Book picks similar to
Venus by Elaine Landau


nonfiction
science
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childrens

Gravity's Century: From Einstein's Eclipse to Images of Black Holes


Ron Cowen - 2019
    On that day, astronomer Arthur Eddington and his team observed a solar eclipse and found something extraordinary: gravity bends light, just as Einstein predicted. The finding confirmed the theory of general relativity, fundamentally changing our understanding of space and time.A century later, another group of astronomers is performing a similar experiment on a much larger scale. The Event Horizon Telescope, a globe-spanning array of radio dishes, is examining space surrounding Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. As Ron Cowen recounts, the foremost goal of the experiment is to determine whether Einstein was right on the details. Gravity lies at the heart of what we don't know about quantum mechanics, but tantalizing possibilities for deeper insight are offered by black holes. By observing starlight wrapping around Sagittarius A*, the telescope will not only provide the first direct view of an event horizon--a black hole's point of no return--but will also enable scientists to test Einstein's theory under the most extreme conditions.Gravity's Century shows how we got from the pivotal observations of the 1919 eclipse to the Event Horizon Telescope, and what is at stake today. Breaking down the physics in clear and approachable language, Cowen makes vivid how the quest to understand gravity is really the quest to comprehend the universe.

Plastic Sucks! You Can Make A Difference


Dougie Poynter - 2019
    It fills up our oceans, endangers our wildlife and never goes away. So it's time to take action, find ways to cut down our plastic use and help protect our environment. Together we can make a difference!As a lifelong supporter of environmental causes and a key player in the campaign to ban microbeads in the UK, Dougie is always on the hunt for ways to reduce and replace plastic. This campaigning book, his first solo authored project, draws on his own experiences in the fight against plastic waste – the problems he's encountered and the solutions he's found. It covers the history of plastic, introduces us to some key campaigners and eco entrepreneurs and is full of top tips and infographics. The clear and easy steps in Plastic Sucks! You can Make a Difference show us how we can all make small changes and become champions for our planet.

Unusual Creatures: A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of Earth's Strangest Animals


Michael Hearst - 2012
    Which animal can be found at the top of Mount Everest, 10,000 feet under the sea, and in your backyard? Which animal poops cubes? Which animal can disguise itself as a giant crab? These fascinating facts and hundreds more await curious minds, amateur zoologists, and anyone who has ever laughed at a funny-looking animal.

The Human Cosmos: A Secret History of the Stars


Jo Marchant - 2020
    Jo Marchant's book can begin to heal it. For at least 20,000 years, we have led not just an earthly existence but a cosmic one. Celestial cycles drove every aspect of our daily lives. Our innate relationship with the stars shaped who we are--our art, religious beliefs, social status, scientific advances, and even our biology. But over the last few centuries we have separated ourselves from the universe that surrounds us. It's a disconnect with a dire cost.Our relationship to the stars and planets has moved from one of awe, wonder and superstition to one where technology is king--the cosmos is now explored through data on our screens, not by the naked eye observing the natural world. Indeed, in most countries modern light pollution obscures much of the night sky from view. Jo Marchant's spellbinding parade of the ways different cultures celebrated the majesty and mysteries of the night sky is a journey to the most awe inspiring view you can ever see--looking up on a clear dark night. That experience and the thoughts it has engendered have radically shaped human civilization across millennia. The cosmos is the source of our greatest creativity in art, in science, in life.To show us how, Jo Marchant takes us to the Hall of the Bulls in the caves at Lascaux in France, and to the summer solstice at a 5,000-year-old tomb at New Grange in England. We discover Chumash cosmology and visit medieval monks grappling with the nature of time and Tahitian sailors navigating by the stars. We discover how light reveals the chemical composition of the sun, and we are with Einstein as he works out that space and time are one and the same. A four-billion-year-old meteor inspires a search for extraterrestrial life. The cosmically liberating, summary revelation is that star-gazing made us human.

