Publisher: Gibbs Smith
Celebrate the secret language and symbolism of flowers with Sarah Cray’s sixth book. Beautiful watercolor, gouache, and ink illustrations are paired with explorations of flora and the messages we send with each bouquet. Allow it to serve as an intimate gift, a personal art piece, or to complement your spring and Valentine’s Day decor.
ELVIS PRESLEY THE ULTIMATE TRIVIA AND CURIOUS FACTS COLLECTION CREATED BY TRIVIA HUB Elvis Presley, born in 1935, became known as the "King of Rock and Roll". He was a singer and actor whose career took off in 1954 when Sam Phillips recorded him singing "That's All Right," a blues number. Elvis’s performances were known for their suggestive movements and gyrations which created controversy. Despite this, his popularity grew rapidly. He signed with RCA Victor in 1955 and had his first number-one hit with "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1956. Elvis’s music combined elements of rock and roll, pop, rockabilly, country, gospel, R&B, and blues. He was drafted into the US Army in 1958 and died at the age of 42 in 1977. CURIOUS FACT SAMPLES: Elvis Presley's twin brother, Jesse Garon, was delivered stillborn 35 minutes before Elvis was born. Elvis became very close to his parents, especially his mother, growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi. The Presley family attended an Assembly of God church, where Elvis found his initial musical inspiration. They often relied on neighbors and government food assistance because Vernon Presley moved from one odd job to the next. Sam Phillips was looking for someone who could bring the sound of black musicians to a broader audience. He invited Elvis to record after being impressed with his singing, pairing him with guitarist Winfield "Scotty" Moore and upright bass player Bill Black. During an unfruitful recording session, Elvis launched into a 1946 blues number, Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right", which Phillips began taping. This was the sound he had been looking for, which led to the start of Elvis's career.Show book
Prove you are the smartest person in the room with 500 true trivia facts about nature, plants, and animals. These facts are so absurd some might even say that they sound like bull$#*t! Explore the wild and the wacky in this fun addition to the True Facts series that shares all things flora and fauna. Give the gift that keeps giving to friends, family, fathers, or grads and test your knowledge. Say hello to the astonishing natural world with this mind-boggling collection of downright unbelievable facts that will have you doing double-takes at every turn. This captivating compendium is your ticket to exploring the wackiest secrets Mother Nature has up her sleeve. From the outrageous mating rituals of exotic creatures to the perplexing phenomena of Earth's wildest landscapes, True Facts That Sound Like Bull$#*t: Nature covers a vast array of topics that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about our planet. Each fact has been researched and verified, ensuring that even the most skeptical readers will be left in awe. Perfect for trivia night, nature enthusiasts, and anyone who loves a good laugh, this engaging and entertaining book is an incredible addition to your library. Topics include:AnimalsPlants & FungiThe Watery WorldHuman Anatomy & BiologyThe Natural World Put your game face on and prove once and for all that you are the real know-it-all! Gather your friends and family 'round and get ready to learn some wild and crazy trivia and facts such as:True or False? Mosquitoes have a preference for certain blood types.True or False? Caring for houseplants has been shown to make humans more stressed.Did you know: Fish don't have eyelids, but the giant guitarfish can protect its eyes by retracting its eyeballs nearly 2 inches (5 centimeters) inside its head.True or False? The average adult human has more than 60,000 miles of blood vessels inside their body.Believe it or not: All tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. Buckle up and prepare for a wild ride through the most fascinating, outlandish, and utterly mind-blowing corners of the natural world. You'll never look at nature the same way again!Show book
Full of spooky artworks, ephemera, vintage-inspired makes, rhymes and stories, Creating your Vintage Hallowe'en celebrates the folklore and traditions surrounding this delightfully unique holiday. Read how folk used to celebrate with dressing up, fortune-telling games, parties and plenty of pleasurable spookiness, then recreate your own vintage Hallowe'en with old-fashioned projects, including a carved Jack o' lantern, a witch costume and fun decorations for your home. This book is packed full of little-known facts about the origins of Hallowe'en customs such as bobbing for apples and carving faces into pumpkins, while the charming makes and vintage artworks featuring red-cloaked witches, sleekly silhouetted black cats, cute kittens, cheery goblins and smiling spectres will inspire you to have your own vintage-style Hallowe'en celebration.Show book
