Olibro

It's time for the annual Christmas pageant, and excitement fills Henry's Crossing! With costumes ready and parents watching proudly, the children retell the timeless story of Mary, Joseph, and the birth of baby Jesus.From angels proclaiming good news to shepherds hurrying to the manger, little readers will experience the wonder of the very first Christmas. And when a special guest arrives at the end of the play, everyone is reminded of the true meaning of the season.Perfect for families, Sunday schools, and storytime, A Piggy Pack Nativity blends childlike joy with the greatest story ever told-helping kids see Christmas through eyes of faith, hope, and love.

“The popular early-reader series about Mercy the pig gets an origin story in this delightful picture book. Old friends and new fans will appreciate this; bring on the toast.” —BooklistMr. Watson and Mrs. Watson live ordinary lives. Sometimes their lives feel a bit too ordinary. Sometimes they wish something different would happen. And one day it does, when someone unpredictable finds her way to their front door. In a delightful origin story for the star of the Mercy Watson series, a tiny piglet brings love (and chaos) to Deckawoo Drive—and the Watsons’ lives will never be the same.

Two ministry practitioners hold a mirror to our human desire to have control over our lives and offer rich new visions of church leadership and Christian parenting that embrace the unpredictable.

Through the works of these great artists, you will encounter the profound truths that lead many to God and cause many others to wonder.

The author of Waterstones Children's Book Prize winner "The Thirteen Treasures" sets out a captivating new adventure in which three sisters bound by a curse put this situation in the hands of three magical objects which could either liberate them of their situation or make things worse.

This book tells the story of a remarkable enslaved person-turned-formerly enslaved man, Jordan Bankston Noble, a Black drummer in nineteenth-century American armies. This volume uses Noble's life to explore the evolution of nineteenth-century Louisiana race relations. Noble’s life spanned 1800 to 1890, and his participation in four American wars—the War of 1812, Seminole War, Mexican-American War, and Civil War—places him among a very distinct group of participants. This book reveals how Noble brokered his wartime participation to secure recognition and admiration during this period in American history.

A rip-roaring swashbuckler about a forgotten 17th century English hero who, starting as a poor, piratical buccaneer, became a famed round the world explorer.

Bookshops & Bonedust meets Our Flag Means Death in this cozy fantasy on the low seas, where lesbian pirates find out if enemies actually can become lovers!This trade paperback release features vivid orange sprayed edges, a beautiful color illustration, and a never-before-seen bonus short story!Kianthe and Reyna are on the hunt for dragon eggs to save their hometown―but it requires making a deal with Diarn Arlon, lord of the legendary Nacean River. Simply capture the river pirate Serina, who’s been plaguing Arlon's supply chains, and bring her in for justice. Easy peasy.Begrudgingly, the couple joins forces with Bobbie, one of Arlon’s constables determined to capture the pirate. Except Bobbie and Serina have a more complicated history than anyone realized, and it might jeopardize everything.While Kianthe and Reyna watch this relation-shipwreck from afar, it quickly becomes apparent that these disaster lesbians need all the help they can get. Luckily, matchmaking is Reyna’s favorite pastime.The dragon eggs may have to wait.

Bookshops & Bonedust meets Our Flag Means Death in this cozy fantasy on the low seas. Here lesbian pirates find out if enemies actually can become lovers! Kianthe and Reyna are on the hunt for dragon eggs to save their hometown. But they must strike a deal with local lord Diarn Arlon to secure his aid. All they need to do is capture notorious river pirate Serina, who's been plaguing Arlon's supply chains, and bring her in for justice. Surely they can handle that? Begrudgingly, the couple joins forces with Bobbie, one of Arlon's constables. She is absolutely determined to capture the pirate. Except Bobbie and Serina have a far more complicated history than anyone realized - and it might jeopardize everything. Kianthe and Reyna watch this relationship-wreck from afar. And it quickly becomes apparent that the pair needs all the help they can get. Luckily, matchmaking is Reyna's favourite pastime. The dragon eggs may just have to wait.

