• Image for The art of Nickelodeon Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

    The art of Nickelodeon Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

    From preproduction sketches to final episode designs, this book offers fans an inside look at the creative process that brought Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to life. Discover concept art, character development, and background designs that capture the series’ distinct style. Featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes commentary from the cast and crew, and the evolution of iconic characters like Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, and April, this collection celebrates the innovation that made the show a standout in the franchise.

  • Image for The return of the oystercatcher : saving birds to save the planet

    The return of the oystercatcher : saving birds to save the planet

    "As populations fall and once-great migration multitudes wither away, the future of birds may seem grim. But surprisingly, from gnatcatchers and waterfowl to select groups of forest songbirds, some bird populations are soaring. Habitats and species that once neared extinction are now multiplying around the world because bird conservation is making things better. The Return of the Oystercatcher explores the recovery efforts that are not only preventing declines in bird population, but helping birds to thrive. From the spectacular recovery of North American raptors, whose numbers have tripled in the last fifty years, to the mind-bending resurgence of the Canada goose in Maine -- which increased its population by 146,000 percent during the same period -- Scott Weidensaul shares amazing stories of hope and progress in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Weidensaul also depicts the initiatives at the heart of this recovery, from the hyperlocal to the hemispherically immense: wetlands restoration, raptor protection, and bans on harmful pesticides, as well as the US Farm Bill and the preservation of sovereign lands by Indigenous communities. The result is a roadmap of breathtaking environmental resilience in some of the most unlikely places, including a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific, the vast boreal forest that stretches across Canada, a hereditary estate in England, and a watery wilderness at the edge of a Ukrainian war zone. Because birds are so diverse, so ubiquitous, and cover virtually every square mile of the Earth's surface, the fight to save the birds is also one to save the world. The Return of the Oystercatcher is an inspiring story of what's working in bird conservation -- and what can work for the rest of the planet." --

  • Image for Monsters in the archives : my year of fear with Stephen King

    Monsters in the archives : my year of fear with Stephen King

    "After Caroline Bicks was named the University of Maine's Stephen E. King Chair in Literature, she became the first person given full access to King's archives, a treasure trove of material about the legendary writer's creative process and life, most of it never seen before. Her year of studying the archival materials was guided by one question millions of readers have asked themselves: What makes Stephen King Stephen King? Bicks focuses on five of King's early iconic books--The Shining, Carrie, Pet Sematary, 'Salem's Lot, and Night Shift--to reveal how he manipulates character, language, and story to cast his remarkable, creepy spells. Through close reading of early drafts, interviews with King, and freshly discovered biographical details, as well as her own personal history as a reader and scholar, Bicks shows King's mastery of storytelling and his enduring imprint on American culture. In the process, Bicks faces her own fears and gets to know the man partially responsible for them"--

  • Image for Ultimate encyclopedia of fabrics & unconventional materials : sew with 100+ materials from tricky to tame

    Ultimate encyclopedia of fabrics & unconventional materials : sew with 100+ materials from tricky to tame

    ""Sew like a pro with any fabric or material! Discover how the right fabric, from the ordinary to the intricate, can transform any project! The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fabrics & Unconventional Materials provides the essential information to cut, pin, sew, and finish 100+ difficult materials with confidence"-- Provided by publisher"--

  • Image for The hollow half : a memoir of bodies and borders

    The hollow half : a memoir of bodies and borders

    "You were dead, Sarah, you were dead." In October 2019, Sarah Aziza, daughter and granddaughter of Gazan refugees, is narrowly saved after being hospitalized for an eating disorder. The doctors revive her body, but it is no simple thing to return to the land of the living. Aziza's crisis is a rupture that brings both her ancestral and personal past into vivid presence. The hauntings begin in the hospital cafeteria, when a mysterious incident summons the familiar voice of her deceased Palestinian grandmother. In the months following, as she responds to a series of ghostly dreams, Aziza unearths family secrets that reveal the ways her own trauma and anorexia echo generations of violent Palestinian displacement and erasure--and how her fight to recover builds on a century of defiant survival and love. As she moves towards this legacy, Aziza learns to resist the forces of colonization, denial, and patriarchy both within and outside her."--Amazon.

