Other books that might interest you

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  Smart Pop Explains Marvel Movies...

  The Editors of Smart Pop

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  Who is Iron Man? What’s an Infinity Stone? When did Captain America become the first Avenger? Why does everyone love Loki even though he’s a bad guy?It’s easy for new fans to get overwhelmed by the sprawling mythology and complexity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which now spans more than 20 films and TV shows. Unlike encyclopedias and guides that offer diehard fans trivia, details, and deep dives into every on-screen moment, this first-of-its-kind explainer is an easy, fun, and accessible introduction to the hundreds of characters, plots, and interconnected stories that make up one of the greatest pop-culture franchises of all time.  Do you want to enjoy Spider-Man, but don’t quite know what a Skrull is? Maybe you know that it was Agatha all along, but did aybe WandaVision leave you wondering about the multiverse of madness?  Do you need a primer on Thor’s backstory so you can grasp how The God of Thunder became friends with The Guardians of the Galaxy? Or, maybe you just want to be able to join in when everyone shouts out “Wakanda Forever!”If you’re looking for an easy to access entry into what literally everyone is talking about, this is the book for you! As the perfect and unauthorized resource to keep on hand when watching something for the first—or tenth—time, Smart Pop Explains Marvel Movies and TV Shows like no one else could.

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  Assuming the Ecosexual Position...

  Jennie Klein, Beth Stephens,...

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  What's sexy about saving the planet? Funny you should ask. Because that is precisely—or, perhaps, broadly—what Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens have spent many years bringing to light in their live art, exhibitions, and films. In 2008, Sprinkle and Stephens married the Earth, which set them on the path to explore the realms of ecosexuality as they became lovers with the Earth and made their mutual pleasure an embodied expression of passion for the environment. Ever since, they have been not just pushing but obliterating the boundaries circumscribing biology and ecology, creating ecosexual art in their performance of an environmentalism that is feminist, queer, sensual, sexual, posthuman, materialist, exuberant, and steeped in humor. 
   
   
   
  Assuming the Ecosexual Position tells of childhood moments that pointed to a future of ecosexuality—for Annie, in her family swimming pool in Los Angeles; for Beth, savoring forbidden tomatoes from the vine on her grandparents' Appalachian farm. The book describes how the two came together as lovers and collaborators, how they took a stand against homophobia and xenophobia, and how this union led to the miraculous conception of the Love Art Laboratory, which involved influential performance artists Linda M. Montano, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, and feminist pornographer Madison Young.

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  On Locations - Lessons Learned...

  Mark Kamine, Mike White

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  This must-listen account of starting at the lowest rung on the production ladder among enormously famous and outrageously demanding people will be devoured for its insights, gossip, humor, and storytelling. Married and with a child, the author takes unpaid gigs to get a foot in the door and eventually ends up working on all seasons of The Sopranos, often named the best TV show ever. 
   
   
   
  The show's setting and its creator's insistence on accuracy placed the native New Jersey author in the right place at the right time to become part of television history. 
   
   
   
  Includes many stories about guest stars like Steve Buscemi, Peter Bogdanovich, and Lauren Bacall, as well as the beloved cast, including new tales of James Gandolfini, who Kamine first meets after David Chase casts him as the Dean of Admissions in the classic first season "College" episode. 
   
   
   
  Woven in is a personal story of home life and strife, achievement and frustration, anxiety and accomplishment. The book's epilogue brings listeners up to the moment as the author, after many more years as an anonymous everyman, eventually enjoys outsize professional success as executive producer of the HBO hit series created by Mike White, The White Lotus.

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  Harmonica for Beginners:...

  Brian Wilson

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  For anyone who wants to learn how to play the harmonica, "Harmonica for Beginners: Discover the Joy of Playing Music: An Easy-to-Follow Guide to Mastering Harmonica Basics" is the best resource. This book is written with the novice in mind, providing easy-to-follow directions that make learning fun and approachable. Regardless of your prior musical experience, this tutorial will enable you to rapidly grasp the fundamentals of harmonica playing. 
  The first section of the book provides an overview of the harmonica, including key details regarding its sorts, parts, and how to pick the best one for you. The basics are then covered, such as how to hold a harmonica correctly, make notes that are consistent and clear, and read simple musical notation. Each chapter builds upon the one before it with thorough visuals and simple-to-understand explanations, making the learning curve gradual. 
  The focus on real-world applicability in this book is one of its best qualities. There are several exercises and well-known tunes that help you practice and enjoy playing straight immediately by reinforcing the skills you've learned. As you develop, you'll learn increasingly complex methods like chord playing, note bending, and even improvisation, which will provide you with the skills you need to express yourself musically. 
  "Harmonica for Beginners" is an invitation to discover the joy of creating music rather than merely a guidebook. You'll be well on your way to mastering the harmonica and being able to inspire and amuse others with your newly acquired ability if you follow this instruction.

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  Ittingen Charterhouse

  Felix Ackermann

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  The last monks left Ittingen Charterhouse in 1848. The buildings, which had been built over centuries, passed into the possession of the Canton of Thurgau and later private owners, who used them as a stately residence and model farm. Since 1977, the Ittingen Charterhouse Foundation has operated the complex as a cultural and meeting centre, which also houses two cantonal museums. The excellently preserved site provides a lively insight into the history of the place and its former inhabitants. The monks’ cells, cloister gardens and richly furnished rococo church allow visitors to form a direct impression of how the Carthusians perceived of themselves as hermits in the community.

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  Searching for Harry Chapin's...

  Pat Fenton

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  In "Searching for Harry Chapin’s America: Remember When the Music," journalist Pat Fenton describes his road trips to the towns and people that inspired Harry Chapin’s most renowned songs. While Fenton’s account includes exclusive interviews with Chapin’s family and associates, and an excerpt from Chapin’s unpublished writings, the audio adaptation includes actual cuts from Chapin's best-known songs. Composer and multi-instrumentalist David Amram, who narrates Fenton's chronicle, performs his own brief interludes of "incidental music," where he was inspired to do so.Harry Chapin (1942-1981) was a legendary top-charting American songwriter in the 1970s and ’80s. During his lifetime, Chapin was nominated twice for a Grammy Award: in 1972 for Best New Artist, and in 1974 for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance. In 2011, thirty years after his untimely death, Chapin’s Number One-charting song, “Cat’s In the Cradle,” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. "Searching for Harry Chapin’s America" was published on July 16, 2021, and is a fortieth-year commemoration of this musical icon’s tragic death in a car crash on July 16, 1981.  The audio adaptation follows a year later, in July, 2022, and extends the tribute to Chapin's legacy of songs and philanthropy."Like 'Don Quixote,' or 'On the Road,' Pat Fenton’s classic book takes you on an unforgettable series of journeys and makes you feel that you are now welcome to be with the people and places that Harry Chapin memorialized in his timeless songs."—David Amram, composer/multi-instrumentalist/author “A portrait of an age as well as an artist. Chapin was an American original who combined Walt Whitman’s lyric realism with Woody Guthrie’s passionate truth-telling. Fenton’s blend of sympathy, honesty, and insight gives us the man in full. Fenton’s talents as a master storyteller have never been on better display.” 	 —Peter Quinn, novelist/political historian

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