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Showing 1 - 15 of 15 items
By 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 Sherri Cook Woosley. 2018
For fans of American Gods, a dark, humorous, and richly written, dystopian fantasy about the unbreakable bonds of family and…
the undying strength of a mother's love.The end of the world begins as fire rains down from the heavens. Ancient gods are released from their prison, eager to reestablish their long-lost power. But Rachel Deneuve has bigger, more contemporary concerns than a divine war.Her son Adam is in the middle of a fight against leukemia, and Rachel is determined to keep focused on that battle. But when humans begin picking sides and the fighting escalates, their home in Baltimore becomes a war zone, one she can’t ignore.Desperate to stay away from the carnage—as well as the germ-ridden refugee center—Rachel and Adam flee to their remote mountain cottage, only to find their refuge marred by mutated, grotesque plants and animals. Eventually, the cancerous cells in Adam's body begin evolving as well, threatening his life and forcing Rachel to venture back into the eye of the storm. Left with no other choice but to sacrifice her own freedom for her son's safety, she must become an unwilling warrior in a battle unlike anything seen in millennia, or lose everything she holds dear.By Yaniv Iczkovits. 2020
A SUNDAY TIMES MUST READS PICK"Boundless imagination and a vibrant style . . . a heroine of unforgettable grit" DAVID…
GROSSMAN"A story of great beauty and surprise" GARY SHTEYNGARTThe townsfolk of Motal, an isolated, godforsaken town in the Pale of Settlement, are shocked when Fanny Keismann - devoted wife, mother of five, and celebrated cheese-maker - leaves her home at two hours past midnight and vanishes into the night.True, the husbands of Motal have been vanishing for years, but a wife and mother? Whoever heard of such a thing. What on earth possessed her?Could it have anything to do with Fanny's missing brother-in-law, who left her sister almost a year ago and ran away to Minsk, abandoning their family to destitution and despair?Or could Fanny have been lured away by Zizek Breshov, the mysterious ferryman on the Yaselda river, who, in a strange twist of events, seems to have disappeared on the same night?Surely there can be no link between Fanny and the peculiar roadside murder on the way to Telekhany, which has left Colonel Piotr Novak, head of the Russian secret police, scratching his head. Surely a crime like that could have nothing to do with Fanny Keismann, however the people of Motal might mutter about her reputation as a vilde chaya, a wild animal . . .Surely not.Translated from the Hebrew by Orr ScharfBy Ariel Dorfman. 1999
Conceived the night of Che Guevara's burial in 1967, Gabriel McKenzie is inextricably bound up in the history and politics…
of his native Chile. Twenty-four years on, and still a virgin, Gabriel returns from Manhattan exile to confront his legacy: a Don Juan father and a country preparing for the five-hundredth anniversary of America's "discovery." Into Gabriel's quest for manhood and identity enter one iceberg, a faithful if eccentric nanny, and a whole host of fantastical characters.By Leo Carew. 2019
After the critically acclaimed epic fantasy THE WOLF comes THE SPIDER, book two in Leo Carew's UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY…
seriesA battle has been won, but the war still wages on . . .Roper, the Black Lord of the northern people, may have vanquished the Suthern army at the Battle of Harstathur. But the greatest threat to his people lies in the hands of more shadowy forces.In the south, the disgraced Bellamus bides his time. Learning that the young Lord Roper is planning to invade the southern lands, Bellamus conspires with his Queen to unleash a weapon so deadly it could wipe out Roper's people altogether.And at a time when Roper needs his friends more than ever, treachery from within puts the lives of those he loves in mortal danger . . .WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE BREATHTAKING WORK OF LEO CAREW:'The next George RR Martin' - Mail on Sunday'Imagine Game of Thrones rewritten by John le Carré . . . A marvellously accomplished debut' - Guardian'A work of extraordinary imagination and perhaps the most captivating first novel I've ever read' - Michael Dobbs, author of House of CardsBy Graham Hancock. 2017
Cortés and his small army of Conquistadors enter Tenochtitlan, the island city of the Aztecs, as guests of the psychotic…
emperor Moctezuma who plans to trap them there and kill them all. In a stunning coup, Cortés acts first, taking the emperor hostage and ruling the Aztecs through him. All of Mexico seems about to fall into his hands until a report comes from the coast of the arrival of a new force of Spaniards with more than three times his numbers, sent not to strengthen him but to attack him and wrest the conquest from him. Faced with the choice of abject surrender or war with fellow Spaniards Cortés chooses war and marches out to do battle but, in so doing he fatally weakens his garrison in Tenochtitlan and throws open the doors of Hell.By Jean-Yves Ferri. 2021
Be the first to read the next action-packed adventure from the indomitable Gauls by pre-ordering now!Follow Asterix and Obelix as…
they set out on their 39th adventure on a long journey in search of a strange and terrifying creature. Half-eagle, half-lion, and idolised and feared by ancient peoples, this creature is the griffin.How will Asterix, Obelix, Dogamatix, along with the Druid Getafix, get drawn into the epic, perilous quest to find this fantastical animal? Find out in the next instalment of this multi-million bestselling series.By Mariano Azuela, Gustavo Pellon. 2007
In addition to a fresh translation of Los de Abajo, Azuela's classic novel of the Mexican Revolution, this volume offers…
both a general Introduction to the work and an extensive appendix setting the novel in its historical, literary, and political context. Related texts include contemporary reviews of Azuela's book, an excerpt from Anita Brenner's Idols Behind Altars (1929), and selections from John Reed's Insurgent Mexico (1914).By Lindsey McDivitt. 2022
Wanting to show her grandma a snowy American Christmas, Tessa mails a card with only a drawing of Christmas fairies…
