Dare To Repair Your Car: A Do-It-Herself Guide to Maintenance, Safety, Minor Fix-Its, and Talking Shop

We're back! And this time we've got your back when it comes to you and your car.
In Dare to Repair: A Do-It-Herself Guide to Fixing (Almost) Anything in the Home, we opened the door for you into the world of basic home repairs. Now, we're opening a different one -- a car door.

Dare to Repair Your Car is a basic car care and safety book written by women for women ... and men, and new teen drivers, and senior drivers. Okay, it's for every person who dares to drive a car.
Here are just some of the things that will keep you and your family safe:

Changing a flat tire
Maintaining fluids
Jumpstarting a battery
Replacing a headlamp
Finding a great mechanic
Installing a car seat
Driving tips for teens and seniors
Preparing for a road trip

Filled with detailed illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions, Dare to Repair Your Car will help you shift gears and get you moving in the direction of maintaining your car -- yourself. You'll be so excited about what you've learned you'll want to toot your own horn!

Point of Direction

An ABA Indies Introduce Pick
Hitchhiking her way through Alaska, a young woman named Anna is picked up by Kyle, a fisherman. Anna and Kyle quickly fall for one another, as they are both adventurous, fiercely independent, and in love with the raw beauty and solitude of Alaska. To cement their relationship, they agree to become caretakers of a remote lighthouse perched on a small rock in the middle of the deep channel--a place that has been uninhabited since the last caretaker mysteriously disappeared two decades ago. What seems the perfect adventure for these two quickly unravels, as an uncertain danger lurking in the surrounding waters, as well as painful secrets from their pasts, threatens to end their relationship . . . and maybe even their lives A psychological thriller set against the cold, rugged landscape of coastal Alaska, "Point of Direction" is an exquisite and striking literary debut.

Flying Blind: One Man's Adventures Battling Buckthorn, Making Peace with Authority, and Creating a Home for Endangered Bats

When Middlebury writing professor Don Mitchell was approached by a biologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department about tracking endangered Indiana bats on his 150-acre farm in Vermont's picturesque Champlain Valley, Mitchell's relationship with bats—and with government—could be characterized as distrustful, at best.

But the flying rats, as Mitchell initially thinks of them, launched him on a series of "improvements" to his land that would provide a more welcoming habitat for the bats—and a modest tax break for himself and his family. Whether persuading his neighbors to join him on a "silent meditation," pulling invasive garlic mustard out of the ground by hand, navigating the tacit ground rules of buying an ATV off Craigslist, or leaving just enough honeysuckle to give government inspectors "something to find," Mitchell’s tale is as profound as it is funny—a journey that changes Mitchell’s relationship with Chiroptera, the land, and, ultimately, his understanding of his own past.

Ruminating on the nature of authority, the purview of the state, and the value of inhabiting one’s niche—Mitchell reveals much about our inner and outer landscape, in this perfectly paced and skilled story of place.

War, Politics and Superheroes: Ethics and Propaganda in Comics and Film

Superhero adventure comics have a long history of commenting upon American public opinion and government policy, and surge in the popularity of comics since the events of September 11, 2001, ensures their continued relevance. This critical text examines the seventy-year history of comic book superheroes on film and in comic books and their reflections of the politics of their time. Superheroes addressed include Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Superman, the Invisible Woman and the X-Men, and topics covered include American wars, conflicts, and public policy.

George R.R. Martin's Skin Trade

The most popular fantasy author of the 21st Century, George R.R. Martin, brings his World Fantasy Award-winning short story to graphic novels in Skin Trade Randi Wade is a survivor. She followed in the footsteps of her father, became a cop, and now is working the P.I. trade. But her past still haunts her. And the vicious animal attacks that took her father's life have sprung up anew, claiming victims once again in this sleepy town. Martin's unique creative voice spins a modern-day classic horror tale of murder, werewolves, and bladed demons. Illustrated by long time horror comics creator Mike Wolfer and adapted for comics by Martin's Hugo Award-nominated collaborator Daniel Abraham, this graphic novel is a suspenseful master tale dripping with blood and revenge.

Dungeons & Dragons New Player's Handbook

I grew up playing roleplaying games. D&D was out when I was in middle school, but I started with Chainmail, because that's what my friend had. I soon was asking for my own core set, and played in high school and played 2nd edition in college. The game has evolved and now there's a new player's handbook.

The player's handbook has Everything a player needs to create heroic characters for the world’s greatest roleplaying game

The Player’s Handbook® is the essential reference for every Dungeons & Dragons® roleplayer. It contains rules for character creation and advancement, backgrounds and skills, exploration and combat, equipment, spells, and much more.

Use this book to create exciting characters from among the most iconic D&D® races and classes.

Dungeons & Dragons immerses you in a world of adventure. Explore ancient ruins and deadly dungeons. Battle monsters while searching for legendary treasures. Gain experience and power as you trek across uncharted lands with your companions.

The world needs heroes. Will you answer the call?

