In this book you will find the Hairy Seadevil, the spectacular Sulawesi Naked Bat, and in the depths of the limestone caves in Slovenia, the Olm, a pink, four-legged, sightless salamander that lives for a hundred years. In fascinating vignettes, Flannery offers the true evolutionary tale of how each of these bizarre creatures came to look the way they do. Alongside each historical account is a stunning hand painted color reproduction (life-size in the original painting) by Schouten.Filled with purple-faced apes, jagged toothed dolphins, antlered lizards, Astonishing Animals is a remarkable collection of the world’s most incredible creatures and the stories behind their remarkable survival into a modern age.

    True, she doesn’t have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend.Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she’s a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only uncovers the cause of the ghost’s demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life!Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting her at the top of the Underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand. Jolie Wilkins Book 2: Toil and Trouble:The Underworld in civil war.The cause? A witch who can reanimate the dead.A sexy as sin vampire determined to claim her.An infuriatingly handsome warlock torn between duty and love.Who says blonds have more fun?After defending herself against fairy magic, Jolie Wilkins wakes to find her world turned upside down—the creatures of the Underworld on the precipice of war.The Underworld is polarized in a battle of witch against witch, creature against creature, led by the villainous Bella, who would be Queen.While Jolie has one goal in mind, to stake the vampire, Ryder, who nearly killed her, she also must choose between the affections of her warlock employer, Rand, and the mysteriously sexy vampire, Sinjin.And as if that weren’t enough to ruin a girl’s day, everything Jolie knows will be turned inside out when she’s thrust into the shock of a lifetime.Dulcie O'Neil Book 1: To Kill A Warlock:A Dreamstalker— a creature that stalks and kills its victims in sleep.A fairy in law enforcement determined to stop him.A potions smuggler who possesses something she wants.A vampire with his own agenda.And a partner who couldn’t possibly be sexier or more frustrating.Dulcie O’Neil is a fairy working in law enforcement for the Netherworld.When Knight Vander approaches her with a case regarding comatose victims, she agrees to help him, imagining the most difficult part will be combatting her attraction to him.But, what Dulcie isn’t betting on is the fact that the case becomes personal when she learns all the victims are somehow linked to her.When her best friend falls victim to the Dreamstalker, Dulcie must do everything in her power to ensure her friend’s survival, including associating with criminals and accepting the fact that desperate times do definitely call for desperate measures.Dulcie O'Neil Book 2: A Tale of Two Goblins:The murder of a dark arts warlock.A shape-shifting, ravenous creature on the loose.A devilishly handsome stranger sent to investigate.Sometimes working law enforcement for the Netherworld is a real bitch.Dulcie O’Neil is a fairy. And not the type to frolic in gardens. She’s a Regulator—a law-enforcement agent who monitors the creatures of the Netherworld to keep them from wreaking havoc in the mortal world.When a warlock is murdered and Dulcie was the last person to see him alive, she must uncover the truth before she’s either deported back to the Netherworld, or she becomes the next victim.Enter Knight Vander, a sinfully attractive investigator sent from the Netherworld to work the case with Dulcie.Between battling her attraction to her self-appointed partner, keeping a sadomasochistic demon in check, and fending off the advances of a sexy and powerful vampire, Dulcie’s got her hands full.As the body count increases, Dulcie finds herself battling dark magic, reconnoitering in S&M clubs and suffering the greatest of all betrayals.

    Equipped with brewing tips from some of the country’s best brewers, IPA covers techniques from water treatment to hopping procedures. Included are 48 recipes ranging from historical brews to recipes for the most popular contemporary IPAs made by craft brewers such as Pizza Port, Dogfish Head, Stone, Firestone Walker, Russian River, and Deschutes.

    Add a mother who's back on the run from the Federal Government for a murder of a undercover agent that has been her right hand for years, along with the family main henchman Papa Bear who's now her mysterious lover. Amil Walker has set it in stone that she's definitely the head of the throne and will do whatever it takes to keep her family and their multi-million dollar empire secure. Amil has cut all ties with the Colombian Cartel and with a stroke of good luck she bounces back even stronger with a bigger and better plug with the Arabians in Dubai. And with the Feds still hot on the Walker family trail, who knows what will happen next. Will Amil sacrifice herself to save her family or will she pull the ultimate betrayal? Something that she's been known to do in the past.

    Songs Only You Know begins in late ‘90s Detroit and spans a decade during which a family fights to hold together in the face of insurmountable odds. Sean’s father cycles from rehab to binge, his heartsick sister spirals into depression, and his mother works to spare what can be spared. Meanwhile, Sean seeks salvation in a community of eccentrics and outsiders, making music Spin magazine once referred to as “an art-core mindfuck.” But the closer Sean comes to realizing his musical dream, the further he drifts from his family and himself. By turns heartbreaking and mordantly funny, Songs Only You Know is an artful, compassionate rendering of the chaos and misadventure of a young man’s life. “Few books convey the fever-pitch intensity of youth with such vividness and so little glamorization, or as deeply explore the heartbreaking complexity of family — both those we're born into and the ones we choose.” —Rolling Stone Magazine

    This is the only book to clearly illustrate and systematically guide readers through glacier anatomy, equipment, route finding, and rescue techniques and, just like our other books that are illustrated by Mike Clelland, it is guaranteed to entertain the whole way through.

    Hilarious and practical information about the art of backpacking from two NOLS instructors.

