A funny and heartwarming middle grade novel about a girl who writes letters to her favorite astronaut as America prepares for the moon landing.

A biography of the astronaut, Michael Collins, who circled the moon in the Apollo 12 space capsule while his colleagues Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module and walked on the moon.

What does a doctor do when he thinks his best is not good enough? Matthew Barrett, thirty-one years old and fresh out of residency, is drafted and sent to Vietnam as a combat surgeon in 1967 at the heightof the Vietnam War. Compassionate and sensitive to a fault, he is determined to make a difference but quickly finds his idealism crushed by the pain, suffering, and indifference that surround him. Shamed by his inexperience and tormented by his failures, he slowly unravels. Only the love of Therese Hopkins, a nurse, keeps him from falling apart. But will their love survive the grinding horror of war? Matthew’s journey of redemption takes him from combat surgeon in Vietnam to transplant doctor in Ohio and, finally, to physician in a relief camp in Biafra, exploring how the caring and compassion that draws young people to pursue the healing arts can also sow the seeds of their own destruction, and how love may be the only thing that can finally make all bleeding stop.

“An orthopedic surgeon’s down-to-earth, fast-paced, and frequently funny memoir of his residency [told] with a born storyteller’s skill.” —Kirkus Reviews Michael Collins’ account of his four-year surgical residency at the famed Mayo Clinic traces his rise from an eager but clueless first-year resident navigating chaos and feelings of inadequacy to accomplished Chief Resident in his final year. With unparalleled humor, he recounts the disparity between people’s perceptions of a doctor’s glamorous life and the real thing: a succession of rundown cars towed to the junk yard, long weekends moonlighting at rural hospitals, a family that grows larger every year, and a laughable income. Collins’ good nature helps him over some of the rough spots—but cannot spare him the harsh realities and heart-wrenching decisions of a doctor’s life. A teenager’s leg is mangled by a tractor: risk the boy’s life to save his leg, or amputate immediately? A woman diagnosed with bone cancer injures her hip: should he recommend a painful operation even though she has only months to live? Unflinching and deeply engaging, Hot Lights, Cold Steel captures the author’s struggles to reconcile his idealism and desire to heal with the recognition of his own limitations and imperfections. “Collins’ life as a surgical resident is heartbreaking one minute and triumphant the next. You’ll laugh and cry and cheer.” —Augusten Burroughs, New York Times–bestselling author of Dry “At once darkly humorous and truly compassionate. Not since House of God has there been such a ferociously funny look at the world of hospital medicine.” —Michael Palmer, New York Times–bestselling author of The Last Surgeon “I adore this book.” —Tess Gerritsen, New York Times–bestselling author of the Rizzoli & Isles novels

Modern-day teen Emily March turns to Louisa May Alcott's famous book for a school assignment and finds herself mysteriously transported to the world of "Little Women," where she undergoes surprising changes.

The author, a former astronaut, argues that NASA should focus on a manned mission to Mars, with the long-range objective of establishing a permanent colony, and describes the physical, technical, and psychological demands of such a mission

Celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the stunning, classic story of an unforgettable friendship with a glorious colour gift edition, fully illustrated by Christian Birmingham.

This is a fascinating, highly illustrated look at Alessi, a company whose name is synonomous with twentieth-century design. Alessi was founded in the 1920s but it wasn't until the 1980s and 1990s that the company became famous the world over for their highly individual and popular designs for products that include corkscrews, cutlery, kettles and tea services. The lists of designers - "maestros"--Alessi has employed to create their products reads like a who's who of modern design and includes Achille Castiglione, Phillippe Starck, Richard Sapper, Micahel Graves and Frank Gentry.