The Ages of the X-Men: Essays on the Children of the Atom in Changing Times

The X-Men comic book franchise is one of the most popular of all time and one of the most intriguing for critical analysis. With storylines that often contain overt social messages within its "mutant metaphor," X-Men is often credited with having more depth than the average superhero property. In this collection, each essay examines a specific era of the X-Men franchise in relationship to contemporary social concerns. The essays are arranged chronologically, from an analysis of popular science at the time of the first X-Men comic book in 1963 to an interpretation of a storyline in light of rhetoric of President Obama's first presidential campaign. Several spin-off X-Men titles--including Generation X, X-Statix and Academy X--are also used as source materials. Topics ranging from Communism to celebrity culture to school violence are addressed by scholars who provide new insights into one of America's most significant popular culture products.

Death of a landlord?

While on a late-night job in tiny Shakespeare, Ark., Lily Bard, 31, sees a furtive figure placing large plastic garbage bags in the local park and, untying one, discovers the body of her former landlord. In a quick but anonymous phone call (she is determined to avoid any questioning), she reports it to the police chief. With skill and wry wit, Harris, the author of the Aurora Teagarden series, soon reveals the horrific facts in Lily's background that explain why she is solitary, confrontational, obsessed with self-defense—and why she chooses, despite a first-rate education, to eke out a living as a cleaning woman. Realizing, however, that her fingerprints on the body of the dead man might make her a suspect, Lily subtly and insightfully queries her customers, some of them tenants of the murdered landlord, in the process meticulously evaluating their closets, drawers and motives. The renters are a well-defined lot: a happily promiscuous idler; a sanctimonious and hypocritical reverend; and an aging couple with much to grieve about. As Lily investigates, she develops a wary but cordial relationship with the police chief and forms a warmer tie with her karate instructor. But at the same time, someone has discovered the unspeakable facts about Lily's past and has begun stalking her. Harris's finely tuned, colorful and suspenseful tale, filled with vigorous and unique characters.

Southern Living Bourbon & Bacon: The Ultimate Guide to the South's Favorite Foods

"This is not a diet book," says author Morgan Murphy, who takes readers on a rollicking trip as he explores the South's favorite flavors. A high-proof adventure, Bourbon & Bacon includes 140 of the South's most amazing recipes that use one (or both) of these smoky ingredients. Morgan's collections of cocktails, new infusions, punches, appetizers, main courses, sides, and desserts will be a hit, whether you're hosting a cocktail party, backyard barbecue, or elegant dinner. For bourbon enthusiasts, Morgan rates more than 75 of his favorite whiskeys and takes readers on a cheerful tour of many of the South's top distilleries. Bacon lover? Well, of course you are. Bourbon & Bacon is full of bacon secrets, farm tours, bacon ratings, and tips and tricks to make the best of everyone's favorite meat.This authentic handbook to the South's most flavorful products has a forward by the two most famous voices in the food industry, Julian Van Winkle III of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery and Allan Benton, of Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams. Together, with Morgan's hilarious Southern tales and irresistible recipes, Bourbon & Bacon is an essential guide for anyone who loves either bourbon or bacon.

Of Bread, Blood and the Hunger Games: Critical Essays on the Suzanne Collins Trilogy

"This collection of fresh essays on Suzanne Collins's epic trilogy spans multiple disciplines. The contributors probe the trilogy's meaning using theories grounded in historicism, feminism, humanism, queer theory, as well as cultural, political, and media studies"--Provided by publisher.

Cast Iron Skillet Big Flavors: 90 Recipes for the Best Pan in Your Kitchen

The cast iron skillet is the ultimate cook’s tool. For cooking the perfect steak or handling a fillet of wild salmon, it’s sublime. For roasting vegetables it makes the seamless transition from stovetop to oven to table. Upside-down cakes and other sweet treats just turn out better in cast iron. Following up their successful Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook (2004), Sharon Kramis and Julie Kramis Hearne bring a whole world of spices, herbs, and preparations to their new cookbook that’s all about big flavors. Here are spice rubs, new ingredient combinations, and a few kitchen tricks to spice up anyone’s cooking repertoire. Here is possibly the best steak in the world—a seared rib-eye with truffle butter and smoked blue cheese; a wonderful tamarind glazed crab, sizzling shrimp with smoked paprika; caramelized fennel, shallot and pear tart; and a spicy raw apple cake that plays up the best of the fall harvest. The recipes from these authors are sophisticated but easy, not fussy. They work, and the results are delicious. This is home cooking at its best.

Women in Game of Thrones: Power, Conformity and Resistance

Game of Thrones is one of the hottest series on television. However, hundreds of critics are divided on how "feminist" the show really is. Certainly, the female characters, strong and weak, embody a spectrum of archetypes--widow queens, warrior women, damsels in distress, career women, priestesses, crones, mothers, and maidens. However, the problematic area is that most play a single role without nuance--even the "strong women" have little to do besides strut about as one-note characters. This book analyzes the women and their portrayals one by one, along with their historical inspirations. Accompanying issues in television studies also appear, from the male gaze to depiction of race. How these characters are treated in the series and how they treat themselves becomes central, as many strip for the pleasure of men or are sacrificed as pawns. Some nude scenes or moments of male violence are fetishized and filmed to tantalize, while others show the women's trauma and attempt to identify with the scene's female perspective. The key is whether the characters break out of their traditional roles and become multifaceted.

