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Showing 1 - 20 of 31 items
By Linda K Olson, Linda K. Olson. 2020
The author relays the ways in which her life was drastically altered after a train crash resulted in her life…
as a triple amputee. She discusses the impact on her marriage, career, parenthood, and the logistics of daily life. Some strong language. 2020By Glen Weldon. 2016
A witty, intelligent cultural history from NPR book critic Glen Weldon explains Batman's rises and falls throughout the ages--and what…
his story tells us about ourselves.Since his creation, Batman has been many things: a two-fisted detective; a planet-hopping gadabout; a campy Pop-art sensation; a pointy-eared master spy; and a grim and gritty ninja of the urban night. For more than three quarters of a century, he has cycled from a figure of darkness to one of lightness and back again; he's a bat-shaped Rorschach inkblot who takes on the various meanings our changing culture projects onto him. How we perceive Batman's character, whether he's delivering dire threats in a raspy Christian Bale growl or trading blithely homoerotic double-entendres with partner Robin on the comics page, speaks to who we are and how we wish to be seen by the world. It's this endlessly mutable quality that has made him so enduring. And it's Batman's fundamental nerdiness--his gadgets, his obsession, his oath, even his lack of superpowers--that uniquely resonates with his fans who feel a fiercely protective love for the character. Today, fueled by the internet, that breed of passion for elements of popular culture is everywhere. Which is what makes Batman the perfect lens through which to understand geek culture, its current popularity, and social significance. In The Caped Crusade, with humor and insight, Glen Weldon, book critic for NPR and author of Superman: The Unauthorized Biography, lays out Batman's seventy-eight-year cultural history and shows how he has helped make us who we are today and why his legacy remains so strong.By Andrew Hoberek. 2014
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen has been widely hailed as a landmark in the development of the graphic novel.…
It was not only aesthetically groundbreaking but also anticipated future developments in politics, literature, and intellectual property. Demonstrating a keen eye for historical detail, Considering Watchmen gives readers a new appreciation of just how radical Moore and Gibbons's blend of gritty realism and formal experimentation was back in 1986. The book also considers Watchmen's place in the history of the comics industry, reading the graphic novel's playful critique of superhero marketing alongside Alan Moore's public statements about the rights to the franchise. Andrew Hoberek examines how Moore and Gibbons engaged with the emerging discourses of neoconservatism and neoliberal capitalism, ideologies that have only become more prominent in subsequent years. Watchmen's influences on the superhero comic and graphic novel are undeniable, but Hoberek reveals how it has also had profound effects on literature as a whole. He suggests that Watchmen not only proved that superhero comics could rise to the status of literature--it also helped to inspire a generation of writers who are redefining the boundaries of the literary, from Jonathan Lethem to Junot Díaz. Hoberek delivers insight and analysis worthy of satisfying serious readers of the genre while shedding new light on Watchmen as both an artistic accomplishment and a book of ideas.By Grant Morrison. 2011
From one of the most acclaimed and profound writers in the world of comics comes a thrilling and provocative exploration…
of humankind's great modern myth: the superhero. The first superhero comic ever published, Action Comics no. 1 in 1938, introduced the world to something both unprecedented and timeless: Superman, a caped god for the modern age. In a matter of years, the skies of the imaginary world were filled with strange mutants, aliens, and vigilantes: Batman, Wonder Woman, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the X-Men--the list of names as familiar as our own. In less than a century, they've gone from not existing at all to being everywhere we look: on our movie and television screens, in our videogames and dreams. But what are they trying to tell us? For Grant Morrison, arguably the greatest of contemporary chroniclers of the "superworld," these heroes are powerful archetypes whose ongoing, decades-spanning story arcs reflect and predict the course of human existence: Through them we tell the story of ourselves, our troubled history, and our starry aspirations. In this exhilarating work of a lifetime, Morrison draws on art, science, mythology, and his own astonishing journeys through this shadow universe to provide the first true history of the superhero--why they matter, why they will always be with us, and what they tell us about who we are . . . and what we may yet become.By Tom De Haven. 2010
