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The Wind in the Willows
Kenneth Grahame
From Wikipedia:
The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets into trouble. It also details short stories about them that are disconnected from the main narrative. The novel was based on bedtime stories Grahame told his son Alastair. It has been adapted numerous times for both stage and screen.
The Wind in the Willows received negative reviews upon its initial release, but it has since become a classic of British literature. It was listed at No. 16 in the BBC's survey The Big Read and has been adapted multiple times in different media.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Doyle
From Wikipedia:
The Return of Sherlock Holmes is a 1905 collection of 13 Sherlock Holmes stories, originally published in 1903–1904, by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The stories were published in the Strand Magazine in Britain and Collier's in the United States.
The Jungle Book
Rudyard Kipling
From Wikipedia:
The Jungle Book (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who is raised in the jungle by wolves. The stories are set in a forest in India; one place mentioned repeatedly is "Seeonee" (Seoni), in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.
A major theme in the book is abandonment followed by fostering, as in the life of Mowgli, echoing Kipling's own childhood. The theme is echoed in the triumph of protagonists including Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and The White Seal over their enemies, as well as Mowgli's. Another important theme is of law and freedom; the stories are not about animal behaviour, still less about the Darwinian struggle for survival, but about human archetypes in animal form. They teach respect for authority, obedience, and knowing one's place in society with "the law of the jungle", but the stories also illustrate the freedom to move between different worlds, such as when Mowgli moves between the jungle and the village. Critics have also noted the essential wildness and lawless energies in the stories, reflecting the irresponsible side of human nature.
The Jungle Book has remained popular, partly through its many adaptations for film and other media. Critics such as Swati Singh have noted that even critics wary of Kipling for his supposed imperialism have admired the power of his storytelling.The book has been influential in the scout movement, whose founder, Robert Baden-Powell, was a friend of Kipling. Percy Grainger composed his Jungle Book Cycle around quotations from the book.
Future Rising
Andrew Maynard
Human beings can―and do―change the future. Humanity has gained the ability not only to imagine the future, but to design and engineer it. At times entertaining, and at others profound, Future Rising provides an original perspective on our relationship with the future.
We have a responsibility to change the future for the better. As a species, we have become talented architects of our future. And yet, we so often struggle to come to terms with what this means. As innovation and rapidly shifting norms and expectations drive our world at breakneck speed, we sometimes need to find a still, quiet place to pause and think. Future Rising sets out to create such a quiet place, where we can take advantage of our species' knowledge of world history, and the importance of science to piece together a positive future.
To create a good future, rediscover the past. Our relationship with the future is inextricably intertwined with where we've come from, who we are, and what we aspire to. Written to be easy to pick up and hard to put down, Future Rising starts at the beginning of all things with the Big Bang and traces a pathway along the emergence of intelligent life, through what makes humans uniquely capable of imagining and creating different futures.
If you enjoy nonfiction science and history books like Life 3.0, The Future of Humanity, or Superintelligence, then you'll love Future Rising. In a series of sixty short reflections, Future Rising will take you on a journey into:
- What "the future" actually is
- How it molds and guides our lives
- How we can use the history of the world to change our future
Beer School
Brad Evans, Jonny Garrett
Embark on a craft beer journey—from the science and art of brewing to glassware, storing, and tasting—from the men behind The Craft Beer Channel.
Beer has come a long way in the 6,000 years since the first taste. The legends of the craft beer industry have made sure everyone's within reach of the perfect pint. But how do you get the right brew for you? And can you learn to make a beer that will add to the lager legacy?
Welcome to Beer School, brought to you by the heroes of YouTube sensation The Craft Beer Channel, a guide to everything you need to know about the wide and wonderful beers of the world. In Beer School, Jonny and Brad explain the intricacies of the finest artisan craft brews including: ales, lagers, porters, stouts, IPSs, and bitters.
The lads have the inside scoop on everything from hop varieties and barrel aging, to serving temperatures and glassware. Beer School helps you learn how to make beer and how to get the most out of every sip. You will learn about: grain, mash, water, hops, boil, yeast,
Any Last Words?
Joseph Hayden
A lighthearted look at the stories behind legendary last words—from heartwarming tales of final moments to hilarious last laughs.
Last words are never easy—since, let’s face it, they’re mostly spoken by people in the worst health of their lives. But even if they aren’t eloquent, they can offer a glimpse into the speaker’s true self. Some are clever, others are loving, heartbreaking, or occasionally shocking. In Any Last Words?, Joseph Hayden explores the last words of more than two hundred actors, athletes, writers, musicians, politicians, intellectuals, criminals, and more.
What was the last thing Bogart said to Bacall? What did Marie Antoinette say to her executioner? What were the final thoughts of great thinkers like Charles Darwin and Marie Curie? Or baseball legends like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle? Joseph Hayden reveals all these stories and much more in a book that you’ll wish would never end.