Treasure Hunters: Danger Down the Nile

The sequel to James Patterson's bestselling series launch Treasure Hunters is another hilarious, hair-raising and highly-illustrated adventure for the First Family of Action!

Bick Kidd and his globe-trotting siblings Beck, Storm and Tommy may have completed their first treasure hunt after their father was lost at sea, but their kidnapped mother is still in the hands of nasty pirates.

Their search for a rescue plan takes them down the Nile river in Africa, where they'll have to navigate everything from Egyptian pyramids in the desert to wet-and-wild jungles--not to mention life-threatening encounters with wilderness diseases, angry hippos and some seriously bad guys--in order to find the treasure and save the day.

We're All Infected: Essays on AMC's the Walking Dead and the Fate of the Human

This edited collection brings together an introduction and 13 original scholarly essays on AMC's The Walking Dead. The first group of essays addresses the pervasive bloodletting of the series: What are the consequences of the series' unremitting violence? Essays explore violence committed in self-defense, racist violence, mass lawlessness, the violence of law enforcement, the violence of mourning, and the violence of history. The second half of the collection explores an equally urgent question: What does it mean to be human?

Saving Zasha

In post-WWII Russia, one boy dares to save an entire race of outlawed dogs -- the German shepherd!
World War II has just ended when thirteen-year-old Mikhail finds a dying man and his German shepherd, Zasha, in the woods. It's dangerous -- some say traitorous -- to own a German dog after Germany attacked Russia, so Mikhail must keep Zasha a secret to keep her alive.

But Mikhail's rival, Katia, is determined to find the dog she is sure he's hiding. At the same time, a soldier named Dimitri is breeding a new Russian dog at a nearby farm. So many dogs were lost in combat, to starvation, and in the slaughter of German dogs that the country is in dire need of every kind of dog.

Dimitri, too, has suspicions of Zasha's existance, and would like nothing more than to add her to his breeding program. He'll have to compete with the armed dog thieves who are also on her trail.
Mikhail's inspiring journey to save his best friend, the last German shepherd in Russia, forces him to face some of life's hardest lessons about war, hate, forgiveness, hope, love, and man's best friend.

Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography

Releases November 20, 2014

Pioneer Girl follows the Ingalls family's journey through Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, back to Minnesota, and on to Dakota Territory sixteen years of travels, unforgettable experiences, and the everyday people who became immortal through Wilder's fiction. Using additional manuscripts, letters, photographs, newspapers, and other sources, award-winning Wilder biographer Pamela Smith Hill adds valuable context and leads readers through Wilder's growth as a writer. Do you think you know Laura? Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography will re-introduce you to the woman who defined the pioneer experience for millions.

Minecraft: Combat Handbook: An Official Mojang Book

This official handbook will teach Minecraft players everything they need to know to defend themselves from hostile monsters and enemy players. It includes tips on how to build a fort, craft armor and weapons, set mob traps, defeat enemies in one-on-one combat, and more.

From My Shelf Books & Gifts more than a bookstore, back to school with cool lunchboxes...

It's that time of year that parents look forward to, and kids just want to wring a few more days out of summer vacation. It's time to go back to school. My nephew usually isn't excited, but he's a Doctor Who fan (the preferred nomenclature is Whovian, and this school year, he's going back with a Doctor Who lunch box. The lunch box is shaped like a T.A.R.D.I.S which looks like an old British police box, but in the show is actually the main character's space ship/time travel device.

Doctor Who has been around for a long time, but it was as popular as when I was a kid. Star Wars was the big thing when I was a kid, and I had a Star War lunch box, and I make sure the store has one too, because the Force is still with us.

From My Shelf Books & Gifts also has cool lunch boxes that weren't around with I was of school age. We have Edgar Alan Poe, Guardians of the Galaxy, My Little Pony, Game of Thrones, and one that has "Human Organs" written on it, just in case that bully try to steal your PB & J. Speaking if crimes, we have Crime Scene" sandwich bags and "quarantine" sandwich bags Each box contains ten of each.

Lock In by John Scalzi

A blazingly inventive near-future thriller from the best-selling, Hugo Award-winning John Scalzi.

Not too long from today, a new, highly contagious virus makes its way across the globe. Most who get sick experience nothing worse than flu, fever and headaches. But for the unlucky one percent – and nearly five million souls in the United States alone – the disease causes "Lock In": Victims fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. The disease affects young, old, rich, poor, people of every color and creed. The world changes to meet the challenge.

A quarter of a century later, in a world shaped by what’s now known as "Haden’s syndrome," rookie FBI agent Chris Shane is paired with veteran agent Leslie Vann. The two of them are assigned what appears to be a Haden-related murder at the Watergate Hotel, with a suspect who is an "integrator" – someone who can let the locked in borrow their bodies for a time.　If the Integrator was carrying a Haden client, then naming the suspect for the murder becomes that much more complicated.

