches to the Alps, from fine art to fine pasta, Italy has it all. With this book, you’ll trace Italian culture from Rome’s Colosseum to Michelangelo’s David to the bustling elegance of Milan. Experience the art-drenched cities of Venice and Florence, explore the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum, and learn how to avoid the lines at the most popular museums. Discover the villages of Tuscany and Umbria and the lazy rhythms of the Cinque Terre. Shop at local market stalls, sip a cappuccino at an outdoor café, and pick up a picknic lunch at an allimentari. Relax and enjoy the life of Bella Italia!

Rick’s candid, humorous advice will guide you to good-value hotels and restaurants. He’ll help you plan where to go and what to see, depending on the length of your trip. You’ll get up-to-date recommendations about what is worth your time and money. More than just reviews and directions, a Rick Steves guidebook is a tour guide in your pocket.

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The only world atlas updated annually, guaranteeing that users will find the most current geographic information, Oxford's Atlas of the World is the most authoritative resource on the market. The Eighteenth Edition remains the finest international reference source of its kind available. Including new census information, dozens of city maps, gorgeous satellite images of Earth, and a geographical glossary, this atlas offers exceptional value at a reasonable price.

Full of crisp, clear cartography of urban areas and virtually uninhabited landscapes around the globe, the Atlas has maps of cities and regions at carefully selected scales that give a striking view of the Earth's surface. Opening with world statistics and a colorful, instructive 48-page Introduction to World Geography--beautifully illustrated with tables and graphs--this acclaimed resource provides details on such topics as climate, the greenhouse effect, employment and industry, standards of living, agriculture, population and migration, and global conflicts.

As in years past, this edition includes the latest geographic information. The popular satellite image section has been refreshed with stunning new images of different regions and urban areas around the world. A completely updated Gazetteer of Nations provides an invaluable A-Z reference source of concise country profiles, including important historical events and statistics on economies and politics. Recent events in Africa and the Middle East--and their profound consequences--are incorporated into various country profiles.

Providing the finest global coverage available, the Atlas of the World is not only the best-selling volume of its size and price, but also the benchmark by which all other atlases are measured.

2011-12-25T03:44:00.000-08:00

A fascinating picture of the American frontier emerges from Twain's fictionalized recollections of his experiences prospecting for gold, speculating in timber, and writing for a succession of small Western newspapers during the 1860s.

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No one knows the world like National Geographic—and in this lavish volume, we reveal our picks for the world's most fabulous journeys, along with helpful information for readers who want to try them out.

Compiled from the favorite trips of National Geographic's travel writers, Journeys of a Lifetime spans the globe to highlight the best of the world's most famous and lesser known sojourns. It presents an incredible diversity of possibilities, from ocean cruises around Antarctica to horse treks in the Andes. Every continent and every possible form of transport is covered.

A timely resource for the burgeoning ranks of active travelers who crave adventurous and far-flung trips, Journeys of a Lifetime provides scores of creative ideas: trekking the heights of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania... mountain biking in Transylvania... driving through the scenic highlands of Scotland... or rolling through the outback on Australia's famous Ghan train... and dozens of other intriguing options all over the world.

Journeys of a Lifetime also features 22 fun Top 10 lists in all sorts of categories. What are the world's top 10 elevator rides, bridges to walk across, trolley rides, ancient highways, or underground walking adventures? Readers will love evaluating and debating the selections.

Each chapter showcases stunning photography, full-color maps, evocative text, and expert advice—including how to get there, when to visit, and how to make the most of the journey—all packaged in a luxurious oversize volume to treasure for years to come.

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An unabridged, illustrated edition of 'Walking' with an introduction by Ralph Waldo Emerson and the essay 'Night and Moonlight,' at book's end

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In 2009 Darla found herself 26 and divorced. Not knowing what else to do, she ran away to a hippie commune in Costa Rica-- despite having zero experience as a hippie. When a handsome stranger made her promise to return to Costa Rica for a dancing date she never imagine that, two years later, she'd be returning to stay.

Three Weeks In The Caribbean is her true diary account of how she survived divorce, the jungle, and fell in love with a redheaded Costa Rican.

She currently resides in Costa Rica and writes at www.darlaantoine.com

***

Monday, April 18, 2011 | 6:05 a.m. | San Jose International Airport, Costa Rica

“Estoy bien; no te preocupes,” I told the fifth taxi driver for the fifth time. I’m fine; don’t worry. Unconvinced, he nevertheless turned his attention to a vacationing family just emerging from immigration and baggage claim.

But I was a little worried. I had just flown to Costa Rica to meet a man I’d met once, two years earlier. And he was almost 30 minutes late. I knew almost next to nothing about him apart from the fact that I wanted to know more. And that he claimed to be in love with me. Oh god. Was I one of those women? Running off to meet some cyber stranger?

Dozens of explanations flicked through my mind, none of them pleasant. "What if he chickened out? What if he just doesn’t care? What if I’m just one of several girls he strings along and he’s dropping off his previous conquest at the departure gate right now? What if he forgot?"

Then I remembered the moment we first met. The look on his face when our eyes met for the first time; no one can fake the debilitating and disarming surprise of falling in love at first sight. No one.

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What is life really like for the people who live and work in the city of Dubai? Rather than desert Sheikhs and designer-clad Emiratis, Raymond Barrett encounters a dizzy melange of expatriates and draws a fascinating picture of the brave new world emerging from the barren sands. He reveals the hidden side of the playboy paradise and considers whether Dubai is a plastic Arabia or an authentic success story.

2011-12-25T03:35:00.000-08:00

This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare s finesse to Oscar Wilde s wit, this unique collection brings together works as diverse and influential as The Pilgrim s Progress and Othello. As an anthology that invites readers to immerse themselves in the masterpieces of the literary giants, it is must-have addition to any library

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Although Gulliver's Travels is a political satire, it is also an adventure tale full of twists and turns and fantastical places and beings. Lemuel Gulliver is a surgeon who aspires to travel the world in order to discover new places. The book is narrated by Gulliver. He gives a detailed account of four different voyages from England to undiscovered parts of the earth where he encounters strange inhabitants and foreign customs. First, he comes upon a land of miniature peoples, who befriend him despite the large amount of food he consumes in comparison to them. Next, he visits a land of giants, who are friendly toward him although he is repulsed by their gigantic imperfections. He journeys to a land of theoreticians and academics whose minds are completely out of touch with real life problems, and takes a side trip to a land where historical figures have been re-created in the flesh, although they are much less impressive than Gulliver imagined they would be. His final journey takes him to a land of intelligent horse-like creatures, ruled by oppressive human-like creatures. Lemuel feels the most at home with the horse-like creatures, but they have a difficult time accepting his resemblance to the human-like creatures who rule over them. Gulliver's Travels was initially received as highly controversial and though full of fantastical creatures, Gulliver's Travels was not intended to be a children's book. The novel is instead a biting criticism of the nature of mankind. It is also a humorous, highly entertaining book, and it occasionally offers beams of hope amidst Swift's trenchant depictions of insufferable beings. Lovingly recreated as an mp3 audio this DVD contains the timeless story of Gulliver's Travels. Now you can enjoy it again and again - MP3 compatible player (or a computer) required to play this DVD Version: Unabridged Language: English Reader: Solo Female Format: MP3 Audio DVD Tracks / Chapters: 40 Chapters Total running time: 11:10:32

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Sample Lonely Planet’s TRIPS Series

Whether you’re a local looking for a long weekend escape, or a visitor looking to explore, Lonely Planet’s TRIPS series offers the best itineraries – and makes it easy to plan the perfect trip time and again.

Series Features:

Easy-to-use maps for every trip, plus driving times and directions
Explore the country with trips ranging from two days to two weeks
Theme icons make finding the perfect trip simple – no matter what your interest
Local experts share their favorite trip ideas
Tune in on the road with our regional music playlists
Family-friendly and pet-friendly listings throughout

Check out all the TRIPS guides in this series, available for Kindle:

Arizona, New Mexico & the Grand Canyon TRIPS
California TRIPS
The Carolinas, Georgia & The South TRIPS
New England TRIPS
New York, Washington DC & the Mid-Atlantic TRIPS
Pacific Northwest TRIPS
USA’s Best TRIPS

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In 2003, software engineer David Miller left his job, family, and friends to fulfill a dream and hike the Appalachian Trail. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail is Miller's account of this thru-hike along the entire 2,172 miles from Georgia to Maine. On page after page, readers are treated to rich descriptions of the valleys and mountains, the isolation and reverie, the inspiration that fueled his quest, and the life-changing moments that can only be experienced when dreams are pursued. While this book abounds with introspection and perseverance, it also provides useful passages about safety and proper gear, with a view into a professional hiker's preparations and tenacity. This is not merely a travel guide, but a beautifully written and highly personal view into one man's adventure and what it means to make a lifelong vision come true.

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For Any Climate, in Any Situation.

Newly updated to reflect the latest in survival knowledge and technology, the internationally bestselling SAS Survival Handbook is the definitive resource for all campers, hikers, and outdoor adventurers. From basic campcraft and navigation to fear management and strategies for coping with any type of disaster, this complete course includes:

Being prepared: Understanding basic survival needs and preparing essentials, such as a pocket survival kit.

Making camp: Finding the best location, constructing the appropriate shelter, organizing camp, and creating tools.

Food: What to eat, what to avoid, where to find it, and how to prepare it.

First aid: A comprehensive course in emergency/wilderness medicine, including how to maximize survival in any climate or when injured.

Disaster survival: How to react in the face of increasingly frequent natural disasters and hostile situations—and how to survive at home if all services and supplies are cut off.

Crafts,Craftworks, Hobbies & Home

2011-12-25T03:16:00.000-08:00

A splendid collection of attrative Christmas projects to decorate the houme during this festive season, from the rustic nostalgia of a Country Cabin Christmas to the tradition of a red-and-white Candy Cane Christmas. Step-by-step instructions show how to create a children's table featuring whimsical toy soldier designs on a tablecloth, centerpiece, curtains and pillows, as well as a winter wonderland with snowmen and cone-shaped trees. The festive projects are beautifully photographed in vintage home settings.