Since his first appearance in Action Comics Number One, published in late spring of 1938, Superman has represented the essence…
of American heroism. "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound," the Man of Steel has thrilled audiences across the globe, yet as life-long "Superman Guy" Tom De Haven argues in this highly entertaining book, his story is uniquely American. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the midst of the Great Depression, Superman is both a transcendent figure and, when posing as his alter-ego, reporter Clark Kent, a humble working-class citizen. An orphan and an immigrant, he shares a personal history with the many Americans who came to this country in search of a better life, and his amazing feats represent the wildest realization of the American dream. As De Haven reveals through behind-the-scenes vignettes, personal anecdotes, and lively interpretations of more than 70 years of comic books, radio programs, TV shows, and Hollywood films, Superman's legacy seems, like the Man of Steel himself, to be utterly invincible.By Natalie Nourigat. 2019
When artist Natalie Nourigat left her life in Portland to move to Los Angeles and pursue a job in animation,…
she realized that despite her research, nothing truly prepared her for the wild world that awaited in the studios of Southern California. This autobiographical how-to graphic novel explores the highest highs and lowest lows of pursuing a dream in animation. Brushed with a dose of humor and illustrated advice about salaries, studio culture, and everything in between, I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation is the unique insider experience you won’t find anywhere else. Advisory: Bookshare has learned that this book offers only partial accessibility. We have kept it in the collection because it is useful for some of our members. Benetech is actively working on projects to improve accessibility issues such as these.By Dean Koontz. 1994
A peaceful ranch... or a house of terror? The tension builds to a stunning climax in Dean Koontz's powerful thriller,…
Winter Moon. Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Stephen King. 'America's most popular suspense novelist' - Rolling StoneEduardo is a lonely retiree living on his isolated Montana ranch. His life is peaceful, until one night he is awakened by a fearful throbbing sound and eerie lights in the woods. More mysterious and disturbing events follow over the next few months. Eduardo begins to fear for his sanity and his life, until the terrible night when someone - or something - knocks on his back door...One lovely spring morning in Los Angeles, cop Jack McGarvey is hammered by submachine-gun fire when a madman goes berserk. He barely survives. Jack longs to move his wife and son to a more peaceful place away from the city, but he feels utterly powerless and without prospects. In their hour of desperation, the McGarvey family receives an unexpected inheritance in the shape of a sprawling ranch in one of the most beautiful, peaceful places in the country: Montana.The family sets out from Los Angeles to begin their new life, unaware that the terror-riddled city will soon seem like a safe haven compared to what lies ahead. What readers are saying about Winter Moon: 'The stark contrast between the man-made dangers of LA and the other-worldly, spooky dangers of the Montana wilderness is really well done''One of his best books I've read. If you love horror and deep-thinking and you love that fear of the unknown, then this book is definitely for you''Hats off to the great Mr Koontz for taking the imagination on the rollercoaster ride of a lifetime'By Dean Koontz. 1992
Can you hide from the darkness within? Dean Koontz writes a thrilling tale in Hideaway, as the effects of a…