But "complicated" doesn’t begin to describe it. As Shane and Vann began to unravel the threads of the murder, it becomes clear that the real mystery – and the real crime – is bigger than anyone could have imagined. The world of the locked in is changing, and with the change comes opportunities that the ambitious will seize at any cost. The investigation that began as a murder case takes Shane and Vann from the halls of corporate power to the virtual spaces of the locked in, and to the very heart of an emerging, surprising new human culture. It’s nothing you could have expected.

From My Shelf Books..more than a bookstore, Stonehenge Cards

From My Shelf Books has always been more than a bookstore. When we started out of a basement space on Main Street Wellsboro over 8 years ago, we started with used books, but we also had interesting knickknacks. It wasn't long before we added new books and of course cards. We chose Stonehenge Designs.

Stonehenge Designs started out of a basement too, but are now are located in the historic Corbett neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. We loved the original photography and the inspirational quotes, and each greeting card comes with a detachable bookmark.

The cards are very popular with our customers. There are cards for many occasions, and many people stock up buying 5, 6, or 7 at a time so they always have a card handy to send. There are new cards coming out all the time. So stop by for your favorite, or something brand new at From My Shelf Books & Gifts



"Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet."
- Colette

One of the many cards available at From My Shelf Books & Gifts

Hmong Americans in Michigan

The Hmong people, originating from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos, are unique among American immigrants because of their extraordinary history of migration; loyalty to one another; prolonged abuse, trauma, and suffering at the hands of those who dominated them; profound loss; and independence, as well as their amazing capacity to adapt and remain resilient over centuries.

This introduction to their experience in Michigan discusses Hmong American history, culture, and more specifically how they left homelands filled with brutality and warfare to come to the United States since the mid-1970s. More than five thousand Hmong Americans live in Michigan, and many of them have faced numerous challenges as they have settled in the Midwest.

How did these brave and innovative people adapt to strange new lives thousands of miles away from their homelands? How have they preserved their past through time and place, advanced their goals, and cultivated plans for their children and education? What are their lives like in the diaspora? As this book documents via personal interviews and extensive research, despite the tremendous losses they have suffered for many years, the Hmong people in Michigan continue to demonstrate courage and profound resilience.

The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle: And Other Surprising Stories about Inventions

Did you know that the ice cream sundae was invented because of a law forbidding the sale of ice cream on Sundays? Or that the first motorcycle was really just a tricycle with a motor? Would you believe that Mickey Mouse started out as a rabbit? Arranged in alphabetical order with anecdotal, fun-to-read text, this fascinating book is packed with the stories behind these and over 100 more inventions. "[An] entertaining volume of trivia." - Kirkus Reviews

Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good: The New Mitford Novel

AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2

A publishing event: #1 New York Times–bestselling author Jan Karon returns—and invites her millions of fans to join her again in Mitford.

"After a long hiatus, Karon has returned with a novel that offers something for those who believe and those who do not. All the beloved quirky characters are here, the past is neatly summarized and the future, full of hope." — Kirkus Reviews
After five hectic years of retirement from Lord’s Chapel, Father Tim Kavanagh returns with his wife, Cynthia, from a so-called pleasure trip to the land of his Irish ancestors.
While glad to be at home in Mitford, something is definitely missing: a pulpit. But when he’s offered one, he decides he doesn’t want it. Maybe he’s lost his passion.
His adopted son, Dooley, wrestles with his own passion—for the beautiful and gifted Lace Turner, and his vision to become a successful country vet. Dooley’s brother, Sammy, still enraged by his mother’s abandonment, destroys one of Father Tim’s prized possessions. And Hope Murphy, owner of Happy Endings bookstore, struggles with the potential loss of her unborn child and her hard-won business.
All this as Wanda’s Feel Good Café opens, a romance catches fire through an Internet word game, their former mayor hatches a reelection campaign to throw the bums out, and the weekly Muse poses a probing inquiry: Does Mitford still take care of its own?
Millions of fans will applaud the chance to spend time, once more, in the often comic and utterly human presence of Jan Karon’s characters. Indeed, they have never been more sympathetic, bighearted, and engaging.

Fun with Kirk and Spock

See the Enterprise. See the Enterprise go boldly. Go Go Go, Enterprise Go Boldly Join Kirk and Spock as they go boldly where no parody has gone before
This Prime Directive primer steps through The Guardian of Forever to a simpler time of reading, writing, and red shirts. Fun with Kirk and Spock will help cadets of all ages master the art of reading as their favorite Starfleet officers, Klingons, Romulans, Andorians, and Gorn beam down into exciting adventures.

The Book of Symbols: Reflections on Archetypal Images

Reflections on symbols and symbolic imagery
The Book of Symbols combines original and incisive essays about particular symbols with representative images from all parts of the world and all eras of history.The Book of Symbols combines original and incisive essays about particular symbols with representative images from all parts of the world and all eras of history. The highly readable texts and almost 800 beautiful full-color images come together in a unique way to convey hidden dimensions of meaning. Each of the c. 350 essays examines a given symbol's psychic background, and how it evokes psychic processes and dynamics. Etymological roots, the play of opposites, paradox and shadow, the ways in which diverse cultures have engaged a symbolic image—all these factors are taken into consideration.

