The popularity of murder mystery books, TV series, and even board games shows that there is an appetite for death, and the more unusual or macabre the method, the better. With gunshots or stabbings the cause of death is obvious, but poisons are inherently more mysterious. How are some compounds so deadly in such tiny amounts?Agatha Christie used poison to kill her characters more often than any other crime fiction writer. The poison was a central part of the novel, and her choice of deadly substances was far from random; the chemical and physiological characteristics of each poison provide vital clues to the discovery of the murderer. Christie demonstrated her extensive chemical knowledge (much of it gleaned by working in a pharmacy during both world wars) in many of her novels, but this is rarely appreciated by the reader.Written by former research chemist Kathryn Harkup, each chapter takes a different novel and investigates the poison used by the murderer. Fact- and fun-packed, A is for Arsenic looks at why certain chemicals kill, how they interact with the body, and the feasibility of obtaining, administering, and detecting these poisons, both when Christie was writing and today.

    One of the most progressive and imaginative people in British education today he has hitherto kept a low profile. This book accompanies a three part television series to be screened on BBC 2 but differs from it significantly.There is a crisis in the British education system. Year on year GCSE and A Level pupils post better exam results, with more students achieving top grades. Yet business leaders and employers complain bitterly that our schools are not producing people fit for purpose. What we have become is a nation 'Over schooled and under educated'. Far from being locked in an ivory tower, a bastion of privilege, Mr Little has used his time as a teacher and headmaster to get to grips with fundamental questions concerning education. He wants to produce people fit to work in the modern world. How do children absorb information? What kind of people does society need? What is education for? Not only is the author one of the great reforming headmasters of our time but he has planted Academies in the East end of London, founded a state boarding school near Windsor and yet is a passionate advocate of single sex schools.This book is not a text book for colleges of education- it is a book to enlighten the teaching profession and just as much for anxious parents. The book is simply arranged under topics such as authority, expectations, progress, self-confidence, sex, crises and creativity.Tony Little thinks it is time to ask some fundamental questions, and to make brave decisions about how we make our schools and our schoolchildren fit for purpose.

    Two years ago, Breslin was having trouble getting his left eyelid to open and close. This was too peculiar to ignore, so Breslin decided to pay a rare visit to his doctor. As it turned out, the eyelid was a matter of nerves. But extensive testing revealed something unrelated and life-threatening: he had an aneurysm in his brain - a thin, ballooned artery wall that could burst and kill him at any moment unless he opted for a risky surgical procedure. Breslin agreed to the surgery and at age sixty-five, grateful for this miracle (what else could you call it?), began taking stock of his remarkable life.

    It advocates for a life of constant, disorderly, time-consuming reading, and encourages readers to trust in the value of the exhilaration and fascination such reading entails. Rather than arguing for the moral value of reading or the preeminence of literature as an aesthetic form, Books Promiscuously Read illustrates the irreplaceable experience of the self that reading provides for those inclined to do it.Through three sections--Play, Transgression, and Insight--which focus on three ways of thinking about reading, Books Promiscuously Read moves among and considers many poems, novels, stories, and works of nonfiction. The prose is shot through with quotations reflecting the way readers think through the words of others.Books Promiscuously Read is a tribute to the whole lives readers live in their books, and aims to recommit people to those lives. As White writes, "What matters is staying attuned to an ordinary, unflashy, mutely persistent miracle; that all the books to be read, and all the selves to be because we have read them, are still there, still waiting, still undiminished in their power. It is an astonishing joy."

    From Spenser's The Fairie Queene to Wells's The Time Machine to Murakami's 1Q84 it explores the timeless and captivating features of fiction's imagined worlds including the relevance of the writer's own life to the creation of the story, influential contemporary events and philosophies, and the meaning that can be extracted from the details of the work. With hundreds of pieces of original artwork, illustration and cartography, as well as a detailed overview of the plot and a "Dramatis Personae" for each work, Literary Wonderlands is a fascinating read for lovers of literature, fantasy, and science fiction.

    هذه الإشاعة تدفع مجموعة من الشبان إلىزيارة المكان للتحقق بأنفسهم من الموضوع. مغامرات تتداخلوقصص تتشعب، يسافر عبرها فهد وفارس ونور وسامي فيرحلة عبر الزمن، وعبر تجارب تؤدي إلى فهم أعمق للذات.The only fairy tale or rather “jinn-tale” bedtime stories to come out of the Middle East are hundreds of years old. Well, it was about time for a new one. Part folklore, part philosophy, part myth, and part truth, “Maskoon” (The Haunted) is a young reader’s book based on a real haunted palace in the UAE.The author’s visit to the palace left her with questions and doubts that translated into this bedtime fable-like tale of friendship, loneliness, courage and love.Maskoon was hailed by the media as one of the first novel-length books written in Arabic within the paranormal/horror genre. The book contains a special poetic contribution from the renowned Emirati poet, Rashid Sharar.

    The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu tells the incredible story of how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist and historian from the legendary city of Timbuktu, later became one of the world’s greatest and most brazen smugglers. In 2012, thousands of Al Qaeda militants from northwest Africa seized control of most of Mali, including Timbuktu. They imposed Sharia law, chopped off the hands of accused thieves, stoned to death unmarried couples, and threatened to destroy the great manuscripts. As the militants tightened their control over Timbuktu, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of the city to the safety of southern Mali. Over the past twenty years, journalist Joshua Hammer visited Timbuktu numerous times and is uniquely qualified to tell the story of Haidara’s heroic and ultimately successful effort to outwit Al Qaeda and preserve Mali’s—and the world’s—literary patrimony. Hammer explores the city’s manuscript heritage and offers never-before-reported details about the militants’ march into northwest Africa. But above all, The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu is an inspiring account of the victory of art and literature over extremism.

