No one would have believed him had he chosen to reveal his true nature, unless he'd showed some of what he could do. Then there would have been problems. The ability to perform magic was the stuff of children's tales, yet for reasons Rigo couldn't understand, he was blessed, or perhaps cursed, with the ability. Asking others why he was different would have been of no use. He had been found at a young age wandering the flats near the isolated village where he grew up, his memory gone. His background, his true family, where he might have come from were all unknown.Wizard! The word hinted at something important. It made no sense that an insignificant orphan could be a person of such power. Yet Rigo could do things that could only be explained as magic. He had an indestructible staff, with its own unusual powers. There had to be a reason he'd been chosen. When the opportunity presented itself to explore the three kingdoms, Rigo set off in hopes of finding answers.Months later he had yet to find anyone who believed in magic. Circumstances pushed him together with another youth, with whom he was forced to share his secret. Together they ventured on. Neither was prepared for what they found, which required abilities far beyond the primitive magic Rigo could muster. Fortunately, someone had a plan, and Rigo was the key to its execution.

    All Michaela wants is her own life, to be able to go to school, flirt with boys, maybe eat ice cream now and then. So when the chance to escape finally comes, Michaela and her sister grab it, taking their friends with them.But they weren’t the only ones to find their way out of those labs. Following close behind are another breed of creature, one that doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong, who exist only to feed their own hunger. The appearance of a strange boy who seems too much like them to be a coincidence makes things even more confusing. But as the world begins to literally fall apart around them, Michaela must accept his help, especially when she could lose the very thing she holds dearest: her sister.

    A legend at age twenty-one, this cocky hotshot was the biggest high roller to appear in Sin City in decades, a mathematical genius with a system the casinos had never seen before and couldn't stop -- a system that has never been revealed until now; that has nothing to do with card counting, wasn't illegal, and was more powerful than anything that had been tried before.Las Vegas. Atlantic City. Aruba. Barcelona. London. And the jewel of the gambling crown -- Monte Carlo.Dukach and his fellow MIT students hit them all and made millions. They came in hard, with stacks of cash; big, seemingly insane bets; women hanging on their arms; and fake identities. Although they were taking classes and studying for exams during the week, over the weekends they stormed the blackjack tables only to be harassed, banned from casinos, threatened at gunpoint, and beaten in Vegas's notorious back rooms.The stakes were high, the dangers very real, but the players were up to the challenges, consequences be damned. There was Semyon Dukach himself, bored with school and broke; Victor Cassius, the slick, brilliant MIT grad student who galvanized the team; Owen Keller, with stunning ability but a dark past that would catch up to him; and Allie Simpson, bright, clever, and a feast for the eyes.In the classroom, they were geeks. On the casino floor, they were unstoppable.Busting Vega$ is Dukach's unbelievably true story; a riveting account of monumental greed, excess, hubris, sex, love, violence, fear, and statistics that is high-stakes entertainment at its best.

    Join them on their adventure as they make merry mischief in the vibrant and topsy-turvy world of the Inkwell Isles! It's a special day on the Inkwell Isles: Elder Kettle's birthday! Yes, sirree, it's a very special day. So Cuphead and Mugman need to find the perfect gift to honor their beloved mentor. But along the way, the brothers and their new friend Ms. Chalice are captivated by the sights and sounds of the carnival that just rolled into town. Despite Elder Kettle's warning that the attraction is filled with liars and thieves, the trio gets reeled in.At the carnival, the friends are bamboozled and burgled by enemies, old and new. Will they escape the chaos and get their gift before it's too late?Includes over 20 never-before-seen illustrations drawn by Studio MDHR's Lance Miller that feature hidden items for an interactive treasure hunt!Cuphead in Carnival Chaos is the first book in an original series and perfect for players of Cuphead, and readers of Hello Neighbor, Bendy and the Ink Machine, and Five Nights at Freddy's.© 2020 StudioMDHR Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cuphead(TM), the Cuphead(TM) logo, StudioMDHR(TM) and the StudioMDHR(TM) logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of StudioMDHR Entertainment Inc. throughout the world.

