Title search results
Showing 1 - 20 of 85 items
How to survive as a shark
By Michael Graves, Kristen Foote. 2017
Ahoy, me mateys! Upset your Mom swam away after you were born? Cry me an ocean. You've got me to…
show you the ropes! Well, at least until I get a craving for baby shark. Swim along and I'll teach you how to hunt using all six senses (a whole sense more than a human), why you can never stop moving (blimey, no--not even to sleep!), and what your most dangerous threat is (here's a hint: those sneaky landlubbers don't even live in our waters!). Aye, me hearties, learning How to survive as a shark is not as easy as it sounds! How to survive as a shark provides a unique take on fish science that will entertain and educate in and out of the classroom. Full of opportunities for extended learning, this book includes fun facts hidden throughout the hilarious illustrated story-- and after, a glossary of important terms and some real photos of great white sharks. If you've ever wondered how to think and swim like a shark, and you like to laugh while you learn, this book is for y For grades K-3Bayou Bill's best stories
By James Alexander Thom, Bill Scifres. 2015
Readers of the Indianapolis Star have enjoyed Bill Scifres's column "Lines and Shots" for over thirty years. Bill is without…
a doubt the premier outdoor writer in Indiana. He is also a born storyteller. This collection gathers some of this best accounts of a lifetime of adventure in the out-of-doors. Some descriptions of sex, strong language and violenceHolly Wild: let Sleeping Bear Dunes lie
By Lori Taylor. 2012
Ten-year old explorer, Holly Wild, travels with her friends to Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore where she faces her…
fears while trying to solve the park's water problem. Sequel to Holly Wild : Bamboozled on Beaver Island (DBC05876). For grades 2-4. 2012The boy who drew birds: a story of John James Audubon / by Jacqueline Davies
By Jacqueline Davies, Melissa Sweet. 2004
Recounts how passionately the young Frenchman who made his home in America loved birds. Describes the numerous drawings and paintings…
he made of birds, their nests, and eggs and reveals the way he determined whether migrating birds return to the same place in the spring. For grades 2-4. 2004Tomatoes, potatoes, corn, and beans: how the foods of the Americas changed eating around the world
By Sylvia A Johnson, Sylvia A. Johnson. 1997
Traces Europe's discovery and adoption of foods that were unique to the Americas before explorers landed in the New World.…
Discusses corn, tomatoes, chocolate, and other American staples, describing their history, economic significance, and uses in their adoptive cultures. For grades 6-9The earth is the Lord's: a tale of the rise of Genghis Khan
By Taylor Caldwell. 1975
Novel based upon the life of Genghis Khan, the thirteenth-century Mongol chieftain who led his swarm of shaggy barbarians over…
Asia, the Near East, and Hungary. The story begins with his birth as Temujin, the son of a petty chief in the Gobi desert, and ends with his first great victoryJishin
By Lee Riordan. 1997
In 1923, one of the greatest natural disasters ever recorded struck one of the most densely populated areas in the…
world. In Jishin, author Lee Riordan recreates this calamity, the Great Kanto Earthquake, providing both stirring adventure and touching romance.This book vividly describes the shaking and shuddering of the quake itself, during which thousands died, as much of the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama collapsed around their inhabitants. In the ensuing fires, many more perished as insatiable flames tore through the cities, destroying property and life. This gripping historical novel retells the story of the terrible quake that took over 140,000 lives.Jishin is also the story of Tatiana, the Russian countess, and Hugh, the American professor, who discover their love for one another against the backdrop of this destruction. The author built his tale on the recollections of Tatiana and Hugh, who were his parents, providing the book with an authenticity that gives it unusual poignancy and realism.Jishin
By Lee Riordan. 1997
In 1923, one of the greatest natural disasters ever recorded struck one of the most densely populated areas in the…
world. In Jishin, author Lee Riordan recreates this calamity, the Great Kanto Earthquake, providing both stirring adventure and touching romance.This book vividly describes the shaking and shuddering of the quake itself, during which thousands died, as much of the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama collapsed around their inhabitants. In the ensuing fires, many more perished as insatiable flames tore through the cities, destroying property and life. This gripping historical novel retells the story of the terrible quake that took over 140,000 lives.Jishin is also the story of Tatiana, the Russian countess, and Hugh, the American professor, who discover their love for one another against the backdrop of this destruction. The author built his tale on the recollections of Tatiana and Hugh, who were his parents, providing the book with an authenticity that gives it unusual poignancy and realism.Mountain Rampage
