The City of Blood

When a major Parisian modern art event gets unexpected attention on live TV, Chief of Police Nico Sirsky and his team of elite crime fighters rush to La Villette park and museum complex. There, renowned artist Samuel Cassian is inaugurating the first archeological dig of modern art, twenty-seven years after burying the leftovers of a banquet. In front of reporters from around the world, excavators uncover a skeleton. Could it be the artist’s own son? And does that death have anything to do with the current string of nightclub murders by the “Paris Butcher”? On the site of the French capital's former slaughterhouses, the investigation takes Nico and France's top criminal investigation division from artists' studios to autopsy theaters and nightclubs in hopes of tracking down the murderer who has turned this Paris park into a city of blood.

A Parent's Guide To High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

Packed with real-life stories and everyday problem-solving ideas, this book has given many tens of thousands of parents the facts they need about high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including Asperger syndrome. The authors are leading experts who describe ways to work with these kids' unique impairments and capabilities so they can grow into happy, self-sufficient adults. Parents learn practical strategies for helping their son or daughter relate more comfortably to peers, learn the rules of appropriate behavior, and succeed in school. The book also discusses what scientists currently know about ASD and how it is diagnosed, as well as what treatments and educational supports have been shown to work. Updated with the latest research, resources, and clinical strategies, the second edition clearly explains the diagnostic changes in DSM-5.

1,411 QI Facts To Knock You Sideways

1,227 QI Facts blew your socks off. 1,339 QI Facts made your jaw drop. Now the QI team return with this year's groaning sack of astonishment. Prepare to be knocked sideways by the third (and biggest!) book in the series.

Orchids can get jetlag. 
Lizards can't walk and breathe at the same time. 
There are 177,147 ways to tie a tie. Ladybird orgasms last for 30 minutes. 
Traffic lights existed before cars. 
Sir Bruce Forsyth is four months older than sliced bread. 
The soil in your garden is 2 million years old. 

The Urban Plays of the Early Abbey Theatre

Ireland’s Abbey Theatre opened in 1904. Under the guidance of W. B. Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory, it became instrumental to the success of many of the leading Irish playwrights and actors of the early twentieth century. 

Conventional wisdom holds that the playwright Sean O’Casey was the first to offer a new vision of Irish authenticity in the people and struggles of inner-city Dublin in his groundbreaking trilogy The Shadow of a Gunman, The Plough and the Stars, and Juno and the Paycock. Challenging this view, Mannion argues that there was an established tradition of urban plays within the Abbey repertoire that has long been overlooked by critics. She seeks to restore attention to a lesser-known corpus of Irish urban plays, specifically those that appeared at the Abbey Theatre from the theatre’s founding until 1951, when the original theatre was destroyed by fire. Mannion illustrates distinct patterns within this Abbey urban genre and considers in particular themes of poverty, gender, and class. She provides historical context for the plays and considers the figures who helped shape the Abbey and this urban subset of plays. With detailed analysis of box office records and extensive appendixes of cast members and production schedules, this book offers a rich source of archival material as well as a fascinating revision to the story of this celebrated institution.

Hacker,hoaxer,whistleblower , Spy {15.09.2014}

Here is the definitive book on the worldwide movement of hackers, pranksters, and activists that operates under the name Anonymous, by the woman the Chronicle of Higher Educationcalls “the leading interpreter of digital insurgency” and theHuffington Post says “knows all of Anonymous’ deepest, darkest secrets.” Half a dozen years ago, anthropologist Gabriella Coleman set out to study the rise of this global collective just as some of its adherents were turning to political protest and disruption (before Anonymous shot to fame as a key player in the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street). She ended up becoming so closely connected to Anonymous that some Anons claimed her as “their scholar.” Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy brims with detail from inside a mysterious subculture, including chats with imprisoned hacker Jeremy Hammond and the hacker who helped put him away, Hector “Sabu” Monsegur. It’s a beautifully written book, with fascinating insights into the meaning of digital activism and little understood facets of culture in the Internet age, such as the histories of “trolling” and “the lulz.”

Light for the artist

Light for the Artist by Ted Seth Jacobs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Clear , concise and informative .
Easy to read .

View all my rev

Lightbulb Moments

“Have you ever had one of those experiences when the light bulb just went off? You thought to yourself, ‘Now, I get it! That was the lesson I was supposed to learn in all of this!’” Light Bulb Moments is a collection of 75 lessons learned through everyday life. In each chapter, author, life purpose coach, and speaker Talayah Stovall shares personal stories and anecdotes to help guide us through life’s ups and downs. Discovering your purpose and passion; developing persistence, hope, patience, faith, and forgiveness; setting clear and actionable goals for the future; and understanding the value of friendship and love are among the many treasures found in this wise little book. Key messages include: Your passion can become your livelihood Successful people often fail their way to success Whatever you don’t control, controls you Distinguish between your goals and your wishes or dreams Lighthearted, warm, and compassionate, Light Bulb Moments will inspire you to pursue your greatness and create a vision for your life as you want it to be. “Everyone wants more love, light, joy, and energy in their lives. Occasionally, all we need is to drink deeply of someone else’s story to reignite ours. Here is just such a book.” —Mark Victor Hansen, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series

Aspergers Syndorme and Long-Term Relationships

Ashley Stanford is married to a man with Asperger Syndrome, and her book provides the answers to many of the questions asked by the increasing number of people in that situation. She explains how behaviours that may have appeared odd - or even downright irritating - are the manifestation of AS, and shows how understanding can lead to greater tolerance, or to change. Stanford provides a wealth of strategies for living successfully with the more uncompromising aspects of AS, pointing out that AS also brings enormous strengths to a relationship, and emphasizing the value of understanding. Including many quotes from people in long-term AS relationships, the book describes many positive solutions that have worked for other couples.

Murder in the Arts District

When neither the cops nor their insurance company believes a wealthy gay couple’s valuable art collection was stolen, they hire Chanse MacLeod to track down the thieves and the missing art. Chanse isn’t entirely sure he believes the couple, either—especially when it turns out some of the art may have been forgeries. The trail of the art leads him to a new gallery on Julia Street in the Arts District opened by a couple new to town that seem to have no past. When one of them turns up dead and the other vanishes, it’s now up to Chanse to find not only the missing art, but a ruthless murderer who will kill anyone who gets in the way.

The Returning Tide {02.09.2014}

We all build our lives on some form of deception known only to ourselves; it is how we survive and our secrets are rarely exposed.

Claire Bentley, a wealthy and successful business woman has concealed her secrets for thirty years. Now, recently widowed, she is persuaded, against her better judgement, to join her daughter, Krystina, on a holiday in Cornwall. Soon, unforeseen events bring back the memories and terror of her last holiday in Cornwall and she is forced to confront her past.

Again, Claire flees from 'that cursed land full of promise and desolation'. Once home, she feels compelled to write her story, while clinging to the hope that no one will ever need to read it.

Why has she hidden the truth for thirty years? And how much does Krystina know about her mother?

Your Genius Mind {01.09.2014}

Don’t let the subtitle fool you. Your Genius Mind is a passionate and unapologetic statement about the importance of a quality four-year degree. But in this frank, insightful and often humorous account, author K. Candis Best makes clear that a degree will be worthless to anyone who graduates without college level thinking skills. This is a must-read for anyone who is about to start college for the first time, considering a return to college to complete a degree or needs to be convinced about the true value of a college education. Your Genius Mind is the map that every aspiring college graduate needs to chart a path to success through school and through life.