    The princess fights against the link while Lotto seeks to learn more about what happened to him. He finds a legacy and she finds the home in her father’s army that she has so desperately sought. As Lotto finds aptitude in magical and physical power, a dark force has risen from another land to sow the seeds of rebellion. It’s up to Lotto to save the princess and the kingdom amidst stunning betrayal fomented by the foreign enemy.~The Warstone Quartet~An ancient emperor creates four magical gems to take over and rule the entire world. The ancient empire crumbles and over millennia, three stones are lost and one remains as an inert symbol for a single kingdom among many. The force that created the Warstones, now awakened, seeks to unite them all, bringing in a new reign of world domination--a rule of terror. ~Four Warstones, four stories. The Warstone Quartet tells of heroism, magic, romance and war as the world must rise to fight the dark force that would enslave them all. FANTASY - Sword & Sorcery/Epic/Coming of Age

    Has your dog ever surprised you by doing something you said the first time? You are not alone! Here are 50 stories about amazing dogs who understood what their humans said. Some even saved lives in the process!Chloe the golden Beagle braved a hurricane to obey the new command, "I need Dad, Girl." Ellie the Coonhound helped her human family escape from an angry bear by obeying the new command, "Get it!" When her human brother said jokingly, "Maybe Cocoa could dig again and find it," Cocoa did just that!

    Don’t miss a moment in the brutal adventures of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad’s battle against the Locust.From the Hardcover edition.

    He's confronted the HOA. He's even taken on Santa himself. He doesn't usually win. These are the tales of the Dumb White Husband and they are all available here in this collected edition.This handsome volume includes:Dumb White Husband vs. the Grocery Store - John would rather sit and watch the game, but his wife needs some things at the store. Can he complete the list and get back in time to see the end of the game?Dumb White Husband vs. Halloween - Every Halloween, Chris has the scariest house on the block and gives out the best candy. But, this year, someone is showing him up and he'll stop at nothing to find out who.Dumb White Husband vs. Santa - Erik has planned the perfect Christmas for his family. The plan is foolproof, bulletproof and flame retardant. Nothing can undo the hours of planning and preparation. Nothing except maybe odd-shaped packages, ill-timed fruitcakes or an errant neighborhood Santa Claus.Dumb White Husband vs. the Tooth Fairy - Erik always has a plan and he's sure he would have figured out the whole Tooth Fairy thing eventually. But, when his three-year-old son takes a frisbee to the mouth, he's forced to speed things up. Between neighborhood kids with big mouths and unhelpful dentists he's going to need to improvise. Will he bend to the pressure of inflation? Will he get caught in the act? And, what do you do with those teeth anyway?Dumb White Husband for President (A novella) - There comes a time in every man's life when he must stand for the things he believes in. John doesn't believe in bagging his grass. So, when a new allergy-prone neighbor gets the HOA to require it, there's only one thing he can do - run for President of The Creeks of Sage Valley Phase II.John, Chris and Erik put aside most of their differences to run a campaign that they hope will see John elected as President and end the meddling of the rule-loving new kid on the block. Will they succeed? It's doubtful.

    The legends of the craft beer industry have made sure everyone’s within reach of the perfect pint. But, how do you get the right brew for you? And, can you learn to make a beer that will add to the lager legacy?Beers of the world: Welcome to Beer School, brought to you by the heroes of YouTube sensation the Craft Beer Channel, a guide to everything you need to know about the wide and wonderful beers of the world. In Beer School, Jonny and Brad explain the intricacies of the finest artisan craft brews, including: ales, lagers, porters, stouts, IPSs, and bitters.How to make beer: The lads have the inside scoop on everything from hop varieties and barrel aging, to serving temperatures and glassware. Beer School helps you learn how to make beer and how to get the most out of every sip. You will learn about: grain, mash, water, hops, boil, yeast, fermentation, serving, storing, pouring, and tasting.

    Instead, I risked my life on a nightly basis playing in underground poker games on Long Island and in Charlotte. This story is about how I managed to survive, but just barely.

    Stuey Ungar, the son of a Jewish bookie on Manhattan's Lower East Side, dropped out of high school to become an underground card-table sensation, eventually taking out every top gin-rummy player on the East Coast. Bankrolled by the Genovese crime family, Stuey would soon travel around the country in search of new opponents and opportunities—including poker. He would go on to win the World Series of Poker a record three times. And then his luck began to run out. One of a Kind is the startling tale of a man who won at his game and lost control of his life. Whether tossing away his winnings at the racetrack or on a single roll of the dice, Stuey was notorious for gambling every single dollar in his pocket. Though he had won an estimated $30 million in his lifetime, Stuey had no bank account, not even a home address. He was found dead in a Vegas motel—with $800 in cash on his person, the only money he had left—at the age of forty-five. An intimate, authorized biography—Nolan Dalla was commissioned by Stuey in 1998 to pen his story, resulting in hundreds of hours of taped interviews and conversations—One of a Kind illuminates the dark genius of one of poker's most memorable figures.

