323 Disturbing Facts about Our World


Nayden Kostov - 2020
    One of the chapters in each trivia book was “Disturbing Facts about Our World”. I decided to fill an entire volume with facts about upsetting crimes and mayhem, combined with unbelievable yet real instances of misfortune and misery. This is a book where grim examples of bigotry and hypocrisy are intertwined with amusing stories of bad luck. In the spirit of the times we live in, I dedicated a whole chapter to COVID-19 trivia and weird medical conditions. I am well aware that many potential readers might be overwhelmed by the condensed negativity, but hey… a fact is a fact! Continue to read if you are curious to learn:- Why were the trousers of New Zealand’s farmers exploding?- What is the depressing origin of the phrase “Hip Hip, Hooray”?- Why did the Spanish Habsburgs royal family sleep with human mummies?- Why was it legal in Iceland until 2015 to kill Basque people?- Who was the “Deep Throat” informer from the Watergate scandal?- How many people were killed trying to cross the notorious Berlin Wall?- Why do snakes make a better pet than cats or dogs?- How can millipedes cause a train crash?- What is the etymology of “thug”?- What are the chances of getting killed by rubbish falling from space?- How did polygamist men in Kuwait manage to visit all their wives during the coronavirus lockdown?However incredible these pieces of trivia might sound, all entries have been verified and fact-checked.

The Little Black Book of Wine


Elizabeth Poyet - 2004
    Let's toast this essential and unpretentious course on wine, which demystifies the lingo and lore, while educating on how to serve, preserve, store, and evaluate wines.

The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History


Katherine Ashenburg - 2007
    For the seventeenth-century aristocratic Frenchman, it meant changing his shirt once a day, using perfume to obliterate both his own aroma and everyone else’s, but never immersing himself in – horrors! – water. By the early 1900s, an extraordinary idea took hold in North America – that frequent bathing, perhaps even a daily bath, was advisable. Not since the Roman Empire had people been so clean, and standards became even more extreme as the millennium approached. Now we live in a deodorized world where germophobes shake hands with their elbows and where sales of hand sanitizers, wipes and sprays are skyrocketing.The apparently routine task of taking up soap and water (or not) is Katherine Ashenburg’s starting point for a unique exploration of Western culture, which yields surprising insights into our notions of privacy, health, individuality, religion and sexuality.Ashenburg searches for clean and dirty in plague-ridden streets, medieval steam baths, castles and tenements, and in bathrooms of every description. She reveals the bizarre rescriptions of history’s doctors as well as the hygienic peccadilloes of kings, mistresses, monks and ordinary citizens, and guides us through the twists and turns to our own understanding of clean, which is no more rational than the rest. Filled with amusing anecdotes and quotations from the great bathers of history, The Dirt on Clean takes us on a journey that is by turns intriguing, humorous, startling and not always for the squeamish. Ashenburg’s tour of history’s baths and bathrooms reveals much about our changing and most intimate selves – what we desire, what we ignore, what we fear, and a significant part of who we are.

The Royal Treatment: A Natural Approach to Wildly Healthy Pets


Barbara Royal - 2012
    Barbara Royal presents an integrative and revolutionary new way to treat animals, combining the best of ancient practices with modern know-how.Increasingly, animals suffer from many of the same maladies humans are facing—obesity, arthritis, allergies, anxiety, over-vaccination, endocrine imbalances, dental disease, and trauma. Drawing on a number of diverse medical traditions, including acupuncture and physical rehabilitation, as well as common sense and conventional medical treatment, Dr. Royal treats sick animals by acknowledging their evolutionary needs and species-specific qualities.      Dr. Royal believes in “wild health,” which starts by understanding the evolutionary history of each patient. For example, when dogs stopped being wild creatures and befriended us, their basic ancestral traits did not cease to exist. The natural nutritional, emotional, and physical needs of animals doesn’t change over time or with domestication.      A must-have for the passionate pet owner, this book is full of ingenuity and scientific originality. Dr. Royal gives animal lovers the knowledge and tools to help their pets reach optimal health and happiness.

Getting Out: Your Guide to Leaving America


Mark Ehrman - 2006
    In increasing numbers, the idea is talked about openly: Expatriate.Over three hundred thousand Americans emigrate each year, and more than a million go to foreign lands for lengthy stays.But picking up and moving to another country feels like a step into the void. Where to go? How to begin? What to do?Volume 2 of the Process Self-Reliance Series, this smartly designed two-color guidebook walks you through the world of the expat: the reasons, the rules, the resources, and the tricks of the trade, along with compelling stories and expertise from expatriate Americans on every continent.Getting Out shows you where you can most easily gain residence, citizenship, or work permits; where can you live for a fraction of the cost of where you’re living now; and what countries would be most compatible with your lifestyle, gender, age, or political beliefs.So if you’ve had enough of what they’re selling here and want to take your life elsewhere—well, isn’t that the American way? At any rate, it’s not illegal. Not yet, anyway.