     Wendy McClure is on a quest to find the world of beloved Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder-a fantastic realm of fiction, history, and places she's never been to, yet somehow knows by heart. She retraces the pioneer journey of the Ingalls family-

    

    From shiny London St. Pancras, Tom travels to places that wouldn't be featured on a standard holiday wish-list, and discovers the hidden delights of mysterious Luxembourg, super-trendy Rotterdam, and much-maligned Frankfurt. It's 186 mph all the way—well, apart from a power cut in the Channel Tunnel on the way to Antwerp.

    Featuring a diverse selection, from Pride and Prejudice to The Handmaid's Tale, The Kite Runner to Cloud Atlas, the guide includes interesting discussion points and facts as well as potential companion books with similar themes, honest opinions from readers, and razor-sharp reviews from critics, so readers will know they're making the right choice every time. Top ten lists are also included, such as Top Ten Quick Reads (Metamorphosis, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie), Top Ten Challenging Reads (Anna Karenina, Possession), Top Ten Gay Reads (Giovanni's Room, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit), and Top Ten Chilling Reads (The Stand, Ring). Compiled by a range of English literature experts and avid readers, this book is sure to inspire any book lover.

    From the Bodleian, the Folger and the Smithsonian to the fabled libraries of middle earth, Umberto Eco’s mediaeval library labyrinth and libraries dreamed up by John Donne, Jorge Luis Borges and Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Stuart Kells explores the bookish places, real and fictitious, that continue to capture our imaginations.The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders is a fascinating and engaging exploration of libraries as places of beauty and wonder. It’s a celebration of books as objects and an account of the deeply personal nature of these hallowed spaces by one of Australia’s leading bibliophiles.

    And everybody who has read it will agree that reports of the book’s death have been greatly exaggerated.”―Erik Spiekermann, typographerWe may love books, but do we know what lies behind them? In The Book, Keith Houston reveals that the paper, ink, thread, glue, and board from which a book is made tell as rich a story as the words on its pages―of civilizations, empires, human ingenuity, and madness. In an invitingly tactile history of this 2,000-year-old medium, Houston follows the development of writing, printing, the art of illustrations, and binding to show how we have moved from cuneiform tablets and papyrus scrolls to the hardcovers and paperbacks of today. Sure to delight book lovers of all stripes with its lush, full-color illustrations, The Book gives us the momentous and surprising history behind humanity’s most important―and universal―information technology.71 color illustrations

    Add a heroine with a bustle and the will to kick major butt. Then include enough contrivances to keep them fighting while getting them alone and possibly without key pieces of clothing, and what do you have? A romance novel. What else? Enough lessons about life, love, and everything in between to help you with your own happily-ever-after.Lessons like...?Romance means believing you are worthy of a happy ending ?Learning to tell the prince from the frog ?Real-life romance is still alive and kicking ?No matter how bad it is, at least you haven't been kidnapped by a Scottish duke (probably)Sarah Wendell is cofounder of one of the top romance blogs, SmartBitchesTrashyBooks.com.

    Forget wasting hours on research, we've done it for you. Forget confusion, we've tried and tested every app. And forget about getting left behind, with our free lifetime updates we'll keep you up to speed with the best paid and free Kindle Fire apps on the Amazon Appstore. <b>UPDATED Novenber 2013 - Kindle Fire FREE APPS and paid apps now clearly marked</b>.<b>Perfect for the New Kindle Fire HDX & HD Owner</b>Whether you've just bought your Kindle Fire, are discovering Kindle Fire apps for the first time, looking for free apps for the Kindle Fire or simply want to discover great apps that you might have missed the first time round, then this Amazon e-book is for you. <b>Free Lifetime Updates to Keep you Current</b>The best apps today might not be the best apps tomorrow. What's hip and what's not in the Amazon Appstore can change in the blink of an eye. That's why we're releasing updates of this book on a regular basis and you can receive them absolutely free even after you've purchased this book.<b>Something for Everyone in the Most Comprehensive Guide Available</b>How many app reviews and recommendations do you need to create the most comprehensive guide available? 100 apps reviewed? 200 apps reviewed? We didn't set ourselves a number, we just kept searching for great paid and free apps until we'd found something for everyone. And when we'd finished we had more than 250 apps covering 20 different categories and over 200 free apps reviewed; a truly comprehensive resource.<b>Unbiased Reviews and Recommendations</b>We only care about one thing, bringing you honest and helpful reviews of the best Kindle apps available. We don't develop apps, we don't sell apps and we don't get paid to write app reviews. We just love apps and use them all the time.<b>Intuitive Navigation and Easy One Click Selection</b>With our clear and easy to use table of contents you can navigate seamlessly to the categories that matter to you and your family. In each category discover our favorite "Must Have" app. Read reviews of all the top Kindle Fire apps and our recommendations for the best of the rest. Find an app you like and with one click redirect immediately to the relevant product page in Amazon's Appstore for the full app description and download options.<b>Bonus Material</b>If you're just getting to know your Kindle Fire for the first time then take a look at our bonus material where you will learn how to purchase and download apps, understand permissions and set parental controls.<b>Over 250 Apps in these 20 Categories</b>Books, Comics & ReadingEducation & ReferenceEntertainmentFinanceFood, Drink & CookingGamesHealth & FitnessKidsLifestyle & HobbiesMusicNews & MagazinesNoveltyPhotography, Art & CreativityProductivityShoppingSocial Networking & CommunicationsSportsTravel, Navigation & City InfoUtilitiesWeather