    The down beats of their wings would chill the air beneath and create a thundering roar that would drown out all other sound. Feeding flocks would appear as “a blue wave four or five feet high rolling toward you.”John James Audubon, impressed by their speed and agility, said a lone passenger pigeon streaking through the forest “passes like a thought.” How prophetic-for although a billion pigeons crossed the skies 80 miles from Toronto in May of 1860, little more than fifty years later passenger pigeons were extinct. The last of the species, Martha, died in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914.As naturalist Joel Greenberg relates in gripping detail, the pigeons' propensity to nest, roost, and fly together in vast numbers made them vulnerable to unremitting market and recreational hunting. The spread of railroads and telegraph lines created national markets that allowed the birds to be pursued relentlessly. Passenger pigeons inspired awe in the likes of Audubon, Henry David Thoreau, James Fenimore Cooper, and others, but no serious effort was made to protect the species until it was way too late. Greenberg's beautifully written story of the passenger pigeon provides a cautionary tale of what happens when species and natural resources are not harvested sustainably.

    Animal lovers and readers fascinated by the spiritual ties between animals and humans will not soon forget this beautiful, inspiring true tale of an extraordinary friendship.

    Generating cataclysmic volcanic eruptions and large earthquakes, the hotspot helped lift the Yellowstone Plateau to more than 7,000 feet and pushed the northern Rockies to new heights, forming unusually large glaciers to carve the landscape. It also created the jewel of the U.S. national park system: Yellowstone. Meanwhile, forces stretching apart the western U.S. created the mountainous glory of Grand Teton National Park. These two parks, with their majestic mountains, dazzling geysers, and picturesque hot springs, are windows into the Earth's interior, revealing the violent power of the dynamic processes within. Smith and Siegel offer expert guidance through this awe-inspiring terrain, bringing to life the grandeur of these geologic phenomena as they reveal the forces that have shaped--and continue to shape--the greater Yellowstone-Teton region. Over seventy illustrations--including fifty-two in full color--illuminate the breathtaking beauty of the landscape, while two final chapters provide driving tours of the parks to help visitors enjoy and understand the regions wonders. Fascinating and informative, this book affords us a striking new perspective on Earth's creative forces.

    . . but can she dream? For forty-one years, Samson Brown has been caring for Hannah, the lone elephant at the down-at-the-heels Max L. Biedelman Zoo. Having vowed not to retire until an equally loving and devoted caretaker is found to replace him, Sam rejoices when smart, compassionate Neva Wilson is hired as the new elephant keeper. But Neva quickly discovers what Sam already knows: that despite their loving care, Hannah is isolated from other elephants and her feet are nearly ruined from standing on hard concrete all day. Using her contacts in the zookeeping world, Neva and Sam hatch a plan to send Hannah to an elephant sanctuary--just as the zoo's angry, unhappy director launches an aggressive revitalization campaign that spotlights Hannah as the star attraction, inextricably tying Hannah's future to the fate of the Max L. Biedelman Zoo. A charming, poignant, and captivating novel certain to enthrall readers of Water for Elephants, Diane Hammond's Hannah's Dream is a beautifully told tale rich in heart, humor, and intelligence.

    This timely, idea-filled guide covers "classic" parks, national historical parks, national monuments, national battlefields, national scenic trails, and beyond. Hundreds of Top 10 lists highlight every park's best attractions—best lodges, best hikes, best star-gazing spots, best campfire meal spots. Destinations are covered by region, theme, season, and occasion. Photos, anecdotes from park rangers, and insider tips, plus traveler resources such as hotels and restaurants, make this the national parks guide travelers have long sought.

    If that isn't enough, shortly after he is faced with another blow. With so much coming at him from so many different directions how will he cope. Will it al become too much and send him over the edge? Kisha's found love with her new boo Lavar, he's everything that she wants in a man. He's successful, nice looking, and settled but most importantly he's all hers. The only problem is, he's not too sure if she is truly over Tre. The two of them are a little too close for comfort and he's not feeling it. Will Kisha be able to convince him that she's over Tre and 100% all in their relationship or will Lavar's suspicions about Kisha and Tre end what they have before it has a chance to really get started. Mina has been through it all since being kidnapped by Mello and held hostage in an abandon house. After all that she's been through the thought of death doesn't seem so bad as a matter of fact she welcomes it, it means finally breaking free of the living hell that she's being held in. As the side chic series comes to an end these characters are face with a lot of life changing events. Will either of them finally get a happy ending or will it all end in another ratchet mess?

    BOXED SET INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING TITLES: Bankroll Squad by David Weaver The Union by Tremayne Johnson The Versace League by Shan Country Girls by Blake Karrington Teflon Mafia by Alicia Howard and Drusilla Mars Ghetto Girl Games by Torica Tymes The Throne by Cole Hart Thug Luv by Jazmyne Truth Hurts, Lies Kill by Raymond Francis The Streets Don’t Luv Me by Alicia Hartley Love and War by Jackie Chanel I see Dead People by Joe Awsum The Real Blockwives of Atlanta by Sevyn McCray Love in the Chamber by Rasheed Carter Hard by Anjela Day Ballad of Bad Bitch by Ms. Bam Kush and Cologne by Envy Seal Handbag Mafia by Chanel Jones

    He’s Killa’s double in so many ways. From his cocky mind state to his undeniable swag. Maybe that’s why, Venice couldn’t help herself Just don’t let the smooth taste fool you Deuce is a man on his journey. Witness the drug game through his eyes. Watch him, become a man and judge for yourself… is Deuce worthy of the name Alton name? If you are a fan of the Hard Series, you will love this love story centered around Sacario’s Oldest son Deuce…