Doc: The Life of Roy Halladay


Todd Zolecki - 2020
    With a repertoire of masterful pitches wielded with impeccable command, he piled up accolades during his 16 major league seasons, the very image of stability and dominance whenever he took the mound. Doc is a celebration and a profound remembrance of a beloved player, friend, and family man. Todd Zolecki traces Halladay's remarkable journey, from garnering the attention of major league scouts as a teenager in Colorado, to Halladay's methodical reinvention and ascent to ace status in Toronto, to the signature no-hitter he authored in his playoff debut with the Philadelphia Phillies. Also examined are Halladay's distinctive, disciplined approach to pitching, his impact as a teammate and community member, and the baseball world's honoring of these qualities in Cooperstown in 2019. Thoroughly and thoughtfully reported, with input and reflections from Halladay's teammates, coaches, competitors, and more, this is an essential biography for baseball fans everywhere.

The Joy of Life


Mary Beth Smith - 2013
    If you have read other books about him, read this one to discover more about his philosophy and spirituality based on his own works. It covers his entire life from birth to death. The Joy of Life distills the personality of Theodore Roosevelt into one medium-sized book. Quotes appear in this book which show him to be funny, hyperactive, energetic, exciting, enthusiastic, entertaining and lovable. His contemporaries say such things as: the more I see him the more and more I love him; work was an entertainment with him there; it was love at first sight; never have we laughed so much as when T.R. was our host. The book shows what motivated him at each stage of his life. During his Police Commissioner days he said to Jacob Riis, author of How the Other Half Lives, "I have read your book and I have come to help." Charging up San Juan hill he realized that he was destined to become a great leader of people like his Rough Riders: a mixed group who included cowboys, Indians, Ivy Leaguers, hispanics, marshals, negroes and Texas Rangers. His greatest effort was in conservation. He preserved millions of acres of land including wildlife refuges, national parks, national monuments and irrigation projects. He accomplished many things in his life but would have obtained a place in history for that alone.

Sprouts: The Miracle Food: The Complete Guide to Sprouting


Steve Meyerowitz - 1994
    Includes extensive nutrition charts, seed resources, and questions and answers with Sproutman.

Nikon D5100


Rob Sylvan - 2011
    This new model replaces the popular D5000 and creates a nice bridge between the more beginner-level D3100 and the high-end D7000.This book has one goal: to teach D5100 owners how to make great shots using their new Nikon camera. Users learn how to use the D5100 to create the type of photos that inspired them to buy the camera in the first place. Everything in the book is in service of creating a great image.Starting with the top ten things users need to know about the camera, photographer Rob Sylvan carefully guides readers through the operating features. Owners get practical advice from a pro on which settings to use when, great shooting tips, and even end-of-chapter assignments.

The Lagoon: How Aristotle Invented Science


Armand Marie Leroi - 2014
    He wrote vast volumes about animals. He described them, classified them, told us where and how they live and how they develop in the womb or in the egg. He founded a science. It can even be said that he founded science itself.In The Lagoon, acclaimed biologist Armand Marie Leroi recovers Aristotle’s science. He revisits Aristotle’s writings and the places where he worked. He goes to the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos to see the creatures that Aristotle saw, where he saw them. He explores Aristotle’s observations, his deep ideas, his inspired guesses—and the things he got wildly wrong. He shows how Aristotle’s science is deeply intertwined with his philosophical system and reveals that he was not only the first biologist, but also one of the greatest.The Lagoon is both a travelogue and a study of the origins of science. And it shows how a philosopher who lived almost two millennia ago still has so much to teach us today.

The Juggler's Children: A Journey into Family, Legend and the Genes that Bind Us


Carolyn Abraham - 2012
    Abraham investigates whether this burgeoning new science can help solve 2 mysteries that have haunted her multi-racial family for more than a century. Both hinge on her enigmatic great-grandfathers--a hero who died young and a scoundrel who disappeared. Can the DNA they left behind reveal their stories from beyond the grave? Armed with DNA kits, Abraham criss-crosses the globe, taking cells from relatives and strangers, a genetic journey that turns up far more than she bargained for--ugly truths and moral quandaries. With lively writing and a compelling personal narrative, The Juggler's Children tackles profound questions around the genetics of identity, race and humanity, and tells a big story about our small world, with vivid proof that genes bind us all to the branches of one family tree.