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Lisa Vanderpump has become the breakout star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Her unique mix of sparkling glamour and down-to-earth style has appealed to thousands of fans. On the show, viewers can see her hosting dinner parties and running her popular Beverly Hills restaurant Villa Blanca with what can best be termed “easy elegance.” Now Lisa shares her tips and tricks for creating the perfect gathering: whether you’re hosting a cozy winter dinner for six, throwing a poolside BBQ, or just hanging out with your closest friends, Lisa has just the menu and entertaining hints that will make it both simple AND divine.

Lisa offers simple décor ideas and more than 50 recipes in mix-and-match menus for any kind of “Day”, including:

• Cozy Days: Wintry days, rainy days, snuggle-in days
• Sexy Days: Intimate Dinners for 2020 by the fireside or by candlelight
• Days to Impress: Formal dinners fit for friends, heads of state..or when the boss comes to dine.
• Holidays: Celebrations, English Christmas, New Year’s, Anniversaries
• Sunny Days: Picnics, Pool Parties, and Barbecues
• Lazy Days: Informal Get-togethers, lunches, having the girlfriends over
• Darling Days: Tea parties, baby showers and kids’ parties
• Frantic Days: 10-minute meals to whip up from pantry staples
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Join Martha Stewart for a celebration of handcrafted holidays all year-round!

New Year’s – Valentine’s Day – Easter – Mother’s Day – Father’s Day – Fourth of July – Halloween – Thanksgiving – Hanukkah – Christmas

Let Martha inspire your creativity with the most beautiful crafts. The 225 handmade projects include cards and greetings, decorations, gifts and gift wrapping, tabletop accents, party favors, and kids’ crafts, as well as more holiday-specific activities, such as egg-dyeing, pumpkin carving, and tree trimming. Each idea is sure to make the holidays more festive—and memorable.

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"The Good Book" meets "The Brick"
Brendan Powell Smith has spent the last decade creating nearly 5,000 scenes from the bible--with Legos. His wonderfully original sets are featured on his website thebricktestament.com, but for the first time 1,400 photographs of these creative designs--depicting the Old Testament from Earth's creation to the Books of Kings--are brought together in book format. The Holy Bible is complex; sometimes dark, and other times joyous, and Smith's masterful work is a far cry from what a small child might build. The beauty of The Brick Bible is that everyone, from the devout to nonbelievers, will find something breathtaking, fascinating, or entertaining within this collection. Smith's subtle touch brings out the nuances of each scene and makes you reconsider the way you look at Legos--it's something that needs to be seen to be believed.
1,400 full-color photographs

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Five simple fundamentals can help you perfect any sewing project: a thoughtful plan, a precise pattern, a fantastic fit, a beautiful fabric, and a fine finish. With these five core ideas, The Colette Sewing Handbook shows you how to start sewing the wardrobe of your dreams.

Includes five beautiful patterns for modern classic pieces, including a scalloped-hem skirt, flutter-sleeve blouse, sweetheart neck sheath dress, asymmetrical flounce dress, and a lined dress with gathered sleeves. Each project will help you put the fundamentals into practice as you sew.
Approachable and easy to follow. Instead of a big, confusing catalog of sewing techniques, you'll build your knowledge gradually around the five simple fundamentals. A section of basic sewing lessons means you'll never feel lost.
Hands-on learning. Start improving your skills immediately by applying each of the five principles of the book to a beautiful project, included in the book.
Feed your creativity. Have more fun designing sewing projects for your personal style, and create the things you'll actually love to wear!
Feel more confident. Gain the know-how to work with any sewing pattern out there.
Look great in what you make. Become your own custom seamstress and hand-tailor clothes that fit you the way you want.
Get inspired by fabric. Expand your creative palette and get the look you want by choosing the best fabrics for your projects.
Perfect the details. Make clothes you can be proud of with beautiful finishing techniques.
Colette Patterns is known for timeless design and exceptionally clear instruction. This book from designer Sarai Mitnick guides you gradually and painlessly to becoming a better seamstress. Get inspired, feel confident, and make beautiful clothing you'll be proud to wear!

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Chicks, start your sticks! This time it’s all about knitting

Stop letting worry knit your brows, ladies. Let go of your fear of knitting, and take hold of The Chicks with Sticks® Guide to Knitting. With more than 30 simple, chic projects plus simple step-by-step instructions, this book is the complete guide to starting and enjoying this fun, rewarding hobby. New knitters can finish up their first projects in a weekend; more advanced beginners (that is, the ones who have knitted scarves before) can move to the next level. Call your posse and settle down in the living room or at the coffeehouse. The Chicks with Sticks will take care of the rest, from essential tools and materials to basic lessons to more than 30 doable projects, including cool belts, beautiful scarves, felted bags, stylish wraps, and snuggly sweaters.

2011-12-25T03:07:00.000-08:00

---The LEGO® Technic Idea Book: Fantastic Contraptions is a collection of hundreds of working examples of simple yet fascinating Technic models that you can build based on their pictures alone. Each project uses color-coded pieces and is photographed from multiple angles, making it easy to see how the models are assembled without the need for step-by-step instructions. Every model illustrates a different principle, concept, or mechanism that will inspire your own original creations. You're encouraged to use these elements as building blocks to create your own masterpieces.

The Technic models in Fantastic Contraptions include working catapults, crawling spiders, and bipedal walkers, as well as gadgets powered by fans, propellers, springs, magnets, and vibration. You'll even learn how to add lights, pneumatics, and solar panels to your own models.

This visual guide, the third in the three-volume LEGO Technic Idea Book series, is the brainchild of master builder Yoshihito Isogawa of Tokyo, Japan. Each title is filled with photos of Isogawa's unique models, all of which are designed to fire the imaginations of LEGO builders young and old.

Imagine. Create. Invent. Now, what will you build?

NOTE: The LEGO Technic Idea Book series uses parts from various Technic sets. If you don't have some of the pieces shown in a particular model, experiment by substituting your own parts or visit the No Starch Press website for a list of the special parts used in the book.

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For those who understand the significance of home-grown foods to surviving and thriving in difficult times, F. F. Rockwell's no-nonsense Home Vegetable Gardening: A Complete And Practical Guide To The Planting And Care Of All Vegetables, Fruits And Berries Worth Growing For Home Use, may be the best single volume, practical manual of family-feeding, high-yield home gardening ever compiled. With some, the home vegetable garden is a hobby; with others, especially in these days of high prices, a great help. There are many in both classes whose experience in gardening has been restricted within very narrow bounds, and whose present spare time for gardening is limited. It is as "first aid" to such persons, who want to do practical, efficient gardening, and do it with the least possible fuss and loss of time, that this book is written. “Home Vegetable Gardening” can be very useful for the small space gardener as it discusses at length, basics of gardening. Anywhere the book describes use of horses, logic would indicate that a tiller of varying sizes could be substituted. Crop rotation is also discussed, and multiple acres are not needed for this. Instructions on constructing a manure-driven hotbed (the way things were done before electric seedling heat mats were around) are also included. Another section of “Home Gardening” discusses prepping sods for seed starting, the way things were done years before pellet pots, plastic seed flats and cell packs were common. “Home Gardening” is old enough to resurrect much of the forgotten techniques used by our grandparents and great-grandparents, when they had to garden more naturally and self-sufficiently rather than buying everything from the garden store. It might also be helpful for the budding survivalist who no longer wants to rely on manufactured products. The list of seed varieties is fascinating. When it comes to gardening basics, the publishing date of this book matters very little: many things haven’t changed at all. In fact, this book might be better for beginners since it is a book that encourages a do-it-yourself and a 'from the ground up' tone. It is almost void of any pre-made devices and there are no gimmicky products being hocked. In “Home Gardening,” the old standby tools are recommended, time tested and readily available.

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Seed to Seed is a complete seed-saving guide that describes specific techniques for saving the seeds of 160 different vegetables. This book contains detailed information about each vegetable, including its botanical classification, flower structure and means of pollination, required population size, isolation distance, techniques for caging or hand-pollination, and also the proper methods for harvesting, drying, cleaning, and storing the seeds.

Seed to Seed is widely acknowledged as the best guide available for home gardeners to learn effective ways to produce and store seeds on a small scale. The author has grown seed crops of every vegetable featured in the book, and has thoroughly researched and tested all of the techniques she recommends for the home garden.

This newly updated and greatly expanded Second Edition includes additional information about how to start each vegetable from seed, which has turned the book into a complete growing guide. Local knowledge about seed starting techniques for each vegetable has been shared by expert gardeners from seven regions of the United States-Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast/Gulf Coast, Midwest, Southwest, Central West Coast, and Northwest.

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Choosing locally grown organic food is a sustainable living trend that's taken hold throughout North America. Celebrated farming expert Eliot Coleman helped start this movement with The New Organic Grower published 20 years ago. He continues to lead the way, pushing the limits of the harvest season while working his world-renowned organic farm in Harborside, Maine.
Now, with his long-awaited new book, The Winter Harvest Handbook, anyone can have access to his hard-won experience. Gardeners and farmers can use the innovative, highly successful methods Coleman describes in this comprehensive handbook to raise crops throughout the coldest of winters.
Building on the techniques that hundreds of thousands of farmers and gardeners adopted from The New Organic Grower and Four-Season Harvest, this new book focuses on growing produce of unparalleled freshness and quality in customized unheated or, in some cases, minimally heated, movable plastic greenhouses.
Coleman offers clear, concise details on greenhouse construction and maintenance, planting schedules, crop management, harvesting practices, and even marketing methods in this complete, meticulous, and illustrated guide. Readers have access to all the techniques that have proven to produce higher-quality crops on Coleman's own farm.
His painstaking research and experimentation with more than 30 different crops will be valuable to small farmers, homesteaders, and experienced home gardeners who seek to expand their production seasons.
A passionate advocate for the revival of small-scale sustainable farming, Coleman provides a practical model for supplying fresh, locally grown produce during the winter season, even in climates where conventional wisdom says it "just can't be done."