near-fatal accident have devastating results. Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Stephen King.'Koontz leaps beyond the bounds of the usual supernatural thriller. Hideaway is a novel of ideas.' - Lexington Herald-Leader Although accident victim Hatch Harrison dies en route to the hospital, a brilliant physician miraculously resuscitates him. Given this second chance, Hatch and his wife Lindsey approach each day with a new appreciation of the beauty of life - until a series of mysterious and frightening events brings them face to face with the unknown.Although Hatch was given no glimpse of an afterlife during the period when his heart had stopped, he has reason to fear that he has brought a terrible presence back with him... from the land of the dead.When people who have wronged the Harrisons begin to die violently, Hatch comes to doubt his own innocence - and must confront the possibility that this life is just a prelude to another, darker place. What readers are saying about Hideaway: 'He is a genius at psychological manipulations and you will know visceral fear''Spellbinding, heart-breaking and truly fearsome''A stylish, dark and totally enthralling thriller which crackles with energy, menace and surprises'By Dean Koontz. 1997
In Moonlight Bay, the hours after midnight can be a time of terror... In Fear Nothing, Dean Koontz weaves a…
spine-chilling novel, full of terror and suspense. Perfect for fans of Stephen King and Harlan Coben.'Scary. Koontz can really spook, and his dialogue and pacing rival the best' - New York Post I have been one acquainted with the night.Christopher Snow is athletic, handsome enough, intelligent, romantic, funny. But his whole life has been affected by xeroderma pigmentosum, a rare genetic disorder that means his skin and eyes cannot be exposed to sunlight. Like all Xpers, Chris lives at night - and has never ventured beyond his hometown of Moonlight Bay, a place of picturesque beauty and haunting strangeness; he knows it as no one else can possibly know it, is intimate with its shadows and darkest hours. Despite the limitations imposed by nature, he has always been determined to lead the fullest life and, with the help of family and friends, he has on the whole succeeded.But for Chris - and all the inhabitants of Moonlight Bay - a terrible change is about to happen; a change of potentially catastrophic proportions. What readers are saying about Fear Nothing: 'Thought-provoking, intelligent and absolutely hilarious in places. Brilliant!''This book is typical Koontz, a thriller as well as a scary read that grabs you from the first page and pulls you right into the story''Whilst reading this, I felt like I was there, in the story. Shaking with fear, crying with anxiety, grinning with relief, and gripping my seat with excitement!'300 died in a mysterious plane crash...but really happened? From bestselling phenomenon Dean Koontz, this gripping thriller is perfect for…
fans of THE EYES OF DARKNESS and Stephen King.'Dean Koontz is not just a master of our darkest dreams, but also a literary juggler' The TimesA catastrophic, unexplained plane crash leaves three hundred and thirty dead - and no survivors.Among the victims are the wife and two daughters of Joe Carpenter, a Los Angeles Post crime reporter.A year after the crash, still gripped by an almost paralysing grief, Joe encounters a woman who claims to have survived the crash. But before he can ask any questions, she slips away.As desperate chase and shattering emotional odyssey will lead Joe to a truth that will force him to reassess everything he thought he knew about life and death - a truth that, given the chance, will rock the world and redefine the destiny of humanity.What readers are saying about Sole Survivor:'The action is fast paced, the characters are well developed and the suspense is excellent - I certainly would not have guessed the ending''This book takes off at breakneck speed. It will keep you glued to the edge of your seat''This is one of the only books ever to keep me guessing right to the end. The end is absolutely brilliant!'By Joaquín Sánchez. 2021
JOAQUÍN sabe que la manera de vivir de verdad es VIVIR CON ARTE Todos tenemos algo en común: vivimos lo…
bueno, lo malo, lo peor y lo mejor. A todos nos toca luchar para conseguir lo mejor, sin dejar de disfrutar lo bueno; esforzándonos para pasar lo malo y superar lo peor. Porque de lo más bajo puedes subir a lo más alto... o al revés. Y el secreto de una buena vida siempre está en el mismo lugar: en tu cabeza, ¡y en tus manos! No importa si eres futbolista o trabajas en una oficina, porque todos tenemos nuestra historia. Y esta es la mía. Verás que no es ningún cuento de hadas, sino un día a día de esfuerzo, porque hace tiempo que tomé una decisión: disfrutar del presente y trabajar para el futuro, valorando las cosas buenas y a las personas que quiero. Porque para vivir la vida no basta con respirar. Hay que vivir con arte. «Si has visto alguna vez en tu vida un partido de fútbol, aunque sea por casualidad, te habrás fijado en una cosa: todos los jugadores fallan en alguna jugada o en alguna acción. Todos. Desde el número uno del mundo, hasta el chaval que juega en el recreo del cole. Los fallos y los errores son normales, tanto en la alta competición como en el día a día. Intentar ser perfecto es la excusa para no moverte de tu sitio: "Si no me sale bien, ¿para qué intentarlo?". Pues para conseguir las cosas que quieres, para eso. Porque si no te atreves a fallar, jamás podrás ganar.»Children are disappearing one by one... Seize the Night is the brilliant second thriller in Dean Koontz's Moonlight Bay trilogy,…