and the words Ouma (that means Grandma) and Cape Town, South Africa. The letter carrier who finds it knows that it can&’t go to Cape Town, so he puts it in his pocket. With no name, no street, and no stamps, how is Ouma ever going to get Tessa&’s letter? Follow the magical journey of a child&’s Christmas card traveling 10,000 miles across the world, from the hand of one stranger spreading cheer to another, all the way to Ouma. Is it kindness or Christmas magic? With gorgeous illustrations, hidden fairies on every page, and a heartwarming message of caring and connection, Christmas Fairies for Ouma shares Christmas joy and celebrates the love between a grandparent and grandchild.By Gordon Korman. 2023
From the author of Restart, the story of two boys who are losing their memories... to each other.Reef and Theo…
don't know what's happening to them. They'll be going about their days and then suddenly they'll have these strange flashes of memory -- but the memories don't belong to them. And at the same time, their own memories are starting to... vanish.For Reef, this is a big problem, because memories are all he has left of his mom.For Theo, it's strange because the new memories give him a freedom he doesn't have with his domineering dad.By Graham Hancock. 2017
Graham Hancock, an expert in ancient civilisations and author of the 9 million selling Fingerprints of the Gods, and expert…
too, on the use of hallucinogens to achieve higher states of consciousness, brings these two interests together in the final volume of the War God trilogy.By Graham Hancock. 2017
Cortés and his small army of Conquistadors enter Tenochtitlan, the island city of the Aztecs, as guests of the psychotic…
emperor Moctezuma who plans to trap them there and kill them all. In a stunning coup, Cortés acts first, taking the emperor hostage and ruling the Aztecs through him. All of Mexico seems about to fall into his hands until a report comes from the coast of the arrival of a new force of Spaniards with more than three times his numbers, sent not to strengthen him but to attack him and wrest the conquest from him. Faced with the choice of abject surrender or war with fellow Spaniards Cortés chooses war and marches out to do battle but, in so doing he fatally weakens his garrison in Tenochtitlan and throws open the doors of Hell.By Nadia Shireen. 2023
Venture back to Grimwood in the wildly funny third book in Nadia Shireen's bestselling and brilliantly anarchic illustrated comedy-adventure series. Perfect for…
readers age 7+, and fans of Dog Man, Roald Dahl, David Walliams, Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good, Bunny vs Monkey and anyone who likes to laugh. A Bigfoot is on the loose! Ted, Nancy, Willow and the rest of the Grimwood gang must embark on their greatest adventure yet to save their home from a nasty, thieving stink monster. Monster hunters are GO!Fully illustrated throughout and full of heart, laughs and surprises, this is the must-read third title in the bestselling and fantastically funny Grimwood series.*PRE-ORDER NOW!* Nadia Shireen has won awards for her picture books including the UKLA Book Award for Good Little Wolf and most recently for Barbara Throws a Wobbler, which has been described as a &‘little doorway of joy&’ by Caitlin Moran. She&’s also been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and has been Writer-Illustrator in Residence for BookTrust. Grimwood is her first series for older readers and has been shortlisted for the 2022 Branford Boase Award and the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards.Praise for the Grimwood series: 'Grimwood is where I want to be. A carnival of crazed confused comical critters that is more real than real life. Lots of things make me laugh but Grimwood makes me laugh out loudest.' Frank Cottrell-Boyce'The inside of Nadia Shireen's brain must be a fun place to be because there are SO MANY funny jokes and hilarious moments in Grimwood: Let the Fur Fly! GO read it now!' Maisie Chan, author of Branford Boase winning Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths &‘Funny, anarchic, original and gloriously silly.&’ Richard Osman'Pure genius!' Louie Stowell&‘Ted and Nancy are my favourite funny foxes EVER.&’ Liz Pichon, author of Tom GatesBy Andy Warner. 2016
NOW A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Hilarious, entertaining, and illustrated histories behind some of life's most common and underappreciated objects…
- from the paperclip and the toothbrush to the sports bra and roller skatesBrief Histories of Everyday Objects is a graphic tour through the unusual creation of some of the mundane items that surround us in our daily lives. Chapters are peppered with ballpoint pen riots, cowboy wars, and really bad Victorian practical jokes. Structured around the different locations in our home and daily life—the kitchen, the bathroom, the office, and the grocery store—award-nominated illustrator Andy Warner traces the often surprising and sometimes complex histories behind the items we often take for granted. Readers learn how Velcro was created after a Swiss engineer took his dog for a walk; how a naval engineer invented the Slinky; a German housewife, the coffee filter; and a radical feminist and anti-capitalist, the game Monopoly. This is both a book of histories and a book about histories. It explores how lies become legends, trade routes spring up, and empires rise and fall—all from the perspective of your toothbrush or toilet.By Nicki Thornton. 2018
Seth is a kitchen boy at the remote Last Chance Hotel. His father has long ago left, leaving him imprisoned…
until he is old enough to set out on his own. If there's any hope he has, it's to be the greatest chef that ever lived... just like his father. One night, a band of magicians begin to arrive to participate in a secret meeting -- a Prospect Selection Procedure to determine the most talented magicians in the world, judged by their leader Dr. Thallonius. Seth has one task: to make Dr. Thallonius the greatest dessert he's ever tasted. Then, maybe he will help Seth find a way to freedom. But when the doors to the private meeting open, and Dr. Thallonius lay dead on the floor, the group blames the dessert, which means that it's Seth who will pay the price. But Seth knows he's innocent, and only has so much time to eliminate each suspect and prove his innocence.