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For those who love boldness in design, Los Angeles-based interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard demonstrates his mastery of dramatic environments for a clientele of celebrities. Drawn to glamour, Martyn Lawrence Bullard moved from London to Los Angeles to pursue acting but became a star decorator instead. His designs balance the contemporary with the traditional, the Occidental with the ethnic. His celebrity clients’ homes are inspiring in their chic yet sumptuous styles, including Sir Elton John’s disco-luxurious apartment with a python-skin bed, green lacquered walls, and mirrored cabinets; Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo’s hip Mediterranean villa in the Hollywood Hills; Cher’s residences-a Moorish palazzo in Malibu and a Beverly Hills Indian fantasy; and Tamara Mellon’s New York City penthouse that dazzles with bold artwork and striking color. With a knack for beautiful and dramatic spaces that don’t sacrifice comfort, Lawrence Bullard-who stars in the upcoming Bravo television show Million Dollar Decorators-reveals his know-how for creating a sensational home.

2011-12-25T02:59:00.000-08:00

The two previous editions of the book known by home improvement retailers as “Big Red” sold nearly 600,000 copies. This new edition features a larger portrait format for better visual clarity, and incorporates a new page layout style. But all the features that made the original America’s best-selling “bible” of home repair are still present here—thousands of color photographs and detailed step-by-step directions.

The third edition also includes more than 30 projects not found in the original edition, as well as more than 300 new photos.

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The invaluable resource for home food gardeners! Ed Smith's W-O-R-D system has helped countless gardeners grow an abundance of vegetables and herbs. And those tomatoes and zucchini and basil and cucumbers have nourished countless families, neighbors, and friends with delicious, fresh produce. The Vegetable Gardener's Bible is essential reading for locavores in every corner of North America!

Everything you loved about the first edition of The Vegetable Gardener's Bible is still here: friendly, accessible language; full-color photography; comprehensive vegetable specific information in the A-to-Z section; ahead-of-its-time commitment to organic methods; and much more.

Now, Ed Smith is back with a 10th Anniversary Edition for the next generation of vegetable gardeners. New to this edition is coverage of 15 additional vegetables, including an expanded section on salad greens and more European and Asian vegetables. Readers will also find growing information on more fruits and herbs, new cultivar photographs in many vegetable entries, and a much-requested section on extending the season into the winter months. No matter how cold the climate, growers can bring herbs indoors and keep hardy greens alive in cold frames or hoop houses.
The impulse to grow vegetables is even stronger in 2009 than it was in 2000, when Storey published The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible. The financial and environmental costs of fossil fuels raise urgent questions: How far should we be shipping food? What are the health costs of petroleum-based pesticides and herbicides? Do we have to rely on megafarms that use gasoline-powered machinery to grow and harvest crops? With every difficult question, more people think, "Maybe I should grow a few vegetables of my own." This book will continue to answer all their vegetable gardening questions.

Praise for the First Edition:
"In every small town, there is a vegetable garden that people go out of the way to walk past. Smith is the guy who grew that garden." — Verlyn Klinkenborg, The New York Times Book Review

"An abundance of photographs . . . visually bolster the techniques described, while frequent subheads, sidebars, and information-packed photo captions make the layout user-friendly . . . [Smith's] book is thorough and infused with practical wisdom and a dry Vermont humor that should endear him to readers." — Publisher’s Weekly

"Smith . . . clearly explains everything novice and experienced gardeners need to know to grow vegetables and herbs. . . . " — Library Journal

"this book will answer all your questions as well as put you on the path to an abundant harvest. As a bonus, anecdotes and stories make this informative book fun to read." - New York Newsday

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It's an exciting new world for crafters. Handmade is hip, creativity is what the market wants, and there are many profitable sales opportunities that didn't exist a few short years ago. For crafters who have more confidence running a sewing machine than setting up a Web site, The Handmade Marketplace breaks down and makes sense of the global possibilities for marketing and selling crafts.

First, determine the right price for every item — not too expensive and definitely not too cheap. Whether the product is beaded jewelry or felted slippers, illustrations or tote bags, author Kari Chapin helps crafters determine cost of goods, market competition, and the pros and cons of wholesale and retail sales. If the price is right, customers will buy.

Then it's on to selling. The boom in indie craft fairs and sites such as Etsy ("Your place to buy & sell all things handmade") is providing artisans with an ever-expanding marketplace for handcrafted items. Chapin demystifies every venue. She explains the guidelines that craft fairs impose on exhibitors, the typical yearly calendar of shows, and how to start a new craft fair.

For the crafter interested in online sales, there are tips on styling and propping crafts for photographs and technical explanations of how the most popular Web marketplaces run. Traditional brick and mortar consignment stores are still very good options for many crafters. Chapin explains how to approach shopkeepers and build strong relationships.

Wrapping everything up with media advice and tips on how to get the word out, The Handmade Marketplace is the sales and marketing bible that today's crafters need.

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America's most delightfully unconventional hostess and the bestselling author of I Like You delivers a new book that will forever change the world of crafting. According to Amy Sedaris, it's often been said that ugly people craft and attractive people have sex. In her new book, SIMPLE TIMES, she sets the record straight. Demonstrating that crafting is one of life's more pleasurable and constructive leisure activities, Sedaris shows that anyone with a couple of hours to kill and access to pipe cleaners can join the elite society of crafters.

You will discover how to make popular crafts, such as: crab-claw roach clips, tinfoil balls, and crepe-paper moccasins, and learn how to: get inspired (Spend time at a Renaissance Fair; Buy fruit, let it get old, and see

what shapes it turns into); remember which kind of glue to use with which material (Tacky with Furry, Gummy with Gritty, Paste with Prickly, and always Gloppy with Sandy); create your own craft room and avoid the most common crafting accidents (sawdust fires, feather asphyxia, pine cone lodged in throat); and cook your own edible crafts, from a Crafty Candle Salad to Sugar Skulls, and many more recipes.

PLUS whole chapters full of more crafting ideas (Pompom Ringworms! Seashell Toilet Seat Covers!) that will inspire you to create your own hastily constructed obscure d'arts; and much, much more!

2011-12-25T02:51:00.000-08:00

Style is a luxury, and luxury is simply what makes you happy.

Over the years, founding editor in chief of domino magazine Deborah Needleman has seen all kinds of rooms, with all kinds of furnishings. Her conclusion: It’s not hard to create a relaxed, stylish, and comfortable home. Just a few well-considered items can completely change the feel of your space, and The Perfectly Imperfect Home reveals them all.

Ranging from classics such as “A Really Good Sofa” and “Pretty Table Settings” to unusual surprises like “A Bit of Quirk” and “Cozifications,” the essential elements of style are treated in witty and wonderfully useful little essays. You’ll learn what to look for, whether you are at a flea market or a fancy boutique—or just mining what you already own.

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Anyone who wants to learn basic living skills—the kind employed by our forefathers—and adapt them for a better life in the twenty-first century need look no further than this eminently useful, full-color guide. Countless readers have turned to Back to Basics for inspiration and instruction, escaping to an era before power saws and fast food restaurants and rediscovering the pleasures and challenges of a healthier, greener, and more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Now newly updated, the hundreds of projects, step-by-step sequences, photographs, charts, and illustrations in Back to Basics will help you dye your own wool with plant pigments, graft trees, raise chickens, craft a hutch table with hand tools, and make treats such as blueberry peach jam and cheddar cheese. The truly ambitious will find instructions on how to build a log cabin or an adobe brick homestead.

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Alison McNicol is an expert in teaching children to sew and has written the Learn To Sew: Kids series of best-selling sewing books for children.

This book is perfect for kids getting started with their first sewing machine - with bright, modern and clear illustrations, children can quickly learn to use and thread their machine, measure and use fabrics, and make a selection of super cool projects - super easy tote bags, cool cushions, i-pod holders, zip cases and more!

* Easy to follow Learn To Sew illustrations
* Fun and simple projects to make
* Lots Of Patterns and templates included!!
* Let Daisy Doublestitch and Billy Bobbin show you how!

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Master the Art of Electronics Repair

In this hands-on guide, a lifelong electronics repair guru shares his tested techniques and invaluable insights. How to Diagnose and Fix Everything Electronic shows you how to repair and extend the life of all kinds of solid-state devices, from modern digital gadgetry to cherished analog products of yesteryear.

You'll start by selecting the tools and test equipment you'll need and setting up your workbench. Then, you'll get familiar with components and how they form circuits, stages, and sections of a device. Next, you'll learn how to take a product apart, figure out what's wrong with it, replace components, and reassemble it. Real-world case studies help clarify the topics covered. Tips and tricks for specific devices, such as optical disc players, computers, and video recorders, are also included in this practical resource.

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With more than 200,000 copies in print, Storey's One-Skein Wonders series is an unqualified success. Now, for the first time in the series, fabric takes center stage! And the timing couldn't be better. Sewing machine sales have doubled over the past 10 years, and crafters are discovering the joy of another kind of stitching.

One-Yard Wonders will delight anyone who has ever fallen for fabric - from the novice sewing enthusiast to the lifelong seamstress. The book presents a delightful array of simple, stylish projects that can be made with just a single yard of fabric - from apparel to accessories, from plush toys to pet beds, from baby items to bags, and from home decor to "Happy Birthday" banners. Projects have a hip,contemporary flair, and most can be completed in a few hours. For each project, the book provides a full-color photograph, easy step-by-step instructions, and simple illustrations. Templates and pattern pieces are also included wherever needed, making this collection of 101 projects the best sewing deal ever.

Great fabric demands to be purchased, even if it's just a yard or two at a time. But such tantalizing textiles should never hide in a closet; One-Yard Wonders promises gift-worthy solutions for that stash of irresistible fabric-store buys. At last, it's time to stop storing and start sewing!

2011-12-25T02:42:00.000-08:00

Ideas for home interior design are numerous. Finding one that suits you and your family, is important. It’s nice to do something radical and off-the-wall but remember you must be able to live with it for awhile.

Everyone appreciates decorating design ideas when planning to make improvements to their home. You may have visions of your own about how your new home décor would look, but it’s always nice to have an alternative plan for your interior design.

There’s definitely interior design tips that you haven’t discovered. There are constantly changes being made regarding trends in home interior design. Checking out new ideas may give birth to a new home interior design plan for your space.

Interior Design is a very exciting activity. It does require some efforts regarding planning and the actual decorating, but the results are definitely worth it. Being able to sit back after living through weeks or renovations and interior design is a delight.