  • Image for A death doula's guide to a meaningful end

    A death doula's guide to a meaningful end

    Most people don't know how to have a "good death"--but Jane Callahan does. Years after watching her mother's traumatic death in a broken health care system, Jane found herself working an unfulfilling job as a marketing writer for corporations, but on nights and weekends she'd volunteer with terminally ill people awaiting death in hospice. After training as an end-of-life doula, she has spent years witnessing how our culture's resistance to talking about death leads to preventable suffering. Jane supports her clients and their families through all stages of dying, from navigating end-of-life care to preparing emotionally for the moment of death and the grief that follows. In A Death Doula's Guide to a Meaningful End, she peels back the curtain on one of our most taboo subjects and walks readers through what happens when someone is dying. With vignettes that weave through patients' lives--and her own--she reveals to readers all the things they didn't know (or didn't know they needed to know) about our last great adventure. Along the way, readers will uncover knowledge on the raw realities of being mortal and learn how death positivity can take some of the anxiety and fear of dying out of the equation. Surprisingly funny and often cutting, this memoir meets end-of-life planning guide outlines practical steps for patients, families, and caregivers, while acknowledging that some questions don't always need answers. The account of Jane's up-close-and-personal experiences with the emotional, physical, logistical, and (dare we say) spiritual aspects of dying shows that when we talk about death, we're actually talking about life.

  • Image for Freeze fresh meal prep : 160 meal starters and make-ahead dishes for the freezer

    Freeze fresh meal prep : 160 meal starters and make-ahead dishes for the freezer

    "Crystal Schmidt, best-selling author of Freeze Fresh, offers a unique approach to meal prep, with 160 recipes for complete meals as well as meal starters-dishes that can be partially prepared and frozen, then combined with pantry ingredients to make a complete meal. Using garden fresh vegetables and fruits, Schmidt offers original recipes for soup starters, sauces and dips, side dishes, beverage starters, baked goods, frozen treats, pie or cobbler fillings, and freezer jams"-- Provided by publisher.

  • Image for We mend with gold : an immigrant daughter's reckoning with American Christianity

    We mend with gold : an immigrant daughter's reckoning with American Christianity

    "A daughter of the Asian American church wrestles with faith, exile, and belonging. Being a Christian has nothing to do with being Chinese American--that's what Kristin T. Lee learned as a child. A fissure between her identity and what she was told to believe opened wide. In We Mend with Gold, she asks: What if we can bridge the divide? Lee describes both the breaking of her young faith and the sacred art of repair. She examines how immigrant churches often assimilate to Western theology, even as they offer crucial spaces of belonging. Through lyrical storytelling about her upbringing in Asian immigrant churches as well as in white evangelicalism, Lee wrestles with history, ancestral stories, and what it means to follow Jesus. What might it look like to expand beyond the scripts we've been given and bring our questions to God--as well as building solidarity with the marginalized?Drawing on Black, Asian, and other minoritized theologians, Lee separates the theology of empire from what Jesus preached and lived. Writing of the fractures in our families, churches, and the world, Lee relies on the Japanese art of kintsugi to describe the resplendence of a faith that repairs but doesn't paper over. And she offers pieces of the Asian American experience--such as liminality, displacement, and exile--that attend to the breaking and the mending, the wounding and the healing. How might marginality bring us closer to God and others? What do we lose when we "make it"? And when we expand our notion of who belongs to our family, what do we gain? We can repair the seams between our cultural identities and our faith, Lee claims. By leaving room for mystery, we encounter God's love. We mend the fractures--between and within us--with gold." --

  • Image for Love, finally : untangling the knot between mothers, daughters, and food

    Love, finally : untangling the knot between mothers, daughters, and food

    "For nearly four decades, Geneen Roth has been a trusted and beloved voice, guiding women on how to give up dieting, end compulsive eating, and tune into their intuition. Her books have sold millions of copies and her workshops have months-long waiting lists. But only recently, after surviving a devastating breast cancer diagnosis and realizing that she or her mother might die before repairing the rift between them, Roth decided to face the reality that her relationship to her body and the food she eats are inextricably bound to her relationship with her mother. And, Roth discovered, this is true for almost every woman. For years, Roth has been telling women to listen to the intuitive voice inside themselves. But what if that voice is not theirs at all-what if it is the voice of their mothers? And what if, though it professes love, it's actually harmful? Determined to learn to distinguish between the intuition that is her own and the deeply-internalized prodding, often critical voice of her mother, Roth began working with a ninety year-old spiritual advisor named Coco. Blind, nearly deaf, and preternaturally empathetic, Coco helped Roth to untangle her sense of self from her mother's judgement. For the first time, Roth was able to separate what her mother had led her to believe about herself from her truer inner-knowing. Now, living from that deeper place, the things that once kept her stuck, haunted, compulsive, or uncomfortable are set free. In Mothers, Daughters, and Food, Roth reveals how our mothers influence our beliefs about ourselves. She walks readers through a specific process to help them untangle those thoughts and she provides a roadmap to a healthier emotional and physical place. Written in her signature style--funny, self-aware, spiritually wise--Mothers, Daughters, and Food is a must-read for anyone seeking to heal their relationships with food, their families, and themselves"-- Provided by publisher.