Authored by writers from the fields of psychology, religion, art, literature and comparative myth, the essays flow into each other in ways that mirror the psyche's unexpected convergences. There are no pat definitions of the kind

that tend to collapse a symbol; a still vital symbol remains partially unknown, compels our attention and unfolds in new meanings and manifestations over time. Rather than merely categorize, The Book of Symbols illuminates how to move from the visual experience of a symbolic image in art, religion, life, or dreams, to directly experiencing its personal and psychological resonance.

The Book of Symbols sets new standards for thoughtful exploration of symbols and their meanings, and will appeal to a wide range of readers: artists, designers, dreamers and dream interpreters, psychotherapists, self-helpers, gamers, comic book readers, religious and spiritual searchers, writers, students, and anyone curious about the power of archetypal images.

Gun Guys: A Road Trip

Dan Baum is a gun fanatic. He is also Jewish Democrat who grew up in suburban New Jersey. In Gun Guys, he takes us on a guided tour of gun stores and gun shows, shooting ranges and festivals, contests and auctions, trying to figure out what draws so many of us to guns in the first place. Is it just part of being American? Introducing a wide cast of characters, Baum shows both sides of the gun culture in America, bringing an entire world vividly to life, and in doing so helping to find a middle ground in the gun debate, where actual conversation can take place.

D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc.

Known as "America's Oldest Brewery," D. G. Yuengling & Son, Inc., of Pottsville has been in continuous operation since 1829. Since its start, Yuengling has been prudently managed by the Yuengling family. Overcoming the 14 dry years of Prohibition, Yuengling persevered due in part to the ingenuity and creativity of its owners and loyalty of its consumers. Unlike many of the regional brewers who were forced to close their doors over time, Yuengling found a niche for itself beginning in the late 1980s. With the introduction of Yuengling Lager and Black & Tan, the brand became a sensation in and around Philadelphia. Popularity of the beverages led to Yuengling being distributed in 14 states, making it the largest American-owned brewery. Through more than 220 historic images, D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc., tells the story of this legendary American company.

Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, with the chance to serve on "Away Missions" alongside the starship’s famous senior officers.

Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to realize that 1) every Away Mission involves a lethal confrontation with alien forces, 2) the ship’s senior officers always survive these confrontations, and 3) sadly, at least one low-ranking crew member is invariably killed. Unsurprisingly, the savvier crew members belowdecks avoid Away Missions at all costs.

Then Andrew stumbles on information that transforms his and his colleagues’ understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is…and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives. Redshirts is the winner of the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Eight Years Already?

July was a busy month for us at the bookstore. We debuted our new web series, won our “petty” court case, hosted our second “Where’s Waldo”, and stopped writing for the Wellsboro Gazette. We were so busy doing what we do that we let our 8 year anniversary of the bookstore come and go.

Everyone at From My Shelf Books & Gifts wants to thank everyone who made all of this possible. My goal was to help create the type of bookstore that I wished were here when I was growing up in Wellsboro, and with the help of my wife, an awesome staff, a couple of cats and the community, I believe I have succeeded.

From My Shelf Books isn’t going anywhere. We’re happy here and we are going to keep on doing what we do: Talking about books, introducing new books, bringing our hometown great book related events, and being a member of our community.

Thanks Folks!

Kevin Coolidge, owner of From My Shelf Books

The Sword Polisher's Record

While words and theory are not a substitute for the physical and mental training required to polish one's kung-fu, they are an essential part of the learning process, allowing the mind to process commands and concepts that help the body move in a special, kung-fu way.
The meaning of words, however, can be bent and distorted to have a detrimental effect on kung-fu. In fact, today kung-fu is like a sword of incomparable value that has lost its shine and sharpness because of the many misconceptions spawned from the words and images in books and movies and the errant teachings of unqualified instructors.
"The Sword Polisher's Record," originally a monthly column that appeared for more than a decade in three magazines, including Kungfu magazine and Black Belt magazine, became a way of polishing the kung-fu sword, clearing up the misconceptions that are causing it to become dull and rusty.
Highlighted with over 60 illustrations, "The Sword Polisher's Record: The Way of Kung-Fu," an anthology of the monthly column, is organized into eight inter-connected sections, each examining a different aspect of kung-fu including its foundations, important concepts and principles related to kung-fu styles and forms, usage, and training, and discussions on the future of kung-fu and it's place in our lives.

Pennsylvania Trivia: Weird, Wacky and Wild

Pennsylvania is full of fascinating places and colorful people. Read this entertaining and lighthearted collection of facts about one of America's original 13 American Colonies.