Being able to look around your home at the beautiful changes and realize you are responsible, that feeling is overwhelming. To know that you were able to achieve these results by using these home interior design ideas may be astonishing.

You may feel so great about your accomplishment that you’ll be eager to take on another room!

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The long-awaited home décor bible by the beloved design blogger
“Thank you,” wrote a reader to Design*Sponge creator Grace Bonney, “for teaching me that houses don’t have to be frumpy and formal. They don’t have to be matchy-matchy or rigidly modern.” They can just be comfy and unique and reflect who you are, no matter how small your budget or space.
That reader is one of the 75,000 unique daily visitors to Design*Sponge, who make it the most popular design site on the web. The site receives 250,000 pageviews every day and has 150,000 RSS subscribers and 280,000 followers on Twitter. Design*Sponge fans have been yearning for the ultimate design manual from their guru, Grace, and she has finally delivered with this definitive guide, which includes:

• Home tours of 70 real-life interiors featuring artists and designers

• Fifty DIY projects, with detailed instructions for personalizing your space

• Step-by-step tutorials on everything from stripping and painting furniture to hanging wallpaper and doing your own upholstery

• Fifty Before & After makeovers submitted by readers of Design*Sponge—real people with limited time and realistic budgets

• Essential tips on modern flower arranging, with 20 arrangements

With over 700 color photos and illustrations and projects that are customizable, relatable, and affordable, this is the democratizing design book everyone has been waiting for—and all for only $35.00!

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Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family's food on just a quarter acre—and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require. Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started: buying and saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, pest and disease problems, crop rotation, farm planning, and much more. Because self-sufficiency is the objective, subjects such as raising backyard chickens and home canning are also covered. Materials, tools, and techniques are detailed with photographs, tables, diagrams, and illustrations.

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"Wild" flowers featuring animal print petals. Bold bracelets, funky flip-flops, and hip purses. Who knew that duct tape could create such cool projects? American teens have embraced this hot trend and will go ga-ga for this creative guide to crafting with duct tape. More than 30 projects for gals and guys include wallets, jewelry, locker decor, flowers, and more

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This brilliant little guide covers all the essential basics of sewing, including how to choose the best fabrics and threads for projects, in clear and simple points. Learn skills in amazing sewing crafts such as cross-stitch, patchwork and quilting.

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Skate ramps, zip lines, go-carts, and more! In this super-fun book, Todd Davisextreme sports athlete and host of HGTV's Over Your Headpresents 25 awesome projects for dads to build with their kids. Busy dads can choose projects that range from simple to challenging and take anywhere from five minutes to a full weekend. Readers are given all the directions they need to grab materials that can be found around the house or at the local hardware store and get to work banging up a sweet BMX ramp or half-pipe, building a tree house or tire swing, or throwing together a slip-and-slide or tie-dye station for an afternoon of fun. With plenty of color photographs, easy-to-follow instructions, and detailed illustrations, Handy Dad is chock-full of creative and inexpensive ways to keep kids (and dads) entertained for hours.

Cookbooks, Food & Wine

2011-12-24T15:25:00.000-08:00

Over 200 mouthwatering recipes for the holiday season. Chapters include Homemade Memories, Breakfast & Brunch wtih Friends, Home for Christmas Dinner, Festive Family Desserts & more. Hardcover, 224 pages.

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hatever your children's personal food preferences, Mandy's advice and ideas will help you make sure that they get the best of both worlds and grow up with a healthy and balanced attitude to food - with a little inspiration from Healthy children's lunches you'll soon leave lunchtime-tantrums far behind!
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Easy Appetizer Recipes gives you full step-by-step instructions for 15 easy and impressive appetizers you can make for your next party. Impress them with fresh bruschetta, easy crab cakes, or even jalapeno poppers! All projects come from Instructables.com, are written by party-food experts, and contain pictures for each step so you can easily make sure your next party is a success. Party on!

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Cook's Illustrated Magazine has stood the test of time and distinguished itself among the pack by having a singular focus--developing recipes that work the first time and every time; it's as simple as that. For the first time since the magazine's inception, more than 2,000 of Cook's Illustrated's landmark recipes have been carefully compiled into a wide-ranging compendium that shows you how to make your favorite dishes better. A must-have collection for fans of Cook's Illustrated (and any discerning cook), The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook will keep you cooking for a lifetime--and guarantees impeccable results.

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Business & Investing books

2011-12-24T14:54:00.000-08:00

The Official Identity Theft Prevention Handbook is the first book to analyze identity theft in its proper context, provide takeaways to minimize the likelihood you will be harmed by identity theft and mitigate the negative consequences if you become a victim. Identity theft continues to proliferate, and it is tearing the fabric of our society. All understand it's important, but compelling people to take appropriate action is a challenge. The Official Identity Theft Prevention Handbook provides a tremendous first step towards individual and societal responsibility; we can swing the pendulum in the other direction. In the case of identity theft, the best defense is a good offense.
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“You need know absolutely nothing about baseball to appreciate the wit, snap, economy . . . and incisiveness of [Moneyball]. Lewis has hit another one out of the park.” —Janet Maslin, New York Times

Billy Beane, the Oakland A’s general manager, is leading a revolution. Reinventing his team on a budget, he needs to outsmart the richer teams. He signs undervalued players whom the scouts consider flawed but who have a knack for getting on base, scoring runs, and winning games. Moneyball is a quest for the secret of success in baseball and a tale of the search for new baseball knowledge—insights that will give the little guy who is willing to discard old wisdom the edge over big money.

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Author royalties from this book go to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation "The way Jon conducts his business and lives his life will not only inspire you to be a better person, citizen, and entrepreneur, it also will give you hope that the good guys don't finish last." Glenn Beck, CNN "Jon Huntsman is a different breed. He believes business is a creative endeavor, similar to a theater production, wherein integrity must be the central character." Larry King, CNN "Jon Huntsman's own life and personal values lend credence to his words. He walks his ethical talk." Neil Cavuto, Fox News "This book could put me out of business. Nobody would be happier about it than me." Wayne Reaud, Trial Attorney. The nationwide bestseller--fully updated for today's tough times and worldwide financial crises "Everyone does it." Everyone cheats. Cuts corners. Tells lies. Maybe it was different once. Not today. If you want to succeed in thiseconomic climate, you simply have to make compromises. Right? Wrong. You can succeed at the highest levels, without sacrificing the principles that make life worth living. The proof? You're holding it. Jon M.Huntsman built a $12 billion company from scratch, the old-fashioned way: with integrity. There were short-term costs and difficult decisions. There were tough times. Times just like today. But ultimately, leading with integrity wasn't just personally right for Huntsman, it also proved to be the best business strategy. In Winners Never Cheat, Huntsman tells you how he did it, and how you can, too. This book is about remembering why you work, and why you were chosen to lead. It's about finding the bravery to act on what you know is right, no matter what you're up against. It's about winning. The right way. Think about the kind of person you want to do business with. Then, be that person--and use this book to get you there.

Glenn Beck on Winners Never Cheat – Even in Difficult Times
The man who revolutionized the world by giving it the plastic spoon, fork, knife and Styrofoam take-out food container will once again change how you live your life. I can say that because that’s what happened to me after reading Jon Huntsman’s Winners Never Cheat.

In today’s world where it increasingly appears that we can’t trust our political or business leaders, this book is an unwavering reminder that traditional values never go out of style and are as essential today as they were forty years ago when Jon Huntsman launched a small chemical business that he grew into the world’s largest privately held chemical corporation. Jon Huntsman doesn’t like to be called a billionaire. He’s uncomfortable with that title. I’m convinced he also doesn’t like being one either because he’s committed to giving away his hard-earned fortune—not after he dies, but during his lifetime. I believe in this book’s message and its messenger. I have never in my life purchased any book by the case, except for this one. I give a copy to my friends who mistakenly believe that business can no longer be done with a look in the eye and a handshake. Many of the problems and much of the pain we’re currently experiencing on Wall Street and Washington could have been avoided if those we trusted with our money and our power lived what’s taught in these pages.

If you’re looking for success, read this book. If you’re wondering if you can be successful while staying true to your core principles, read this book. If you’re wondering, like so many are, if capitalism has a bright future, read this book. I have and it’s changed my life.

--Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck’s newest book, The Christmas Sweater, follows the challenges and growth of a boy who struggles with the choices he has made and the decisions he yet must make. Beck is also the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, An Inconvenient Book, and The Real America. He is the host of the nationally syndicated radio show The Glenn Beck Program and will also be hosting his own television show on Fox News beginning in 2009.

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The Rules of Management: They're surprisingly easy to learn and live by. Now, Richard Templar's brought them all together in one place. They're surprisingly easy to learn and live by. Now, Richard Templar has brought them all together in one place: the quick, irreverent The Rules of Management. Templar covers everything from setting realistic targets to holding effective meetings; finding the right people to inspiring loyalty. Learn when and how to let your people think they know more than you (even if they don't)--and recognize when they really do! Discover how to adapt your style to each team member... create your own private game plan for success... manage stress and stay healthy... and take charge, as if you were born to manage! The first edition of The Rules of Management became a global phenomenon, topping bestseller charts around the word. This new, even better edition contains 10 brand-new rules to take you further, faster.

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Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched.

Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. This is just as true for one person in a garage or a group of seasoned professionals in a Fortune 500 boardroom. What they have in common is a mission to penetrate that fog of uncertainty to discover a successful path to a sustainable business.

The Lean Startup approach fosters companies that are both more capital efficient and that leverage human creativity more effectively. Inspired by lessons from lean manufacturing, it relies on “validated learning,” rapid scientific experimentation, as well as a number of counter-intuitive practices that shorten product development cycles, measure actual progress without resorting to vanity metrics, and learn what customers really want. It enables a company to shift directions with agility, altering plans inch by inch, minute by minute.

Rather than wasting time creating elaborate business plans, The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs - in companies of all sizes - a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust before it’s too late. Ries provides a scientific approach to creating and managing successful startups in a age when companies need to innovate more than ever.

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• Have you ever bought $100 worth of groceries for only 6 bucks?

• Did you ever leave a store with more money in your pocket than when you went in?

• Have you ever had so much food after a shopping trip that you gave it away to friends, neighbors and charity?

