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Unity Club (Orca Currents)
by Karen Spafford-FitzBrett is president of her school's Unity Club. When a new group home for at-risk youth opens in the neighborhood, Brett becomes friends with Jude, one of the boys who lives at the home. After a series of acts of vandalism, the community starts demanding that the group home be shut down. Brett doesn't believe that Jude, or any of the other teens, is responsible, but when an elderly woman is seriously injured, Brett begins to have doubts. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
Tick Tock Terror (Orca Currents)
by Melanie JacksonConor loves to climb. So when the crusty old manager of a thrill ride based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" challenges Conor to scale the ride in the dark of night and hide a package at the top, he foolishly accepts. But it isn't long before he realizes that he is now involved in something far more dangerous. What is in the package, and what does it have to do with Edgar Allan Poe? And why is the town bully so terrified of the old man? The more Conor learns, the deeper in trouble he gets. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
Room 555 (Orca Currents)
by Cristy WatsonFourteen-year-old Roonie loves hip-hop almost as much as she loves her grandmother. Roonie cannot wait to compete in her school's dance competition. But as her grandmother's health deteriorates, Roonie becomes more and more reluctant to visit her in the care home. These feelings of guilt and frustration cause Roonie to mess things up with her hip-hop dance partner and best friend, Kira. But while doing some volunteer hours in the hospital geriatric ward, Roonie meets an active senior recovering from a bad fall. Their shared love of dance and the woman's zest for life help Roonie face her fears, make amends with Kira and reconnect with Gram before it’s too late. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
Running Behind (Orca Currents)
by Sylvia TaekemaEven though he was once his biggest rival, Jake Jarvis is thrilled when Spencer Solomon agrees to join the Diamonds cross-country team to compete in the Barry's Bay provincial championships. Everyone is pumped, everyone is focused, and Jake has to admit, he really likes their chances. At the last moment, Spencer informs the team that he can't go. Jake is furious. But when Spencer explains that he's worried about leaving his wheelchair-bound father alone, Jake gets to work on finding a solution to get Spencer and the Diamonds back on track. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
Livia: First Lady of Imperial Rome
by Anthony A. BarrettThe author of Rome Is Burning separates fact from fiction as he examines the life of an ancient Roman figure made famous in the TV miniseries I Claudius.Livia—wife of the first Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, and mother of the second, Tiberius—wielded extraordinary power at the center of Roman politics. In this biography of Livia, the first in English, Anthony Barrett sets aside the portrait of a cunning and sinister schemer to reveal Livia as a complex figure whose enduring political influence helped shape Roman government long after her death.&“An excellent biography of Livia—as appealing to the general reader as it is satisfying to the scholar.&” —Colin M. Wells, Trinity University, San Antonio&“In reading Anthony Barrett&’s biography of Livia, I not only learned about this remarkable woman, but also gained a meaningful appreciation of life and society in her time.&” —Howard Alper, President, The Royal Society of Canada &“First-rate.&” —Mary Beard, Times Literary Supplement
Mark the Sparrow
by Clark HowardA suspenseful novel about the last-minute battle to save a man on death row and the uproar surrounding his case as his time runs out . . . Weldon Whitmen was arrested for committing a series of robberies and bizarre sex crimes while out on parole. Now he&’s condemned to die. Claiming innocence, he makes headlines with his appeal—and two people decide to come to his aid. One is a journalist who thinks the sentence is unjust. The other is a law librarian who has feelings for Whitmen. Amid public outcry and political warfare, they will fight the execution while the nation watches, unsure whether justice will ultimately be done . . . This edgy, twisting tale comes from an Edgar Award–winning author whose works have been adapted for film and for television programs such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
The Old Patagonian Express: By Train Through the Americas (Penguin Modern Classics Ser.)