By Scott Graham. 2015
"Graham's clever tale is tailor-made for those who prefer their mysteries under blue skies..."-KIRKUS"Description and dialogue balance to bring both…
the rounded characters and the Rocky Mountain setting alive in this tale of danger, death, and intrigue...Scott Graham has created a satisfying and suspenseful adventure."-FOREWORD REVIEWS"Filled with murder and mayhem, jealousy and good detective work-set against a stunning Colorado backdrop-Mountain Rampage is an exciting, non-stop read. I look forward to more good tales from this talented author."-ANNE HILLERMAN, New York Times bestselling author of Spider Woman's Daughter"In Mountain Rampage, Scott Graham delivers taut writing, solid plot twists, a cast of interesting characters, and an appealing protagonist both men and women will love. Get ready for a leave-you-breathless high country southwestern adventure."-MICHAEL MCGARRITY, New York Times bestselling author of Hard Country and Backlands"Move over Nevada Barr-clean prose and confident storytelling combine to make Scott Graham's second Chuck Bender/National Park Mystery Series novel a must-read for fans of Western outdoor fiction and for mystery lovers everywhere."-CHUCK GREAVES, author of Hush Money, Green-Eyed Lady, and The Last Heir"In archaeologist Chuck Bender, Scott Graham has created a flawed, all-too-human, and memorable investigator who had me rooting for him to the end."-MARGARET COEL, author of Night of the White BuffaloIn the riveting second installment of the National Park Mystery Series, archaeologist Chuck Bender finds himself and his young wife and stepdaughters in the crosshairs of an unknown killer when he defends his brother-in-law from false accusations of murder in the brutal slaying of a resort worker in Rocky Mountain National Park.Scott Graham is author of Canyon Sacrifice: A National Park Mystery and Extreme Kids, winner of the National Outdoor Book Award. He is an avid outdoorsman and amateur archaeologist who enjoys hunting, rock climbing, skiing, backpacking, mountaineering, river rafting, and whitewater kayaking with his wife, an emergency physician, and their two sons. Graham lives in Durango, Colorado.Canyon Sacrifice
By Scott Graham. 2014
"This riveting series debut showcases Graham's love of nature and archeology, simultaneously interjecting some serious excitement. Graham is to be…
commended for weaving together several cultures into one story. Recommend to readers who enjoy Tony Hillerman, Nevada Barr, and C.J. Box's Joe Pickett series."-LIBRARY JOURNAL"A gripping tale of kidnapping and murder...in a style similar to mysteries by Tony Hillerman."-ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL"Graham has created a story [of] richness and depth...Graham's comfort and familiarity with his subject make the story an enjoyable read."-DURANGO HERALD"A riveting mystery...Graham takes readers intimately into the setting, his knowledge of the places he writes about apparent at every turn."-DURANGO TELEGRAPH "A terrific debut novel..."-C.J. BOX, New York Times bestselling author of Stone Cold and Breaking Point"The real star of this engrossing mystery novel is the Grand Canyon itself. Scott Graham clearly knows the territory. In addition to some fine plot twists guaranteed to keep you guessing to the end, Graham delivers a glorious portrait of one of the most compelling landscapes on earth, a place that can kill just as easily as it thrills. This is a topnotch read."-WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER, New York Times bestselling author of Tamarack County"One of the most engaging mysteries I've read in a long while! In archaeologist Chuck Bender, Scott Graham has created a flawed, all-too-human and memorable investigator who had me rooting for him to the end. The setting is magnificent and fascinating-nothing less than the Grand Canyon with its centuries-old secrets. The plot is fast-paced and filled with suspense. Canyon Sacrifice delivers it all and then some."-MARGARET COEL, New York Times bestselling author of Killing Custer"Bring an extra-large bowl of popcorn while you read Sacrifice in one sitting."-C.M. WENDELBOE, author of Death on the Greasy Grass"In this gripping, imaginative mystery set in Grand Canyon National Park, ancient Anasazi culture collides with the modern world in the most unexpected of ways. Like Tony Hillerman, Scott Graham uses his deep knowledge of the region to fashion a thrilling, compulsively readable story."-FRANK HUYLER, author of The Blood of Strangers"As unpredictable and twisty as a switchback trail plummeting into its depths, Graham's thriller sucks you into the mysteries of the canyon and the story of an unsuspecting family whose lives will never be the same."-TED BOTHA, author of The Girl With the Crooked Nose"Graham deftly weaves a first-rate mystery through the caves and canyons and winding roads of the Grand Canyon. If you've been, you'll immediately be drawn into the story. If you've never been, this may be your motivation to buy the ticket! I can't wait to read which national park he tackles next!"