  • Image for No contact : writers on estrangement

    No contact : writers on estrangement

    A poignant and galvanizing anthology that illuminates the realities and nuances of family estrangement, with pieces by Stephanie Foo, Nick Flynn, Deesha Philyaw, Cheryl Strayed, and others. Estrangement presents an essential existential question: who are we without our family? What kind of person cuts the proverbial umbilical cord and why? And who do we become, once untethered from our kin? Families fall apart and individuals cut ties for myriad reasons—abuse, politics, mental illness, and addiction, among others—and reunification often is not in the cards. Estrangement can be a positive change, as Emi Nietfeld explains in her essay about finding relief and logic after cutting off her mother. It can be a journey: noam keim rebuilds their sense of self by learning Arabic in their ancestral homeland of Morocco, while Nicole Graev Lipson searches for answers in literature and motherhood after her brother ghosts her. Other writers explore how estrangement complicates life’s big shifts—Domenica Ruta traces the repercussions of severing ties while battling cancer; Hannah Bae reels from the prospect of cultural alienation when she cuts off her Korean parents; and after twenty years of separation, Soni Brown reluctantly becomes her mother’s caretaker as dementia erases her memory. Through thirty-two intimate, first-person accounts, No Contact counters the prevalent trope of reconciliation as a happy ending, focusing instead on the complex grief, healing, and authenticity found in the rupture from family.

  • Image for Come eat : 100 nourishing recipes to eat every day

    Come eat : 100 nourishing recipes to eat every day

    Mealtimes should be filled with nutritious dishes made to satisfy everyone at the table--including the pickiets of eaters--without sacrificing time. With helpful tips and easy-to-follow instructions, this book shows the reader how to adapt meals for everyone, from breaking down the components of a perfect salad to making soup with ingredients you already have in the fridge.

  • Image for Body weather : notes on chronic illness in the Anthropocene

    Body weather : notes on chronic illness in the Anthropocene

    "A lyrical exploration that reimagines the cloudy stages of grief and challenges us to reexamine universal questions lodged deep within: how do we find comfort and meaning in a fevered world?"-- Provided by publisher.

  • Image for A third commonness : essays on poetry, poetics, and the natural world

    A third commonness : essays on poetry, poetics, and the natural world

    "A book of essays on poetry by Robert Hass"-- Provided by publisher.

  • Image for Screen people : how we entertained ourselves into a state of emergency

    Screen people : how we entertained ourselves into a state of emergency

    "Whether it's our reality-television-star President or our expertly curated Instagram feeds, the line between fact and fiction--between what's real and what's fabricated for entertainment--has never been more blurred. Screen People explores what happens when we cede our reality to spectacle. Megan Garber explains how today's internet-inflected culture conditions us to see one another not as people but as characters in an ongoing show, and how some of our most chronic and harmful social conditions--loneliness, depression, mistrust, misinformation, cynicism--stem from our demand for diversion."

  • Image for Catching hope : the hidden spiritual wisdom of fishing

    Catching hope : the hidden spiritual wisdom of fishing

    "Open your heart to the hidden wisdom and beauty found at the water's edge. Priest and fisherman Pete Nunnally loves to teach people how to fish for fish and, through that, how to fish for what their soul is yearning for: to come alive. In Catching Hope, he takes his readers fishing with him. Each chapter explores a different aspect of the fishing process--from preparing your tackle, to reading the landscape, to finally catching something (or not). But this isn't a book about how to fish. It's a book about the bigger and more profound truths about our lives that the act of fishing reveals. Along the way you'll learn how fishing connects the human condition to the divine presence in all things. And even if you never go fishing, this book will open your heart to the hidden wisdom and beauty found at the water's edge.Fishing is an exercise in hope. In a world where every answer is at our fingertips, fishing is transformative for its sheer unpredictability. You never know what is going to happen. While the potter knows they will make a pot, the fisherman knows only that they will be at the water's edge, watching and waiting, anticipating the moment when the pole bends and something wild joins the story. In an age when we are more removed from nature than ever before, fishing also reconnects and draws us into an ancient dance with the natural world, our true home. Let's walk to the edge of the water together, toss out our lines, and wait to see what happens next"-- Provided by publisher.

  • Image for For the love of the grind : a memoir

    For the love of the grind : a memoir

    "Sara Hall shares the story of her record-breaking career and her unconventional path to motherhood via adoption, all while battling insecurities, injuries, and doubters. For the Love of the Grind is a love letter to running, and the story of Sara's growth as an athlete, wife, and mom. Through her unflinching honesty and keen introspection, readers will be inspired to chase their dreams, to reimagine what might still be possible, and to embrace their own love of the grind"-- Provided by publisher.

