A Halloween Treat

In A Halloween Treat, kids and cats go trick or treating, and gather loot that might be tricks--or perhaps the best treat imaginable: their very own monsters. A short vignette, published in book form for the very first time, it will be an undiscovered delight for Gorey fanatics. Turn the book over to its back cover to read from the other direction, and you'll delve into a collection of Gorey's ghosts, curated from his extensive oeuvre. Charmingly spooky, these ghastly phantasms come in all shapes and sizes--the perfect thing to curl up with on a chilling Halloween night.

About the Author

A truly prodigious and original artist, Edward St. John Gorey (1925-2000), gave to the world over one hundred works, including The Gashlycrumb Tinies, The Doubtful Guest and The Wuggly Ump; prize-winning set and costume designs for innumerable theater productions from Cape Cod to Broadway; a remarkable number of illustrations in publications such as The New Yorker and The New York Times. Gorey's masterful pen and ink illustrations and his ironic, offbeat humor have brought him critical acclaim and an avid following throughout the world.

My Little Pony: The Journal of the Two Sisters

As seen on the hit animated series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!
Learn the history of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna by reading the diary they kept when they were younger. PLUS, hidden inside, readers will discover the pages of a bonus book--The Journal of Friendship. Inspired by Celestia and Luna, the pony friends Princess Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack share a diary of their own! Read their entries--as seen on the show--and then write some of your own friendship observations in the book, too!

The Witches

This is not a fairy tale. This is about real witches.


Grandmamma loves to tell about witches. Real witches are the most dangerous of all living creatures on earth. There's nothing they hate so much as children, and they work all kinds of terrifying spells to get rid of them. Her grandson listens closely to Grandmamma's stories—but nothing can prepare him for the day he comes face-to-face with The Grand High Witch herself!

Living Language Dothraki: A Conversational Language Course Based on the Hit Original HBO Series Game of Thrones

Fans of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones can now learn the Dothraki language. Written by David J. Peterson, who developed the language for the HBO series, Living Language Dothraki will arm you with enough vocabulary and grammar to have a complete conversation in Dothraki. Me nem nesa!*
The course includes a 128-page language guide and a one-hour audio CD featuring over 200 words and phrases, grammar explanations, cultural notes, a dialogue, and exercises for reinforcement. Containing words never before heard on HBO’s Game of Thrones or seen in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, this course is the ultimate Dothraki guide.


*Me nem nesa! = It is known!

Haunted Highways

A lonely stretch of highway in the dead of night. You're tired after hours on the road. Suddenly you see someone ahead of you in the headlights and slam on the brakes--but no one's there. The hallucination of a weary driver? Perhaps not. Author Dan Asfar has researched dozens of accounts of paranormal phenomena along North America's highways and bi-ways. Get ready for your next journey by reading Haunted Highways.

The Incredibully* Agony of Meetings

I hate meetings. Who doesn't? Nothing seems to get done in meetings. I belong to the local chamber of commerce, but I'd rather poke my eyes out than attend one of the meetings. Nothing gets done, and it feels like a waste of my time.

I attended my first Borough council meeting tonight. I've lived in Wellsboro most of my life, not all, because I'm not dead yet, though I had to check my pulse at the meeting just to be sure. The only thing I really feel I accomplished was I made up a new word to describe the political meeting experience, incredibully. I feel it's apropos, and I'll be using it again.

The reason I decided to abject myself to this scheduled snoozefest is my concern over what I think may be fire code violations in a local Wellsboro business. Wellsboro is a small town. After asking around, I found out we don't have a fire marshall. Our fire department is all volunteer, and even the fire chief holds a regular job where he works at least 40 hours a week.

We do, however, have a borough manager. It seemed the logical place to inquire, and I sent both an email and a letter, but the wheels of bureaucracy grind slow. I didn't receive any acknowledgement and felt it was best to attend the meeting to see if the borough manager had received my concerns.

Nothing got done. Nothing is resolved. I received the curt answer of "checking into it" and "right to know" and of course no one at borough council seemed to know where to start looking. One member seemed to think the fire chief would know. Of course, our local fire department is all volunteer, and there's a lot to know with more to learn all the time.

The internet can be a useful tool, and by digging around I found out some good information on how fire marshalls calculate maximum occupancy for public buildings. You can check out the page I found here.