following the acclaimed bestseller Fear Nothing. Perfect for fans of Richard Laymon and Harlan Coben. 'Dean Koontz has always boldly gone where no other fiction writer has even considered going before. As ever, the writing is fluid, the dynamic taunt and the relationships between the characters compulsive' - The Times One by one, the children of Moonlight Bay are disappearing. No one knows if they are dead or alive.Christopher Snow, suffering from the rare disorder xeroderma pigmentosum, has glimpsed the dark and torrid secrets of the small-town community where he has spent his entire life. And only he has the key to the truth - a truth that could only exist in the genetic chaos of Moonlight Bay. What readers are saying about Seize the Night: 'Koontz has a way of reaching out to you and dragging you into your weirdest and wildest dreams and nightmares, making them a reality''Koontz's character build-up is so real, so seemingly effortless, that you just take his characters for granted as your own friends''A shockingly strange novel yet it was made real by the artistic and imaginative writing of Dean Koontz'By Dean Koontz. 1983
For the survivors, what hope is left? Dean Koontz's Phantoms is a story of disaster and suspense that strikes deep…
fear throughout its journey to the chilling truth. Perfect for fans of Stephen King and Richard Laymon.'Gruesome and unrelenting' - Stephen KingYesterday Snowfield, California, was a charming little town basking in the golden afternoon sun. Today it is a place of nightmare.An ancient, awesome force has spirited away almost the entire population of the town and left the bodies of those remaining bizarrely disfigured. What hope can there be for the few still left alive...? What readers are saying about Phantoms: 'This is one of the best horror stories I have ever read''A totally immersive story that will draw you in right from the start''As thrilling as it is truly terrifying it kept me enthralled from start to finish'By Dean Koontz. 2001
One young woman risks everything to save a child... Dean Koontz writes an unforgettable tale in One Door Away From…
Heaven - the thrilling story of a deadly threat, and the young woman who will do anything to stop it. Perfect for fans of Richard Laymon and Harlan Coben.'A wonderful contemporary fable, firmly rooted in the gritty reality of turn of the millennium America... Koontz constantly surprises as his story unfolds and reaches its stunning conclusion. Brilliant and compulsive' - Good Book GuideLeilani Maddoc's tenth birthday is nine months away. Micky Bellsong is convinced that in nine months and one day, the girl will be dead. And no one seems to care but Micky herself.Micky has a history of making wrong choices and living only for her own desires, but her decision to save the child's life - and pit herself against an adversary as fearsome as he is cunning - takes her on a journey of incredible peril and stunning discoveries, a journey filled with tragedy and joy, with humour, terror and hope, a journey that will change her for ever. What readers are saying about One Door Away From Heaven: 'This book is gripping from the very start, with great characters throughout; the slow build up... is absolutely perfect''This book is quite a remarkable read... The plot sizzles along and the characterisation is awesome''A fluid page turner that will make you late for work'By Dean Koontz. 1977
Looking into the future will scare you to death... In The Vision, Dean Koontz writes a chilling novel of clairvoyance,…
dark forces and a struggle for survival. Perfect for fans of Stephen King and Harlan Coben.'Spine-tingling - it gives you an almost lethal shock' - San Francisco Chronicle Mary Bergen is a clairvoyant, able to foresee murders that will happen in the near future, but unable to prevent them from taking place.And now she is up against a power that is stronger than her own, a power that is taking her over, a power that is trying to kill her before she can identify it... What readers are saying about The Vision: 'Imaginative, clever and very unputdownable! This book draws you in like a fish at the end of a rod''Chilling and very much a true suspense story from beginning to end''Highly suspenseful with clever twists - a wonderful novel of 'whodunnit' with some supernatural elements thrown in'By Dean Koontz. 1984