Grimm's Fairy Tales
The Brothers Grimm
Grimms' Fairy Tales, also known as Kinder- und Hausmärchen, is a collection of fairy tales by the German siblings Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The first edition of the book was published in 1812, and contained 86 stories. The brothers eventually ended the series having published seven editions totaling 200 fairy tales.
It would be difficult to understate the significance of the stories found within: many of them are familiar to households the world over, including Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Hansel and Gretel. Those, and many more, have directly inspired or been adapted into a number of works of popular culture, including TV shows and movies.
The Grimms' stories are notable for their focus on magic and the supernatural, as well as their dark and sometimes gruesome themes. Nevertheless, the stories remain timeless classics that continue to captivate readers of all ages.
The Jungle
Upton Sinclair
Though Upton Sinclair worked as both a novelist and a journalist (his contemporaries accused him of muckraking), The Jungle is a bit of both, and is arguably his most famous work.
Following the fictional story of Lithuanian immigrants, The Jungle delves into the real world of the Chicago meatpacking industry, and describes—in obscene detail—its unsanitary and inhumane working conditions. It offers to the reader a stark contrast between the corrupt capitalists and the weary workers who make possible the massive fortunes of their employers. Additionally, it all but highlights the link between a corrupt government that operates at the behest of the rich and powerful.
Sinclair's socialist motivations in writing The Jungle were no secret, but the real impact of his work was realized in the social upheaval against the mistreatment of laborers. Reform and regulation swept the country, and inspired other global entities to examine their own practices. The Jungle shocked and inspired the world, and paved the way for a thousand manifestos for working class citizens.
The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway
From Wikipedia:
The Sun Also Rises the first novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway. It portrays American and British expatriates who travel along the Camino de Santiago from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona and watch the running of the bulls and the bullfights. An early modernist novel, it received mixed reviews upon publication. Hemingway biographer Jeffrey Meyers writes that it is now "recognized as Hemingway's greatest work" and Hemingway scholar Linda Wagner-Martin calls it his most important novel. The novel was published in the United States in October 1926 by Scribner's. A year later, Jonathan Cape published the novel in London under the title Fiesta. It remains in print.
The novel is a roman à clef: the characters are based on people in Hemingway's circle and the action is based on events, particularly Hemingway's life in Paris in the 1920s and a trip to Spain in 1925 for the Pamplona festival and fishing in the Pyrenees. Hemingway converted to Catholicism as he wrote the novel, and Jeffrey Herlihy-Mera notes that protagonist Jake Barnes, a Catholic, was "a vehicle for Hemingway to rehearse his own conversion, testing the emotions that would accompany one of the most important acts of his life." Hemingway presents his notion that the "Lost Generation"—considered to have been decadent, dissolute and irretrievably damaged by World War I—was in fact resilient and strong. Hemingway investigates the themes of love and death, the revivifying power of nature and the concept of masculinity. His spare writing style, combined with his restrained use of description to convey characterizations and action, demonstrates his "Iceberg Theory" of writing.
The Mistresses of Henry VIII
Kelly Hart
Seventeen-year-old Henry VIII was ‘a youngling, he cares for nothing but girls and hunting.’ Over the years, this didn’t change much. Henry was considered a demi-god by his subjects, so each woman he chose was someone who had managed to stand out in a crowd of stunning ladies. Looking good was not enough (indeed, many of Henry’s lovers were considered unattractive); she had to have something extra special to keep the king’s interest. And Henry’s women were every bit as intriguing as the man himself. In this book, Henry’s mistresses are rescued from obscurity. The sixteenth century was a time of profound changes in religion and society across Europe – and some of Henry’s lovers were at the forefront of influencing these events. Kelly Hart gives an excellent insight into the love life of our most popular king, and the twelve women who knew the man behind the mask.
Enchanted
Dani Hoots
Chrys has been captured by Prometheus and Huntley and the others are searching all around the world for where he could have taken her. The clock is ticking, however, as Zeus is also searching for her, so that he may put an end to her life. Will they be able to find her before Zeus does? Or will this turn into an all-out battle until the end?
This is the conclusion of the Daughter of Hades series.
Entangled
Dani Hoots
Two weeks remain until Chrys, the daughter of Hades, is forced to marry Zeus.
Huntley knows time is running out to save Chrys from the marriage, and everything is riding on the mysterious box Hades has given Prometheus. Now all they have to do is sneak into Olympus, find Chrys, and convince Zeus she is already married to Prometheus. Easy as that.
The problem is, Chrys has no knowledge of the plan. She feels all alone in a new world, surrounded by gods who are selfish and out to get her. Will she be able to last long enough for Huntley and the others to find her? Or will she take matters into her own hands?