An obsessive word lover's account of reading the entire Oxford English Dictionary, hailed as "the Super Size Me of lexicography.""I'm reading the OED so you don't have to," says Ammon Shea on his slightly masochistic journey to scale the word lover's Mount Everest: the Oxford English Dictionary. In 26 chapters filled with sharp wit, sheer delight, and a documentarian's keen eye, Shea shares his year inside the OED, delivering a hair-pulling, eye-crossing account of reading every word.From BooklistShea’s engougement (“irrational fondness”) for dictionaries led him to spend a year reading through all 20 volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary, and he describes this account as “the thinking man’s Cliff Notes to the greatest dictionary in the world.” For each letter of the alphabet he  provides a handful of his favorite words and his own humorous glosses, along with musings on the history of the OED, dictionaries in general, and his reading life. (He does most of his OED reading at the Hunter College Library and finds himself turning into one of those “Library People” as the year goes by.) He shares a number of words that, though they have fallen out of the common vocabulary, could be put to excellent use today: empleomania: “a manic compulsion to hold public office”; zabernism: “a misuse of military authority.” The book will happify (“make happy”) word and dictionary lovers, who will be able to read it in an hour or two, much less time than it takes to read the OED. --Mary Ellen Quinn Review"Oddly inspiring...Shea has walked the wildwood of our gnarled, ancient speech and returned singing incomprehensible sounds in a language that turns out to be our own."-Nicholson Baker, New York Times Book Review"Delicious...a lively lexicon."-O, The Oprah Magazine"Readworthy."-William Safire, The New York Times Magazine

When Ethan Montgomery is forced to return home to run the New York City branch of Montgomery International, the last thing he expects is to find is that the Board of Directors have hired forensic accountant, Rachel Sullivan, to review the bank’s records. Ethan fell for Rachel thirteen years ago, but she chose Ryan, his best friend since childhood. Now, after Ryan’s sudden and tragic death, Rachel is alone again. Seeing her brings back feelings Ethan believed died a long time ago. Worse, giving in to those feelings threatens to expose a secret Rachel should never know, one that involves Ryan and the past and might endanger her life. Rachel Sullivan is stunned when Ethan Montgomery suddenly returns to New York City after years away in Europe, and, heaven help her, those feelings she once had for him, before she had to marry Ryan, are back and stronger than ever. But being with Ethan is a conflict of interest and threatens to annihilate everything she’s worked toward over the last few years, including her independence and painstakingly rebuilt financial security destroyed by Ryan’s death. Will circumstances force them to once again sacrifice their true feelings, or will Rachel and Ethan conquer the odds and give love a second chance?

Contemporary Romance

Is it true that elephants are afraid of mice?How much gold does the United States store in Fort Knox?Why do I get a headache when I eat ice cream too fast?How did the "seventh inning stretch" originate?As the official webmaster for Xerox, Bill McLain was surprised by the kinds of questions he was receiving, like whether people born blind can see in their dreams and why rabbits are associated with Easter. McLain began to answer each and every question--attracting national attention from MSNBC, CNN, and People--and the result, collected in Do Fish Drink Water?, is a surprising, funny, and informative collection of facts. McLain's answers can often be as wild as the questions and prompt entertaining anecdotes about where he found them. McLain explains how magnets are made, what caused the Great Depression of 1922, and even explains why cats purr. Also included is an extensive list of websites where he conducts research,...

Contemporary Romance

Originally published in 1890, The American Boy's Handy Book is the ultimate collection of timeless boyhood activities. Written and illustrated by America's founding father of scouting, this book shows how to have fun while being constructive, creative and daring. The American Boy's Handy Book is packed with tips, instructions, and illustrations for things boys don't learn while playing video games and surfing the Internet. From making fireworks, shooting arrows, and fighting war kites, to building a raft, riding a sled and training a dog, the author encourages boys to be boys, be active, enjoy some innocent mischief, and develop their self-confidence and character (although they probably won't realize these last two are happening).

A captivating, curl-up-on-the-sofa debut about the magic of books and the power of the imagination. Since her mother's disappearance, eleven-year-old Tilly has found comfort in stories at Pages & Co., her grandparents' bookshop. But when her favourite characters, Anne of Green Gables and Alice from Wonderland, appear in the shop, Tilly's adventures become very real. Not only can she follow Anne and Alice into their thrilling worlds, she discovers she can bookwander into any story she chooses. Tilly's new ability could even help her solve the mystery of what happened to her mother all those years ago. But danger may be lurking on the very next page...