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, then you'll definitely want to read Coupon Millionaire: How to Save Money and Make Money with the Art of Couponing

Tough economic times has had many people scrambling to make ends meet. Eating out, going on vacation or going to a movie are out of the question. Instead, people have been duped into buying the lowest quality junk foods thinking that they are saving money simply because it's cheap.

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The Challenge:
Built to Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the verybeginning.

But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness?

The Study:
For years, this question preyed on the mind of Jim Collins. Are there companies that defy gravity and convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? And if so, what are the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great?

Alternative Medicine books

2011-12-24T05:17:00.000-08:00

Cancer. Hepatitis. Migraines. Arthritis. Heart Disease. Emphysema. For years, the medical establishment has called these chronic or life- threatening diseases "incurable." But now, The Gerson Therapy offers hope for those seeking relief from hundreds of different diseases. Juice your way to wellness. One of the first alternative cancer therapies, The Gerson Therapy has successfully treated thousands of patients for over 60 years.

Now, in this authoritative revised and updated edition, alternative medicine therapist Charlotte Gerson and medical journalist Morton Walker reveal even more on the powerful healing effects of organic fruits and vegetables. Not only can juicing reverse the effects of many degenerative illnesses-it can save lives. The Gerson Therapy shows you:
How to beat cancer by changing your body chemistry
Special juicing techniques for maximum healing power
How to combat allergies, obesity, high blood pressure, AIDS, lupus, and other diseases
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Your Body Never Lies: The Complete Book Of Oriental DiagnosisThis book explains how to fast using raw fruit & vegetable juices while maintaining a nearly normal work and living schedule. Includes: Juice recipes, detoxification techniques, exercises, weight loss, water fasting; about the organs of elimination; how to handle a "healing event," and how to exit a fast safely.

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Nearly 90% of American adults suffer from back pain, and the number continues to climb. Why does this condition affect so many people in the industrialized world, while in some countries only 5% of adults report back pain? In a quest to find the root cause of back pain, Esther Gokhale studied at the Aplomb Institute in Paris and traveled to parts of the world where back pain is virtually unknown. Her research took her to remote Burkina Faso, rural Portugal, and fishing villages in Brazil.

What she learned in each of these places has changed the lives of thousands of people. Preserved in the movements of weavers, millers, and farmers in more traditional societies is ancient body wisdom that prevents pain and enhances health. For the first time, these insights have been brought together in a step-by-step guide designed to help those suffering from back pain re-educate their bodies and regain the posture for which our bodies evolved.

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Rosemary Gladstar is the mother of modern herbalism. Her wisdom and vision have inspired an entire generation of herbal healers, and her insights into the healing power of plants have helped people everywhere embrace more natural, healthy, and radiant lives.

Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health is the author's practical compendium of herbal know-how. Written with her signature warmth, this must-have reference will help readers of every life stage enjoy radiant well-being, every day. Limit stress and anxiety, get adequate rest, boost immunity, improve mental acuity, and embrace life balance — these are elements of Gladstar's prescription for wellness, longevity, and boundless energy. To help achieve these goals, she offers a number of general-wellness recipes, including 7-Herb Long-Life Soup, Long-Life Elixir, and energy-inspiring Zoom Balls.

The bulk of the book is dedicated to specific herbal remedies for everyone in the family — adults, babies, children, and elders. Good Vision No-Cook Herbal Jam, for example, will help keep aging eyes functional, while Rosemary's Itch Relief Remedy offers a soothing salve for poison ivy. Whether a reader wants to soothe baby's diaper rash, enjoy a better night's sleep, conquer headaches, cure a case of athlete's foot, or boost a sagging spirit, Gladstar's time-tested herbal remedies offer new options for natural healing.

These therapies are enhanced with an A–Z herbal apothecary featuring detailed information about more than 90 herbs, as well as tips for preparing herbal remedies from scratch.

The hardcover edition has become an everyday reference for tens of thousands of families. This paperback release brings Gladstar’s wisdom to even more people interested in embracing physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

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Used as a reference by students of acupuncture, this is a hefty, truly comprehensive guide to the theory and healing power of Chinese medicine. It's also a primer on nutrition—including facts about green foods, such as spirulina and blue-green algae, and the "regeneration diets" used by cancer patients and arthritics—along with an inspiring cookbook with more than 300 mostly vegetarian, nutrient-packed recipes.

The information on Chinese medicine is useful for helping to diagnose health imbalances, especially nascent illnesses. It's smartly paired with the whole-foods program because the Chinese have attributed various health-balancing properties to foods, so you can tailor your diet to help alleviate symptoms of illness. For example, Chinese medicine dictates that someone with low energy and a pale complexion (a yin deficiency) would benefit from avoiding bitter foods and increasing "sweet" foods such as soy, black sesame seeds, parsnips, rice, and oats. (Note that the Chinese definition of sweet foods is much different from the American one!)

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A necessary resource for anyone interested in alternative approaches to healing, this book contains more than 600 easy-to-follow recipes for essential oil treatments and aromatherapy.

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New 2010 Edition with over 100 extra pages of information! Gut and Psychology Syndrome provides the information you need to heal a damaged digestive system. The perfect book for anyone suffering from Autism, Dyslexia, Depression, Dyspraxia, ADD, ADHD, Schizophrenia, and any other condition that has a link with gut dysbiosis.

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Fight Colds and Flu
Lower Cholesterol
Beat Depression
Banish Fatigue
Enhance Memory
Lose Weight
And More!

An ancient Chinese legend: Once there was a man who knew 100,000 healing properties of herbs. He taught his son 80,000 secrets. On his deathbed, he told his son to visit his grave in five years, and there he would find the other 20,000 secrets. When the son went to his father's grave, he found, growing on the site, the tea shrub....

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All healers are "energetic" healers, whether they know it or not. Because every health issue has a physical and an energetic component, even a simple physical treatment like bandaging a cut also impacts the body's spiritual, mental, and emotional welfare. The Subtle Body is a comprehensive encyclopedia devoted to the critical world of our invisible anatomy, where so much of healing actually occurs. Compiled by intuitive healer and scholar Cyndi Dale, this 500-page full color illustrated reference book covers: What is the "subtle body"? New scientific understanding of our quantum-state existence and the unseen fields that determine our physical condition; True integrative care: how combining Eastern energetic modalities with Western scientific rigor yields optimum results; The meridians, fields, and chakras: detailed information and diagrams about the role of these energetic structures in our overall health; Energy-based therapy principles from the world's healing traditions including Ayurveda, Qigong, Reiki, Quabalah, and many more.

Health, Fitness & Dieting books

2011-12-22T15:18:00.000-08:00

Discover the many medical uses of nature's bounty, and also find out the canny natural beauty tricks that really work. Simply brilliant!
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Be your own best life coach is an inspirational guide to help readers take control of their lives and motivate themselves effectively so they can achieve their goals. Packed with advice to help readers realise their ambitions and shrug off the fears holding them back, covering everything self-starters need so they can identify their issues and resolve them by acting as their own life coaches. Practical and easy to implement, the advice includes ideas for staying true to yourself, ways to prioritise what is truly important (and get rid of what isn't), tips on performing spot checks and assessing progress, expert ideas for coping with stress and looking after yourself, tools for breaking projects down into manageable chunks that add up to big results, ways to remain resilient and learn from failure, motivation techniques for staying focused, and advice for accepting and loving yourself so you can realise your true potential. This book is simply brilliant. It offers fantastic expert tips and advice to empower readers to achieve their plans, on their own terms. All ideas are tried and tested - discover effective and practical ideas for making positive life changes.

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You are what you think! Take control of your thinking...and start living life to the fullest! In just 25 days, you can discover how to cut through lies, gain insight, and make smarter choices in every area of your life—from work and money to your intimate relationships. Discover how to overcome bad thinking habits caused by self-delusion or out-of-control emotions...clarify what you really want...recognize what you don’t know. Ask the right questions...resist brainwashing, manipulation, and hypocrisy...Avoid worrying, conformism, and blame!
25 powerful ways to improve your thinking—and make smarter, better decisions.
Stop deceiving yourself: Overcome built-in self-delusion, wishful thinking, and worrying.
Use better thinking to make better decisions at work, at home, and throughout your life.
Critically evaluate what you’re told by advertisers, politicians, your boss...even your family!
Quick, practical, easy to use! Includes daily/weekly action plans, progress notes, and more.
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Whatever your children's personal food preferences, Mandy's advice and ideas will help you make sure that they get the best of both worlds and grow up with a healthy and balanced attitude to food - with a little inspiration from Healthy children's lunches you'll soon leave lunchtime-tantrums far behind!
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The Eat To Live 2011 revised edition includes updated scientific research supporting Dr. Fuhrman's revolutionary six-week plan and a brand new chapter highlighting Dr. Fuhrman's discovery of toxic hunger and the role of food addiction in weight issues. This new chapter provides novel and important insights into weight gain. It explains how and why eating the wrong foods causes toxic hunger and the desire to over consume calories; whereas a diet of high micronutrient quality causes true hunger which decreases the sensations leading to food cravings and overeating behaviors. It instructs readers on how to leave behind the discomfort of toxic hunger, cravings, and addictions to unhealthy foods.

New recipes and menus are included as well as new and updated Frequently Asked Questions.

This is a book that will let you live longer, reduce your need for medications, and improve your health dramatically. It is a book that will change the way you want to eat. Most importantly, if you follow the Eat To Live™ diet, you will lose weight faster than you ever thought possible.
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Fitness superstar Chalene Johnson creates a revolutionary 30-day system that will allow readers to transform their bodies, their diets, and their lives!
Chalene Johnson built a fitness empire from the ground up, selling over 6 million DVDs and helping
legions of loyal fans shed pounds and transform their lives with her trademark enthusiasm and energy.
PUSH, Chalene’s first book ever, distills the wisdom that has made her a fitness queen into a totally
unique 30-day system that will help readers reset their priorities, get their lives together, and lose weight for good.

Chalene gives readers the life-changing tools they need to change their habits with 30 days of practical
steps that include pinpointing goals, reverse engineering a course of action to achieve them, and
kicking the clutter—whether that means junk food, draining exercise regimens, or toxic relationships. In one month, readers will learn how to create layers of accountability and support so that success is their only option.

