Odd World

In The Cold War, Odd Arne Westad offers a new perspective on a century when a superpower rivalry and an ideological war transformed every corner of our globe. We traditionally think of the Cold War as a post-World War II diplomatic and military conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. But in this major new work, Westad argues that the conflict must be understood as a global ideological confrontation with roots in the industrial revolution and with continuing implications for the world today.

*The instant New York Times bestseller* The untold story of four of the most decorated soldiers of World War II—all Medal of Honor recipients—from the beaches of French Morocco to Hitler’s own mountaintop fortress, by the national bestselling author of The First Wave “Pitch-perfect...

Step into the curious side of history where the law takes unexpected turns. The Curious World of Law uncovers some of the strangest, funniest, and most surprising rules that societies have ever created. From ancient codes and forgotten regulations to modern laws that still leave us scratching our heads, this book explores how human culture, fear, and creativity shaped the world’s most unusual statutes.

A harrowing and heartwrenching memoir of humanitarian aid worker Jessica Buchanan’s kidnapping by Somali land pirates, her three months in captivity, her rescue by the Navy SEALs, and her husband’s extraordinary efforts to help bring her home. In 2006, twenty-seven-year-old Jessica Buchanan...

How about Iceland’s rule that you can’t build a house without checking if elves live there first? 🌍 Welcome to the wonderfully weird world of laws that actually exist! From no dancing after midnight in Japan to no feeding pigeons in Venice, Crazy Laws From Around the World is your laugh-out-loud passport to 36 countries and more than 1,500 bizarre, hilarious, and totally real regulations. Each chapter dives into a different nation’s oddest rules — with quick facts, cultural quirks, and the hilarious backstories behind them. Whether it’s ancient royal leftovers, modern ...

In 1994, Mike Mignola created one of the most unique and visually arresting comics series to ever see print: Hellboy. Tens of thousands have followed the exploits of the World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator in comics form and in prose. Now, fans of the comic can enjoy the world of Hellboy as seen through the eyes of some of the brightest creative lights in horror and mystery fiction.

"Absolutely splendid . . . essential for understanding why there is so much bad thinking in political life right now." —David Brooks, New York Times How to Think is a contrarian treatise on why we’re not as good at thinking as we assume—but how recovering this lost art can rescue our...

Nathaniel Tilton was leading an ordinary existence in his early30s as a financial advisor in Boston. Then, without a destination in mind, he set out to experience life in more meaningful ways. His path was forged when he met famed MIT blackjack team member Semyon Dukach, who inspired Nathaniel to become a world-class blackjack player.

Secrets have a way of giving in to the truth... Mira once led a wonderful life—a respected professor at the University of Chicago, surrounded by a loving family, outstanding students, caring friends, and a supportive faculty. Her husband owned a technology company that was the envy of the AI world. The world should have been their oyster. Should have been. Instead, Mira wakes up inside a bunker, bewildered and drugged, with the world above ravaged by an unknown scourge. Day by day, hour by hour, she discovers that the enemy isn't some distant adversary, from a faraway land. It's much ...

She fought for gold. Now, she fights for her life. Olympic champion Judith Rosner once had the world at her feet. But after Austria’s annexation by Nazi Germany, her victories no longer matter—only the fact that she is Jewish. Friends turn away, the Gestapo is closing in, and survival becomes her only goal. Hiding with a fearless woman who risks everything to protect the persecuted, Judith meets Koloss, a German deserter with nowhere left to run. But when the SS arrests their protector, the two must make a desperate escape. Their only hope? Switzerland—just across the treacherous ...

From Alex Kershaw, author of the New York Times bestseller Against All Odds, comes an epic story of courage, resilience, and faith during the Second World War General George Patton needed a miracle. In December 1944, the Allies found themselves stuck. Rain had plagued the troops daily since...

A hundred years after the world was plunged into a catastrophic ice age, Anna Mathers awakens from cryo-stasis to a green and thriving Earth—an Earth transformed by time, loss, and resilience. But survival is far from guaranteed. Amidst makeshift shelters and dwindling rations, the fragile society of survivors is tested by starvation, betrayal, and the lurking threat of others who lived through the freeze. While Anna navigates the politics of survival and the growing tension within their camp, her unlikely ally, Jamie Griffin—a former rival from a world long gone—stands by her side. ...

Who doesn’t love random facts and odd trivia? Have fun learning weird and curious facts in this audiobook of unusual knowledge and funny trivia. Discover fun and interesting facts about the world and our fascinating history. An amazing facts book for kids and teenagers of all ages, full of fascinating facts and trivia to educate and stimulate young minds. Discover fascinating new knowledge you will keep forever!

You see it all over the casino and on gaming websites. Your favorite team has the odds stacked against them. But what does that mean? You should bet on your hometown team to win, right? What if you wanted to place a real wager to win real cash? Would you even know where to start? My book, Sports Betting for Beginners, will show you, the first-timers, the ins and outs of sports betting. It takes all of the information about the different wagers, odds, and sportsbook systems and breaks it down into information that is understandable and useful.

Humorous. Authentic. Relatable. That's Carolanne Miljavac in a nutshell. And those qualities are just what her nearly half a million social media followers adore about her. Her Odd(ly) Enough is a message that your heart needs to hear: It's time to embrace the "you" God made you to be. Tune out the naysayers of the world, and jump into his loving arms. He'll walk alongside you as you passionately pursue your God-given purpose.

What if your nightmares were really suppressed memories? Twice, I disappeared for more than a year, only to turn up with no recollection of where I’d been. Vague details came to me in blurry dreams, but no one believed my suspicion that I’d been abducted by aliens. Most days, I thought that I was losing my mind but the signs of pregnancy on my body were confirmed by my doctor, so where is my child? And who is the man with the tattoo that I keep dreaming of? Chatting online with a stranger results in the opportunity for Jade to get answers about her mysterious loss of memory. But can she...

Descriptions and pictures of some of the most unusual, odd, weird and strange fish that inhabit the waters of the world,

NEWLY PUBLISHED! If you were moved by Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris, or Ballard's Empire of the Sun, then this book is for you. A moving and powerful page-turner of family, friendships and love, and the endurance of the human spirit, from bestselling D. M. Mitchell. Inspired by real events in the author's family history. It’s Sept 1939. Germany has invaded Poland. Twelve-year-old Jozef lives on a farm in the east of the country until the Russians invade and send him and his family to a labour camp in northern Siberia. Here they face cruelty, hardships and loss beyond anything they ...

The New World of the 18th century was dotted with failed colonies, and New South Wales nearly joined them. The motley crew of unruly marines and bedraggled convicts who arrived at Botany Bay in 1788 in leaky boats nearly starved to death. They could easily have been murdered by hostile locals, been overwhelmed by an attack from French or Spanish expeditions or been brought undone by the Castle Hill uprising of 1804. Yet through fortunate decisions, a few remarkably good leaders and, most of all, good luck, Sydney survived and thrived.

After he apprehends a fleeing shoplifter, Val D’Isigny is unexpectedly fired from his job as a security officer at a large North Carolina home improvement center. Unemployed and short on cash, it appears the devoted father will be forced to break an earlier promise and cancel his son Andy’s birthday trip to Walt Disney World. When all hope for the family’s trip appears to be lost, wife Eleanor searches the internet and comes up with a plan that will allow her family to spend Andy’s 10th birthday at Walt Disney World for nothing more than the price of groceries and gasoline. Her plan...