by Paul TherouxThe acclaimed travel writer journeys by train across the Americas from Boston to Patagonia in this international bestselling travel memoir.Starting with a rush-hour subway ride to South Station in Boston to catch the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago, Paul Theroux takes a grand railway adventure first across the United States and then south through Mexico, Central America, and across the Andes until he winds up on the meandering Old Patagonian Express steam engine. His epic commute finally comes to a halt in a desolate land of cracked hills and thorn bushes that reaches toward Antarctica. Along the way, Theroux demonstrates how train travel can reveal &“"the social miseries and scenic splendors&” of a continent. And through his perceptive prose we learn that what matters most are the people he meets along the way, including the monologuing Mr. Thornberry in Costa Rica, the bogus priest of Cali, and the blind Jorge Luis Borges, who delights in having Theroux read Robert Louis Stevenson to him.
Einstein's Unfinished Symphony: The Story of a Gamble, Two Black Holes, and a New Age of Astronomy
by Marcia BartusiakThis updated edition of the New York Times Notable Book recounts the long hunt for Einstein&’s predicted gravitational waves—and celebrates their discovery. In February 2016, astronomers announced that they had verified the last remaining prediction of Einstein&’s general theory of relativity—vibrations in space-time, called gravitational waves. Humanity can now tune in to a cosmic orchestra. We have heard the chirp of two black holes dancing toward a violent union. We will hear the cymbal crashes from exploding stars, the periodic drumbeats from swiftly rotating pulsars, and maybe even the echoes from the Big Bang itself. More than a decade earlier, Marcia Bartusiak chronicled the gamble taken by astronomers who were determined to prove Einstein right. In their quest to detect gravitational waves, they built the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors, the most accurate measuring devices ever created. In this updated edition, Bartusiak brings the story to a thrilling close with the triumphant discovery of gravitational waves made with the LIGO. "An important, multifaceted scientific story…part theoretical physics, part astronomy, part experimental physics, part engineering."—James Ryerson, New York Times Book Review
Devil's Heaven (The Neil Hockaday Mysteries #4)
by Thomas AdcockA killer targets New York&’s gay community in this &“well-plotted&” police procedural in the Edgar-winning series (Publishers Weekly). Neil Hockaday&’s on furlough from the NYPD as he attempts to cut back on the booze, but his new wife, Ruby, is going back to her advertising job after the couple&’s trip to Ireland. Unfortunately, the same day she returns to the office, her much-disliked ex-boss&’s body is found, killed in grisly fashion and wearing a leather mask. Meanwhile, some of Hock&’s colleagues on the force appear less than interested in solving a string of murders in which gay men are the victims. Now the detective&’s working on his own time, in cooperation with a private investigator he knows, to uncover the truth in a case that will take him everywhere from the Metropolitan Opera to the nightclubs of Manhattan. &“[A] beautifully written series.&” —The Washington Post
A Wedding Ceremony to Remember: Perfect Words for the Perfect Wedding (A\wedding Ceremony To Remember Ser.)
by Marty YounkinA helpful, inspiring planning guide for brides and grooms, officiants, and wedding consultants. This e-book edition of A Wedding Ceremony to Remember now offers even more choices to create a wedding ceremony that&’s both memorable and meaningful. Choose from nine complete ceremonies, a variety of Vows, Readings, Prayers and Blessings, Wedding Traditions, and other Special Touches to design your ceremony and make it uniquely you. In addition, an Order of Service, Program Samples, Diagrams, and Rehearsal and Ceremony Worksheets assist you with all the details—and help make your decisions a piece of cake.
Richard Lederer's Literary Trivia: From Mythology, Shakespeare, And The Bible [standard Large Print 16 Pt Edition]
by Richard LedererThe author of Anguished English presents a compendium of fascinating facts and anecdotes about some of literature&’s greatest authors and works. Author and English teacher Richard Lederer is one of the world&’s foremost lovers of language and literature. In this endlessly engaging volume, he collects some of the most curious trivia about world-renowned authors and poets as well as their many immortal creations. The perfect gift for bibliophiles, Richard Lederer&’s Literary Trivia sheds surprising new light on the books and writers we love.