    It is a YA and above historically-based, action-adventure fiction book. Homeless and alone on the streets of London in 1800, twelve year-old Jonathan Moore survives a harsh and dangerous world using courage, intelligence and determination. His dismal fate changes dramatically one day after he is abducted by a gang and pressed into service aboard the warship HMS Poseidon, a forty-four gun fighting frigate of the British Royal Navy. However, there is more to the event than just a change of address. How is it that some members of the crew, including the Captain, already know his name? Why do the officers seem to favor him above the other new crewmembers? As Jonathan endeavors to solve these mysteries, he is thrust into a daring mission to recover a hidden treasure on a remote Caribbean isle. Unfortunately, the crew and officers of the Poseidon are not the only ones searching for the prize. In a desperate race across the Atlantic, Jonathan is pitted against sword-wielding spies, engages in terrifying ship- to-ship battles and in the end, must match his wits and courage against a ruthless and cunning French Captain and the infamous French battleship Danielle. Warship Poseidon is the winner of the 2012 Clive Cussler Collector's Society's Grand Master Award and the 2015 Independent Author Network's Outstanding Action Adventure Novel of the Year. Kirkus reviews: "A heartwarming tale of a boy essentially orphaned in search of his father, the novel never ceases to entertain as Jonathan learns the ropes of sea life. The reader learns the ship's nomenclature, discipline and command structure, food preparation, the proper loading and operation of cannon. One even learns the difference between how British and French ships operated back in the early 1800s. Characters are interesting and sympathetic, or unsympathetic, as the case may be. The reader will grow to admire the officers of the Poseidon and her crew-and despise French Capt. Champagne and his knife-wielding cohort, Marcel. Greene's swashbuckling tale of high-seas adventure is pure, uncomplicated fun." Clive Cussler: "A robust story of a young lad in the British navy during the Nelson years. A thorough insight and beautiful portrait of those days under wind-blown sails and the creak of wooden hulls. Peter Greene has created a story that shines from every page. An excellent book. He truly nails an insight of nineteenth century sailing ships and their crews." PREVIOUSLY RELEASED AS "SKULL EYE ISLAND

    There is no better way to study the big questions in philosophy than to compare how the world's greatest minds have analyzed these questions, defined the terms, and then reasoned out potential solutions. Once you've compared the arguments, the final step is always deciding for yourself whether you find an explanation convincing.This course gives you the tools to follow and create logical arguments while exploring famous philosophers' viewpoints on these important questions. Although progress has been made toward answers, brilliant thinkers have continued to wrestle with many big questions that inspire thoughtful people everywhere. These questions include: What is knowledge? Does God exist? Do humans have free will? What is right and wrong? How should society be organized?Given the complexity of these big questions, it should be no surprise that many controversies are far from settled. In fact, by the end of these 36 lectures, you may be even less sure of the right answers to some of the questions than you were at the beginning. But being a philosopher means constantly testing your views - giving a reasoned defense if you believe you are right and modifying your ideas when you realize you are wrong. You'll discover that great thinkers before you have offered convincing answers to hard questions, philosophers after them have made equally persuasive objections, and then still others have refined the debate even further - causing the issues to come into sharper and sharper focus.Join Plato, St. Anselm, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Mill, Smith, Marx, Rawls, and many others in an exploration of fundamental questions. Get ready to think big!

    For years Andy Behrman hid his raging mania behind a larger-than-life personality. He sought a high wherever he could find one and changed jobs the way some people change outfits: filmmaker, PR agent, art dealer, stripper-whatever made him feel like a cartoon character, invincible and bright. Misdiagnosed by psychiatrists and psychotherapists for years, his condition exacted a terrible price: out-of-control euphoric highs and tornadolike rages of depression that put his life in jeopardy.Ignoring his crescendoing illness, Behrman struggled to keep up appearances, clinging to the golden-boy image he had cultivated in his youth. But when he turned to art forgery, he found himself the subject of a scandal lapped up by the New York media, then incarcerated, then under house arrest. And for the first time the golden boy didn’t have a ready escape hatch from his unraveling life. Ingesting handfuls of antidepressants and tranquilizers and feeling his mind lose traction, he opted for the last resort: electroshock therapy.At once hilarious and harrowing, Electroboy paints a mesmerizing portrait of a man held hostage by his in-satiable desire to consume. Along the way, it shows us the New York that never sleeps: a world of strip clubs, after-hours dives, and twenty-four-hour coffee shops, whose cheap seductions offer comfort to the city’s lonely souls. This unforgettable memoir is a unique contribution to the literature of mental illness and introduces a writer whose energy may well keep you up all night.From the Hardcover edition.

    Miley Cyrus reigns as princess of the pop world. Her chart-topping second solo release features 12 new tunes, including the hit single "7 Things" and: Bottom of the Ocean * Breakout * The Driveway * Fly on the Wall * Full Circle * Girls Just Want to Have Fun * Goodbye * See You Again * Simple Song * These Four Walls * Wake Up America. Our songbook also features a special section of great full-color photos!