The heart-warming sequel to Can't Spell Treason Without Tea, filled with cozy sapphic adventure, mild peril and plenty of tea - perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes.

For the first time, the complete history of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks—the landmark cult series that changed the course of television—is told through fascinatingly detailed reporting and exclusive interviews with the show's cast and creators. From its start, when studio executives drafted a plan to recoup costs after what they predicted would be the series' inevitable failure, to the 1992 prequel movie that earned scathing reviews at Cannes, to its unexpected and acclaimed return some twenty-five years later, Twin Peaks garnered millions of devoted fans who refused to let it die. In A Place Both Wonderful and Strange, entertainment reporter Scott Meslow takes readers behind the curtain of Lynch’s and Frost’s dedication to finishing what they started, with both the prequel film and Showtime’s Twin Peaks: The Return, offering dozens of original and revelatory interviews that cast a whole new light on the extraordinary show. Twin Peaks fans will discover how hard the mercurial Lynch and affable Frost fought impatient ABC execs (ultimately losing) to keep Laura Palmer’s murder unsolved, as well as the omerta-like secrecy around the filming of the show. For a series that left as many questions unanswered as answered, Meslow’s deep reporting will give readers a new perspective, detailing scenes left on the cutting–room floor and how Season Two’s finale stunned and infuriated studio execs in what Mark Frost calls “a defiant middle finger to what they [studio executives] thought the show should be.” The influence of Twin Peaks is inescapable. It’s hard to imagine prestige television like True Detective, Severance, and so many other shows in this genre could exist without Lynch and Frost’s visionary brilliance. With David Lynch's passing in 2025, there may never be another return to the quirky, mysterious, and unforgettable town of Twin Peaks, but A Place Both Wonderful and Strange serves as testament to the impact it had on the world.

From its start, when studio executives drafted a plan to recoup costs after what they predicted would be the series' inevitable failure, to the 1992 prequel movie that earned scathing reviews at Cannes, to its unexpected and acclaimed return some twenty-five years later, Twin Peaks garnered millions of devoted fans who refused to let it die. In A Place Both Wonderful and Strange, entertainment reporter Scott Meslow takes us behind the curtain of the series, and Lynch's and Frost's dedication to finishing what they had started with both the prequel film and Twin Peaks: The Return. The show raised as many questions as it answered and Meslow has conducted dozens of original and revelatory interviews that cast a whole new light on this extraordinary work. With David Lynch's passing in 2025, there may never be another return to the mysterious and unforgettable town of Twin Peaks, but A Place Both Wonderful and Strange brings readers thrillingly back into that inimitable world.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Scotland, 1766. Sentenced to a life of misery in the brutal coal mines, twenty-one-year-old Mack McAsh hungers for escape. His only ally: the beautiful, highborn Lizzie Hallim, who is trapped in her own kind of hell. Though separated by politics and position, these two restless young people are bound by their passionate search for a place called freedom. From the teeming streets of London to the infernal hold of a slave ship to a sprawling Virginia plantation, Ken Follett's turbulent, unforgettable novel of liberty and revolution brings together a vivid cast of heroes and villains, lovers and rebels, hypocrites and hell-raisers-all propelled by destiny toward an epic struggle that will change their lives forever.

A poetic journey to the place where monstrous women roam, and where distinctions between body, land, and language are lost.

A quirky, creepy and unforgettable adventure, that will appeal to fans of Tim Burton and Roald Dahl. Violet hates living in Perfect, and when her father disappears and her mum starts acting strangely, she must find a way to restore normality back to Perfect. Ages: 9+

From a New York Times bestselling historian, the “truly revelatory” (Wall Street Journal) story of how the alphabet ordered our worldA Place for Everything is the first-ever history of alphabetization, from the Library of Alexandria to Wikipedia. Once we’ve learned our ABCs as children, few of us ever think of them again, but alphabetical order plays a material role in our adult lives. From school registers to electoral rolls, from dictionaries and encyclopedias to library shelves, the alphabet has ordered our lives, often invisibly. Yet the birth of alphabetization was a constant struggle: Medieval clergy felt that its use would upend the divine order of creation; elite institutions like Harvard and Yale long ranked students by the social status of their parents, rather than ordering them from A to Z. But eventually alphabetical order triumphed.With wry humor, historian Judith Flanders offers a fascinating history of how the alphabet ordered our world.