The Algerine Spy in Pennsylvania

“A pungent satire on American affairs.” —Samuel Eliot Morison

In 1787, while American sailors languished in a Barbary prison, delegates debated the Constitution in Philadelphia. Despite America’s desire to respond to the crisis, without a central government, the new republic had no means to create a naval force. Enter an anonymously published book, The Algerine Spy in Pennsylvania: or, Letters Written by a Native of Algiers on the Affairs of the United States in America, which began circulating among the delegates. Consisting of a series of letters ostensibly written by an Algerian agent “Mehmet” back to his leader, the spy predicted that the former colonies would never be able to resolve their differences and be “ruined by disunion.” The book created a sensation and it helped tip the balance for those in favor of adopting the new Constitution. Following the Constitution’s final ratification in 1789, the United States created a navy and began asserting its power overseas. With its commentary about men and women, business and pleasure, and historical and religious comparisons between nations, The Algerine Spy in Pennsylvania provides both a contemporary snapshot of early American life and the political ideas of the period. Never before reprinted, and recently rated one of the five best works in the history of America’s encounter with the Arab world, this new edition is edited by historian Timothy Marr, who reconsiders the importance of this early work in the political and literary history of the United States.

Goblin Quest

If you've always secretly rooted for the little guy, you need to read this book. Jig is a scrawny little nearsighted goblin-a runt even among his puny species. Captured by a party of adventurers searching for a magical artifact, and forced to guide them, Jig encounters every peril ever faced on a fantasy quest.

Play Ball!: The Story of Little League Baseball

On any given spring evening, 360,000 children around the world can be found on the dusty mounds and grassy fields of a Little League field. With more than four million people playing or volunteering in Little League games every year, Little League is the institutional rite of passage into the quintessential American pastime.

Play Ball charts Little League's history from the earliest days and shows how, in many respects, its history parallels America's history. A microcosm of American society, Little League reflects, and is affected by, cultural, political and historical trends. Today, Little League is played on 12,000 fields in every U.S. state and in 103 other countries on six continents, and The Little League Baseball World Series, played annually in Williamsport, is watched by crowds of 40,000 each year in person, and by more than ten million on ABC's Wide World of Sports.

The authors were given full access to the Little League Baseball archives and have created a fully illustrated and comprehensive history. Play Ball contains appendixes including winners of all Little League Baseball and Softball World Series, a year-by-year history of Little League, countries in Little League, and lists of some of the famous people who played the game as children, including Kevin Costner, Mark McGwire, and George W. Bush.

Play Ball will interest parents, former players and coaches, fans of Little League Baseball, general baseball enthusiasts, and anyone who has ever picked up a ball and bat.

Libriomancer: (Magic Ex Libris Book 1)

Isaac Vainio is a Libriomancer, a member of the secret organization founded five centuries ago by Johannes Gutenberg. Libriomancers are gifted with the ability to magically reach into books and draw forth objects. When Isaac is attacked by vampires that leaked from the pages of books into our world, he barely manages to escape. To his horror he discovers that vampires have been attacking other magic-users as well, and Gutenberg has been kidnapped.

With the help of a motorcycle-riding dryad who packs a pair of oak cudgels, Isaac finds himself hunting the unknown dark power that has been manipulating humans and vampires alike. And his search will uncover dangerous secrets about Libriomancy, Gutenberg, and the history of magic. . . .

Watchmen

Man goes to doctor. Says he’s depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says, “Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.” Man bursts into tears. Says “But Doctor… I am Pagliacci. Alan Moore from the Watchmen

This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.
One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series.

Of a Predatory Heart

I’m writing this book review Of A Predatory Heart for seasoned woodsman, Joe Parry. Joe is just what he appears to be, a blue-collar, working class guy, but Joe has a talent that not everyone has. Joe is a natural storyteller, and he can put it to paper. The first rule of writing is to write what you know.  Joe does one better, he writes what he is, a little guy with a big heart. His stories brought memories of my Grandpa, and my first hunting knife, of that special dog, and some brought tears of laughter. But more importantly, I thought these were stories that would do the same for many people the world over. You know how you read a book so good that you just have to share it? Yep, this is just such a book. Joe is chock full of tales and has many quality stories.

Joe Parry, a Vietnam vet and an outdoor writer, has written for the Pennsylvania Game News, Field and Stream, Fins and Feathers, Turkey Magazine, Sports Afield, Readers Digest, Northwest Outdoors, the Philadelphia Daily News, and the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, and the Wellsboro Gazette. These stories on hunting, fishing, and the outdoor lifestyle run from snort-milk-through-your nose funny, to bringing a tear to a seasoned woodsman’s eye. It’s a memoir of a lifelong outdoorsman, starting from his return from the Vietnam War, with tales ranging from archery hunting, fly-fishing, introducing children to woodcraft, and the bond that forms between generations through appreciation of the woodlands.

I especially enjoyed reading, The Royal Roachman. My uncle was a dedicated fly fisherman, and I remember the dining room table covered with vices and tiny hooks and filled with turkey feathers and multi-colored deer tails. I would watch him create delicate mimicries and speak of matching the hatch. That’s why I could not stop laughing when I read the short story. Anyone who has every tried to duplicate one of nature’s creations, will surely appreciate “Big Bill’s” gallant but feeble attempt, and the creation of THE FLY.

Perhaps, that’s what is so familiar about Joe’s book. It will remind you of home. Hunting and fishing is an important part of our culture here in Tioga County, and there’s something about the smell of gun oil and the searing heat of a woodstove that has a place in any hunters heart. If you were raised hunting, you know there’s just something about a gun. No man deserves the title of hunter that doesn’t feel a deep, honest gratitude for nature’s bounty.