Nature and Other Essays
by Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson’s famous essay “Nature” declared that understanding nature was the key to understanding God and reality, and laid the groundwork for transcendentalism. His legacy of boldly questioning the doctrine of his day and connecting with nature will resonate with today’s readers in search of meaning and enlightenment. Essays include “Nature” (1836) and Emerson’s first series, published in 1841: “History,” “Self-Reliance,” “Compensation,” “Spiritual Laws,” “Love,” “Friendship,” “Prudence,” “Heroism,” “The Over-Soul,” “Circles,” “Intellect,” and “Art.” Nature and Other Essays joins Gibbs Smith’s best-selling Wilderness series. Standing beside the works of his protégée Henry David Thoreau, as well as John Muir, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, and Jack London, these essays are reissued to encourage and inspire philosophers, travelers, campers, and contemporary naturalists.
Thrilled to Death Volume One: Hunter, Cain, and Leviathan (Thrilled to Death)
by James Byron HugginsWhen man plays god, evil follows in these three sci-fi fantasy thrillers by the international bestselling author whose &“pacing is nonstop&” (Publishers Weekly, on Hunter). Hunter Scientists have accidentally tapped into the deepest recesses of the human mind—and unleash a terrifying force. Now, with an infected creature is loose in the Alaskan wilderness, the America military asks expert tracker Nathaniel Hunter to locate the beast before it destroys mankind. Cain A top-secret project brings CIA hit man Roth Tiberius Cain back to life as the ultimate predator. But this killing machine has the soul of a devil. Now the only chance of stopping him rests with a soldier who lost his family, a priest who lost his faith, and the beautiful scientist who created Cain and then lost control of him. Leviathan On an Icelandic Island, an illegal biological weapons experiment has transformed an innocent creature into the biblical Leviathan that once terrorized the world. Escaped from its pen, Leviathan is loose in a vast underground chamber—and if it reaches the surface, it could destroy the world. And a lone electrical engineer must find a way to save his family and kill this powerful Beast of Legend.
13.8: The Quest to Find the True Age of the Universe and the Theory of Everything
by John GribbinThe bestselling author of The Scientists presents &“alively and accessible look at how astronomers determined the age of our universe&” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). The twentieth century gave us two great theories of physics. The general theory of relativity describes the behavior of very large things, and quantum theory the behavior of very small things. In this landmark book, John Gribbin—one of the best-known science writers of the past thirty years—presents his own version of the Holy Grail of physics, the search that has been going on for decades to find a unified &“Theory of Everything&” that combines these ideas into one mathematical package, a single equation that could be printed on a T-shirt, containing the answer to life, the Universe, and everything. With his inimitable mixture of science, history, and biography, Gribbin shows how—despite skepticism among many physicists—these two great theories are very compatible, and point to a deep truth about the nature of our existence. The answer lies, intriguingly, with the age of the universe: 13.8 billion years. &“Gribbin is a confident, engaging guide . . . a lovingly rendered history.&”—The Wall Street Journal &“An exciting chronicle of a monumental scientific accomplishment by a scientist who participated in the measuring of the age of the universe.&”—Kirkus Reviews &“A book that hits readers with unrelenting detail. And with a story as grand as this one, that&’s exactly the way a good science book should have it. Nothing will be lost here, and everything—a clear understanding—will be gained.&”—Astronomy &“A welcome and relatively quick read for cosmology buffs, students, and amateur astronomers.&”—Booklist
Enemy of the People: A Kyle Dawson Thriller (The Kyle Dawson Thrillers #2)
by Peter EichstaedtWhen terrorists kidnap the president, a reporter uncovers a shocking conspiracy in this thriller by the award-winning journalist and author of Borderland. The US president has called a summit with top congressional representatives in a swank resort retreat in northern New Mexico. But the confab quickly morphs into a national crisis when the president is kidnapped by Islamic terrorists who have secreted into the country across the US-Mexico border. Reporter Kyle Dawson of the Washington Herald covers this delicate political performance with a jaundiced eye. Using his contacts in the region, he starts investigating how the abduction happened. Along with him is his cousin Raoul Garcia, an ex-Special Forces commando who&’s highly capable of the measures required to free the president. But when they learn that the terrorists have secured a tactical nuclear weapon from Los Alamos, Dawson and Garcia realize they&’re up against a conspiracy of terrifying proportions.