Do spiders sleep? Why are barns red? Why is there a crescent moon on outhouse doors? Are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?As the Xerox Corporation's official webmaster, Bill McLain often fielded as many as 1,000 questions a day on just about everything under the sun -- and beyond. The wildest, funniest, and even most astute are collected here (along with their answers) in McLain's second volume that's as fascinating and enlightening as his first, Do Fish Drink Water? A "veritable Internet legend known for having all the answers" (San Francisco Chronicle), McLain explains what keeps squirrels from toppling off telephone wires; why the skin on your fingers and toes shrivels up in the water; how seedless watermelons are created; and more. Whether it's animal, vegetable, mineral, or something completely different, the answer is bound to be as interesting as the question itself, and certain to satisfy the trivia...

A boy who makes up tall tales to scare his friends, but has the tables turned on him... A girl who should have been more careful what she wished for... A young know-it-all who is sure he knows how a magician's tricks work... These are just three of the terrifying tales featured in the fantastic collection from bestselling author Jack Goldstein. With three macabre short stories and three poems with unexpected twists, both adults and children will enjoy being scared out of their wits. A word of caution however - all of the stories feature mature horror themes, and may not suit the youngest - or most timid readers. If, however, the thought of Slenderman running his long, thin decomposing fingers through your hair sounds exhilarating, then you are sure to enjoy being truly terrified by this haunting anthology!

Just before Jack Goldstein and Jimmy Russell published their last book about Slenderman, 101 Amazing Slenderman Facts, they were both found dead in suspicious circumstances. The book was published in their memories. What was not known at the time however was that two packages were making their way through the Royal Mail service. One was from Jimmy and addressed to Jack, the other from Jack addressed to Jimmy. Both packages contained worrying documents detailing the history of Slenderman, and including some terrifying stories. This grisly collection of documents is offered to the reader in the hope they can make some sense of the killings, as well as finding out further information regarding the slim being. Proceed with caution.

Joe Tyler lost everything when his wife and son are killed in a mall shooting. A former SEAL, and contractor for the CIA’s Alpha Squad program in Afghanistan, he has vowed never to go back. That was until 9/11. His older brother is the only family he has left, a successful broker working in the World Trade Centre when it is hit. Tyler has nothing left to live for. Except a burning desire for revenge. With the image of the bearded Saudi psycho who ordered the attack in the forefront of his mind, he returns to Afghanistan. The million to one chance of getting a shot at him drives him on. Yet while he is there, he becomes embroiled in more than he’d bargained for. A series of chance encounters draw him more into the coming conflict, including teaming up with his old Alpha Squad buddies. Tyler has to use every one of his old skills to survive. Bullet for bullet, bomb for bomb, he fights desperately to survive the new madness that has gripped the country and threatens to destroy it. Alpha Squad – The Sixth Martyr is an incredible story of Afghanistan in the fiery aftermath of 9/11. A full-length novel by the bestselling author of many Spec Ops series. These include the popular SEAL Team Bravo stories, Heroes of Afghanistan, Raider, Echo Six, and Devil's Guard titles. **

A new insurgency is brewing on the Afghan-Pakistan border. General Ishaq Khan, known as the ‘Hammer of God,’ is the architect of this new terror. During a bloody battle, Khan kidnaps a group of journalists following Congresswoman Barbara Adams. Her work was to highlight injustices against women, yet now Adams and her party have become the victims. The Bin Laden raid on Abbottabad has left diplomatic ties shattered, making an official rescue mission impossible. The Congresswoman’s husband turns to former Navy SEAL for help. Rafe Stoner is a drunk loner with little to live for. His refusal is brief and to the point. Until he discovers General Ishaq Khan, beloved leader of the Haqqani insurgency, has made the biggest mistake of his life. He has given Stoner a reason to live. A reason to fight.He agrees to take on the mission with his best friend Grigory Blum. They are about to enter the gates of hell as they pit their skills and weapons against the might of the Haqqani. What began as a rescue becomes a desperate fight for survival. At the end, one question remains. Who will live, and who will die?Heroes of Afghanistan: Hammer of God is an incredible story of tough, violent men in a tough, violent land. This is the latest title by the bestselling author of many SpecOps series. These include the popular SEAL Team Bravo stories, Heroes of Afghanistan, Raider, Echo Six, and Devil's Guard titles.

