Jack is not happy when his family move to the dull suburban town of Curtly Ambrose. But everything changes when Jack finds a feather inside a book. Things go from dull to magic in 60 seconds. Because this is no ordinary feather - this is a magic feather!

The inimitable Garrison Keillor spins "a Christmas tale that makes Dickens seem unimaginative by comparison" (Charlotte Creative Loafing) Snow is falling all across the Midwest as James Sparrow, a country- bumpkin-turned-energy-drink-tycoon, and his wife awaken in their sky- rise apartment overlooking Chicago. Even down with the stomach bug, Mrs. Sparrow yearns to see The Nutcracker while James yearns only to escape-the faux-cheer, the bitter cold, the whole Christmas season. An urgent phone call from his hometown of Looseleaf, North Dakota, sends James into the midst of his lunatic relatives and a historic blizzard. As he hunkers weather the storm, the electricity goes out and James is visited by a parade of figures who deliver him an epiphany worthy of the season, just in time to receive Mrs. Sparrow's wonderful Christmas gift. Garrison Keillor's holiday farce is the perfect gift for the millions of fans who tune into A Prairie Home Companion every week.

A panoramic novel set in New York City during the catastrophic blizzard of February 1978 On the night of February 6, 1978, an overwhelming nor'easter struck the city of New York. On that night, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in a penthouse apartment of the stately Apelles, a crowd gathered for a grand party. And on that night Mr. Albert Haynes Caldwell—a partner emeritus at Swank, Brady & Plescher; Harvard class of '26; father of three; widower; atheist; and fiscal conservative—hatched a plan to fake a medical emergency and toss himself into the Hudson River, where he would drown. Jack Livings's The Blizzard Party is the story of that night.

Meet fourteen-year-old Gary. A self-described "tree-toad,"a sly and endearing geek, Gary has many unwieldy passions, chief among them his cousin Kate, his Underwood typewriter and the soft-porn masterpiece, High School Orgies. The folks of Lake Wobegon don't have much patience for a kid's ungodly obsessions, and so Gary manages to filter the hormonal earthquake that is puberty and his hopeless devotion to glamorous, rebellious Kate through his fantastic yarns. With every marvellous story he moves a few steps closer to becoming a writer. And when Kate gets herself into trouble with the local baseball star, Gary also experiences the first pangs of a broken heart. With his trademark gift for treading "a line delicate as a cobweb between satire and sentiment"(Cleveland Plain Dealer), Garrison Keillor brilliantly captures a newly minted post-war America and delivers an unforgettable comedy about a writer coming of age in the rural Midwest.

With the warmth and humor we've come to know, the creator and host of A Prairie Home Companion shares his own remarkable story. In That Time of Year, Garrison Keillor looks back on his life and recounts how a Brethren boy with writerly ambitions grew up in a small town on the Mississippi in the 1950s and, seeing three good friends die young, turned to comedy and radio. Through a series of unreasonable lucky breaks, he founded A Prairie Home Companion and put himself in line for a good life, including mistakes, regrets, and a few medical adventures. PHC lasted forty-two years, 1,557 shows, and enjoyed the freedom to do as it pleased for three or four million listeners every Saturday at 5 p.m. Central. He got to sing with Emmylou Harris and Renée Fleming and once sang two songs to the U.S. Supreme Court. He played a private eye and a cowboy, gave the news from his hometown, Lake Wobegon, and met Somali cabdrivers who’d learned English from listening to the show. He wrote bestselling novels, won a Grammy and a National Humanities Medal, and made a movie with Robert Altman with an alarming amount of improvisation. He says, “I was unemployable and managed to invent work for myself that I loved all my life, and on top of that I married well. That’s the secret, work and love. And I chose the right ancestors, impoverished Scots and Yorkshire farmers, good workers. I’m heading for eighty, and I still get up to write before dawn every day.”

" ... Concise explanations and descriptions - easily read and readily understood - of what we know of the chain of events and processes that connect the Sun to the Earth, with special emphasis on space weather and Sun-Climate."--Dear Reader.