Additionally, Chalene shares 30 ridiculously easy and delicious Throw-and-Go recipes that she (a self confessed mess in the kitchen) created herself. And, of course, no book from Chalene would be complete without a workout! Chalene guides readers to find their soul mate workouts—the exercises they’ll love for life and that will never feel like work. Finally, she gives readers the Bangin’ Body Workout: the 30 moves they need for total body fitness—for life!
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Addiction destroys lives. In The Addicted Brain, a leading neuroscientist explains how and why this happens–and presents advances in treatment and prevention. Using breathtaking brain imagery and other research, Michael Kuhar, Ph.D., shows the powerful, long-term brain changes that drugs can cause, revealing why it can be so difficult for addicts to escape their grip.

In plain English, Kuhar describes why some people are far more susceptible to addiction than others. He illuminates striking neural similarities between drugs and other pleasures potentially capable of causing abuse or addiction–including alcohol, gambling, sex, caffeine, and even Internet overuse. Finally, he outlines the 12 characteristics most often associated with successful treatment.

Authoritative and easy to understand, The Addicted Brain offers today’s most up-to-date scientific explanation of addiction–and what addicts, their families, and society can do about it.
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Easy Vegetarian Recipes gives you full step-by-step instructions for crafting Vegetarian dishes that even die-hard meat eaters will love. Learn how to make Effortless Chili, Scrumptious Caponata, and Spicy Pumkin Samosas! All projects come from Instructables.com, are written by veggie experts, and contain pictures for each step so you can easily make it yourself, even if it’s your first time in the kitchen. Let's get cooking!
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For most of us, trying to find a moment of peace in our hectic schedule is like searching for a needle in a haystack. When faced with a crisis it's more likely that we'll fly into a panic than calmly assess the situation and formulate a plan to deal with the problem. With the help of The brilliant book of calm you can take charge of your life like never before, so that when push comes to shove and the proverbial hits the fan, all you need to do is take a deep breath before you deal with whatever life has thrown at you. Packed with advice on how to slow down, calm down and find your inner Zen master, The brilliant book of calm will help you find and maintain a balanced perspective on life, so that you can deal with anything. Whether you're permanently stressed-out or just in need of a bit of a push in a calmer direction, Tania Ahsan's road-tested advice will enable you to live a calmer, richer and happier life. Simply brilliant.
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After nearly twenty years of chasing oblivion, a fight in a bar reveals to a newly sober Mishka Shubaly that he is able to run long distances. Despite his best attempts to dodge enlightenment and personal growth, the irreverent young drunk and drug abuser learns to tame his self-destructive tendencies through ultrarunning. His outrageous sense of humor, however, rages unabated.

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The "Publication Manual" is the style manual of choice for writers, editors, students, and educators. Although it is specifically designed to help writers in the behavioral sciences and social sciences, anyone who writes non-fiction prose can benefit from its guidance. The newly-revised Sixth Edition has not only been rewritten. It has also been thoroughly rethought and reorganized, making it the most user-friendly "Publication Manual" the APA has ever produced. You will be able to find answers to your questions faster than ever before. When you need advice on how to present information, including text, data, and graphics, for publication in any type of format--such as college and university papers, professional journals, presentations for colleagues, and online publication--you will find the advice you're looking for in the "Publication Manual."

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Thinner, bigger, faster, stronger... which 150 pages will you read?

Is it possible to:
Reach your genetic potential in 6 months?
Sleep 2 hours per day and perform better than on 8 hours?
Lose more fat than a marathoner by bingeing?

Indeed, and much more. This is not just another diet and fitness book.

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change was a groundbreaker when it was first published in 1990, and it continues to be a business bestseller with more than 15 million copies sold. Stephen Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority, realizes that true success encompasses a balance of personal and professional effectiveness, so this book is a manual for performing better in both arenas. His anecdotes are as frequently from family situations as from business challenges. Before you can adopt the seven habits, you'll need to accomplish what Covey calls a "paradigm shift"--a change in perception and interpretation of how the world works. Covey takes you through this change, which affects how you perceive and act regarding productivity, time management, positive thinking, developing your "proactive muscles" (acting with initiative rather than reacting), and much more. This isn't a quick-tips-start-tomorrow kind of book. The concepts are sometimes intricate, and you'll want to study this book, not skim it. When you finish, you'll probably have Post-it notes or hand-written annotations in every chapter, and you'll feel like you've taken a powerful seminar by Covey. --Joan Price

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If you need to shed pounds fast and in a safe, effective, and lasting way, this is the book for you! Unlike many diet programs that starve you down to size, Dr. Mike Moreno’s 17 Day Diet relies on proven methods to help you take weight off and keep it off for good—whether you’ve got 10 pounds to lose or 100. His revolutionary program adjusts your body metabolically so that you burn fat day in and day out. The program is structured around four 17 day cycles:
Accelerate—the rapid weight loss portion that helps flush sugar and fat storage from your system

Activate—the metabolic restart portion with alternating low and high calorie days to help shed body fat

Achieve—this phase is about learning to control portions and introducing new fitness routines

Arrive—a combination of the first three cycles to keep good habits up for good. On weekends, enjoy your favorite foods!

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What if one simple change could save you from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer? For decades, that question has fascinated a small circle of impassioned doctors and researchers—and now, their life-changing research is making headlines in the hit documentary Forks Over Knives.

Their answer? Eat a whole-foods, plant-based diet—it could save your life. It may overturn most of the diet advice you’ve heard—but the experts behind Forks Over Knives aren't afraid to make waves. In his book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn explained that eating meat, dairy, and oils injures the lining of our blood vessels, causing heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.

In The China Study, Dr. Colin Campbell revealed how cancer and other diseases skyrocket when eating meat and dairy is the norm—and plummet when a traditional plant-based diet persists. And more and more experts are adding their voices to the cause: There is nothing else you can do for your health that can match the benefits of a plant-based diet.

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Referred to as the "Grand Prix of epidemiology" by The New York Times, this study examines more than 350 variables of health and nutrition with surveys from 6,500 adults in more than 2,500 counties across China and Taiwan, and conclusively demonstrates the link between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. While revealing that proper nutrition can have a dramatic effect on reducing and reversing these ailments as well as curbing obesity, this text calls into question the practices of many of the current dietary programs, such as the Atkins diet, that are widely popular in the West. The politics of nutrition and the impact of special interest groups in the creation and dissemination of public information are also discussed.
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Devised by Dr. Pierre Dukan, a French medical doctor who has spent his career helping people to lose weight, the Dukan Diet rejects counting calories and promises permanent weight loss while allowing adherents to eat as much as they like.

Originally published in 2000, the Dukan Diet swept across France, championed by people who successfully lost weight following its unique four phase regime. The Dukan Diet has helped millions in France, where it has been number one for more than ten years and adopted in twenty countries, including the United Kingdom, Poland, Korea and Brazil. All together, The Dukan Diet has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.

The Diet: 4 Easy Steps to Permanent Weight Loss

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They make clothes for “Petites” so why not a specialized diet plan? You’re smaller, you’re more delicate, you’re 5'4" or under, yet you’re expected to follow a diet plan for the taller girls. What’s wrong with that?

“A lot,” says Jim Karas, author of the number one New York Times bestseller The Business Plan for the Body. For over twenty years, Karas has helped the Petites. He makes them longer (without the rack). He makes them leaner (without starving) and he makes them feel more confident and sexier than they have ever felt before. Why? Because he knows how to get results specifically for you . . . a “Petite”. . . and get them fast.

“I understand you,” says Karas. “I know you are watching your taller friends and colleagues eat more than you do but stay slim.” Fact: you do have to eat less, because a Petite needs only about 1,600 calories a day (compared to 2,500 calories for a taller woman) and is therefore naturally more prone to gain weight.

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The title comes from research that shows people are happiest on Fridays. Pastor Joel Osteen writes how we can generate this level of contentment and joy every day of the week.
Known as a man who maintains a constant positive outlook in spite of circumstances, Osteen has described this message as a core theme of his ministry. Combining his personal experiences with scriptural insights and principles for true happiness, he shows readers how every day can hold the same promise and opportunities for pure joy that they experience at five o'clock on Friday.

2011-12-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

A killer stalks the city of San Diego, brutally murdering women on the fringes of society . . .
For SDPD homicide detective Jon Stanton, the body of a young woman torn apart in her bedroom is more than just another case. His former partner, Noah Sherman, was the original detective assigned to the case; before he was discovered to be one of San Diego's most ruthless serial killers.
Now part of the Cold Case Unit, Stanton must battle corruption and the ghosts of his past as he fights to uncover a killer that leaves no evidence behind, and that has turned his attention to new prey . . .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Victor Methos holds degrees in philosophy and ethics and a doctorate in law from the University of Utah. He is a former prosecutor specializing in the prosecution of violent crimes, and is currently a criminal defense attorney in New Jersey. He has defended everyone from murderers and the mafia, to the homeless and disabled. He is currently on a quest to climb the "Seven Summits," the seven highest peaks on earth.
THE WHITE ANGEL MURDER, his third novel, is loosely based on actual cases.
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When wealthy plantation owner Cornelius Allen marries off his daughter Clarissa, he presents her with a wedding gift: a young slave woman called Sarah. It just so happens that Sarah is Allen's daughter as well, the product of a long-term sexual relationship with his slave Emmeline. When Clarissa's husband rejects her newborn son as illegitimate and sends Clarissa and Sarah back to the Allens, their return sets in motion a series of events that will destroy the once-powerful family. Told through the alternating view points of Sarah and Theodora Allen, Cornelius's wife, The Wedding Gift shines a glaring light on the brutal world of slavery in the antebellum American South. Marlen Suyapa Bodden's compelling historical novel explores how planters controlled slaves and free women alike, propelling them along a taut social tightrope as they struggled for freedom and autonomy in an oppressive and patriarchal world. The controversial and shocking ending is sure to leave readers aghast.
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In the harsh Scottish highlands of 1565, superstition and treachery threaten a truce between rival clans. It's a weak truce at first, bound only by an arranged engagement between Anne MacGregor and Niall Campbell-the heirs of the feuding families.

