Then again, maybe not. But to The Useless Information Society, any fact that passes its gasp-inducing, not-a-lot-of-people-know-that test merits inclusion in this fascinating but ultimately useless book... Did you know (or do you care)...- That fish scales are used to make lipstick?- Why organized crime accounts for ten percent of the United States's annual income?- The name of the first CD pressed in the United States?- The last year that can be written upside-down or right side-up and appear the same?- The shortest performance ever nominated for an Oscar(R)?- How much Elvis weighed at the time of his death?- What the suits in a deck of cards represent?- How many Quarter Pounders can be made from one cow?- How interesting useless information can be?The Book of Useless Information answers these teasers and is packed with facts and figures that will captivate you--and anyone who shares your joy in the pursuit of pointless knowledge.

    She proclaims, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. Using examples from literature, history, neighborhood signage, and her own imagination, Truss shows how meaning is shaped by commas and apostrophes, and the hilarious consequences of punctuation gone awry.Featuring a foreword by Frank McCourt, and interspersed with a lively history of punctuation from the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, Eats, Shoots & Leaves makes a powerful case for the preservation of proper punctuation.

    I referred them to Doctor Who's Tardis.'Frank Skinner wants you to read more poetry. Wait, wait - don't stop reading. Whether you're a frequent poetry reader or haven't read any since sixth form, Frank's infectious passion for language, rhythm and metre will win you over and provide you with the basic tools you need to tackle any poem.In this short, easy-to-digest and delightful book, Frank guides us through the twists and turns of 'Pad, pad' by Stevie Smith, a short, seemingly simple poem that contains multitudes of meaning and a deceptive depth of emotion. Revel in the mastery of Stevie Smith's choice of words, consider the eternal mystery of the speaker of the poem and be moved by rhyming couplets like you never have before.Give it a go. You never know, you might even enjoy it.

    The Complete Guide to Chakras explores the nature of those energy sources, and instructs on how to use them. The author identifies seven energy centers, starting with the Root Chakra, located in the lower torso, which anchors us in life. She also describes the Sacral Chakra, the Solar Plexus Chakra, the Heart Chakra, the Throat Chakra, the Brow or Third Eye Chakra, and the Crown Chakra. Traditional Chakra teachings describe seven bodies that make up every person's aura, and claim that each of these bodies vibrates in ways allied to the colors of the universe. However, only one of these bodies-- the Physical--is visible. When we understand these bodies, we become able to correct our Chakra imbalances and harness our powers for peaceful and productive living. The author tells how to restore balances, heal through the power of thought, and employ colors, sounds, crystals, acupuncture, and other restorative means. More than 300 color illustrations.

    Houses, shops and entire streets are wiped from the map. The underworld is in flux: the Italian criminals who dominated the West End have been interned and now their rivals are fighting to replace them. Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, the Black-Out Ripper sharpens his knife and sets to his grisly work.Henry Irving is a disgraced reporter on a Fleet Street scandal rag. Genius detective sergeant Charlie Murphy is a fresh face in the Metropolitan police, hunting corrupt colleagues but blinkered by ambition and jealousy. His brother, detective inspector Frank Murphy, searches frantically for his runaway daughter, terrified that she will be the killer's next victim.As the Ripper stalks the terrified streets, the three men discover that his handiwork is not quite what it seems. Conspirators are afoot, taking advantage of the chaos to settle old scores. The murders invade the lives of the victims and victimizers on both sides of the law, as everyone is sucked deeper and deeper into Soho's black heart.GASLIGHT (Book 2)It's London, 1920. Newly demobilized soldiers have flooded the capital's streets but an ungrateful country isn't ready for them. Harry Costello has returned from the horrors of the Somme to no job, no money and no prospects. Desperate times demand desperate measures and when an opportunity to burgle a house presents itself, Harry seizes the chance.When Harry and his brother Frank are blackmailed into paying off a local hood they decide to take care of the problem themselves. But when all of London's underworld is in thrall to the man's boss, was their plan audacious or the most foolish thing that they could possibly have done?You think crime doesn't pay? Meet the Costelllos - the kind of criminal family that might make you change your mind.THE IMPOSTER (Book 3)VE Day, London, 1945: a city on its knees and ripe for plunder. Rationing has created a monstrous black market that needs to be fed. It's the perfect time to make a killing.Meet the Costellos. Violet is in charge - ruthless, brilliant, heartless. Threaten her family and it'll be the last thing you do. Joseph is the soldier the army doesn't want and so he joins the family business instead. Brutish Frank fronts violence with rough charm and seedy glamour. The family has a box at the Opera and a South London lock-up no-one wants to visit.War hero Edward Fabian finds himself drawn into the Costello's web of vice and soon he is an accomplice to the family's scheming. But he's not the man they think he is--he's far more dangerous than they could possibly imagine.