-TRICIA FIELDS, Hillerman Prize-winning author of Scratchgravel Road"Stunning setting, intriguing plot and likeable characters make this debut novel a bookseller's dream."-ANDREA AVANTAGGIO, owner of Maria's Bookshoptivation to buy the ticket! I can't wait to read which national park he tackles next!"-TRICIA FIELDS, Hillerman Prize-winning author of Scratchgravel Road"Rooted in the southwest in both geography and culture, Canyon Sacrifice will hook you early and keep you intrigued to the last page. You'll meet archaeologist and investigator Chuck Bender. You'll laugh with him and at him while you get drawn into the mystery he seeks to solve. Stunning setting, intriguing plot and likeable characters make this debut novel a bookseller's dream."-ANDREA AVANTAGGIO, owner of Maria's BookshopBing: From Farmer's Son to Magistrate in Han China
By Michael Loewe. 2011
Much is known of life during the Han Empire, but the historical evidence remains fragmentary, and nowhere do we find…
a continuous account of the life of any one individual.In this engaging volume, Michael Loewe mines the written and material records to depict the imagined life of an ordinary person, Bing Wu, from the hardships of his earliest years on a rural farm to his retirement from a respected position in government service. Underlying the tale of Bing is a richly detailed portrait of life during the Han--the arduous tasks of the conscript laborer; military service on the defense lines of the north; the travels of a merchant; the grueling conditions in an iron foundry; the construction of tombs; preparations for entering the civil service; the duties of a junior clerk and the governing of a commandery. Along the way, we are introduced to the operation of a crossbow; methods of telling time; the practice of writing; the rituals of divination; the ceremony of a state occasion, laws and the harsh consequences of breaking them; the workings of the central government and much more.Included are a concise introduction, explanatory endnotes to each chapter, a selection of illustrations, a map of the Han Empire, notes for further reading and an essay by Loewe entitled, "A Brief History of the Han Empire."The Trials of Zion: A Novel
By Alan M. Dershowitz. 2010
"No one knows more about Israel's existential dilemma than Alan Dershowitz-or writes about it better. From its explosive beginning to…
its startling climax, THE TRIALS OF ZION excites and intrigues, even as it depicts the unique dangers of a lethal part of the world. This is a terrific novel. " -Richard North Patterson "For a legalist, mired for years in towers of ivory not even hewn from the teeth of endangered elephants but constructed, indeed, and solely, of the casuistic and notional, Mr. Dershowitz writes a real good rip-snorter. " -David Mamet "A thought-provoking thriller set in two of the world's most gripping arenas of conflict, the Middle East and the courtroom. " -Steven Pinker, author ofThe Stuff of Thought,and Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction "As in all his essays, in his novel also, Alan Dershowitz demonstrates his great love for Israel as well as his inspired passion for Jewish memory, justice, and storytelling. " -Elie Wiesel A shocking act of terror brings the Middle East to the point of explosion. As the resulting political conflict threatens to erupt, a young Jewish-American lawyer joins the defense team of an arrested but possibly innocent Palestinian. Soon the lawyer's father, a famed criminal attorney, must win the Palestinian's case or risk losing his daughter forever. To do so, he must take into account the tormented history of the Holy Land from every possible angle. THE TRIALS OF ZION combines the tension of the greatest courtroom dramas with the action of a fast-moving thriller, all set against the colorful backdrop of one of the most complex cultural settings in the world. Filled with memorable characters, this novel offers readers not only compelling suspense, but a panoramic view of the history of a beloved and bitterly contested land, and a sharply controversial perspective on the sources of--and the possible solutions to--the world's longest and most crucial international crisis.Basti
By Intizar Husain, Asif Farrukhi, Frances W. Pritchett. 1979
An NYRB Classics OriginalBasti is a beautifully written reckoning with the tragic history of Pakistan. Basti means settlement, a common…
place, and Intizar Husain's extraordinary novel begins with a mythic, even mystic, vision of harmony between old and young, man and woman, Muslim and Hindu. Then Zakir, the hero, wakes to the modern world. Crowds gather. Slogans echo. Cities burn. Whether hunkered down with family or furtively meeting to exchange news with friends in cafés, Zakir is alone in a country lost to the politics of loneliness.history. The new country of Pakistan is born, separating him once and for all from the woman he loves, and in a jagged and jarring sequence of scenes we witness a nation and a psyche torn into existence only to be torn apart again and again by political, religious, economic, linguistic, personal, and sexual conflicts--in effect, a world of loneliness. Zakir, whose name means "remember," serves as the historian of this troubled place, while the ties he maintains across the years with old friends--friends who run into one another in cafés and on corners and the odd other places where history takes a time-out--suggest that the possibility of reconciliation is not simply a dream. The characters wait for a sign that minds and hearts may still meet. In the meantime, the dazzling artistry of Basti itself gives us reason to hope against hope.The Moon Opera