Every municipality does it a little different, and reading a few pages on the internet is not going to make anyone a fire marshall, but I can't help but come to the conclusion that there is at least one violation of the fire code in this local business.

I hate meetings, but I might have to start going to a few more. A lot of the same people have been on the Wellsboro Borough Council, the Tioga County of Commissioners, and the Wellsboro School Board, because people hate meetings.

Most people never go to one until it's time to complain, or it's time to see if you can get an evasive answer in person. It feels like a waste of time, but sometimes, just sometimes something really useful happens, like the creation of a new word, or maybe making Wellsboro a little safer for everyone in the future...



Main Street Wellsboro...things move a little slower here...

*Incredibully: Boring with bullshit-a descriptor for political meetings. I think of it more as boring with a side of bullshit, because that seems to go with almost any political meeting from small town to Congress.

Hobo's Books: the blog for From My Shelf!: Thank You for Your Support

Hobo's Books: the blog for From My Shelf!: Thank You for Your Support: I want to thank everyone who's supported us. It might have been a donation, or buying a book, or just sharing our posts. I thank you. ...

Duck & Goose, Find a Pumpkin

PRESCHOOLERS WILL CHEER the return of Duck and Goose in their fourth board book appearance. This time, Duck and Goose are looking for the perfect pumpkin. Is it in the log? Is it under the leaves? Is it in the apple tree? Young children will surely enjoy going on a pumpkin hunt with Duck and Goose . . . especially when they find the perfect pumpkin at the end!

Ghost Hunting for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started

If you're one of the countless fans of ghost hunting TV shows itching to get off the couch and track some spirits on your own, this book provides everything you need to know to conduct a successful paranormal investigation.

Professional ghost hunter Rich Newman shares proven scientific methods, tried-and-true low-tech approaches, and the latest technology used by the pros. You'll learn what ghosts are, why hauntings occur, the different types of supernatural phenomena, and the importance of conducting responsible investigations. Find out how to form a team, interact with ghosts, gather and examine evidence--and what not to do when seeking spirits.

Along with helpful hints, insider tips, and seasoned insights gained from Newman's decade of field work, Ghost Hunting for Beginners is peppered with true accounts of ghost stories from famous cases and the author's own investigations.

Visions of Teaoga

The year is 1790 and Queen Esther, a notorious American Indian matriarch, travels under cover to observe a U.S.-Iroquois summit at the ancient Teaoga treaty grounds. Will she be able to pass on her wisdom - and warnings - to the Indian villagers before the hostile settlers discover her in their midst? Will troubled native girl Sisketung awaken to Esther's truths and see how wrong-headed the brash settler girl Sarah was? Moving two centuries forward, restless tweener Maddy Winter also visits Teaoga, now a quiet riverfront town on the Pennsylvania-New York border. She tunes in to the region's dramatic lost history and soon encounters spirits in the wind. As she gains in wisdom, Maddy longs to take on Esther's mantle of the "peace woman," but will she find the courage to do right in her own life? Drawing richly from the historical record, Visions of Teaoga captures a world in upheaval. Readers sit at a native story circle and learn of the tensions and treachery besetting the Eastern frontier. As Maddy and her modern-day compatriots enter the story, they ponder how our history was recorded and by whom. The book is a perfect companion for middle-school history classes, with discussion questions and other supplemental materials provided on the author's website, www.jimremsen.com. WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: "A fascinating, well-written, must-read book for anyone interested in the Munsee Delaware culture and history -- and the history of American Indians in general!" -- Chief Little Soldier, Tribal Chief, Munsee Delaware Indian Nation-USA "Accurate, thought-provoking and curriculum-related. Excellent read!" --Valerie Jacoski, Director emeritus, Tioga Point Museum -- ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jim Remsen is a professional writer and editor in Philadelphia, where he had a successful career at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Prior to retirement, he was newspaper's awarding-winning Religion Editor. He also is co-author of The Intermarriage Handbook: A Guide for Jews and Christians (HarperCollins), a widely used bible for mixed-faith couples. Jim, an avid student of history, stumbled onto the story of Queen Esther and the Bloody Rock while on a road trip. Deciding to bring the poignant saga to life for the young reader, he spent nearly two years researching and writing Visions of Teaoga. He is a member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, and the Authors Guild. To learn more about Jim, and to access educational materials about Queen Esther's world, visit his website at www.jimremsen.com. With map and illustrations.