Joe feels this and it’s evident in his writing. This collection of short stories has a widespread appeal, from non-hunters to avid fishermen, to seasoned vets who cherish the solitude and majesty of the forest. If you enjoyed Of Woods and Wild Things by Wellsboro Gazette columnist Don Knaus, you are going to love Of A Predatory Heart. As my Uncle once said, “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, but teach a man to fish and he’ll be drinking beer and spinning tales before you know it. So, grab a cold drink, hunker down, and enjoy some great outdoor writing…

Rail-Trails Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York

Across the country, more than 1,600 unused railroad corridors have been converted to level, public, multiuse trails, where people can enjoy a fitness run, a leisurely bike ride, or a stroll with the family. In this newest addition to the popular series, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy presents the Northeast’s finest rail-trails. Rail-Trails Northeast covers one hundred of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania’s rail-trails. With a rich industrial and passenger rail history, the Northeast is one of the densest rail-trail regions in the country. Rural, suburban, or urban, rail-trails serve as the backbone of an impressive trail system. This two-color book includes succinct descriptions of each trail from start to finish, plus at-a-glance summary information indicating permitted uses, surface type, length, and directions to trailheads for each trail. Every trip has a detailed map that includes start and end points, trailhead, parking, restroom facilities, and other amenities.

Amazing Sharks! ( I Can Read Nonfiction - Level 2 (Paperback) )

Did you know that some sharks can . . .

glow in the dark!
grow to be as long as a fire truck!
lose thousands of teeth during their lives!
feel electricity in the water!

Filled with outstanding photographs from the Wildlife Conservation Society, Amazing Sharks! is a new title in an exciting nonfiction I Can Read Book series. The series explores the amazing animals that share our world and how we can help them survive.

Target Age Group: 04 to 08

AR Reading Level: 3.1 AR Points: .5

Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, From A Game of Thrones to A Dance with Dragons

Foreword by New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore
Go beyond the Wall and across the narrow sea with this collection about George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, from A Game of Thrones to A Dance with Dragons.
The epic game of thrones chronicled in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series has captured the imaginations of millions of readers. In Beyond the Wall, bestselling authors and acclaimed critics offer up thought-provoking essays and compelling insights:
Daniel Abraham reveals the unique challenges of adapting the original books into graphic novels.
Westeros.org founders Linda Antonsson and Elio M. García, Jr., explore the series’ complex heroes and villains, and their roots in the Romantic movement.
Wild Cards contributor Caroline Spector delves into the books’ controversial depictions of power and gender.
Plus much more, from military science fiction writer Myke Cole on the way Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder shapes many of the leading characters to author and television writer Ned Vizzini on the biases against genre fiction that color critical reactions to the series.
Contributors:
R.A. Salvatore (foreword)
Daniel Abraham
Linda Antonsson
Myke Cole
Elio M. García, Jr.
Brent Hartinger
John Jos. Miller
Alyssa Rosenberg
Jesse Scoble
Caroline Spector
Matt Staggs
Susan Vaught
Ned Vizzini
Gary Westfahl
Adam Whitehead
Andrew Zimmerman Jones

The Express: The Ernie Davis Story

Ernie Davis was an All-American on the gridiron, and a man of integrity off the field. A multi-sport high school star in Elmira, New York, Davis went on to Syracuse University, where as a sophomore he led his team to an undefeated season and a national championship in 1959, and earned his nickname, the Elmira Express. Two seasons later, Davis had broken the legendary Jim Brown’s rushing records, and became the first black athlete to be awarded the Heisman Trophy.

The number one pick in the 1962 NFL draft, Davis signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns and appeared to be headed for professional stardom. But Davis never ended up playing in the NFL: He was diagnosed with leukemia during the summer before his rookie season and succumbed to the disease less than a year later. In battling his illness, Davis showed great dignity and courage, inspired the nation, and moved President John F. Kennedy to eulogize him as “ an outstanding man of great character.”

An enduring story of a true scholar-athlete, The Express is a touching, impeccably researched, deeply personal portrait of Ernie Davis, and a vivid look at sport in America at the dawn of the Civil Rights era.

My Parents Open Carry

Kevin Coolidge

I love books. Books of all kinds, but I don't read them all. I couldn't if I wanted, and sometimes there's a book I don't want to read. I often hear an authors talk about his book and say, "this book is for everyone." I can understand wanting to hit the widest demographic for sales, but not every book is for every person.

As a voracious reader, and a bookseller, I do feel there is a book for everyone. If you enjoy an activity, hobby, or have an interest in anything, chances are there is a book about it. My Parents Open Carry is such a book. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and my relatives hunted. My dad shot black powder, and I couldn't wait until I could own my first gun.

My fist gun was a shotgun I bought with my own money as soon as took the required safety class. I hunted a few years, but enjoyed walking through the woods more than I ever did hunting. Most people I knew had a gun, many had several. The first day of deer season is a Pennsylvania holiday. Guns and hunting are important where I grew up.