Tora Bora - insurgents used it as a base from where to launch operations. Once it was a hiding place for the notorious Osama bin-Laden. Now, a new man has arrived. He brings the same message as his predecessors, the infidels must leave Afghanistan or die. But this man is different, for he promises to return the country to the worst days of the fighting. His appeal is magnetic, and men flock to join the new jihad. Especially when he claims to communicate with God.Washington is stunned, and orders a strike on the man before his bloodthirsty influence spreads like a dark plague. The CIA point man in Afghanistan, Ivan ‘The Terrible’, persuades Rafe Stoner and his sidekick Greg Blum to carry out the hit. Although they have their own problems. Blum has a brutal cop chasing his pretty young daughter for marriage. And Stoner faces violent competition for his brothel business. Competition that will stop at nothing until he is destroyed. In return for the promise of Ivan’s help, they agree to take the job. But they soon find themselves battling through a suicidal mission as they fight for every meter of ground, and there is worse to come. They face another enemy from an unexpected quarter. Yet this is no ordinary enemy. This one is unstoppable.The Warlord of Tora Bora is an incredible story of tough, violent men in a tough, violent land. Black-Ops: Heroes of Afghanistan – The Warlord of Tora Bora is the latest title by the bestselling author of many SpecOps series. These include the popular SEAL Team Bravo stories, Heroes of Afghanistan, Raider, Echo Six, and Devil's Guard titles.

The complete SIX-BOOK bestselling series that has sold over a million copies. Devil’s Guard traces the exploits of a German who fought in World War II on the Eastern Front, and went on to fight for the French and then the Americans in Vietnam. This massive volume includes the complete text of the novels DEVIL’S GUARD: BLOOD AND SNOW, DEVIL’S GUARD: BLOOD AND IRON, DEVIL’S GUARD: THE REAL STORY, DEVIL’S GUARD: VIETNAM, DEVIL’S GUARD: COUNTERATTACK, AND DEVIL’S GUARD: AFGHANISTAN. These epic novels are a breathtaking account of the harsh, brutal reality of one man’s war. Jurgen Hoffman’s grueling career takes him from the vast snowy wastelands of the Russian Steppes, all the way to the steaming jungles of Vietnam. His enemy shouts the same, shrill slogans, and uses the same weapons. On the Eastern Front in Russia, they call themselves communists. In Vietnam, they are the Vietcong. Their motivation is the same. Killing, and more killing. To subdue and terrorize those who would challenge their absolute authority. This is a fictional tale of the part one man played in the long, bloody battles. It is also the story of millions of fighting men. Of their guns, their tanks, their airplanes, and for some, their women. Six full length novels. A rip roaring read from the first page to the last. This box-set includes every book in the bestselling Devil’s Guard series: DEVIL’S GUARD: BLOOD AND SNOW It is February 1943 in the snowy wastes around Kharkov, in the Soviet Union. Stalingrad has fallen and a resurgent Soviet army is pushing the German forces back. Newly commissioned Jurgen Hoffman takes up his posting with SS Division Das Reich, part of von Manstein's Army Group South. He soon displays formidable military talents in a series of brutal, hard fought actions, but he finds his enemies do not all wear Russian uniform. DEVIL’S GUARD: BLOOD AND IRON The second thrilling book in the Devil's Guard series. The SS Officer Jurgen Hoffman has another battle to face. Kursk, the showdown between German and Soviet armor. The story begins before the battle when the commanders of both sides are fighting an intelligence war. Sent on a mission behind the lines into the heavily defended Kursk salient, Hoffman and the remnants of his platoon fight their way back to their own lines. DEVIL’S GUARD: THE REAL STORY The French Foreign Legion recruited widely from German soldiers left unemployed and homeless by the defeat of Germany in 1945. They offered a new identity and passport to men who could bring their fighting skills to the jungles and rice paddies of what was to become Vietnam. They were ruthless, trained killers, brutalized by the war on the Eastern Front, their murderous abilities honed to a razor's edge. DEVIL’S GUARD: VIETNAM There is to be no respite for the Waffen-SS veterans who fought for the French against the Vietcong. Some of the veterans still fight the communists, but this time for the Americans. Jurgen Hoffman and Paul Schuster are compelled to use their brutal fighting skills and expert knowledge of the terrain to once more wage a secret war in the steaming cauldron of the South East Asian jungle. The Devil's Guard is on the march again. DEVIL’S GUARD: COUNTERATTACK It is 1968, and the fighting in Vietnam escalates. Body counts continue to rise, and the fighter-bombers and gunships prowl the skies in the relentless hunt for their elusive enemy. Jurgen Hoffman is no longer in uniform. He runs a small civilian airline, with other old comrades from his time with the French Foreign Legion.