Pitter-patter, splutter-splatter, drizzle turns to roar... DOWNPOUR! But where do all those raindrops go? Dirty stormwater runoff can cause big problems, polluting rivers, ponds and waterways. So this classroom plans and builds a rain garden, collecting excess water in barrels, creating paths for water-flow with stones and bricks and planting flowers and grasses that help the water percolate and invite wildlife to feed and pollinate. With Michelle Schaub's lively, engaging storytelling and Blanca Gómez's bright, beguiling illustrations, A Place for Rain provides an upbeat and actionable approach to an important environmental issue, and empowers readers with the tools to reduce pollution, diminish flooding and create a habitat for wildlife. Informational back-matter includes instructions and resources for readers to build their own rain garden.

Fatima Farheen Mirza was born in California in 1991 and raised there. Her parents are of Indian descent; her mother grew up in Birmingham, her father in Hyderabad. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was a Teaching-Writing Fellow. A PLACE FOR US is her first novel.

A teen girl and her family return to her mother's childhood home, only to discover that the house's strange beauty may disguise a sinister past, in this contemporary gothic horror from the author of What We Harvest.The house was supposed to be a fresh start. That's what Libby's mom said. And after Libby’s recent bipolar III diagnosis and the tragedy that preceded it, Libby knows she and her family need to find a new normal.But Libby’s new home turns out to be anything but normal. Scores of bugs haunt its winding halls, towering stained-glass windows feature strange, insectile designs, and the garden teems with impossibly blue roses. And then there are the rumors. The locals, including the mysterious boy next door, tell stories about disappearances tied to the house, stretching back over a century to its first owners. Owners who supposedly hosted legendary masked séances on its grounds.Libby’s mom refuses to hear anything that could derail their family’s perfect new beginning, but Libby knows better. The house is keeping secrets from her, and something tells her that the key to unlocking them lies in the eerie, bug-shaped masks hidden throughout the property.We all wear masks—to hide our imperfections, to make us stronger and braver. But if Libby keeps hers on for too long, she might just lose herself—and everyone she loves.

A riveting psychological thriller from the Number One bestselling Queen of crime fiction - Val McDermid.

Winner of the "Sunday Express" Book of the Year Award, this extraordinary, epic novel is set during the French Revolution. Reissue.

A captivating personal inquiry into the art of architecture, the craft of building, and the meaning of modern work "A room of one's own: Is there anybody who hasn't at one time or another wished for such a place, hasn't turned those soft words over until they'd assumed a habitable shape?" When Michael Pollan decided to plant a garden, the result was the acclaimed bestseller Second Nature. In A Place of My Own, he turns his sharp insight to the craft of building, as he recounts the process of designing and constructing a small one-room structure on his rural Connecticut property-a place in which he hoped to read, write, and daydream, built with his own two unhandy hands.Michael Pollan's unmatched ability to draw lines of connection between our everyday experiences--whether eating, gardening, or building--and the natural world has been the basis for the popular success of his many works of nonfiction, including the genre-defining bestsellers The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. With this updated edition of his earlier book A Place of My Own, readers can revisit the inspired, intelligent, and often hilarious story of Pollan's realization of a room of his own--a small, wooden hut, his "shelter for daydreams"--built with his admittedly unhandy hands. Inspired by both Thoreau and Mr. Blandings, A Place of My Own not only works to convey the history and meaning of all human building, it also marks the connections between our bodies, our minds, and the natural world.