  • Image for Night owl : poems

    Night owl : poems

    "From the New York Times bestselling author of World of Wonders and Bite by Bite, Aimee Nezhukumatathil's fifth collection of poetry explores love, nature, and the transformative powers of the night. In her latest poetry collection, Aimee Nezhukumatathil plumbs the depths of nighttime, crafting a series of nocturnes that explore the magic, sensuality, and life that emerge as the rest of the world goes to bed. Night Owl navigates questions and concerns for the environment that envelops us. It meditates on our connections to family and beloveds, and explores our position within the broader beauty of the planet. Just as the night transforms how we see things, so too does love in its many forms transform our understanding of togetherness and the natural world. And these poems are deeply suffused with love-each an expression of Nezhukumatathil's captivating responses to the animals, plants, and people who have her heart and enliven her world. Night Owl presents a dazzling vision of nature that celebrates the beautiful noises and silences of this planet, as well as its many complications. Nezhukumatathil provides a singular contribution to writing on the natural world, calling up our sense of love-even in the face of increasing violence to one another and the environment-by focusing on the transformative impact of the dark"-- Provided by publisher.

  • Image for Drained : reduce your mental load to do less and be more

    Drained : reduce your mental load to do less and be more

    "The term "mental load" has become more familiar in recent years, but the popular understanding of the concept often reduces it down to managing a list of household chores and logistics. Sociologist Leah Ruppanner reveals that for women, mental load actually goes much deeper: It's a complex form of emotional thinking that is invisible, boundaryless, and enduring. It's not just making sure tasks get done, it requires thinking five steps ahead, keeping relationships intact, creating experiences that keep all members of the family happy and thriving, and much more. Mental load burnout is the thing that makes women feel like they're running at top speed but barely moving forward. It's what makes even markers of success - new babies, jobs, or promotions- feel exhausting and overwhelming. And there's a double burden: Social standards set women up to be spread too thin, but most of us internalize the idea that our inability to keep up is our fault--it's all in our heads, or we need to let go of perfectionism. If only we could find more minutes in the day, or more time for self-care. In Drained, Ruppanner tackles the problem of women's mental load by asking us to see it through a fresh, paradigm-shifting lens. This book asks, what if we stop blaming ourselves and instead, make practical, impactful changes to our lives to prioritize our energy? With eye-opening, research-based insights, including the 8 most common categories of mental load that weigh women down, Drained offers a powerful toolkit to help women move toward the life they really want. The heart of the book is the Mental Load Audit, which helps readers assess where they are spending their time and attention, and shows them how to take steps to recalibrate effectively. Urgent and provocative, Drained will help women create richer, less overwhelming lives filled with more meaning and joy"-- Provided by publisher.

  • Image for Adulting for amateurs : misadventures of a geriatric millennial

    Adulting for amateurs : misadventures of a geriatric millennial

    "From the author of A Product of Genetics (and Day Drinking) comes a rowdy and hilarious new collection of essays on life as an elder Millennial, filled with life lessons on everything from marriage, to parenting, to rolling with the punches when Gen Z mocks your TikTok dances. In Adulting for Amateurs, Jess H. Gutierrez marvels at how--we can't avoid the fact anymore-her cohort, the Millennials, are approaching middle age. While 1998 seems like just yesterday, we are now grown ups who feel like we're still growing up. And now, at 42, Jess has quite a trove of stories to tell. Jess is leaning into her geriatric Millennial years, and reflects on how growing up does not necessarily bestow one with maturity. When the fancy dinner covers were lifted to reveal vertically posed sausages-hundreds of the fanciest wedding guests including the mayor were treated to a demure and refined Jess's explosive guffaws. While Jess's brothers now have wholesome families and responsible jobs, she can't stop one-upping them, even if it gets her brother nearly fired by a potty-brained prank right before he scrubs into surgery. When Jess and her wife booked their first grown up vacation, they discovered too late that their Hawaiian trip was to a Mormon resort and therefore completely alcohol-free. So Jess and her wife bravely put on their big girl panties-and slunk off in a makeshift escape from this cheerful teetotaler paradise. Turns out, even as a responsible mortgage-owner with three kids and a yard of chickens, Jess might not have matured much beyond her twenties. She's still the woman who had in an earlier era survived queer dating fails and aughts-era pop culture moments-ultimately discovering that an illegal rave cannot heal a broken heart, and that vampire romance franchises are terrible dating manuals for a budding trailer park lesbian. Altogether, these are the makings of delightful material for this bawdy-and sometimes poignant, and daresay occasionally wise-new read"-- Provided by publisher.