Canal House Cooks Every Day


Melissa Hamilton - 2012
    This magnificent compilation celebrates the everyday practice of simple cooking and the enjoyment of eating—two of the greatest pleasures in life.From the award-winning authors of the beloved Canal House Cooking series comes Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton’s Canal House Cooks Every Day . This magnificent cookbook, inspired by Christopher and Melissa's popular daily blog Canal House Cooks Lunch, offers a year of seasonal recipes for the home cook.Canal House Cooks Every Day, the 2013 James Beard Foundation Award winner for General Cooking, is a handsome, red cloth-covered, 384-page book with nearly 250 recipes and over 130 lush photographs and illustrations. It’s home cooking at its best—by home cooks, for home cooks—and it’s pure Canal House.Regardless of the experience level of readers, Canal House Cooks Every Day will have them running to the kitchen to start cooking. The delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes celebrate the everyday practice of simple cooking and the enjoyment of eating. Christopher and Melissa use the best seasonal ingredients available to cook every day. Their recipes reflect the seasons, their appetites, their cravings, the occasions, and/or the demands of feeding their own busy families. This instant classic includes recipes for dishes as simple as a lunch of splendid summer tomato sandwiches or crackers spread with preserved lemon butter with smoked salmon and fresh chives to more complex meals like braised chicken with wild mushrooms and fine egg noodles.In addition to the recipes, this wonderful cookbook includes menus for all the great holidays throughout the year, plus twelve intimate essays—on picking a ripe tomato, making your own pasta, or foraging for wild mushrooms—that introduce each month and capture the feeling and vibe of that special time of the year. Cooking through this book, readers will become better cooks and gain an increased appreciation for the wonderful flavors and aromas of a home-cooked meal.Canal House Cooking has previously been featured for its inspiring recipes, friendly and knowledgeable voice, and drop-dead gorgeous photographs in a variety of publications including O, the Oprah Magazine, Bon Appétit, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Christopher and Melissa’s daily blog, Canal House Cooks Lunch, has thousands of daily followers interested in what these two women have cooked up that day. This wide fan base will be pleased to see the release of this dynamic duo's newest cookbook with accessible and easy recipes for home cooks.

The Genius of Birds


Jennifer Ackerman - 2016
    According to revolutionary new research, some birds rival primates and even humans in their remarkable forms of intelligence. In The Genius of Birds, acclaimed author Jennifer Ackerman explores their newly discovered brilliance and how it came about. As she travels around the world to the most cutting-edge frontiers of research, Ackerman not only tells the story of the recently uncovered genius of birds but also delves deeply into the latest findings about the bird brain itself that are shifting our view of what it means to be intelligent. At once personal yet scientific, richly informative and beautifully written, The Genius of Birds celebrates the triumphs of these surprising and fiercely intelligent creatures.

Mudlark: In Search of London's Past Along the River Thames


Lara Maiklem - 2019
    Tirelessly trekking across miles of the Thames’ muddy shores, where others only see the detritus of city life, Maiklem unearths evidence of England’s captivating, if sometimes murky, history—with some objects dating back to 43 AD, when London was but an outpost of the Roman Empire. From medieval mail worn by warriors on English battlefields to nineteenth-century glass marbles mass-produced for the nation’s first soda bottles, Maiklem deduces the historical significance of these artifacts with the quirky enthusiasm and sharp-sightedness of a twenty-first century Sherlock Holmes.Seamlessly interweaving reflections from her own life with meditations on the art of wandering, Maiklem ultimately delivers—for Anglophiles and history lovers alike—a memorable treatise on the objects we leave in our wake, and the stories they can reveal if only we take a moment to look.

Puppy's First Steps: The Whole-Dog Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy, Well-Behaved Puppy


Nicholas Dodman - 2007
    The faculty of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, one of the most prestigious and pioneering veterinary schools in the world, now shares its accumulated knowledge and experience in this groundbreaking whole-dog approach to raising the healthiest, happiest, most well-behaved puppy possible.The authors of Puppy's First Steps are singularly qualified to look at a puppy from all angles, physical, emotional, and behavioral. In contrast to a single breeder's or trainer's theory about what is effective most of the time, the recommendations in this book are scientifically proven to work. This integrative body-and-mind approach stands out from the one-size-fits-all mentality that pervades the dog-training world. And the advice here delivers not just during the puppy's first year -- the most essential twelve months of a dog's development -- but throughout the dog's life, ensuring a strong, happy bond between you and your new best friend for years and years to come.Puppy's First Steps features:* How to test a puppy’s temperament before you decide which one to take home* The most nutritious, safest food for your puppy* To crate or not to crate?* Socializing your puppy with other people and dogs* Easy-to-implement training methods based on reward, not punishment* Housetraining in less than a week* Overcoming puppy’s fears and phobias* Keeping your puppy happy while you’re at work* What to do in a medical emergencyYou'll want to get your puppy off on the right foot, and now the best advice is in your hands. Comprehensive yet accessible, sensitive, and, above all, practical, Puppy’s First Steps is the only book a puppy owner will need.