Entertainment Science

Today both reality and entertainment crowd our fields of vision with brutal imagery. The pervasiveness of images of torture, horror, and war has all but demolished the 20th-century hope that such imagery might shock us into a less alienated state, or aid in the creation of a just social order. What to do now? When to look, when to turn away? Genre-busting author Maggie Nelson brilliantly navigates this contemporary predicament, with an eye to the question of whether or not focusing on representations of cruelty makes us cruel.

Audiobook includes a special foreword on "Jerry Seinfeld, Jean Shepherd, and Compassionate Humor," by the author-narrator. For the first time, author Quentin Schultze, who taught storytelling with screenwriter Jean Shepherd, reveals the “secret” parables that Shepherd included in his screenplay for A Christmas Story. Now you won't need a decoder ring to learn why the Old Man’s leg lamp is his “trophy wife,” why the bully is named “Scut,” why there is a “Bumpus” in all of us, why Mom and the kids give a “Bronx cheer” after singing “Jingle Bells” in the Olds, and so much more.

Rudeus has adventured across continents and survived run-ins with gods--and none of it has prepared him to watch Aisha and Norn when Paul leaves them temporarily in his care. Can he rise to the occasion yet again, or will parenting two preteen girls be the ordeal that ultimately defeats him?!

Herman J. (1897-1953) and Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1909-1993) wrote, produced, and directed over 150 pictures. With Orson Welles, Herman wrote the screenplay for Citizen Kane and shared the picture's only Academy Award. Joe earned the second pair of his four Oscars for writing and directing All About Eve, which also won Best Picture.

In a world where the balance of light and darkness teeters on the edge of destruction, Kaelion never imagined he was destined for more than an ordinary life. Haunted by dreams of an ancient door and whispers of sacrifice, he dismisses them as nothing more than stories—until the shadows come for him. Pursued by the forces of Blackwell, the Avatar of Shadow, and guided by cryptic prophecies, Kaelion embarks on a perilous journey across cursed isles, forgotten kingdoms, and realms beyond time itself.

GOTH is an entertaining and engaging historical memoir, and a journey through Goth music and culture, exploring creative giants like The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Joy Division, and many more great bands that offered a place of refuge for the misfits of the ‘80s and ever since. Written by Lol Tolhurst, co-founder of The Cure, this book offers a riveting retrospective of the genre’s iconic movers and shakers, infused with stories from Tolhurst’s personal trove of memories.

This explosively entertaining memoir abounds in gossip, satire, historical apercus, and trenchant observations. Vidal’s compelling narrative weaves back and forth in time, providing a whole view of the author’s celebrated life, from his birth in 1925 to today, and features a cast of memorable characters - including the Kennedy family, Marlon Brando, Anais Nin, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

When one girl is reincarnated into an otome game, she's ready to clean house—literally! The light novel that inspired the manga, also available from Seven Seas. "I will become the world's most wonderful maid!" With her skirt fluttering in black and white, the girl shouted. Her name is Melody. A reincarnated former Japanese girl, she now pursues her dream in her new life, working as an all-purpose maid for a poor count's family in the kingdom of Theolas. When she makes it, even cheap tea turns into a luxury brew, and a dilapidated mansion is quickly restored to new!

Brad Mendoza ist ein Idiot. Das weiß er selbst, und jeder andere in der Sternennation Prometheus weiß es auch. Eine vielversprechende Marinekarriere den Bach runter, nur weil er versehentlich 504 Zivilisten getötet hat. Also ist es Zeit für ihn, aufzugeben und ein aussichtsloses Kommando auf der Persephone zu akzeptieren, dem schlimmsten Raumschiff der Flotte. Bis er die schöne und gerissene Jessica Lin trifft, seine neue stellvertretende Kommandantin, die selbst ein schreckliches Geheimnis hütet.

In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, the renowned philosopher Roger Scruton explores the concept of beauty, asking what makes an object - either in art, in nature, or the human form - beautiful and examining how we can compare differing judgments of beauty when it is evident all around us that our tastes vary so widely.

Hiro and crew head to a planet of dwarves on the hunt for a new carrier ship and a chance to stuff themselves with okonomiyaki and takoyaki, only to find a pair of bombshell twin mechanics! They may look alike, but these girls' personalities are like fire and ice. If the twins join the crew, will Hiro's ship ever know peace again?

The protagonist of Just Do It is Phil Knight, a reclusive billionaire who started a two-man operation importing Japanese running shoes and built it into a $4 billion company. Irreverent, unpredictable, and leery of the sports establishment, Knight created the most muscular jock culture in business, a place where employees routinely took two hours at lunch to work out and then strategized late into the night in their holy war against competitors Reebok and Adidas.

Legal scholar and architect Sara C. Bronin examines how zoning became such a prevailing force and reveals its impact. Outdated zoning codes have maintained racial segregation, prioritized cars over people, and enabled great ecological harm. But, as Bronin argues, once we recognize the power of zoning, we can harness it to create the communities we desire, and deserve. Drawing on her own experience leading the overhaul of Hartford's zoning code and exploring the efforts of activists and city planners across the country, Bronin shows how new codes are reshaping our cities.

Rudeus's fourth child, Sieghart, is born with the same crop of bright-green hair that Laplace was once feared for. The omen grows ever more ill when a familiar of Perugius's appears and commands Rudeus to bring his newborn son to the floating fortress! Rudeus swears that his plans to fight Laplace are unchanged and that he'll accept any fate for the sake of his family...but will that be enough for Perugius?

For years Gregory Roarke and his Kadolian partner Selene worked as crocketts, combing through the atmospheres of uninhabited worlds for places that might be colonized or hold valuable resources. Now, they work for the Icarus Group, a top-secret government organization hunting for portals created by a long-vanished alien race, portals that can teleport a person hundreds or thousands of light-years in the blink of an eye. Usually, those hunts are long and tedious. But Roarke has now been handed an intriguing offer.

Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron. Growing up in Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her. While some are born with a talent for one of the five passions - art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge - Brienna struggled to find hers until she chose knowledge. However, Brienna's greatest fear comes true - she is left without a patron. But months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage.

The Vagina Monologues is a moving, poignant and often hilarious play, which celebrates female sexuality in all its complexity and mystery. Originally drawn from a collection of interviews conducted by Eve Ensler, the Obie Award-winning play gives voice to some of the most intimate, rarely shared fantasies and fears of women from all walks of life.

For the first time, Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor speaks directly to his fans and shares his worldview about life as a sinner. And Taylor knows how to sin. As a small-town hero in the early '90s, he threw himself into a fierce-drinking, drug-abusing, hard-loving, live-for-the-moment life. Soon Taylor's music exploded, and he found himself rich, wanted, and on the road. His new and ever-more-extreme lifestyle had an unexpected effect, however; for the first time, he began to actively think about what it meant to sin.

Rudeus brings Zanoba back to Ranoa Kingdom to plan the Man-God's future downfall when a letter arrives from the Holy Kingdom of Millis--Cliff's grandfather is urging him home. Though he suspects another Man-God plot is afoot, Rudeus is soon distracted by a missive from his own matriarchal relatives and races off to the capital of Millis. A storm of clashing motives and political intrigue is brewing: what else awaits our hero in the city of Millishion?

Make Noise brings all the wisdom, advice, practical information, and big-picture thinking that any individual or business needs to make a successful podcast. He identifies core principles - such as create empathetically, i.e., think like the audience listens, and stay focused on what’s unique to you and what you have to say. He helps listeners come up with a “Ten Word Description” that will guide them throughout the creative process and then gets into how-tos - how to develop character, story, voice, and more.