A cultural history of queer women's lives in the second half of the twentieth century, told through six iconic spaces: lesbian bars, feminist bookstores, sports pitches, communes, sex toy stores and holiday destinationsFor as long as queer women have existed, they've created gathering grounds where they can be themselves. From the intimate darkness of the lesbian bar to the sweaty camaraderie of the softball field, these spaces aren't a luxury-they're a necessity for queer women defining their identities. Journalist June Thomas blends her own experiences with archival research and rare interviews with pioneering figures like Elaine Romagnoli, Susie Bright and Jacqueline Woodson. She richly illustrates the lives of the business owners, entrepreneurs, activists, and dreamers who shaped the long struggle for queer liberation. Thomas illuminates what is gained and lost in the shift from the exclusive, tight-knit women's spaces of the '70s toward today's more inclusive yet more diffuse LGBTQ+ communities.At once a love letter, a time capsule, and a bridge between generations of queer women, A Place of Our Own brings the history-and timeless present-of the lesbian community to vivid life.

Discover the original novels behind ITV's Midsomer Murders, featuring favourite characters Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby and Sergeant. Now includes a brand-new foreword by John Nettles, star of the ITV drama.

Combining the rich traditions of the past with the sensibilities of contemporary life, interior and garden designer James Farmer of Perry, Georgia, is unapologetically Southern. Tour eleven diverse homes in the deep South--makeovers, remodels, and new construction--as James Farmer brings together a cultivated mix of high and low, storied and new, collected and found; presenting them all as a thoughtfully exhibited array of taste, style, good architecture, and interior comfort. Woven alongside beautiful photography are personal stories James shares about living in the South, the people in his life, and how he fell in love with a career of making houses into homes. A beautiful book to inspire Southern style at home--infusing the new with antique, vintage, and heirloom pieces.

Our planet Earth is as individual and special as each one of us. It's ability to sustain and nurture life is unique in our solar system--and beyond. In this book, celebrate all the wonderful, miraculous, astounding qualities of our Earth while learning how to protect her for future generations. Afterall, "If not us, then who?"

"Authored by one of the most prominent game designers in the world, A Playful Production Process teaches people how to develop interactive media in a productive and healthy manner"--

The critically acclaimed author of the bestselling What I Loved reflects on life, love and literature

The first in a mystery series from the much-loved Irish actor, writer and comedian, for readers who enjoy the warmth of Graham Norton and the mystery of Death in Paradise, all wrapped up in one small Irish town.When beloved celebrity gardener Finn O'Leary returns to his hometown of Abbeyford in Ireland to care for his aging mother, he is naturally roped into the Tidy Towns committee.The Tidy Towns is a competition fanatically fought over by every town and village in the land. And for his best friend's sister, Aoife, it's a competition she's determined to win. With everyone's favourite gardener on board, she is sure that this year Abbeyford will take home the prize. But Finn's only been back a week when an alto-baritone at his mother's choir practice drops dead during a rendition of 'What the World Needs Now'. With more at stake than just winning Tidy Towns, Finn soon finds himself trying to solve a murder - or two. For one of his many qualities is that people tend to confide in him...With his mother, her Nigerian carer and Aoife in tow, Finn sets out to discover just who has brought murder to Abbeyford.And so it begins.

This volume, A Pluralist We in Religious Education: Old Narratives in New Contexts, is the result of a conference held at Nord University, Bodø, Norway, by a group of scholars (ENRECA) focusing on religious and value education, particularly religious plurality and diversity in Europe. The publication explores the complex issue of religious identity formation in the 21st century, addressing the intersectional nature of identity through different narratives. The contributions in this volume address issues of contextualisation by discussing how narratives of different kinds can be part of educational processes. Contexts in general are difficult to grasp and to deal with theoretically without examples. Even in research, where narratives and their different interpretations are central, there is often a need for exemplification in case studies. The use and study of narratives for specific pedagogical, political and ethical purposes are manifold, as this volume shows. The volume includes discussions on the educational challenges of a multi-religious Europe, interreligious dialogue, and perspectives from different religious traditions, including contributions from South African and Turkish/Muslim scholars.