The Zodiac and the Salts of Salvation: Homeopathic Remedies for the Sign Types
by Gen. George WashingtonA medical doctor and American mystic explores the relationship between homeopathic remedies and the 12 zodiac signs in this classic text. The Zodiac and the Salts of Salvation combines scientific and spiritual knowledge to provide a holistic, astrology-based approach to wellness. Expanding on Dr. George W. Carey&’s treatise, The Relation of the Mineral Salts of the Body to the Signs of the Zodiac, this two-part volume presents a thorough introduction to the esoteric chemistry of the human body. In Part 1, Dr. Carey discusses each homeopathic remedy and how it relates to the body&’s physiology. In Part 2, co-author Inez Eudora Perry explains the meaning, origin and spiritual significance of each zodiac sign in both eastern and western religion, as well as masonic texts. The authors then detail how each of the homeopathic remedies behave in the body depending on the person&’s sun sign and the current phase of the solar calendar. First published in 1932, The Zodiac and the Salts of Salvation remains an important and informative guide for all students of homeopathy and astrology.
The Parties Versus the People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats Into Americans
by Mickey Edwards&“An urgent and engaging look at how American politics have become the founding fathers&’ worst nightmare&” (The Daily Beast). America&’s political system is dysfunctional. We know it, yet the problem seems intractable—after every election, voters discover yet again that political &“leaders&” are simply quarreling in a never-ending battle between the two warring tribes. As a former congressman, Mickey Edwards witnessed firsthand how important legislative battles can devolve into struggles not over principle but over party advantage. He offers graphic examples of how this problem has intensified and reveals how political battles have become nothing more than conflicts between party machines. In this critically important book, he identifies exactly how our political and governing systems reward intransigence, discourage compromise, and undermine our democracy—and describes exactly what must be done to banish the negative effects of partisan warfare from our political system and renew American democracy. &“Overcoming tribalism and knee-jerk partisanship is the central challenge of our time. Mickey Edwards shows why and how in this fascinating book filled with sensible suggestions.&” —Walter Isaacson, New York Times–bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci &“Many Americans, whether Democrats, Republicans, independent or otherwise, would welcome a few more like [Edwards] in office.&” —The Boston Globe
Sitting Bull: His Life and Legacy
by Ernie LaPointeAn intimate portrait of the Lakota chief by his great-grandson. Ernie LaPointe, born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, is a great-grandson of the famous Hunkpapa Lakota chief Sitting Bull, and in this book, the first by one of Sitting Bull&’s lineal descendants, he presents the family tales and memories told to him about his great-grandfather. LaPointe not only recounts the rich oral history of his family—the stories of Sitting Bull&’s childhood, his reputation as a fierce warrior, his growth into a sage and devoted leader of his people, and the betrayal that led to his murder—but also explains what it means to be Lakota in the time of Sitting Bull and now. In many ways, the oral history differs from what has become the standard and widely accepted biography of Sitting Bull. LaPointe explains the discrepancies, how they occurred, and why he wants to tell his story of Tatanka Iyotake. This is a powerful story of Native American history, told by a Native American, for all people to better understand a culture, a leader, and a man.
