Let's Back Up! Speeding Through My First Movie


Book Description

Gotta go fast! Sonic the Hedgehog is racing back to the big screen for a brand-new action-packed adventure. This storybook is perfect for fans of the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie who want to re-experience the first film before watching the sequel. Includes a sticker sheet featuring Sonic and his friends!




Seveneves


Book Description

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anathem, Reamde, and Cryptonomicon comes an exciting and thought-provoking science fiction epic—a grand story of annihilation and survival spanning five thousand years. What would happen if the world were ending? A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space. But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain . . . Five thousand years later, their progeny—seven distinct races now three billion strong—embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown . . . to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth. A writer of dazzling genius and imaginative vision, Neal Stephenson combines science, philosophy, technology, psychology, and literature in a magnificent work of speculative fiction that offers a portrait of a future that is both extraordinary and eerily recognizable. As he did in Anathem, Cryptonomicon, the Baroque Cycle, and Reamde, Stephenson explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.




Shriek: An Afterword


Book Description

From the author of Borne and Annihilation comes the paperback reissue of his cult classic Shriek: An Afterword. An epic yet personal look at several decades of life, love, and death in the imaginary city of Ambergris—previously chronicled in Jeff VanderMeer’s acclaimed City of Saints and Madmen—Shriek: An Afterword relates the scandalous, heartbreaking, and horrifying secret history of two squabbling siblings and their confidantes, protectors, and enemies. Narrated with flamboyant intensity and under increasingly urgent conditions by the ex-society figure Janice Shriek, this afterword presents a vivid gallery of characters and events, emphasizing the adventures of Janice’s brother Duncan, a historian obsessed with a doomed love affair and a secret that may kill or transform him; a war between rival publishing houses that will change Ambergris forever; and the gray caps, a marginalized people armed with advanced fungal technologies, who have been waiting underground for their chance to mold the future of the city. After reading this introduction to the Family Shriek—part academic treatise, part tell-all biography—you’ll never look at history in quite the same way.




The Nix


Book Description

Winner of the Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction A New York Times 2016 Notable Book Entertainment Weekly's #1 Book of the Year A Washington Post 2016 Notable Book A Slate Top Ten Book NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “The Nix is a mother-son psychodrama with ghosts and politics, but it’s also a tragicomedy about anger and sanctimony in America. . . . Nathan Hill is a maestro.” —John Irving From the suburban Midwest to New York City to the 1968 riots that rocked Chicago and beyond, The Nix explores—with sharp humor and a fierce tenderness—the resilience of love and home, even in times of radical change. It’s 2011, and Samuel Andresen-Anderson—college professor, stalled writer—has a Nix of his own: his mother, Faye. He hasn’t seen her in decades, not since she abandoned the family when he was a boy. Now she’s re-appeared, having committed an absurd crime that electrifies the nightly news, beguiles the internet, and inflames a politically divided country. The media paints Faye as a radical hippie with a sordid past, but as far as Samuel knows, his mother was an ordinary girl who married her high-school sweetheart. Which version of his mother is true? Two facts are certain: she’s facing some serious charges, and she needs Samuel’s help. To save her, Samuel will have to embark on his own journey, uncovering long-buried secrets about the woman he thought he knew, secrets that stretch across generations and have their origin all the way back in Norway, home of the mysterious Nix. As he does so, Samuel will confront not only Faye’s losses but also his own lost love, and will relearn everything he thought he knew about his mother, and himself.




Let's Talk Level 3 Teacher's Manual with Audio CD


Book Description

Letâ€(TM)s Talk Second edition is a speaking and listening course that takes students from a high-beginning to a high-intermediate level. The Let's Talk 3, Second Edition,Teacher's Manual has been enhanced and expanded to offer increased support and flexibility. Included are detailed teaching notes, clear learning objectives for every activity, teaching tips, expansion activities, and writing options. Provided as photocopiables in the back of the book are model conversations for discussion support, talking points for additional speaking practice, and a complete assessment program including quizzes and tests. The Audio CD packaged with the Teacher's Manual provides all the listening sections for the assessment program.




Universal Monsters: The Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives! #1


Book Description

MINISERIES PREMIERE A NEW HORROR DREAM TEAM RESURRECTS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC MONSTERSÊ Acclaimed creators DAN WATTERS (HOME SICK PILOTS, Lucifer), RAM V (The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, Batman: Detective Comics),Êand MATTHEW ROBERTS (MANIFEST DESTINY) rise from the depths for an all-new epic.ÊÊ Years after the events of the original film, journalist Kate Marsden hunts for a notorious serial killer in the heart of the Amazon. Hot on the trail of this madman, she soon encounters an unexpected new threatÑbut is it friend or foe? Or is it simply...THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON?