Stone Cold: The extraordinary story of Len Opie, Australia's deadliest soldier


Andrew Faulkner - 2016
    A cold-eyed killer who drank nothing stronger than weak tea, he fought with his bare hands, a sharpened shovel and piano wire. He was a larrikin who went by the book, unless the book was wrong. He set his own bar high and expected others to do the same.Stone Cold is the extraordinary story of one of Australia's most fearless fighters. It takes us into the jungles of New Guinea and Borneo and some of the fiercest battles of World War II. It goes to the cold heart of Korea, where Len emerged from the ranks to excel in the epic Battle of Kapyong and play a key role at the Battle of Maryang San. And it drops us into the centre of the American counterinsurgency war in Vietnam with Len's involvement in the CIA's shadowy black ops program, Phoenix.Action-packed and surprising, Stone Cold gives rich life to a warrior soldier and one of Australia's greatest diggers.

Our Solar System


Seymour Simon - 1992
    In over fifty dramatic, full-color photographs and an easy-to-read text, award-winning author Seymour Simon takes you on a fascinating tour of the nine planets, dozens of moons, and thousands of asteroids, meteoroids, and comets that travel around our sun.First, Simon explores the star at the center of our Solar System -- from the constant nuclear explosions at its core to the giant storms on its surface as geysers of flaming gas over a hundred thousand miles long rise and fall in just a few hours.You will also learn about the four rocky inner planets, from airless Mercury to fiery Venus, her sister planet, Earth, and mysterious Mars. Then join the thrilling Voyager missions to explore the four gaseous outer planets: gigantic Jupiter, ringed Saturn, tilted Uranus -- the planet "lying on its side" -- and windy Neptune. You will finish your journey at distant Pluto, then visit the asteroid belt and examine comets, the "dirty snowballs" in space.A companion volume to Simon's landmark series of individual books about each of the planets, the sun, stars, and other space sights, Our Solar System will introduce you to some of the most amazing mysteries in the universe.

The 25 Weirdest Animals in the World! Amazing facts, photos and video links to the strangest creatures on the planet. (Amazing Animals Series)


I.P. Factly - 2012
    Using video links, IP Factly's Amazing Animal series has been designed to encourage and bolster independent reading. The animals are accompanied by pictures and facts plus video links so children can see the animals and how they behave.

Rockets: Defying Gravity


Anne Drozd - 2018
    These gorgeously illustrated graphic novels offer wildly entertaining views of their subjects. Whether you're a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, these books are for you!This volume: In Rockets we explore the 2,000 years that rockets have been in existence. We dive into Newton's Laws of Motion—learning all about gravity, force, acceleration, and the history of rockets made in the past and rockets to be made in the future!

Planets


Elizabeth Carney - 2012
    This level two reader, written in simple language that is easy for young readers to understand, introduces children to our solar system, including all of the planets and dwarf planets, and lots of fascinating fun facts. This reader helps cultivate the explorers of tomorrow!This high-interest, educationally vetted series of beginning readers features the magnificent images of National Geographic, accompanied by texts written by experienced, skilled children's book authors. The inside back cover of the paperback edition is an interactive feature based upon the book. Level 1 books reinforce the content of the book with a kinesthetic learning activity. In Level 2 books readers complete a Cloze letter, or fun fill-in, with vocabulary words.Releases simultaneously in Reinforced Library Binding: 978-1-4263-1037-9 , $13.90/$15.95 CanNational Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

The Bearded Dragon Manual


Philippe De Vosjoli - 2001
    Since reptiles are cold-blooded creatures, most humans don't instinctively understand their requirements the way they understand the needs of a cat or dog. Herp expert Philippe de Vosjoli and his team of veterinarians and authors seek to make keepers confident in their ability to properly care for their bearded dragons through this most informative book. A key component of caring for bearded dragons, according to the authors, is recognizing that their needs change as they develop. De Vosjoli states in the introduction to the book, "Looking at the life stages of bearded dragons also made [the authors] aware that, like humans, they undergo changes in growth and behavior, which may require the dedicated owner to make adjustments in husbandry (and general care) to meet the needs of each life style." The Bearded Dragon Manual is the first book to present this information that is so critical to the proper maintenance of these very popular reptiles.Colorfully illustrated, The Bearded Dragon Manual provides chapter-length coverage on the following topics: selecting a dragon, making a home for a dragon, heating and lighting, diet and feeding management, and behavior. The feeding chapter, which includes as age-by-age guide to nutrition, was co-written with veterinarian Dr. Susan Donoghue. A chapter on breeding discusses strategies for breeding dragons, requirements, conditioning, incubation, and potential problems encountered. Lizard vet extraordinaire Dr. Roger Klingenberg has written a chapter on recognizing and treating bearded dragon diseases, in which he discusses how to recognize a sick dragon, various internal and external parasites, nutritional disorders as well as kidney disease, prolapses, egg-binding, respiratory infections, and eye problems. The chapter concludes with a four-page chart for troubleshooting health problems. Herb expert Jerry Cole has provided a special chapter on frilled dragons, an agamid similar to the bearded dragon that has attracted many bearded dragon fans. Appendices and index included.