A National Bestseller!"An affectionate ode to books and book lovers." —Publishers WeeklyAn enchanting story about the magic of books and the power of imagination from debut author Anna James. Perfect for fans of Inkheart, The Land of Stories, and Story Thieves. Soon to be a major television series!Since her mother's disappearance, eleven-year-old Tilly Pages has found comfort in the stories at Pages & Co., her grandparents' bookshop. But when her favorite characters, Anne of Green Gables and Alice from Wonderland, start showing up at the shop,Tilly's adventures become very real. Not only can she follow Anne and Alice into their books, she discovers she can bookwander into any story she chooses. Tilly's new ability leads her to fun and exciting adventures, but danger may be lurking on the very next page... When new secrets are uncovered, it's up to...

PFC Carl Yeager, a rookie infantryman, is on his first Tour of Vietnam. Like most new arrivals to war-torn South Vietnam he has no idea of what he’ll be up against. Going on his first patrol with mixed feelings, his platoon runs into a VC ambush. Fighting off an enemy who appeared from nowhere, he gathers together a scratch unit and pursues the Vietcong ambush party deep into the jungle. Until they disappear, melting into the gloom like ghosts.   Where did they come from, and where did they go? Desperate for tunnel ‘experts’ the Army Commander in South Vietnam assigns him to a recon unit. Their task is to enter the Iron Triangle and search for the elusive tunnels. Despite his terror of dark, cramped and enclosed spaced. A terror he must overcome if he is to fight and defeat the Vietcong on their own ground.   Soon he discovers a shocking and gruesome discovery. The bodies of his former platoon mutilated and dismembered in a gruesome attempt to undermine American morale. Yeager is now a man with a life or death mission. To find and kill Commissar Trinh Tac, the man who ordered the massacre. He is reported to be hiding inside the Iron Triangle just as Operation Cedar Falls begins. The plan is to wipe out the nest of VC dug into the subterranean maze. Yeager’s unit is tasked to go in and wipe out one man. Commissar Trinh Tac.

7 Full Length Books – Bargain PriceThey are the military elite, the Special Forces trained to carry out the toughest operations in the most hostile environments around the world. Eric Meyer, the bestselling author of Black-Ops fiction, has put together seven of his top full-length novels to make a thrilling Spec-Ops BOX SET collection. The set contains the full text of seven full-length Eric Meyer novels. That's right, seven great books! Buy the set today and read this unmissable ACTION PACK collection from start to finish:Echo Six: Black Ops - Assault on IranA raid on a drug trafficker's factory uncovers a secret that sends a chill through the heart of NATO. An Iranian cleric, captured in the raid, tells of a conspiracy at the heart of the Ahmadinejad's Iranian government. A terrorist group, part of the Revolutionary Guard is on a mission to acquire nuclear warheads. Weapons which will enable them to launch a conflict that would threaten the peace and...

Following the hijacking of a cruise liner in the Mediterranean, SEAL Team Bravo are sent in to rescue the hostages. A perilous night jump onto the deck of a moving ship carries its own dangers. Yet the operation throws up something else, something unexpected. A whole new threat to the security of the Western World. And a name the world has grown to fear since the shopping mall massacre in Kenya. Al Shabaab.The men of Team Bravo, the elite Navy SEALs unit, are no strangers to behind-the-lines missions. But this time, the enemy has stamped their own, inimitable brand on a whole new level of savagery and violence. And the target has a name that will live forever in American military infamy. Mogadishu.The action is even more bloody and explosive, and Chief Kyle Nolan has to outthink and outfight an enemy that astonishes the civilized world with its thirst for blood. An enemy that is clever, well armed and well resourced. An enemy that seems to anticipate their every move....

A passionate campaign brings four best friends back together in a fight to save their school library in this heartfelt tale from the bestselling author of Pages & Co.  The library is Hetty's very favourite place in school, and since falling out with her best friends Ali, Mei and Rocket she's been spending even more time there. So she's absolutely horrified when she learns that her head teacher is planning to close it down, claiming there aren't enough funds to keep the library going. There's no way Hetty's going to sit back and let this happen. But can she repair her broken friendships and build support for her library campaign? Let the Battle of the Books commence!

They are the best of the best, the Navy SEALs, the world's most elite fighting force. When a vital kill-mission inside Afghanistan uncovers an unexpected and deadly plot to use a nuclear weapon that could cost thousands of American lives, they are called upon once more.Bravo Platoon, SEAL Team 7, parachutes into action, but a question mark hangs over their Chief Petty Officer, Kyle Nolan. Can he still cut it? Nolan is the glue that holds the platoon together. That is, until the murder of his wife started to tear him apart. If he comes unstuck during the mission, the lives of them all are in danger. There is no time to make changes, they have to press forward, the mission must continue no matter what. They have to succeed against a vicious and clever enemy. As they get closer, they face a succession of daunting and overwhelming obstacles to uncover the truth. Yet even their commanders refuse to believe the damning evidence that Bravo sends back. Almost alone and unaided, they must...