These Precious Days


Book Description

The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.




Let's Get Quizzical


Book Description

For fans of Lyssa Kay Adams and Jen DeLuca comes this fresh, funny take on second chances that proves love is anything but trivial. For family-focused Charlotte, the chance to compete on her favorite trivia game show is a dream come true—the prize money could ensure the best care for her aging grandmother. But when she arrives on set, who does she see among the other contestants? Eli, her high school first love, at least until their shattering breakup. He has his own reasons for competing, not least of which is the stress of multiple jobs, college courses, and a father who has had multiple run-ins with the law. When the casting department pairs them on a team, both Charlotte and Eli are determined to grit their teeth and make the best of it. That’s easier said than done, of course, and before long a national audience is breathlessly watching them bicker and air years-old grudges. Far from being angry, the program’s producers are ecstatic—the ratings are positively soaring. As they compete together over several episodes of the show, Charlotte and Eli begin to suspect that old wounds might actually heal. Touring L.A. in their free time has given them the opportunity to get to know each other again—and reawakened feelings that are hard to resist. Until the show’s producers throw a wrench in their hopeful plans that will compromise everything Charlotte and Eli have worked so hard for. Kelly Ohlert’s warm, witty second novel proves that the best thing to know is always your own heart.




Breaking Stones


Book Description

Breaking Stones is a book about hope, about over-coming all odds, about coming to terms with ones self, and, above all, about the joy of giving back. Alves was born in a rural mountainous region of Portugal. The setting may have been mid-20th century, but the living conditions were Stone Age - no electricity, no running water, no creature comforts of any variety. Breaking Stones follows Alves odyssey from a boyhood spent with his best friend, Burro the donkey, in Portugal to the social alienation he experienced in Germany to the culture shock he felt in Montreal, where his family moved when he was a teen. The adventure continues as Alves tries to find himself as everything from a wannabe rock star to a worm picker, a club-owner to a calche-driver, a landlord to a political activist, a steel-worker to a high-tech consultant, a restaurateur to a philanthropist. In the midst of everything, Alves experiences the euphoria and heartbreak and tragedy of marriage and fatherhood. And ultimately, the kid from the Stone Age emerges intact and wiser in the Internet Age.




Swerve or Die


Book Description

*A Wall Street Journal, Southern Indie, and Publishers Weekly Bestseller* Stock-car racing star, country singer, and sports broadcaster Kyle Petty shares his familial legacy, intertwined with NASCAR’s founding and history, in Swerve or Die—written with Pulitzer Prize-winner Ellis Henican, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of In the Blink of an Eye. “Born into racing royalty. The only son of NASCAR’s winningest driver ever. The grandson of one of the sport’s true pioneers. The nephew of our very first Hall of Fame engine builder. It’s quite a family to represent, and through it all, I’ve somehow managed to keep being Kyle.” Kyle Petty won his very first stock-car race, the Daytona ARCA 200, in 1979 when he was eighteen. Hailed as a third-generation professional NASCAR racer, he became an instant celebrity in circles he had been around all his young life. Despite being the grandson and son of racing champions Lee Petty and Richard Petty, Kyle didn’t inherit innate talent. Working in his family’s North Carolina race shop from an early age, he learned all about car mechanics and maintenance long before he got behind the wheel. And although Kyle continued the family business, driving “Petty blue” colored cars emblazoned with his grandfather’s #42—a number once used by Marty Robbins—his career took a different route than his forebears’. In Swerve or Die: Life at My Speed in the First Family of NASCAR Racing, Kyle chronicles his life on and off the racetrack, presenting his insider’s perspective of growing up throughout the sport’s popular rise in American culture. In between driving and running Petty Enterprises for thirty years, Kyle took some detours into country music, voiced Cal Weathers in Pixar’s Cars 3, and started his annual motorcycle Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America. And when his nineteen-year-old son Adam, a fourth-generation racing Petty, tragically lost his life on the track, Kyle founded Victory Junction, a camp for children with chronic and serious medical conditions in Adam’s name—with help from Academy Award-winning actor and motorsports enthusiast Paul Newman. Filled with NASCAR history, stories of his family’s careers, and anecdotes about some of stock-car racing’s most famous drivers, Kyle’s memoir also tackles the sport’s evolution, discussing how welcoming diverse racers, improving car and track safety features, and integrating green technology will benefit NASCAR’s competitors and fans in the future. Includes Photographs