By Howard Goldblatt, Bi Feiyu, Sylvia Li-chun Lin. 2007
The debut novel of one of China's rising young literary talents--a gem of a book that takes a piercing look…
into the world of Chinese opera and its female stars In a fit of diva jealousy, Xiao Yanqiu, star of The Moon Opera, disfigures her understudy with boiling water. Spurned by the troupe, she turns to teaching. Twenty years later, a rich cigarette-factory boss offers to underwrite a restaging of the cursed opera, but only on the condition that Xiao Yanqiu return to the role of Chang'e. So she does, this time believing she has fully become the immortal moon goddess. Set against the drama, intrigue, jealousy, retribution, and redemption of backstage Peking opera, The Moon Opera is a stunning portrait of women in a world that simultaneously reveres and restricts them. Bi Feiyu, one of China's young literary stars, re-creates all the temptations and triumphs of the stage the world over in this gem of a novel.The Moon Opera
By Howard Goldblatt, Bi Feiyu, Sylvia Li. 2007
The debut novel of one of China's rising young literary talents--a gem of a book that takes a piercing look…
into the world of Chinese opera and its female stars In a fit of diva jealousy, Xiao Yanqiu, star of The Moon Opera, disfigures her understudy with boiling water. Spurned by the troupe, she turns to teaching. Twenty years later, a rich cigarette-factory boss offers to underwrite a restaging of the cursed opera, but only on the condition that Xiao Yanqiu return to the role of Chang'e. So she does, this time believing she has fully become the immortal moon goddess. Set against the drama, intrigue, jealousy, retribution, and redemption of backstage Peking opera, The Moon Opera is a stunning portrait of women in a world that simultaneously reveres and restricts them. Bi Feiyu, one of China's young literary stars, re-creates all the temptations and triumphs of the stage the world over in this gem of a novel.Growth of the Soil (Twelve-point Series)
By Knut Hamsun, W. W. Worster. 1999
A grand, sweeping saga of sacrifice and struggle, this epic tale recaptures the world of Norwegian homesteaders at the turn…
of the twentieth century. Isak and Inger, an idealistic young couple, reject modern society to raise their family on a back country farm. Isak's embrace of outdoor life reflects author Knut Hamsun's attitude of rugged individualism and his back-to-nature philosophy. Rich in symbolism, this moving tale of peasant life and the search for spiritual fulfillment in nature continues to resonate with modern readers. First published in Norwegian in 1917, Growth of the Soil created an international sensation and led to the author's 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature.Wintry Night (Modern Chinese Literature from Taiwan)
By Qiao Li. 2001
An epic spanning more than half a century of Taiwan's history, this breathtaking historical novel traces the fortunes of the…
Pengs, a family of Hakka Chinese settlers, across three generations from the 1890s, just before Taiwan was ceded to Japan as a result of the Sino-Japanese war, through World War II. Li Qiao brilliantly re-creates the dramatic world of these pioneers—and the colonization of Taiwan itself—exploring their relationships with the aboriginal peoples of Taiwan and their struggle to establish their own ethnic and political identities.This carefully researched work of fiction draws upon Li's own experiences and family history, as well as oral and written histories of the era. Originally published in Chinese as a trilogy, this newly translated edition is an abridgement for English-speaking readers and marks the work's first appearance in the English-speaking world. It was well-received in Taiwan as an honest—and influential—recreation of Taiwan's history before the relocation of the Republic of China from the mainland to Taiwan.Because Li's saga is so deeply imbued with the unique culture and complex history of Taiwan, an introduction explaining the cultural and historical background of the novel is included to help orient the reader to this amazingly rich cultural context. This informative introduction and the sweeping saga of the novel itself together provide an important view of Taiwan's little known colonial experience.Quelling the Demons' Revolt: A Novel from Ming China (Translations from the Asian Classics)
By Guanzhong Luo. 2017
In this Ming-era novel, historical narrative, raucous humor, and the supernatural are interwoven to tell the tale of an unsuccessful…