    Book 1: Druid’s Dance (newly revised/edited edition) Elijah Wadsworth lost his parents and twin sister in what he thought was little more than a tragic accident. But five years later, when Elijah begins manifesting strange abilities--which he neither understands nor can control--he discovers his family has been at the center of a cosmic battle for centuries... and his family's death was likely no accident at all. A mysterious "girl in black" with dark, magical abilities pursues him, hoping to lure him to her cause. After coming into possession of a mystical stone, which transports Elijah into his deceased father’s ancient memories, Elijah and his closest friends must discover the source of his power together lest his newfound abilities drain his very soul, and open up our world to the blight of Samhuinn. When a girl he loves, however, is threatened he must make a choice to either save her by joining the sorceress, the "girl in black," or save the world. Book 2: Bard’s Tale The Tree of Life—the source of Elijah’s power—is failing. Creatures from Samhuinn are breaking through the veil and terrorizing St. Louis. As the Tree weakens, Elijah’s abilities are failing. Will Elijah be able to stop the incursions before his powers fade completely? Book 3: Ovate’s Call Elijah’s Ovate—Tyler—is visited by a strange, but alluring, princess from Annwn. He's immediately captivated by her--but Elijah fears the princess has ulterior motives. Is the princess who she claims to be, or is she another pawn in the Morrigan's scheme? The cosmic struggle between Elijah, his Order, and the Morrigan and her legions comes to a head in the final installment of the Gates of Eden: the Druid Legacy Trilogy. Readers of Theophilus Monroe’s Voodoo Academy from the Gates of Eden: The Voodoo Legacy series will naturally adore the Druid Legacy. Combined with Celtic mythology and Arthurian lore, this druid urban fantasy is a compelling installment in the Gates of Eden world. With magical fantasy adventure romance, a snarky male hero, and a plethora of characters taken straight from Arthurain lore and the Celtic world of myth, this time travel epic fantasy will keep readers enthralled from start to finish.

    Her parents have been desperately looking for an advantageous marriage for her. She has absolutely no say in the matter and fears that she’s just an auction prize. Running out of options she desperately searches for an escape.As luck would have it this escape comes in the form of Jonas Dormer, the Baronet Dormer of Buckland as he arrives at her house. He is a vastly wealthy and respected member of society. However, this high standing leaves him vulnerable to being taken advantage of.Upon his arrival, Martha begs him to take her away from there and offers her a household position. He sees the desperation in her eyes and believes her authenticity, unlike countless ladies who have used the position as a way to make him fall for them.But he sees something in Martha, something unique and unlike anything he’s ever seen before.Will her intentions be true?

    Get ready for hundreds of pages filled with surprising revelations, inside information, obscure trivia, and universal cosmic destruction. This legend of localization doesn’t stink!

    Not after a holiday romance went all wrong thirty years ago. Her career, her beautiful home, and most of all her twins are all she wants and needs nowadays. Who needs a man, right? Not this well respected Auckland lawyer.Vineyard owner Antonio Falcone has only one goal. Fly to Auckland, help his elderly father getting divorced, and zap back home in time for the harvest. That’s it. Women? No, no, amore mio, not for this charming Italian. Once bitten, twice shy. But when the past catches up with them things unravel with lightning speed, and some nasty people raise their heads. And Tuscany? Oh, yes… Tuscany… rolling hills, azure-blue skies, full-bodied wine, delicious food, and a love that will succeed.