This irresistible childhood classic is a delightful sequel to the original, well-loved tale Corduroy. This charming story takes readers into a multi-ethnic, urban neighborhood Laundromat, where Lisa's mother warns her to take everything out of her pockets before washing.Pockets! Corduroy doesn't have any pockets! The furry bear's search for a pocket of his own takes him on an adventure filled with the sights, sounds, smells and hazards of the Laundromat. As a result, Lisa and her beloved bear become separated as Corduroy ends up locked inside the Laundromat all night. And what do bears do all night in places like this? They ski in the soap flakes and nap in the baskets, of course!Fortunately, Lisa returns early the next morning to reclaim her tired little friend. Soon, Lisa is sewing Corduroy a pocket of his very own and again all is well in the life of Corduroy."This merry tale gets added interest from...the setting, a multi-ethnic urban neighborhood, of cuddly Corduroy and his pal Lisa, a black child, and her attractive mother." — Publishers Weekly.

With only one bizarre clue to the agonizing death of a wealthy financiar, Miss Marple must unravel a mystery hidden in a child's nursery rhyme that is to prove one of the strangeset cases of her life.

Dr Martens, the beloved British boot with its unmistakeable AirWair soles, is a symbol of subcultural style throughout the world, from punk to grunge, glam to goth...

You don't need to travel to experience the joy of bird-watching: just take a look at the pigeons in your nearby park! With this fun, quirky, and scientifically correct field guide to the most common bird in most cities, you'll learn to see pigeons and doves (they're the same thing) with a bird-watcher's expertise, understanding their fascinating behavior and appreciating nature right outside your window.

"Sharks are some of the most misunderstood animals on the planet. We still have a lot to learn about these fascinating creatures, which are more seriously threatened with extinction and in greater need of conservation and management than any other major group of vertebrates. A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World is the only field guide to identify, illustrate, and describe every known shark species. Its compact format makes it handy for many situations, including recognizing living species, fishery catches, or parts sold at markets. This expanded second edition presents lavish images, details on newly discovered species, and updated text throughout. The book contains useful sections on identifying shark teeth and the shark fins most commonly encountered in the fin trade, and takes a look at shark biology, ecology, and conservation. A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World will be an essential resource and definitive reference for years to come." --Back cover.

Vans, the number 1 skater and surfer shoe first created in California in 1966, now has a 7% brand share in sneakers worldwide.

A pocket explainer of the causes and consequences of The Great Irish Famine. Illustrated in full color.

A Pocket Mirror for Heroes is a mirror because it reflects "the person you are or the one you ought to be." It is a pocket mirror because its author took the time to be brief. And it is a mirror for heroes because it provides a vivid image of ethical and moral perfection to which all can aspire. The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracian was all but forgotten for three hundred years, until its republication in 1992 turned this lost classic into a New York Times bestseller. Now Gracian, the Spanish Jesuit considered Machiavelli's better in strategy and insight, sets a new standard on the art of living and the practice of achieving. That new standard is the art of heroism--how to be "the consummate person, ripe and perfect: accurate in judgment, mature in taste, attentive in listening, wise in sayings, shrewd in deeds, the center of all perfection." Gracian teaches the reader to be "a giant"--"the greatest person possible, a miracle of perfection, a king." Wit, wisdom, courage, elegance, grace, humility, spontaneity--these are the qualities needed to reach heroism in any occupation. But it is not enough to be wise or graceful: one must learn as well how to manage that talent, how to distinguish a quality fiom its shadow. A Pocket Mirror for Heroes provides "a politics for governing oneself, a compass for sailing toward excellence, an art for reaching distinction with just a few rules of discretion," and it will be wise and witty company for anyone who recognizes--and relishes--the challenges of daily life.