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming


Mike Brown - 2010
    Then, in 2005, astronomer Mike Brown made the discovery of a lifetime: a tenth planet, Eris, slightly bigger than Pluto. But instead of its resulting in one more planet being added to our solar system, Brown’s find ignited a firestorm of controversy that riled the usually sedate world of astronomy and launched him into the public eye. The debate culminated in the demotion of Pluto from real planet to the newly coined category of “dwarf” planet. Suddenly Brown was receiving hate mail from schoolchildren and being bombarded by TV reporters—all because of the discovery he had spent years searching for and a lifetime dreaming about.Filled with both humor and drama, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming is Mike Brown’s engaging first-person account of the most tumultuous year in modern astronomy—which he inadvertently caused. As it guides readers through important scientific concepts and inspires us to think more deeply about our place in the cosmos, it is also an entertaining and enlightening personal story: While Brown sought to expand our understanding of the vast nature of space, his own life was changed in the most immediate, human ways by love, birth, and death. A heartfelt and personal perspective on the demotion of everyone’s favorite farflung planet, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming is the book for anyone, young or old, who has ever dreamed of exploring the universe—and who among us hasn’t?

Sowbelly: The Obsessive Quest for the World-Record Largemouth Bass


Monte Burke - 2005
    That day, George landed the largest largemouth ever recorded--twenty-two pounds four ounces. The fish has inspired and frustrated hundreds of anglers for decades. They've dedicated their lives to the pursuit of "Sowbelly"--a nearly mythical fish, whose swinelike girth holds the key to their dreams.From an L.A. cop who came within ounces of besting the record to an Alabaman who has lost his marriage and his daughter to this pursuit, Burke takes readers along for the ride in this legendary race.

Tony Accardo is Joe Batters


Neil Gordon - 2018
    Throw in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and the murders of John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, Marilyn Monroe, Bugsy Siegel, Sam Giancana, Lucky Luciano, Tony the Ant Spilotro, Johnny Roselli and Jimmy Hoffa. Toss in Hollywood scandal and the mobbed up career of Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack. Now you can begin to grasp the epic story of Tony Accardo. Why has this story never been told? Accardo killed everyone in his path: family, friends, cops, reporters, movie stars, and politicians. Operating from deep within the shadows Tony influenced national policy, exploited the FBI, owned politicians, and fixed presidential elections. Connected to every gangster from Al Capone to Lucky Luciano to John Gotti, Joe Batters is the must-read that every Godfather fan is craving.

Spanish: 201 Easy Spanish Phrases: Increase Your Vocabulary With New Spanish Phrases & Words Explained. Includes Access to a Spanish Audio Book


J.G. Jimenez - 2015
    These are phrases that you hear almost every day in Spanish speaking countries, on TV, in movies, and when talking with friends in Spanish. Included in this book is FREE Access to Downloadable Mp3's of this book. Spanish Audio book is available by clicking link in book. This book is very basic Spanish. It is for beginning Spanish learners or students that want to review basic Spanish phrases. Some Topics Covered in this book are: Greetings Music What are you doing? Phrases about the Present (right now) Phrases about the Past Hotels Restaurants And Many More! Are you ready to learn some Spanish phrases you can use right away? GREAT! Download the book now and start learning Spanish.

A Microsoft Life


Stephen Toulouse - 2010
    Enjoy a journey through the eyes of a geek working at one of the most important companies in the world as he walks you through events both large and small. Just don't get caught in the Redmond reality distortion field! What others are saying about "A Microsoft Life": "Any self-respecting geek needs to read this book. Stepto provides an enjoyable and entertaining insight of life inside Microsoft." - Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, Director of Programming for Xbox LIVE "Anyone who lived through the adolescent years of the computer revolution will alternate between laughing and crying (from laughing) at these great stories from inside the monolith. - Ken Denmead, NYT Bestselling Author, and editor of Geekdad.com