20-something and uncertain about her future, Florentyna Leow is exhilarated when an old acquaintance offers her an opportunity for work and cohabitation in a little house in the hills of Kyoto. Florentyna begins a new job as a tour guide, taking tourists on elaborate and expensive trips around Kyoto's cultural hotspots. Amidst the busy tourist traps and overrun temples, Florentyna develops her own personal map of the city: a favourite smoky jazz kissa; a top-shelf katsuobushi loving cat; an elderly lady named Yamaguchi-san, who shares her sweets and gives Florentyna a Japanese name. Meanwhile, her relationship with her new companion develops an intensity as they live and work together. Their little kitchen, the epicenter of their shared life, overlooks a community garden dominated by a fruitful persimmon tree. Their relationship burns bright, but seasons change, the persimmon tree out back loses its fruit, and things grow strange between the two women. How Kyoto Breaks Your Heart is a collection about the ways in which heartbreak can fill a place and make it impossible to stay.Show book
The Chera dynasty, one of the three great Tamil dynasties of ancient South India, played a crucial role in shaping the political, economic, and cultural landscape of the region. Their rule, spanning centuries, witnessed the flourishing of trade, literature, and governance, laying the foundation for Kerala’s distinct identity. Emerging during the Sangam Age, the Cheras established themselves as a dominant force in Tamilakam, with their influence extending beyond the Western Ghats into the Indian Ocean trade networks. The origins of the Cheras remain shrouded in legend and early Tamil literary references. Sangam literature, including works like the Pattinappalai and Akananuru, speaks of mighty Chera kings who ruled with valor and wisdom. The dynasty’s association with Vanji (also known as Karur) as their capital city highlights their strategic control over the fertile lands of present-day Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The geographical advantage of their kingdom, with access to the Arabian Sea on the west and the lush inland regions, enabled the Cheras to engage in extensive maritime trade. The early rulers of the Chera dynasty established their power through military conquests and strategic alliances. One of the most celebrated kings was Uthiyan Cheralathan, considered the first known historical Chera ruler. He is mentioned as a patron of poets and a formidable leader who controlled trade routes. His successors, Nedum Cheralathan and Senguttuvan Chera, further expanded the empire. Senguttuvan, famously associated with the Silappadikaram, a great Tamil epic, is credited with the introduction of the Pattini cult, honoring Kannagi, a symbol of justice and womanhood. His military campaigns against northern kingdoms and his patronage of Tamil culture reinforced the Chera dynasty’s prestige.Show book
You think transformation is pretty? Think again. Just like the messy goo a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly, human transformation is equally "gooey." Rachel Burr’s story is filled with mishaps, mistakes, misadventures, and… yes, mess. But it’s not all slog. There are also triumphs and growth in Butterfly Goo as Burr takes you on a hilarious and poignant sightseeing tour of her own transformative journey. With important lessons/chapter takeaways and experiential exercises for you to try, this book that's part memoir and part self-help will make you think about where your life is working and where it isn’t. Maybe you’re stuck in comfortable discomfort or searching for something, but you don’t know what it is. Maybe you want to make a change, but you’re afraid you’ll fail. Worse, maybe you think you aren’t good enough, smart enough, or just not enough, so you feel stuck. As a successful executive coach and people expert, Burr has the experience you’d look for to lead you through change. But her most important credential is having confronted and survived her own fears, challenges, and reluctant decisions to emerge out the other side. Don’t get us wrong: Butterfly Goo won’t create the change you’re looking for. Only you can do that. But it just might inspire you to step into the mess of your own transformative journey. After all, as Burr found out, you have to go through the goo before you can spread your wings.Show book