    The only thing she has to do is convince her parents that the man she has chosen is a good match for her. That seems like a trifle until her mother enlists her help to get the new Duke of Somerset ready for the Season as well. Ever the dutiful daughter, she agrees to give him etiquette lessons but only if he agrees to help her with her own plans as well. Will their unusual deal pave the way for them to grow true feelings for each other? In order to keep him safe from his brother, Thomas's mother took him and fled to America. Now that his brother is dead Thomas must return to England to claim his birthright and become the Duke of Somerset. Raised an American and suddenly thrown into English society, Thomas has no one to turn to except perhaps the same woman who had once helped his American mother assimilate. Will he be willing to let her beautiful daughter teach him the British ways?When matters of the heart are concerned, the future can never be predictable. In undertaking a bizarre, yet fascinating task, will Anne and Thomas be able to see that what they need is right in front of them? Will love blossom in a most unusual place?"Her Duke in the Making" is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

    This text sets out to explain what life was like in the most immediate way, through taking the reader to the Middle Ages, and showing everything from the horrors of leprosy and war to the ridiculous excesses of roasted larks and haute couture.

    Since the age of Shakespeare, arguments over correct usage have been bitter, and have always really been about contesting values—morality, politics, and class. The Language Wars examines the present state of the conflict, its history, and its future. Above all, it uses the past as a way of illuminating the present. Moving chronologically, the book explores the most persis­tent issues to do with English and unpacks the history of “proper†us­age. Where did these ideas spring from? Who has been on the front lines in the language wars?The Language Wars examines grammar rules, regional accents, swearing, spelling, dictionaries, political correctness, and the role of electronic media in reshaping language. It also takes a look at such de­tails as the split infinitive, elocution, and text messaging. Peopled with intriguing characters such as Jonathan Swift, Lewis Carroll, and Lenny Bruce, The Language Wars is an essential volume for anyone interested in the state of the English language today or its future.

    Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, the Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, the X-Men, Daredevil—these superheroes quickly won children's hearts and sparked the imaginations of pop artists, public intellectuals, and campus radicals. Over the course of a half century, Marvel's epic universe would become the most elaborate fictional narrative in history and serve as a modern American mythology for millions of readers.Throughout this decades-long journey to becoming a multibillion-dollar enterprise, Marvel's identity has continually shifted, careening between scrappy underdog and corporate behemoth. As the company has weathered Wall Street machinations, Hollywood failures, and the collapse of the comic book market, its characters have been passed along among generations of editors, artists, and writers—also known as the celebrated Marvel "Bullpen." Entrusted to carry on tradition, Marvel's contributors—impoverished child prodigies, hallucinating peaceniks, and mercenary careerists among them—struggled with commercial mandates, a fickle audience, and, over matters of credit and control, one another.For the first time, Marvel Comics reveals the outsized personalities behind the scenes, including Martin Goodman, the self-made publisher who forayed into comics after a get-rich-quick tip in 1939; Stan Lee, the energetic editor who would shepherd the company through thick and thin for decades; and Jack Kirby, the World War II veteran who'd co-created Captain America in 1940 and, twenty years later, developed with Lee the bulk of the company's marquee characters in a three-year frenzy of creativity that would be the grounds for future legal battles and endless debates.Drawing on more than one hundred original interviews with Marvel insiders then and now, Marvel Comics is a story of fertile imaginations, lifelong friendships, action-packed fistfights, reformed criminals, unlikely alliances, and third-act betrayals— a narrative of one of the most extraordinary, beloved, and beleaguered pop cultural entities in America's history.

    A daughter’s determination Which one, if any, would be fulfilled first?Tammy, Donna, and Jenny were separated by divorce and divided by an ocean for decades.Their mother, Rose, had one wish—to see her girls together one more time.For Tammy, it would have to wait. She’s living out her dream as a commercial fisherwoman on the Pacific Ocean.But when a fishing trip goes wrong, she questions her future with the fleet.After two devastating deaths in the family, and when Tammy finds herself fighting for her own life not once but twice; the family takes center stage.She wants to make her mother’s wish come true.But did the sisters wait too long?Their mother’s health suddenly takes a turn for the worse. Will she get to see her girls together one more time?

    She’ll show you how to develop a foolproof character arc and plot, how to pace any book for a can’t-put-down reading experience, and how to ensure that your stories are complete and satisfying without wasting time or words.Hawker’s outlining technique works no matter what genre you write, and no matter the age of your audience. If you want to improve your writing speed, increase your backlist, and ensure a quality book before you even write the first word, this is the how-to book for you.Take off your pants! It’s time to start outlining.