Polite English

In Polite, Louise shows how the unseen science of politeness governs everything we do, from what we say to how we act, and reveals how a better understanding of the rules and norms of politeness can help us in all aspects of our work, leisure and home lives. And, in doing so, she answers the age-old question... are politeness standards really declining?

England, 1926. Just days before Lord Darriby-Jones is scheduled to enlighten the world at the Annual Limacology Symposium, his secretary unceremoniously bids adieu to her employment. It's now up to Lady Darriby-Jones to find a replacement. In a twist of fate, she stumbles upon a commoner from a neighboring town willing to accept the role, despite the slug-dismantling duties that await him. He's positively thrilled at the chance to rub elbows with true aristocrats, even if his job involves less glamorous endeavors.

In this dazzling debut, Taylor M. Polites crafts a Southern gothic novel that mines classic literary archetypes while shaping them in new ways. Set in Reconstruction-era Alabama, The Rebel Wife opens with Augusta Branson losing her husband to a terrible blood fever. Now she and her son must fend for themselves in a community being destroyed by violence.

While Lady Violet Belmaine is busy sorting out the odd turns her life has recently taken, Hugh St. Sevier repairs to his Kent estate in hopes of embarking on the placid life of a rural physician. Alas, for St. Sevier, the village of St. Ivo has more secrets than it has pots of heartease, and the good doctor will once again find himself the target of rumors and threats. Somebody is rigging St. Ivo’s hound races, setting neighbor against neighbor, and turning what should be a friendly entertainment into an occasion for brawling.

I’m not going home. Of that, I am certain. And anyway, who would want to? Folotelyn Kyanite is the best thing that ever happened to me. She’s kind, caring, drop dead gorgeous and with her best friend, and my second wife, Alfofida, the beautiful, intelligent inventor. Well, they make one hell of a pair. The politics of this world be damned. I’ve got things settling in pretty well right now. Except after delivering the badly wounded Kiggaelin to her father. I was sent back with Elder Obsidian to seal the tunnel and cement my permanence on this world. All the while, Kiggaelin was at home, dying.

Bill Maher first came to national attention as the host of the hit program Politically Incorrect, in which he offered a combustible mixture of irreverence and acerbic humor that garnered him a loyal following. In his popular and long-running HBO television show, Real Time with Bill Maher, his reputation for being a hilarious provocateur continues. One particular segment of the show—"New Rules"—strikes a chord with viewers every week. In this collection, Maher brings these brilliantly conceived riffs to audio, along with some singularly Maher-ian "editorials".

Winifred is blunt, opinionated, and outrageously colorful. In a community that demands domesticity, she simply doesn’t fit. When her wealthy husband suddenly dies, Winifred’s fellow society housewives no longer have a reason to play nice. Cast out entirely, Winifred throws roaring parties for the clerks and waiters that serve the town, finding the connections she’s been craving—and upsetting the gentle balance of her elite neighborhood in the process.

Jason Slate was your ordinary spy, if you could say such things about spies. High marksmanship, battle tested, and expert infiltrator. Never has he lost a battle, and never has his mark escaped. Though while finishing up his latest assignment, the unexpected happened. Now Jason has been thrust into a world of martial arts and cultivation in a body of a five year old and given a new name and purpose. Into a land where the strong rule over the weak and corruption reins free.

Discipline is a vital part of child-rearing, but many parents misunderstand how to use it and attempt to control their child's behaviour via a combination of punishment and motivation. Yet while this traditional approach may appear to produce quick results, it can potentially damage the child and, in the long term, leave parents with a far worse problem than they had initially. The Gentle Discipline Book analyses common discipline techniques and explains why so many are ineffective.

I never thought, after all those fantasy novels. That I would ever live through one. My name is Tobias Conner-Kyanite. And yeah. That name is still something I’m not quite used to yet. Most of this was an accident. But not a regret. Not even a little. I’d like to say, that boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl and boy marries girl. Unfortunately, or I like to think, fortunately.

Education can be transformed if we eradicate our fixation on big data like standardized test scores as the supreme measure of equity and learning. Instead of the focus being on “fixing” and “filling” academic gaps, we must envision and rebuild the system from the student up—with classrooms, schools and systems built around students’ brilliance, cultural wealth, and intellectual potential. Street data reminds us that what is measurable is not the same as what is valuable and that data can be humanizing, liberatory and healing.

Tourists think they see the real Charleston, but Simons Smythe knows there’s more to her hometown than sweet tea and Southern hospitality. Behind the walled gardens, inside the fabled historic homes, live Charleston’s elite. Simons was born into this powerful aristocracy that has quietly ruled the city for centuries.

No matter where you are in the world, noodles are bound to be a worthy meal choice. But be sure to remember your table manners! In this funny story, Pasta Polly explains the polite way to eat noodle dishes in Japan, China, Thailand, Italy, and America.

Once Second Prince of the mightiest kingdom in the known world, Othrun now leads the last survivors of his exiled people into an uncertain future far across the Shimmering Sea from their ancestral home, now lost beneath the waves. With his Single God binding his knights to chivalric oaths, intent on wiping out idolatry and pagan worship, they will have to carve out a new kingdom on this mysterious continent that has for centuries been ravaged by warlords competing for supremacy and mages channeling the mystic powers of the elements, and unite the continent under godly rule.

John Locke: Enlightenment philosopher, father of liberalism, inventor of “natural rights,” and accidental spiritual patron of land developers, libertarians, and your uncle who won’t shut up about property taxes.

LeBron James is the hero in two very American tales: one, a success story the nation loves; the other, the latest installment in an ongoing chronicle of American antiblackness. James has lived in the public eye ever since high school when his extraordinary athletic skills subjected his every action, every statement, every fashion choice to intense public scrutiny that tells us less about James himself and more about a nation still wrestling with many social inequities.

Then you're in for a treat. Volume three of our popular anthology series is sure to scratch that questionable itch. With stories by Michael Knost, William Joseph Roberts, Philip K. Booker, Christopher Woods, D. Raymond Smith, David Badurina, H.P. Holo, James Palmer, Jason Cordova, Lee Ellis, M Leigh, Michael Morton, Michael Craig, and Guest Editorial by Faith Hunter.

Letters to Sarah is a rock autobiography with a difference. In addition to the exceptionally honest and endearing voice of Corky chronicling the ups and downs of his life, there are excerpts from dozens of letters (out of the c. 200) that Corky wrote to his mother, Sarah, between the years 1963 and 1997. She had saved them all. The letters were a way for Corky, away on the road for years on end, to keep in touch with his roots and also, to make sense of his life.

Thaniya Suhaib had always dreamed of a life of freedom and independence, but escaping the grip of abuse and torment was no easy feat. As a new convert to Islam, Thaniya's journey led her to the bustling city of Dubai, UAE. Determined to make a name for herself as a civil engineer, Thaniya navigates the challenges of a male-dominated field while also trying to heal from her past trauma. But just when she thought she had finally found true love and happiness, she is faced with the ultimate dilemma—a married man who captures her heart.

Most often the way another child or adult responds to your child is determined by how your child behaves. Politeness brings out the best response in others. It makes the people the child is interacting with happy and, most importantly, it makes the child happy! Without a doubt, the best way to teach a child to be polite is by example. However, reading this book to your child will help him or her learn polite words and when and how to use them. As you read each page, you can talk about occasions and situations that the child has experienced, in which the child can use the polite words. With ...