Who is more foolish - the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light? A deadly…
villain threatens New York City in Dean Koontz's gripping thriller, Darkfall. Perfect for fans of Stephen King and Harlan Coben.'In every industry there exist 'artists' that are not only unforgettable, but know their craft better than the rest. Dean Koontz...is among these artisans' - Suspense Magazine Baba Lavelle is a stranger in New York. A stranger with a mission to break the Mafia stranglehold on the city's drug traffic, and take it over himself. He has no guns, no army of hoods, no friends in high places. But he has the Power - magical, ancient, and terrifyingly brutal. The power that thrives in darkness... What readers are saying about Darkfall: 'A brilliant book that had me checking over my shoulder for days after finishing it!''Horror and terror going at a breakneck pace through the snow filled streets of New York City''Darkfall was gripping, scary and kept you on your toes. Hooked'By Dean Koontz. 1981
A search for a missing son... and a toxic mystery that threatens the globe. 'Did a 1981 Dean Koontz thriller…
predict the coronavirus outbreak?' Daily Mail'Dean Koontz is not just a master of our darkest dreams, but also a literary juggler' The TimesFrom bestselling phenomenon Dean Koontz, The Eyes of Darkness is a gripping thriller following a mother's search for her son - a journey that unlocks the deadliest of secrets. It's a year since Tina Evans lost her little boy Danny in a tragic accident. Then a shattering message appears on the blackboard in Danny's old room: NOT DEAD. Is it someone's idea of a grim joke? Or something far more sinister?The search for an answer drives Tina through the neon clamour of Las Vegas nightlife. The sun-scorched desert. The frozen mountains of the High Sierra. People face a dreadful danger as a buried truth struggles to surface. A truth so frightening that its secret must be kept at the price of any life - any man, any woman...any child. Why readers are obsessed with The Eyes of Darkness: 'Couldn't put it down...it's been a while since a book has kept me up all night.' ***** Goodreads review'So prophetic I really can't believe it.' ***** Goodreads review'It is simply unbelievable.' ***** Goodreads reviewThis book was originally published under the pseudonym Leigh Nichols.By James Patterson. 2003
Frannie O'Neill's life turned upside down when she and FBI maverick Kit Brennan rescued six incredible winged children from the…
school that created them. Now the young flock wants to go back to the couple, and Frannie and Kit are suing for custody. But when the case involves the most extraordinary creatures ever to land on this earth, someone will ensure there is no happy ending. Only Max, the most remarkable of the children, knows that another, terrifying biological experiment is taking place in the labs of a brilliant but evil surgeon, Dr Ethan Kane. But to complete his experiment he needs the ultimate prize - Max herself. And as the children dream of returning to the happy safety of the lake house, where for a few precious months they flew free, Kane moves ever closer...By James Patterson. 2003
Frannie O'Neill's life turned upside down when she and FBI maverick Kit Brennan rescued six incredible winged children from the…
school that created them. Now the young flock wants to go back to the couple, and Frannie and Kit are suing for custody. But when the case involves the most extraordinary creatures ever to land on this earth, someone will ensure there is no happy ending. Only Max, the most remarkable of the children, knows that another, terrifying biological experiment is taking place in the labs of a brilliant but evil surgeon, Dr Ethan Kane. But to complete his experiment he needs the ultimate prize - Max herself. And as the children dream of returning to the happy safety of the lake house, where for a few precious months they flew free, Kane moves ever closer...(P)2012 Headline DigitalBy Trish Madson. 2020
10 Little Monsters, each wearing a bandana,take a trip to the great state of Montana.10 Little Monsters, they just can’t…
wait,‘cause monsters love the Treasure State.From the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center to the Ross Creek Cedars and Flathead Lake, these 10 Little Monsters discover some of the most unique and interesting things about Montana and what it has to offer. Silly, over-the-top fun, and a bit macabre, 10 Little Monsters Visit Montana is the perfect book for every little boy and ghoul!