A detailed look into the creation of one of the most beloved movies of all time: the Princess Bride. Cary Elwes draws together interviews with other cast members as well as the crew to supplement his own humorous recollections of filming. Check out the audio book too- primarily narrated by Elwes, with interviews from Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn and many others.
Hogswatch on the Disc isn't so very different from Christmas on Earth. There's a feast, festive cards, and more decorations than you can shake a candy cane at. Little children write letters to a jolly fat man in the hopes that he'll bring gifts. But things have gone awry for Old Saint Whosit. The Hogfather is missing, and belief across the whole Disc is faltering.
Death sees plenty of loss and suffering but he's still rocked to his core the first time he loses someone he loves. He hangs up the cloak and scythe to work out this grieving business, leaving it on his thoroughly unprepared granddaughter Susan to pick up where he'd left off. He's picked a terrible time for his existential crisis too; there's a new power gaining momentum in Ankh-Morpork which refuses to be killed and that's throwing the entire world badly out of balance.
Even Death deserves a day off now and again. At least, that's the idea he has when he gets his apprentice. He's spent quite a bit of time around humans over the millenia and now he wants to go on holiday. Well and good except Mort doesn't know what he's doing, Death doesn't know how to teach him and the dead are starting to get testy over the mix-ups
Truth is stranger than fiction and family lore is stranger than either of those. Stapinski chronicles the rise of the New Jersey mob and its stranglehold on the local government through her own family's part in it. She's deadpan and unashamed to share fond memories of the numbers runners, swindlers and bookies that she grew up with.
Highly regarded in her lifetime and all but forgotten since, Frances Glessner Lee was a pioneer of forensic science. Goldfarb takes us through the history of murder investigations, and the many limitations of the process before Lee’s advancements. This book is both an examination of a fascinating woman and the evolution of murder investigations.
A choose-your-own-adventure that confronts the many absurdities of Shakespeare’s most famous rom-com/murder-fest. Richly illustrated by a host of talented artists, you can finally learn what would have happened if Juliet hadn’t trusted the oddly poison-happy friar and taken matters into her own hands. Or if Benvolio had used an ounce of chill instead of starting fights at every opportunity. More than a hundred possible endings and at least twice as many laughs.
Nobody Owens is cared for by the community of spirits behind the gates of a cemetery in London. He's happy for the most part but there's the push-pull of the human world: the ghosts want to protect him, but as a human, Nobody needs to be able to move through the world outside the cemetery. Another dinghy but oddly welcoming story from Gaiman.
This book is 1984 meets Douglas Adams, with enough satire to keep you laughing as you read, even as you eye your electronic devices suspiciously. Follows a scrap metal collector that refuses to scrap any of the neurotic AI’s that come his way, an android running for president, and a family struggling to follow the usual rhythms of life in a world where everything- even maintaining relationships- can be left to machines.
Maddie’s plan is simple: ditch her summer internship and help her uncle with his inn. Way up in the mountains where cell coverage is spotty and no one has an interest in the outside world, people don’t see Maddie as the kid whose mom is on death row. She’s the well-respected heir to Havenfall, diplomat to the worlds connected to Earth. Okay, so there’s nothing simple about it, especially after her uncle is injured by a monster that slipped in through the portal. But Maddie’s still determined to make it work- cover for her uncle, keep the monsters that slip through the portals from hurting anyone and just maybe work things out with her crush.
For all that Sonnenfeld claims to be the most neurotic man alive, this memoir is unflinching. Sonnenfeld speaks with wry humor of his foibles and near death experiences- real and imagined- as well as the strange events that led to him being a successful director and cinematographer.
Return to the world of Ella Enchanted in this incredible retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Aza has the most beautiful singing voice in the entire kingdom, but she struggles with accepting her appearance. An unexpected friendship with the new queen of the propels her from the safety of her family’s inn to the alluring but dangerous court. Will she learn to speak for herself when she finds out that even allies want to use her voice for their own ends?
A great introduction to getting the most out of your sourdough starter. Clear instructions on keeping your starter healthy and setting up a regular baking schedule, as well as simple but delicious recipes requiring only a few ingredients!
Told with a distinct and amusing voice, this physicist, teacher and incorrigible prankster explains the unusual path he took through life. He worked at Los Alamos during World War II, and bounced around between academic institutions, always with an eye out for interesting phenoms and good stories. It became both a punch line and a get-out-of-jail-free card: no one ever took his stories seriously. A very enjoyable read.
So your time machine has broken down! You won't be returning to your own time because you don't have the materials to do so, but that's alright! The past has a lot of interesting stuff going on! And with this handy manual, you'll be able to make the most of things, with clear, easy steps on (re)developing technologies that'll improve your life and make the people of that time think you're pretty smart too. The world is what you make of it -Lawrence Kasdan (or You, if you take credit for it)
A beautiful and original fairytale, full of atmosphere and colorful characters. Maria isn't sure what to expect when she's placed in the care of her mysterious uncle at the enchanting Moonacre Manor. She finds a centuries old family feud, a dark lion, pale horse, and a house full of secrets.
Great for fans of the Chronicles of Narnia.
Possibly my favorite narrator ever, the dear, bumbling Bertie Wooster recounts his misadventures with equally bumbling friends, aunts determined to see him married, and his butler- the only person with a brain among them. If you need something light, step into a London in the 1920's where the biggest problem the protagonist has is a nosy family.
(the Wooster stories have been published in a lot of different sets, and I've read most of them in an omnibus that's waaaaaay out of print. I went through ipage and this one has a good selection)
The mundane task of fetching milk can be an adventure, if you use a little imagination. Lovely, unique illustrations from Skottie Young bring this Seussian story to life and make it a very fun read.
Gaiman's greatest strength is in creating atmosphere, and with Stardust, he creates a rich and compelling one, rife with the off-kilter darkness and cold light of classic fairytales. Tristran Thorn and Yvaine the fallen star quest through a distinctive world of skyfaring pirates, powerful witches, and princes at war with each other to reach their respective homes.
Maguire takes the wonderful world of Oz and fleshes it out, utterly changing the landscape and the reader's view of it in the process. Who was the Witch of the West before she was given that title? What were any of the witches like when they were younger? No one starts out wanting to be a villain, and sometimes, people are not what their rivals say they are.
A heartwarming story, great for fans of The Secret Garden and other such classics. Heidi brings cheer back into the life of her grumpy, hermitic grandfather high in the Alps, all while discovering joy of her own in the world around her. Pastoral and cozy, this is a story that will make you feel at home.
Holly Black's already wonderful writing is given definition by Tony Diterlizzi's evocative illustrations. The human world is not quite in harmony with this pocket of faeries clinging to the edge of reality. The Spiderwick children will have to both protect and combat the denizens of this world using the notes and stories left behind by their grandfather.
A fascinating introduction to urban fantasy that integrates magic and lore as elements as real and closely studied as any science into modern day London. A brilliant but overly-ambitious apprentice binds the clever and less-than-amused demon Bartimaeus to him. This pesky young magician is only the half of it, as his orders conincidentally set Bartimaeus up against old friends and rival demons.