attempt to overthrow the Song dynasty. A poor young girl meets an old woman who gives her a magic book that allows her to create rice and money. Her father, terrified that his daughter's demonic nature might be discovered, marries her off. Forced to flee, she and others with supernatural abilities find themselves in the midst of a grotesque version of a historical uprising, in which facts are intermingled with slapstick humor and wild fictions.Attributed to the writer Luo Guanzhong, Quelling the Demons' Revolt is centered on the events of the rebellion led by Wang Ze in 1047–48. But it is a distorted, humorous version, in which Wang Ze's lieutenants show up as a comical peddler and a mysterious Daoist priest and a celebrated warrior appears despite having died many years earlier. Rather than fantastic adventures and supernatural marvels, the author points to human vanities and fixations as well as social injustice, warning of the vulnerability of any pursuit of order in a world plagued by demonic forces as well as mundane corruption. Although the story takes place long before the era in which it was written, ultimately Quelling the Demons' Revolt is the story of the Ming dynasty in Song masquerade, presciently warning of the dynasty's downfall. The novel is divided into chapters, but in many ways it is an arrangement of self-contained stories that draw on vernacular storytelling. This translation offers English-speaking readers a spirited example of social critique combined with caustic humor from the era of Luo Guanzhong.Twilight in a Knotted World
By Mr Sidhhartha Sarma. 2020
The soil of central India hides more than the bones of long-dead giants. The East India Company is master of…
almost the entire subcontinent, but real power is now with the Crown. Far from the great games of the empire, Captain William Henry Sleeman is content to administer Jabalpur district and dig for remnants of petrified bones with his charming and knowledgeable wife. Until he is tasked with investigating the activities of an obscure group of criminals who are said to strangle their victims. As Sleeman uncovers the many layers of the Phansigar problem, he finds a language unlike any other, and a set of beliefs, lore and superstitions seemingly drawn from the soul of the countryside. He finds orchards of corpses, and a hierarchy of stranglers, but also ordinary men driven to murder. He hears subtle murmurs of discontentment at the changes which have come to a land believed by some to be unchanging. He finds auguries of a conflict to come. And behind it all, the legend of a mysterious, beautiful man, whose capture might be the key to understanding the Phansigars. Sleeman&’s inquiries will make him confront the nature of his beloved adopted homeland and of the mighty people in Calcutta who he serves. Through the prism of caste, the consequent web of intricate social and cultural relationships, and the nature of travel in the hinterland, he will see the real face of India and come across its uncomfortable, bleak truths. But to unravel such truths is not easy…The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai (Weatherhead Books on Asia)
By Bangqing Han. 2005
Desire, virtue, courtesans (also known as sing-song girls), and the denizens of Shanghai's pleasure quarters are just some of the…
elements that constitute Han Bangqing's extraordinary novel of late imperial China. Han's richly textured, panoramic view of late-nineteenth-century Shanghai follows a range of characters from beautiful sing-song girls to lower-class prostitutes and from men in positions of social authority to criminals and ambitious young men recently arrived from the country. Considered one of the greatest works of Chinese fiction, The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai is now available for the first time in English. Neither sentimental nor sensationalistic in its portrayal of courtesans and their male patrons, Han's work inquires into the moral and psychological consequences of desire. Han, himself a frequent habitué of Shanghai brothels, reveals a world populated by lonely souls who seek consolation amid the pleasures and decadence of Shanghai's demimonde. He describes the romantic games played by sing-song girls to lure men, as well as the tragic consequences faced by those who unexpectedly fall in love with their customers. Han also tells the stories of male patrons who find themselves emotionally trapped between desire and their sense of propriety. First published in 1892, and made into a film by Hou Hsiao-hsien in 1998, The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai is recognized as a pioneering work of Chinese fiction in its use of psychological realism and its infusion of modernist sensibilities into the traditional genre of courtesan fiction. The novel's stature has grown with the recent discovery of Eileen Chang's previously unknown translation, which was unearthed among her papers at the University of Southern California. Chang, who lived in Shanghai until 1956 when she moved to California and began to write in English, is one of the most acclaimed Chinese writers of the twentieth century.