EBooks - Fiction and NonFiction

Gary Fuller's entertaining and engaging guide enhances geographic know-how with good, old-fashioned fun, using trivia to open up new worlds of knowledge for all readers. Often dismissed as unimportant, trivia here highlights issues that are far from trivial, pondering, for example, what peaceful country requires citizens to keep guns in their homes? what continent contains at least 75 percent of the world's fresh water? and why aren't New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia the capitals of their respective states? An inveterate traveler and geographer extraordinaire, Fuller provides extensive background, clear illustrations, and thorough explanations for each intriguing question, carefully grounding the text in practical geographic concepts. Both enjoyable and enlightening, this book challenges today's global generation to truly get to know their world.

Basketball has evolved into one of the most commonly played sports worldwide. Regardless of how well you think you know basketball, there are bound to be questions in this book to challenge and entertain, to stimulate discussion, and to start and settle arguments. Featuring questions from professional, collegiate, and women’s games, this book covers it all—the players, the coaches, the arenas, the Olympics, and much more. Some of the questions the book answers include:
• Why is uniform No. 6 retired by the Sacramento Kings?
• Who holds the record for most points in Game 7 of the NBA Finals?
• At what Big Ten school was baseball slugger Frank Howard also a basketball standout?
• Where was the first NCAA Final Four in 1939?
• Who was the MVP in the WNBA’s first season?
• And 996 more!

Finally, here are the answers to all your unusual questions about nature! When it comes to animals and nature, there is no end to our curiosity. Around ten thousand questions a year land on Lars Janzon's desk at the Swedish Museum of Natural History. Janzon responds to nutty questions, freak happenings, and odd observations with interesting facts and explanations. Learn about snake sex, animals' brightly colored warning signals, and why a vulture was arrested in Saudi Arabia on suspicion of being an Israeli spy. Find out the facts behind the headlines about Thailand's poisonous jellyfish and the killer sharks of Sharm el-Sheikh. For over ten years, Janzon has been researching the answers to questions like: What color will a chameleon turn if it lies on a chessboard? Why are flounders flat? How do sea urchinsmake love? Why do animals migrate across Africa?? Which animal has the longest tongue? Do fish spit?

Want to figure out how to open a wine bottle with a book? Or how to compute the square root of a number using a tennis shoe and a watch? Why Cats Land on Their Feet shows you how, and all that's required is a familiarity with basic high-school mathematics. This lively collection also features an appendix that explains all physical concepts used in the book, from Newton's laws to the fundamental theorem of calculus.
Mark Levi introduces each physical problem, sometimes gives a hint or two, and then fully explains the solution. Here readers can test their critical-thinking skills against a whole assortment of puzzles and paradoxes involving floating and diving, sailing and gliding, gymnastics, bike riding, outer space, throwing a ball from a moving car, centrifugal force, gyroscopic motion, and, of course, falling cats.

Was Darwin really inspired by Galápagos finches? Did Einstein’s wife secretly contribute to his theories? Did Franklin fly a kite in a thunderstorm? Did a falling apple lead Newton to universal gravity? Did Galileo drop objects from the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Did Einstein really believe in God? Alberto A. Martínez analyzes how such myths grow and rescues neglected facts that are more captivating than famous fictions. Moreover, he shows why opinions that were once secret and seemingly impossible are now scientifically compelling. The book includes new findings related to the Copernican revolution, alchemy, Pythagoras, young Einstein, and other events and figures in the history of science.

Did you know that the dog who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz earned more money for the film than any of the munchkins did? Or that three quarters of the women James Bond has slept with have tried to kill him? Would you be surprised to find out that censors in New Zealand cut The Muppet Movie because (according to them) it featured scenes of gratuitous violence? And who would have thought that Jack Nicholson was a strong contender for the role of Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs? If you enjoy going to the movies, then you'll love this book that contains over 300 amazing facts about your favorite flicks. Organized into sections as diverse as cameos, props, costumes, stunts, original endings, bad decisions, and many more, this is the perfect book for all film fans.

Do Fish Sleep? is organized in an easy-to-read and accessible question-and-answer format, filled with more than 55 photographs and over 100 interesting facts from fish biology basics to the importance of preserving and restoring fish diversity and healthy populations. A captivating read for fish enthusiasts of all ages-naturalists, environmentalists, aquarists, scuba divers, and students-this is also the perfect primer for those just about to get their feet wet.

Accessible, clear, and humorous, Deceived Wisdom answers questions people have pondered over for a lifetime, such as: Have you ever been informed that what you need to cool down is a nice cup of tea? And are you bored of being told that you have to let that red wine breathe first to improve its taste? Deceived Wisdom answers these questions and many more.

What was it like to meet our 16th President' Was he really as kind and honest as we perceive him to be today' This astonishing new book is an inspiring and eye-opening collection of stories, anecdotes and quotes from people who sought out Lincoln for his wisdom, help or just his irresistible wit. He offered a patient ear to almost anyone who came to see him , and his compassion and understanding bettered the lives of hundreds who crossed his threshold. From the lips of those who knew and met him, Conversations with Lincoln offers new insight into one of the most famous men in the world, and shows not just how passionate he was about the political principles he fought for, but how generous he was for his people, as well.