The Court That Tamed the West: From the Gold Rush to the Tech Boom
by Richard Cahan Pia Hinckle Jessica Royer OckenThis unique history reveals how a century of Federal Court drama and influential rulings shaped the development and culture of Northern California. From the gold rush to the Internet boom, the US District Court for the Northern District of California has played a major role in how business is done and life is lived on the Pacific Coast. When California was first admitted to the Union, pioneers were busy prospecting for new fortunes, building towns and cities—and suing each other. San Francisco became the epicenter of a litigious new world of fortune-seekers and corporate interests. Northern California&’s federal court set precedents on issues ranging from shanghaied sailors to Mexican land grants and the civil rights of Chinese immigrants. Through the era of Prohibition and the labor movement to World War II and the tumultuous sixties and seventies, the court's historic rulings have defined the Bay Area's geography, culture, and commerce.
Bracing for Disaster: Earthquake-Resistant Architecture and Engineering in San Francisco, 1838–1933
by Stephen Tobriner&“The first history of seismic engineering in San Francisco . . . spiced with survivor and eyewitness accounts. &”—Midwest Book Review For the past one hundred and fifty years, architects and engineers have quietly been learning from each quake and designing newer earthquake-resistant building techniques and applying them in an ongoing effort to save San Francisco. Bracing for Disaster is a fresh appraisal of a city responding to repeated devastation. In the language of a skilled teacher, Tobriner examines what really happened during the city&’s earthquakes—which buildings were damaged, which survived, and who were the unsung heroes. Filled with more than two hundred photographs, diagrams, and illustrations, this is a revealing look at the history of buildings by a true expert, and it offers lessons not just for San Francisco but for any city beset by natural disasters. &“The real saga is how a fast-growing city grapples with the reality that it has more to worry about than fires and fog. The core of the story is fairly technical, rooted in the crude intuitive ways in which builders reacted to a seismic threat they could neither measure nor define. But Tobriner crafts the story well.&”—SFGate
Avocaderia: Avocado Recipes for a Healthier, Happier Life
by Alessandro Biggi Francesco Brachetti Alberto GramigniInnovative and wholesome recipes—from toasts to desserts—for living your best avo life, from Brooklyn&’s Avocaderia, the world&’s first avocado bar. New York City&’s buzzy all-avocado bar, Avocaderia, became an overnight success and instant global destination when it opened in early 2017. Avo-lovers come from all over the city—and the world—to sample the restaurant&’s healthy and unique eats that are as beautiful as they are tasty. For restaurateurs Alessandro Biggi, Francesco Brachetti, and Alberto Gramigni, the avocado isn&’t just a superfood packed with nutrients and heart-healthy fat—it&’s a versatile ingredient that gets people excited about eating well. Now readers can bring the Avocaderia experience home, whether it&’s to make one of the restaurant&’s signature dishes, like the Avo Burger, or to try their hand at inventive new offerings, like Avo Tartare. With flavor inspiration from around the world, from Mexico to Italy to Morocco, this book offers super-delicious, clean-eating dishes that will take you beyond toast and guacamole (though the restaurant&’s creative interpretations on classic favorites are also included!) to satisfy every craving: Baked Avocado with Egg and Crunchy ParmRoasted Roots Farro BowlGuac-Fried Tots with Pico de GalloZucchini Spaghetti with Avocado PestoAvo-Lime Cheesecake Imaginative and playful, this book delivers recipes that nourish your heart, stomach, and soul. Get ready to spread the love. &“This book will boost your avocado creativity so you&’ll never slip into that avocado toast rut or make the same ol&’ guac day after day.&”—Faith Middleton, host of Faith Middleton Food Schmooze, WNPR &“Good for avocado aficionados looking for new tricks.&”—AM New York
Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola
by Gene D. PhillipsThis critical biography by the acclaimed film historian is &“certainly the definitive work on the director&” behind The Godfather and Apocalypse Now (Publishers Weekly). Gene Phillips blends biography, studio history, and film criticism to complete the most comprehensive work on Coppola ever written. The force behind such popular and critically acclaimed films as Rumble Fish and the Godfather trilogy, Coppola has imprinted his distinct style on each of his movies and on the landscape of American popular culture. In Godfather, Phillips argues that Coppola has repeatedly bucked the Hollywood "factory system" in an attempt to create distinct films that reflect his own artistic vision—often to the detriment of his career and finances. Phillips conducted interviews with the director and his colleagues and examined Coppola's production journals and screenplays. Phillips also reviewed rare copies of Coppola's student films, his early excursions into soft-core pornography, and his less celebrated productions such as One from the Heart and Tucker: The Man and His Dream. The result is the definitive assessment of one of Hollywood's most enduring and misunderstood mavericks.