While Niall wrestles with his suspicions about a traitor in his clan, Anne's actions do not go unnoticed. And as accusations of witchcraft abound, the strong and sometimes callous Campbell heir must fight for Anne's safety among disconcerted clan members. Meanwhile his own safety in threatened with the ever-present threat of someone who wants him dead.
Will Niall discover the traitor's identity in time? Can Anne find a way to fit into her new surroundings? Will the two learn to love each other despite the conflict? With a perfect mix of a burgeoning romance and thrilling suspense, this book is historical fiction at its best.
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As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

2011-12-22T13:19:00.000-08:00

Book 1 of The Rakehell Regency Romance Series

A Desperate Gamble … on Love!

Wealthy heiress Vanessa Hawkesworth is offered as the stake in a card game by her half-brother Gerald in order to cover his gambling debts.

Clifford Stone, their nearest neighbor, only agrees to play for her hand in marriage in order to free her from Gerald’s excesses. Clifford is fascinated by the lovely if unworldly young bluestocking.
As his attraction grows, so too does his certainty that his new-found love is in increasing danger from malevolent forces who will stop at nothing, not even murder, to seize her newly-acquired fortune.
Vanessa must learn to trust a complete stranger with her heart, and her entire life. Stunned at her new fiance's accusations against Gerald, she is sure she is going mad, torn between loyalty to her family and the wildfire passion that flares every time Clifford touches her.
As new a series of crimes in the district threatens her new-found love and happiness, Vanessa must gamble all herself in order to protect her beloved Clifford, and bring the men responsible to justice before it's too late.
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Whether you call HeartsBlood a paranormal romance or urban fantasy, any reader of Charlene Harris or J.R. Ward will be fully satiated by HeartsBlood. And any fan of True Blood or Amanda Hocking will love this new take on "blood magic."

** If you were looking for Carolyn's Bestselling Urban Fantasy Thriller it is titled "Rook: Let's Avoid the Apocalypse, People, and is under her pen name "Cristyn West."

**If you were looking for Carolyn #1 Historical Romance set in ancient Rome, simply search under "Fated McCray," but be warned there is a paranormal element that sneaks up on you like an asp in the night.

**If you were looking for Carolyn's latest horror/suspense look under her pen name, Cristyn West & All Hallow's Eve: The One Night it's BAD to be Good!

**If you were looking for Carolyn's #1 YA Epic Fantasy, look under 7 Folds of Winter.

**If you were looking for Carolyn's #1 EXTREMELY controversial historical/religious thriller simply search under 30 Pieces of Silver, but be warned... it will challenge your historical beliefs.
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Even in a drunken stupor it is hard for Captain Cape Thomas to ignore his recurring vision of a beautiful woman and the swaddled baby she holds. On a rare, sober day he begins a casual search through college yearbooks and yellowed courthouse records in hopes of finding the one who got away. Instead, an unrecorded codicil suggests their one union was fruitful and reveals a possible heir to an old-moneyed family used to scams and scammers making claims against the estate. After run-ins with a cabal of bankers, lawyers, in-laws, outlaws, and even the F.A.A. Cape begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together...
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As Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, "the scarlet letter burned on Hester Prynne's bosom." The clear, compelling prose of The Scarlet Letter made Hawthorne's finest novel a true classic of American fiction. This listening experience of Hawthorne's masterpiece heightens the sense of lyric poetry that permeates every line of the great novel. Four-time Emmy winner Michael Learned evokes the brooding atmosphere of Puritan New England as she reads this classic tale of a passionate young woman who transcends the shame of adultery. Abridged on 2 cassettes.
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This second edition of Franklin's famous autobiography is accompanied by a portfolio of illustrations and an introduction that provides background for students and invites them to think about the work's lasting impact on American society and culture.

2011-12-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

"Hold on tight because this one will steal your heart!"
-Carolyn McCray
Kindle Bestselling author, Fated

"I loved Jesse. He was a hero straight out of my heart. I've always
been a sucker for wranglers and boots on a guy, and Amber completely
captured my secret desires in the pages of the book."
-Close Encounters of the Night Kind
Reviewer
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Buying a new vehicle is a big decision, but frustrated sales associate Shamus Ryan makes it a matter of life and death. He unleashes a rash of killings that wraps the Wilmington, Delaware region in fear. The homicide cases fall to State Police Detective Paul Chang, formerly with the NYPD. Never Chinese enough for his domineering mother, yet too different to be accepted as traditionally American, he's spent his life straddling two cultures. From a young age, bullying in New York's Chinatown gave rise to a vigilante-inclined alter-ego he calls "The Dragon." His ex-partner, Nelson Rogers, is his closest friend and biggest burden. Always a misfit, Nelson left the NYPD following a nervous breakdown. When the bodies pile up and the pressure mounts, Chang calls in Nelson to apply his uncanny insight that made the two an effective team in New York. Seen through the eyes of both the killer and detective, Final Price follows a car salesman's murderous rampage.
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Tom Clancy's All-Star lineup is back. Jack Ryan, his son, Jack Jr., John Clark Ding Chavez and the rest of the Campus team are facing their greatest challenge ever.

Jack Ryan, Sr. has made a momentous choice. He's running for President of the United States again and thus giving up a peaceful retirement to help his country in its darkest hour. But he doesn't anticipate the treachery of his opponent, who uses trumped up charges to attack one of Ryan's closest comrades, John Clark.

Now, Clark is in a race against time and must travel the world, staying one step ahead of his adversaries, including a shadowy organization tasked to bring him in, all while trying to find who is behind this.

Meanwhile, Jack Ryan, Jr., Ding Chavez, Dominick Caruso and other members of the Campus-the top secret off-the-books intelligence agency founded by Jack Ryan during his first term in the White House-deal with a question of their own: Why is a Pakistani military officer meeting with Dagestani terrorists? The answer will ultimately lead to a desperate struggle, with nothing short of the fate of the world at stake.
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Be they shocking, ambitious, or simply brilliant, these novels continue to enthrall today as they did at the time they were written. Now, Penguin Classics is proud to present them in gorgeous clothbound editions-vibrant volumes sure to become as treasured to readers as the magnificent tales they tell.
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CAMELOT and GAME of THRONES fans will swoon for Irish Moon!

"The kind of story you can rip through in one day...."
-Quills and Zebras
A deathbed vow he cannot forget....
Murder for magick threatening far more than her present or future....
A fierce--undeniable--passion that threatens to unravel it all under an Irish Moon.
More Reviews
"I am in absolute love with Irish Moon!"
-Ann Charles
Nearly Departed in Deadwood
For more addictive paranormal fantasy by Amber Scott, search for "Fierce Dawn," "Play Fling," and "Love Lust."
Coming in October 2011...Enchanted Moon

2011-12-22T12:39:00.000-08:00

The new Kay Scarpetta novel from the world's #1 bestselling crime writer.

Determined to find out what happened to her former deputy chief, Jack Fielding, murdered six months earlier, Kay Scarpetta travels to the Georgia Prison for Women, where an inmate has information not only on Fielding, but also on a string of grisly killings. The murder of an Atlanta family years ago, a young woman on death row, and the inexplicable deaths of homeless people as far away as California seem unrelated. But Scarpetta discovers connections that compel her to conclude that what she thought ended with Fielding's death and an attempt on her own life is only the beginning of something far more destructive: a terrifying terrain of conspiracy and potential terrorism on an international scale. And she is the only one who can stop it.
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Sterling Publishing welcomes our new partnership with the legendary artist Robert Ingpen.
For his first title in a brand-new affiliation with Sterling, renowned children’s artist Robert Ingpen presents a lush new edition of one of the world’s most famous stories: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Lewis Carroll’s classic began as a tale told to a group of children on a picnic in 1862. Three years later, it was finally published, and its curious effect of half-dream, half-nightmare instantly captured the imagination of readers of all ages.
This new edition brings together the unabridged text with more than 70 stunning illustrations by Ingpen, each reflecting the artist’s unique style and extraordinary imagination—and the spirit of this eternally popular masterpiece.
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THIS IS A WORLD YOU WOULD NEVER WANT TO ENTER--OR FORGET
"The suspense is riveting and the pacing masterful. This book will keep you gasping for breath." Michael Palmer, author of eleven best-selling novels, including "The Society"

"Shadow of Death" portrays an accurate picture of Detroit during that tough year of 1967. It is realistic, gruesome and stunning, almost shocking in it's detail." David Poremba, Manager, Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library, and author of "Michigan"

"Dark secrets, shady characters, fear and frustration, and a plot that races along like a runaway gurney in a hospital corridor. "Shadow of Death" really scared me! A really good scare. I may just read it again." Don Bruns, best selling author of "Barbados Heat"

"There is a grand tradition of physicians who write books that sell. And sell. Dr. Gussin now joins their ranks." James Brady, New York Times best-selling author of "The Marine"

"A riveting, non-stop suspense novel from newcomer Patricia Gussin. Gussin taps into the deepest fears of women and places them artfully in the world of 1960's Detroit. I look forward to seeing what comes next from this author." Judy Clemens, author of "Till the Cows Come Home", nominated for Anthony and Agatha Awards
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A rare meeting of literary genius: P. D. James, long among the most admired mystery writers of our time, draws the characters of Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride and Prejudice into a tale of murder and emotional mayhem.

It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth’s disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.

Inspired by a lifelong passion for Austen, P. D. James masterfully re-creates the world of Pride and Prejudice, electrifying it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly crafted crime story, as only she can write it.
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THE LAST CALL starts with a protagonist on the edge of an impending midlife crisis. Add a blond and an old friend with a fetish for high explosives, and you have the kickoff of a first rate crime novel. George Wier writes with wit, verve, and a gut-bucket
knowledge of Texas and those who people its quirky underside. This book does not disappoint.

2011-12-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

A modern classic, The Help has been a cultural touchstone for the millions of readers who have cheered on Skeeter, laughed with Minny, and hissed at Hilly. The noble and strong Aibileen has become a heroine for countless fans whose letters have poured in from all over the world. Now the bestselling and beloved book is available in a deluxe gift edition.

The Help has been on bestseller lists for longer than any other hardcover fiction title since The Da Vinci Code. It was USA Today's 2009 Book of the Year and has been published in thirty-seven countries around the world.

