Higher Life

Of all the creatures of the deep blue, none is as captivating as the octopus. In Many Things Under a Rock, marine biologist David Scheel investigates four major mysteries about these elusive beings. How can we study an animal with perfect camouflage and secretive habitats? How does a soft and boneless creature defeat sharks and eels, while thriving as a predator of the most heavily armored animals in the sea? How do octopus bodies work? And how does a solitary animal form friendships, entice mates, and outwit rivals?

Sensitive, big-hearted, and achingly self-conscious, 40-year-old Aaron Englund long ago escaped the confines of his Midwestern hometown, but he still feels like an outcast. After 20 years under the Pygmalion-like direction of his older partner, Walter, Aaron at last decides it is time to stop letting life happen to him and to take control of his own fate.

Axi Moore is a "good girl": She studies hard, stays out of the spotlight, and doesn't tell anyone that what she really wants is to run away from it all. The only person she can tell is her best friend, Robinson - who she also happens to be madly in love with. When Axi impulsively invites Robinson to come with her on an unplanned cross-country road trip, she breaks the rules for the first time in her life. But the adventure quickly turns from carefree to out-of-control....

The Powell brothers - Muir and Moody - are as different as Cain and Abel. Muir is an innocent, a shy young man with big dreams. Moody, the older and wilder brother - embittered by the death of his father, by years of fighting his mother, and by his jealousy of Muir's place in the family - takes to moonshine and gambling and turns his anger on his brother. Muir escapes by wandering, making his way around the country in attempts to find something - an occupation, a calling - to match his ambition.

In this two-book bundle, discover how to differentiate yourself from the rest, and become extraordinary with small but powerful long-term habits.

Africa may have given rise to the first human beings, and Egypt probably gave rise to the first great civilizations, which continue to fascinate modern societies across the globe nearly 5,000 years later. From the Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria to the Great Pyramid at Giza, the ancient Egyptians produced several wonders of the world, revolutionized architecture and construction, created some of the world’s first systems of mathematics and medicine, and established language and art that spread across the known world.

In Two Turns from Zero, Stacey Griffith, one of the iconic faces of the wildly popular SoulCycle, has helped thousands reshape their bodies while also becoming their best selves - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Stacey firmly believes that every one of us can be an athlete. Focusing on four key concepts - eat, love, train, and repeat - this is her life handbook that provides a blueprint for feeling healthy, happy, and empowered.

For many believers, the fight has disappeared from their faith. Faith and fighting go hand in hand and cannot be separated. To separate the fight from faith, or faith from the fight, causes both ones faith and ones fight to be ineffective and powerless. In order to war, one must have faith. When a believer moves, lives and works by faith it is inevitable that he/she will encounter opposition and war. There is a war going on. Unless we fight and overcome this war, we will be overcome. Unless God's people stand up, pick up the whole armor of God, and make a bold stand for Truth the church ...

Considered for many decades to be the most influential priest in America, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh played what many consider pivotal roles in higher education, the Catholic Church, and national and international affairs. American Priest examines his life and his many and varied engagements - from the university he led for 35 years to his associations with the Vatican and the White House - and evaluates the extent and importance of his legacy.

When Theo Potiris performed his stand-up comedy act on Conan at 25, he thought he'd hit it big. But 10 years later, he's still spending his days working at his parents' grocery store, bicycling to the local open mic, and writing letters to a girlfriend who lives halfway around the world. Theo's desperate for a break. But when he brings his 13-year-old niece to the horse track to place a birthday bet - a Potiris family tradition - the goddess of good luck strikes her instead, in the form of a small fortune.

What can fossilized teeth tell us about our ancient life expectancy? What can big data on fossils reveal about farming's problematic role in human evolution? How can simple geometric comparisons of skull and pelvic fossils suggest an origin to our social nature? In Close Encounters with Humankind, paleoanthropologist Sang-Hee Lee explores some of our biggest evolutionary questions from unexpected new angles. Through a series of entertaining, bite-sized chapters, we gain new perspectives into our first hominin ancestors, our first steps on two feet, and more.

At the age of 21, Edith Chaplin married one of the most eligible bachelors of the day, the eldest son of the sixth marquess of Londonderry. Her husband served in the Ulster cabinet and was air minister in the National Government of 1934-5. Edith founded the Women's Legion during the First World War and was also an early campaigner for women's suffrage. She created the renowned Mount Stewart Gardens in County Down that are now owned by the National Trust.

In her career as a science reporter, Nell Greenfieldboyce has reported from inside a space shuttle, the bottom of a coal mine, and the control room of a particle collider; she's presented news on the color of dinosaur eggs, ice worms that live on mountaintop glaciers, and signs of life on Venus. In this, her debut book, she delivers a wholly original collection of powerful, emotionally raw, and unforgettable personal essays that probe the places where science touches our lives most intimately.

In this instant classic self-help guide, author Michael Z. gives us all the "missing life" manual we need to live happier, less stressful lives. This guide provides you with 100 practical, often lighthearted, and immediately useful tips, strategies, and techniques to help you reduce stress and anxiety, and to discover the sense of peace and happiness you've been looking for. Using Michael Z's gentle suggestions will help you live more gracefully, more mindfully, and with an increased awareness of and appreciation for the joy that is available to you whenever you slow down to see it.

The seat of the Trelawney family for over 700 years, Trelawney Castle was once the jewel of the Cornish coast. Each successive Earl spent with abandon, turning the house and grounds into a sprawling, extravagant palimpsest of wings, turrets, and follies. But as the centuries passed the Earls of Trelawney, their ambition dulled by generations of pampered living, failed to develop other skills.

If you had a superpower, what would it be? Would you use it for good, or would you use it for revenge? When Colomba and Luis began their first day of high school, they didn’t expect to be given superpowers in the form of magical pins. Whenever Colomba uses her magical pin, she transforms into the superhero Silver Dove. She has super strength, she can fly, and she can't get hurt. When Luis uses his pin, he becomes the Crow; he has the power to create shadow- like monsters whenever he wants, he can fly, and he can give other people super powers. Colomba wants to use her powers to protect ...

Sophie wakes up on the first day of high school, dreading what’s to come. She’s spent all her schooling being bullied and made to feel like an outcast because of her anxiety—and because of her Emotional Support Stuffed Animal (ESSA), a Border Collie called Brave. Little does she know, as her mum drives her to her new school, that she’s going to ESSA High. For the first time in her life, she makes friends—best friends, even! She starts to look forward to going to school, all because her needs are finally being accommodated.

Brilliantly exploring today's cutting edge brain research, Mind Wide Open allows readers to understand themselves and the people in their lives as never before. Using a mix of experiential reportage, personal storytelling, and fresh scientific discovery, Steven Johnson describes how the brain works and how its systems connect to the day-to-day realities of individual lives.

The school secretary has a sharp tongue but is she a killer? Can Marty do the math or will he get schooled by a criminal mastermind? Marty Golden is frazzled. Struggling to juggle nieces, a rambunctious dog, a demanding job, and a serious relationship, the software engineer is never quite sure whether he’s coming or going. But when his nemesis begs for help after she’s accused of offing the school principal, the amateur sleuth agrees to hunt down the real culprit. Confounded to discover the cantankerous woman stood to take the dead man’s position, he strives to find anyone who could ...

The Tall Book is a celebration of the tall-advantaged, which notes and explores the myriad benefits that come with living large - from the simple pleasures of being able to see over crowds at a parade, to the professional joys of earning more money, and having others perceive you as a natural leader. The Tall Book also offers well-researched explanations into the great unanswered questions of tallness, including: Why are people tall to begin with? How have tall people figured throughout history?