Democracy's Beginning: The Athenian Story
by Thomas N. MitchellA history of the world&’s first democracy from its beginnings in Athens circa fifth century B.C. to its downfall 200 years later. The first democracy, established in ancient Greece more than 2,500 years ago, has served as the foundation for every democratic system of government instituted down the centuries. In this lively history, author Thomas N. Mitchell tells the full and remarkable story of how a radical new political order was born out of the revolutionary movements that swept through the Greek world in the seventh and sixth centuries B.C., how it took firm hold and evolved over the next two hundred years, and how it was eventually undone by the invading Macedonian conquerors, a superior military power. Mitchell&’s history addresses the most crucial issues surrounding this first paradigm of democratic governance, including what initially inspired the political beliefs underpinning it, the ways the system succeeded and failed, how it enabled both an empire and a cultural revolution that transformed the world of arts and philosophy, and the nature of the Achilles heel that hastened the demise of Athenian democracy. &“A clear, lively, and instructive account…. [Mitchell] has mastered the latest scholarship in the field and put it to good use in interpreting the ancient sources and demonstrating its character and importance in shaping democratic thought and institutions throughout the millennia.&”—Donald Kagan, author of The Peloponnesian War &“[Mitchell&’s] close scholarship shines in documenting the transition of Athens from financially and morally bankrupt oligarchy to emancipated democracy 2,500 years ago…with a commendable attention to detail that beautifully captures the essence of ancient Greek culture and politics.&”—Roslyn Fuller, Irish Times
The Arabian Nights Volume One: More Marvels And Wonders Of The Thousand And One Nights (The Arabian Nights #1)
by Richard BurtonThe first volume of the classic collection of Middle Eastern stories, including &“Tale of the Three Apples&” and &“Tale of the Trader and the Jinni.&” To be chosen by King Shahriyar as a wife was a death sentence. After a single night of marriage, he executed each of his wives. So when Scheherazade was picked, she knew her time on Earth had reached its end—unless she could hold the king&’s interest. To that end, each night she spun a new enchanting, erotic, mesmerizing tale, always keeping the king guessing as to its conclusion—and sparing her life for another thousand and one nights. The first volume of this collection, translated by the renowned British explorer Sir Richard Burton, begins the stories that Scheherazade told . . .
A Darkening Stain (The Bruce Medway Mysteries #4)
by Robert WilsonThe award-winning author of A Small Death in Lisbon &“powerfully evokes West Africa&” in this mystery thriller of greed, murder and human trafficking (Publishers Weekly). When schoolgirls begin to disappear on the West African coast, "troubleshooter" Bruce Medway tries to remain detached. Meanwhile, he reluctantly accepts a job from his former nemesis, the mafia capo Roberto Franconelli. Bruce now has forty-eight hours to find a French trader named Marnier whom not even the mafia can track. Finding the man will mean the end of his life—and failure is not an option. As Bruce sets out on his assignment, he discovers that it is deeply connected—through gold, greed, and superstition—to the unsettling schoolgirl disappearances. Uncovering the secrets of rich and powerful men can be deadly in a world where corruption abounds. With nowhere to turn for safe haven, Bruce must devise a scam that risks everything in order to stay alive.