The movie The Help, produced by DreamWorks and 1492 Pictures, is scheduled for a major motion-picture release in August 2011.
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Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:
New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.
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Pet groomer Carina Fiore wants nothing more than to confess her feelings to the man she loves. She's drawn to veterinarian Cameron McKenzie's good looks, caring nature and especially his devotion to his young daughter. But he's also her boss and a good friend. Putting her heart on the line could cost Rina both her job and their friendship forever.

Since his divorce, Cameron hasn't been willing to trust his heart—or his daughter—with anyone else. For months he's pushed away all thoughts of taking Rina in his arms and kissing her, unwilling to risk their friendship for a single night of pleasure. But when a kiss under the mistletoe unlocks the simmering passion between them, Rina and Cameron may just find love for the holidays after all...
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Best-selling author Lori Copeland kicks off this historical Western series with this pleasing tale of mail-order brides set in 1872. When their pastor father dies suddenly, leaving little money, three sisters realize that they need to take drastic action to survive. Each answers a newspaper ad soliciting Christian brides. Faith goes to Texas, where her intended, a well-to-do rancher named Nicholas Shepherd, seems to be having second thoughts. While her wedding is repeatedly postponed, Faith meets a local widower and decides to teach his blind son Braille. In time, Nicholas begins to realize that he may have lost Faith to another man.
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An original, full-length horror novel, not yet available in print, on sale for a limited time.

TERRIFIED...
It was supposed to be a harmless camping trip. Six wayward teenagers who'd run into trouble with the law, and their court-appointed guardians, Sara and Martin Randhurst. Three nights on a small, deserted island off of Michigan's upper peninsula. A time to bond, to learn, to heal.

Then Martin told a campfire story about the island's history. Of the old civil war prison hidden in there, and the starving confederate soldiers who resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. Everyone thought it was funny. They even laughed when Martin pretended to be dragged off into the woods.
But Martin didn't come back. And neither did Sara when she went in search of him.

Then the laughter stopped.

...TO DEATH

The group soon began to realize that this deserted island wasn't so deserted after all. And perhaps Martin's ridiculous story had more truth to it than anyone thought.
What's the most horrifying thing you can imagine?
This is a hundred times worse...
TRAPPED by Jack Kilborn
It starts where other horror ends
A Word of Warning:
This is the long-awaited follow-up to AFRAID, one of the most horrifying books ever written.
Originally scheduled to be released in paperback in 2010, the publisher read the first version of the manuscript and refused to release it. The author made extensive changes, rewriting much of the story. The publisher still refused.
This is a disturbing, terrifying book. You may think you're brave enough to handle it. But you're probably not...

2011-12-22T12:23:00.001-08:00

An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.
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This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.
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With his retirement looming, LAPD's Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch takes on two seemingly unrelated cases. The first is a botched DNA test from a 1989 rape and murder, which has been pinned on a convicted rapist who was only eight years old at the time of the crime. Harry's pursuit of that case is interrupted by the apparent suicide of a councilman's son. A former police chief and no fan of Harry's, the councilman insists that Harry investigate his son's death. In pursuit of the truth, and an elusive killer, Bosch and his partner uncover secrets and a political conspiracy deep within the police department. Connelly's aging hero is a flawed, haunted, and unforgettable character; his creator is a master craftsman. --Neal Thompson
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Life didnt do Kenny Tingle any favors. In The Girl in the Italian Bakery, follow his journey from childhood in a tough housing project north of Boston, the abduction and disappearance of a childhood friend, to the complete destruction of a family. His introduction to crime and the years he spent in foster homes. The poor choices he made in high school and the startling climax on prom night. Although he never has trouble meeting girls, the one girl he longs for always seems out of reach. The Girl in the Italian Bakery is the remarkably true story of always keeping hope, even when there is little left to hope for. This is a story of surviving through extreme adversity, and, ultimately, redemption.
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2011-12-22T12:18:00.000-08:00

Be they shocking, ambitious, or simply brilliant, these novels continue to enthrall today as they did at the time they were written. Now, Penguin Classics is proud to present them in gorgeous clothbound editions-vibrant volumes sure to become as treasured to readers as the magnificent tales they tell.
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A perpetual wallflower destined for spinsterhood, Lady Elaine Warren is resigned to her position in society. So when Evan Carlton, the powerful, popular Earl of Westfeld, singles her out upon his return to England, she knows what it means. Her former tormenter is up to his old tricks, and she's his intended victim. This time, though, the earl is going to discover that wallflowers can fight back.

Evan has come to regret his cruel, callow past. At first, he only wants to make up for past wrongs. But when Elaine throws his initial apology in his face, he finds himself wanting more. And this time, what torments him might be love...

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The President's son and daughter are abducted, and Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene. But someone very high-up is using the FBI, Secret Service, and CIA to keep him off the case and in the dark.

A deadly contagion in the water supply cripples half of the capital, and Alex discovers that someone may be about to unleash the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced.

As his window for solving both crimes narrows, Alex makes a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes--one that may alter the fate of the entire country. KILL ALEX CROSS is faster, more exciting, and more tightly wound than any Alex Cross thriller James Patterson has ever written!

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On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.
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Blake Harrison: Rich, titled, and charming… And in need of a wife by Wednesday so he turns to Sam Elliot who isn’t the business man he expected. Instead, Blake is faced with Samantha Elliot, engaging and spunky with a voice men call 900 numbers to hear. Samantha Elliot: Owner of Alliance, her matchmaking firm, and not on the marital menu... That is until Blake offers her ten million dollars for a one-year contract. All she needs to do is keep her attraction to her husband to herself and avoid his bed. But Blake’s toe-curling kisses and charm prove too difficult to combat. Now she needs to protect her heart so she can walk away when their mercenary life together is over.

2011-12-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

This holiday collection is a treasury of Christmas traditions, stories, songs, and recipes that promises to bring readers young and old together to celebrate the spirit of the season. Everyone will enjoy this delightful guide to all things Christmas, featuring: the perennial classic Christmas stories, poems, and carols; recipes for family gatherings, parties, and holiday gifts from the kitchen; ideas for thoughtful and creative handmade gifts; decorating ideas for any room; and holiday customs and traditions from around the world. As a gift or a book to be treasured, this book will help readers create new traditions that can be shared year after year.
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FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING BIOGRAPHIES OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND ALBERT EINSTEIN, THIS IS THE EXCLUSIVE BIOGRAPHY OF STEVE JOBS.
Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.
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The illustrations for this series were created by Scott McKowen, who, with his wife Christina Poddubiuk, operates Punch & Judy Inc., a company specializing in design and illustration for theater and performing arts. Their projects often involve research into the visual aspects of historical settings and characters. Christina is a theater set and costume designer and contributed advice on the period clothing for the illustrations.

Scott created these drawings in scratchboard an engraving medium which evokes the look of popular art from the period of these stories. Scratchboard is an illustration board with a specifically prepared surface of hard white chalk. A thin layer of black ink is rolled over the surface, and lines are drawn by hand with a sharp knife by scraping through the ink layer to expose the white surface underneath. The finished drawings are then scanned and the color is added digitally.

It’s elementary—there’s no more intriguing detective than Sherlock Holmes, with his unequalled powers of deduction, and no better mysteries than the tricky ones that only he can solve. Here are some of the finest Holmes stories, recounted by his trusty friend and assistant, Dr. Watson.
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From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-Four short stories of mystery and intrigue by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are performed radio theater style by the St. Charles Players: "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," "The Adventure of the Dancing Men," "A Scandal in Bohemia," and "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot." The narration is acceptable, although some characters sound flat and their British accent is too obviously forced. However, this detracts little from the overall entertainment value of the stories. The overall aural quality could be improved; a slight hissing can be heard throughout the narration. Though at times Holmes comes across as haughty, listeners become caught up in learning how he ingeniously solves the cases using clues that Watson, the other investigators, and most listeners miss. Fine for individual or group listening, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes could be used for entertainment or for a unit on the mystery genre in English classes. The lack of strong female characters in these stories may warrant including alternate classic mysteries with strong women, such as Simon Brett's Mrs. Pargeter, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Heron Carvic's Miss Seeton, or Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax. A nice feature of this package is that each short story is completed with one cassette. Unless you have a great demand for classic mysteries, this audiobook is an additional purchase.
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In his debut novel, James J. Kaufman delivers a gripping and unforgettable story of two strong men from separate worlds - one touched by tragedy, the other by greed - brought together with unexpected results. In chronicling how their lives and those they touch are dramatically changed by their encounter, Kaufman reveals the power of relationships, the nature of love, and ultimately the meaning of life.
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On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Stephen King’s heart-stoppingly dramatic new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination—a thousand page tour de force.
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At age nineteen, pilot Dale Black miraculously survived an airplane crash that killed the other two pilots on board. Hovering between life and death for three days, he had a breathtaking experience of heaven. Against all odds and with insurmountable injuries, Capt. Black recovered from his injuries and returned to fly airplanes as a professional pilot, airline pilot instructor, and jet flight examiner. For forty years he kept the story to himself at the urging of his grandfather to "live" his experience rather than talk about it. The flight to heaven changed Dale's life, and now he allows it to be told in hopes of encouraging others with this wondrous experience.
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The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.

And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our boutique firm. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he’s suddenly unemployed, any job—even one with Finley & Figg—looks okay to him.
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This brand new unabridged audio book production, on 10 full-length CDs, is a must-have for any Jane Austen fan. Pride and Prejudice is the most popular of Jane Austen's novels, and its opening is one of the most famous lines in English literature "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." First written between 1796 and 1797, the book was initially called First Impressions, but was never published under that title. Following revisions it was published on January 28, 1813 by the same Mr. Egerton of the Military Library, Whitehall, who had brought out Sense and Sensibility. Like both its predecessor and Northanger Abbey, it was written at Steventon Rectory.
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Christmas series

This engrossing tale relates Ebenezer Scrooge's ghostly journeys through Christmases past, present, and future and his ultimate transformation from a harsh and grasping old miser to a charitable and compassionate human being. A perennial classic that has become as much a part of the holiday season as holly, mistletoe, and evergreen wreaths.

Lisbeth Zwerger's glorious watercolors for Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, first published in 1988, once again prove that she is as adept at creating the terrifying image of Christmas Yet to Come as she is showing the miraculous transformation of Scrooge.

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