I found out that not everyone is comfortable with a gun, and I was reminded of this when this book garnered national attention. I don't open carry. I haven't read the book. I'm curious about it and what other people think of it.

I'm not opposed to open carry done right, but open carry has gotten a lot of press, and most of it isn't good. I still own my first gun, but it stays home in the closet with a box of shells. How do you feel about guns? What do you think about open carry?

Murder in Muncy Creek: A True Account of the 1836 Trial, Conviction, and Hanging of John Earls

True Crime -- The Civil War Discharge of a Union Army soldier held the key to a dark and chilling ancestral secret that lay hidden for nearly 175 years. Detailed account of the 1836 trial, conviction, andhanging of John Earls for the murder of his wife, Catharine, by poisoning. One of the earliest documented cases of domestic violence that led to murder and "the trial of the century."

The Name of the Wind: The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One

One of the few books that we offer a money back guarantee on...

The riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen. From his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime- ridden city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that transports readers into the body and mind of a wizard. It is a high-action novel written with a poet's hand, a powerful coming-of-age story of a magically gifted young man, told through his eyes: to read this book is to be the hero.

A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One

A NEW ORIGINAL SERIES, NOW ON HBO.

Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.
A GAME OF THRONES
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.
Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

How to Make Monstrous, Huge, Unbelievably Big Bubbles

We’ve taken a best-selling Klutz classic and reinvented it for a whole new generation. You’ll still find bubble tricks, bubble history and directions for creating a homemade bubble-making but the text has been updated, and the photos are now in full color, so the bubbles can be appreciated in all their rainbow-hued glory. At last, the book really big bubbles deserve!

Mary Jemison: White Woman of the Seneca

"With two children on her back, nine-year-old John beside her, and Tom astride a horse in front, Mary inched her way through the lonely forest. It was almost too empty. She hadn't remembered it ever seeming so barren, so absolutely clean of leaves or dead branches. She wondered if wars did such things.... Did her Seneca brothers know? Did they understand that killing people often meant killing land?" (Rayna Gangi)Basing her novel on Mary Jemison's own account of her life, Rayna Gangi tells the true story of the captive white girl who became the wife of a Seneca warrior chief during the French and Indian wars. Captured at 15 during a raid, this daughter of Scotch-Irish parents was rapidly assimilated into full tribal membership and the responsibilities of womanhood. She bore eight children and became a respected elder in her adopted community. By "becoming" Seneca, Mary Jemison developed the strength, values, and enduring commitment that -- together with her native courage -- sustained her through wrenching personal tragedies in the aftermath of a war the Seneca could not win. An accurate account of many of the events that shaped the destiny of the Seneca people, this book has been sanctioned by the Seneca Nation.

Year of No Sugar: A Memoir

For fans of the New York Times bestseller I Quit Sugar or Katie Couric's controversial food industry documentary Fed Up, A Year of No Sugar is a "delightfully readable account of how one family] survived a yearlong sugar-free diet and lived to tell the tale...A funny, intelligent, and informative memoir." --Kirkus

It's dinnertime. Do you know where your sugar is coming from? Most likely everywhere. Sure, it's in ice cream and cookies, but what scared Eve O. Schaub was the secret world of sugar--hidden in bacon, crackers, salad dressing, pasta sauce, chicken broth, and baby food.

With her eyes opened by the work of obesity expert Dr. Robert Lustig and others, Eve challenged her husband and two school-age daughters to join her on a quest to quit sugar for an entire year.
Along the way, Eve uncovered the real costs of our sugar-heavy American diet--including diabetes, obesity, and increased incidences of health problems such as heart disease and cancer. The stories, tips, and recipes she shares throw fresh light on questionable nutritional advice we've been following for years and show that it is possible to eat at restaurants and go grocery shopping--with less and even no added sugar.

Year of No Sugar is what the conversation about "kicking the sugar addiction" looks like for a real American family--a roller coaster of unexpected discoveries and challenges.

Terms of Enlistment

The year is 2108, and the North American Commonwealth is bursting at the seams. For welfare rats like Andrew Grayson, there are only two ways out of the crime-ridden and filthy welfare tenements, where you?re restricted to 2,000 calories of badly flavored soy every day. You can hope to win the lottery and draw a ticket on a colony ship settling off-world, or you can join the service. With the colony lottery a pipe dream, Andrew chooses to enlist in the armed forces for a shot at real food, a retirement bonus, and maybe a ticket off Earth. But as he starts a career of supposed privilege, he soon learns that the good food and decent health care come at a steep price . . . and that the settled galaxy holds far greater dangers than military bureaucrats or the gangs that rule the slums. The debut novel from Marko Kloos, Terms of Enlistment is a new addition to the great military sci-fi tradition of Robert Heinlein, Joe Haldeman, and John Scalzi.

The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story

A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a few days 90 percent of its victims are dead. A secret military SWAT team of soldiers and scientists is mobilized to stop the outbreak of this exotic "hot" virus. The Hot Zone tells this dramatic story, giving a hair-raising account of the
appearance of rare and lethal viruses and their "crashes" into the human race. Shocking, frightening, and impossible to ignore, The Hot Zone proves that truth really is scarier than fiction.