From the bestselling author of Blood, Sweat, and Pixels comes the next definitive, behind-the-scenes account of the video game industry: how some of the past decade's most renowned studios fell apart—and the stories, both triumphant and tragic, of what happened next. Jason Schreier's groundbreaking reporting has earned him a place among the preeminent investigative journalists covering the world of video games. In his eagerly anticipated, deeply researched new book, Schreier trains his investigative eye on the volatility of the video game industry and the resilience of the people who work in it. The business of videogames is both a prestige industry and an opaque one. Based on dozens of first-hand interviews that cover the development of landmark games—Bioshock Infinite, Epic Mickey, Dead Space, and more—on to the shocking closures of the studios that made them, Press Reset tells the stories of how real people are affected by game studio shutdowns, and how they recover, move on, or escape the industry entirely. Schreier's insider interviews cover hostile takeovers, abusive bosses, corporate drama, bounced checks, and that one time the Boston Red Sox's Curt Schilling decided he was going to lead a game studio that would take out World of Warcraft. Along the way, he asks pressing questions about why, when the video game industry is more successful than ever, it's become so hard to make a stable living making video games—and whether the business of making games can change before it's too late.

"When you respect nature, nature respects you back." Become the master of any environment with "The Outdoor Survival Guide: Thriving in Any Environment." This comprehensive handbook equips you with the vital skills and knowledge required to navigate and thrive in the wild. The book covers everything from understanding survival priorities, finding and purifying water, building and starting a fire, to creating a shelter with limited resources. Learn how to read the nature’s signs and find direction using a map and compass. Develop your hunting, trapping, and fishing skills for sustenance, and educate yourself about edible and poisonous plants. The book also provides essential first aid techniques and guidelines to handle common outdoor injuries. Moreover, you'll find information on assembling an essential survival kit, along with choosing the right gear for varying environments. Whether you are stuck in a desert, navigating a mountain, or lost in a forest, "The Outdoor Survival Guide" will provide you with practical tips to survive and thrive. Learn how to prepare and respond to extreme weather conditions, from scorching heatwaves to freezing snowstorms. Stay safe during animal encounters and learn to identify dangerous species, prevent encounters, and protect yourself if the situation arises. Moreover, this book provides guidance on preparing for and responding to various natural disasters. In conclusion, "The Outdoor Survival Guide: Thriving in Any Environment" is an essential resource for outdoor enthusiasts, adventurers, or anyone interested in improving their survival skills. It not only educates but also encourages you to learn, practice, and master these life-saving skills. Remember, nature doesn’t challenge you; it only sets the stage where you challenge yourself. So, get your copy today, and embark on the journey of becoming a true survivalist!Table of contents: Introduction Why it's important to know survival skills Basic principles of outdoor survival Understanding Survival Priorities The survival rule of three Prioritizing needs in a survival situation The psychology of survival Finding and Purifying Water Identifying water sources Techniques for purifying water Water storage and transportation Building and Starting a Fire Finding materials for a fire Different types of fires for different environments Lighting a fire without matches or a lighter Finding and Building Shelter Identifying natural shelter options Building a shelter with natural materials Creating a shelter with limited resources Navigating and Signaling for Help Using a map and compass Finding direction without a compass Signaling for rescue Hunting, Trapping, and Fishing for Food Techniques for hunting small game Building traps for small game Fishing for food Foraging for Wild Edibles Identifying edible plants and berries Avoiding poisonous plants Preparing and cooking wild edibles First Aid and Medical Emergencies Basic first aid techniques Recognizing and treating common outdoor injuries Dealing with medical emergencies in the wilderness Survival Kits and Gear Essential survival items to carry Building a basic survival kit Choosing the right gear for different environments Survival Tips for Different Environments Survival tips for desert environments Survival tips for mountain environments Survival tips for forest environments Surviving Extreme Weather Conditions Preparing for extreme heat Preparing for extreme cold Preparing for severe storms Surviving Animal Encounters Identifying dangerous animals Avoiding animal encounters Defending yourself against animal attacks Surviving Natural Disasters Preparing for earthquakes Preparing for hurricanes Preparing for tornadoes Conclusion Recap of key takeaways Encouragement to learn and practice survival skillsISBN: 9781776848065