  • Image for Why do we exist? : the Nine Realms of universe that make you possible

    Why do we exist? : the Nine Realms of universe that make you possible

    "The universe gave rise to everything: stars and cells, minds and memories, purpose and pain. But it doesn't care about us. It follows its own rules. And now, according to Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, we finally understand enough about those rules to ask the big questions like we mean it: Why do we exist? Are we alone? How did we get here? What comes next? And--perhaps most urgently--is there reason to hope? ... The story of existence can be told as a passage through nine interwoven realms--each revealing a new layer of cosmic truth"--Flap page 1 of dust jacket.

  • Image for God bless the pill : the surprising history of contraception and sexuality in American religion

    God bless the pill : the surprising history of contraception and sexuality in American religion

    "Most people today understand contraception as central to women's liberation, and when the birth control pill arrived in 1960, the media thought it would usher in a sexual revolution. But a surprising number of religious Americans in the mid-twentieth century also saw contraception as part of God's plan-a tool to create happy, prosperous American families in the post-World War II era. In God Bless the Pill, Samira K. Mehta traces the remarkable story of how mid-twentieth-century Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish voices promoted the use of birth control and made it more accessible for many Americans. They hoped birth control methods would curb divorce rates by encouraging sexually dynamic marriages and families unstrained by 'too many' children-thereby creating a postwar upwardly mobile middle class. Religious leaders also promoted this understanding of the family as tied to Cold War capitalism and encouraged neither racial nor gender equity. But then came the backlash, both from the Right-which failed to anticipate the feminist potential of contraception-and from the Left, where women, particularly women of color, sought to ensure that birth control was a tool of liberation rather than one rooted in patriarchal and racial oppression. Ultimately, Mehta offers compelling new insights into the way religion accommodates itself to social, technological, and medical change"-- Provided by publisher.

  • Image for Morning baker : recipes and rituals for breakfast and beyond

    Morning baker : recipes and rituals for breakfast and beyond

    "For almost a decade, Roxana Jullapat has woken up in the middle of the night to start baking and fill the pastry case of her L.A. bakery, Friends & Family. Her rituals, and those of other bakers, infuse her new collection of recipes, all of which will expand your repertoire with 100% whole grain flour. Baking with whole grains means more sustainable farming and better health; readers will love Roxana's approach to quick breads (muffins, scones, biscuits, cornbread), all achievable in one hour or less, and she's done the work for you by crafting a Master Whole-Grain Croissant Dough that can be shaped endless ways including Espresso Pains au Chocolat or Bacon and Onion Blossoms. Beloved for her whole-grain breads, here she offers a classic sourdough loaf, fast flatbreads (e.g., Heirloom Masa Tortillas) and beautiful, Scandinavian inspired Dark Rye Rolls. Woven through her writing is an appealing California sensibility, an embrace of whole-grain bakes that start, as she does, in the morning hours. This is a book for home bakers wanting to expand to new flavors and ingredients, with gorgeous photography-including shots at Friends & Family-that invites you into the rituals and routines of professional bakers"-- Provided by publisher.

  • Image for How to get what you want : mastering the art and science of persuasion

    How to get what you want : mastering the art and science of persuasion

    "Life is about getting what you want. When you're negotiating a salary, buying a house, or talking politics with your uncle at Thanksgiving dinner, you're always after the best outcome. Learn from an expert how to get what you want in every situation-no matter who you're talking to.Your ability to get what you want depends upon your ability to persuade. Unfortunately, the way most people approach persuasion has the opposite effect: we double down on our own perspective and cite tons of facts to make our point-or even try to strong-arm people into giving in. None of this is persuasive. In reality, it pushes people away from us, making it hard or even impossible to get what we want. Persuasion expert Joshua Bandoch has spent over a decade uncovering the secrets of persuasion. He's mined psychology, neuroscience, economics, public policy, and history for cutting-edge techniques that actually work-and he's used them in speeches written for senior government officials, national leaders, business executives, and dozens of his own talks to audiences around the world. How to Get What You Want combines Bandoch's groundbreaking research with practical experience persuading at the highest levels to give you a fresh, surprisingly simple approach that will get you what you want and need when it matters by: Adopting the persuader's mindset Learning proven techniques for making the most persuasive emotional and logical appeals Unlocking the secret formula for memorable and motivating stories Tapping into the power of tone, body language, and other subconscious signals How to Get What You Want teaches you how to navigate any political, professional, or personal situation more effectively to get optimal results each and every day"-- Provided by publisher.

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