De-Stress from Finals Resources: Fun Reads

How well do you know your movies? Do you think you could recognise a film just from its tagline? If so, then this is the quiz book for you! From classics that everyone should know all the way up to rarities that will test the world's greatest fil...

The definitive graphic novel adaptation of Dune, the groundbreaking science-fiction classic by Frank Herbert .
Dune, Frank Herbert's epic science-fiction masterpiece set in the far future amidst a sprawling feudal interstellar society, tells the story of Paul Atreides as he and his family accept control of the desert planet Arrakis. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism, and politics, Dune is a powerful, fantastical tale that takes an unprecedented look into our universe, and is transformed by the graphic novel format.

Explores how games actively influence the ways people interpret and relate to American life. In 1975, design engineer Dave Nutting completed work on a new arcade machine. A version of Taito's Western Gun, a recent Japanese arcade machine, Nutting's Gun Fight depicted a classic showdown between gunfighters. Rich in Western folklore, the game seemed perfect for the American market; players easily adapted to the new technology, becoming pistol-wielding pixel cowboys. One of the first successful early arcade titles, Gun Fight helped introduce an entire nation to video-gaming and sold more than 8,000 units. In Gamer Nation, John Wills examines how video games co-opt national landscapes, livelihoods, and legends. Arguing that video games toy with Americans' mass cultural and historical understanding, Wills show how games reprogram the American experience as a simulated reality. Blockbuster games such as Civilization, Call of Duty, and Red Dead Redemption repackage the past, refashioning history into novel and immersive digital states of America. Controversial titles such as Custer's Revenge and 08.46 recode past tragedies. Meanwhile, online worlds such as Second Life cater to a desire to inhabit alternate versions of America, while Paperboy and The Sims transform the mundane tasks of everyday suburbia into fun and addictive challenges. Working with a range of popular and influential games, from Pong, Civilization, and The Oregon Trail to Grand Theft Auto, Silent Hill, and Fortnite.

A fascinating tour of Los Angeles told through vintage images. The City of Angels' story is told through a fun and colorful collection of old photos, picture postcards, brochures, ads, and other vintage ephemera, accompanied by author Peter Moruzzi's candid and insightful commentary. Featured are rare glimpses of the city's early years as a dusty pueblo; Chinatown's evolution; the miraculous orange empire; backyard oilwells; Venice of America; the roaring 1920s and corrupt 1930s; colorful evangelists; glamorous Wilshire Boulevard; fabulous nightclubs; movie studios and lavish stars' estates; and theme parks such as Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Marineland of the Pacific. Witness the birth of midcentury modernism, futuristic Googie coffee shops, and space-age LAX. Recall a postwar suburban paradise of drive-ins, bowling palaces, beach parties, Dodgers baseball, hot-rod culture, and mushrooming tract developments. California natives, newcomers, and vistors alike will discover a largely forgotten history of Los Angeles, much of it lost to progress, as chronicled from the late 1800s through the mid-twentieth century.

Includes James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," a 2013 motion picture! Spanning nearly 300 years of American humor, this anthology of entertaining tales ranges from the inventive mind of Benjamin Franklin and his 1732 story, "Alice Addertongue," to Simon Rich's 2012 fable, "Center of the Universe." More than 30 witty short stories include works by Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, O. Henry, Langston Hughes, and other masters of the genre. Nineteenth-century stories include Washington Irving's classic, "Rip Van Winkle: A Posthumous Tale of Diedrich Knickerbocker," "A Jersey Centenarian" by Bret Harte, and Lucretia P. Hale's "The Peterkins Decide to Learn the Languages." From later eras come Ring Lardner's "The Golden Honeymoon," "A Telephone Call" by Dorothy Parker, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber, Philip Roth's "The Conversion of the Jews," and "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Introduction to Drawing is a condensed version of The Complete Introduction to Drawing from one of the world's best-selling artists, covering the basic skills needed for drawing and the perfect start-up book for those who wish to learn how to draw. Learning to draw is a very popular pastime and a steadily increasing hobby sales area for booksellers. The Complete Introduction to Drawing has sold over 300,000 copies in the UK alone. Designed with an international approach in mind, it covers many artwork/style examples from across Europe and America.

In this accessible book, Delia Chiaro provides a fresh overview of the language of jokes in a globalized and digitalized world. The book shows how, while on the one hand the lingua-cultural nuts and bolts of jokes have remained unchanged over time, on the other, the time-space compression brought about by modern technology has generated new settings and new ways of joking and playing with language. The Language of Jokes in the Digital Age covers a wide range of settings from social networks, e-mails and memes, to more traditional fields of film and TV (especially sitcoms and game shows) and advertising. Chiaro's consideration of the increasingly virtual context of jokes delights with both up-to-date examples and frequent reference to the most central theories of comedy.

This book is an amateur astronomer's guide to the mythology and symbolism associated with the celestial bodies in the Solar System, and even includes some of the legendary tales of people who had or have a connection with these objects. It explores different cultures (for example, the Greco-Roman and the Norse) and different times and how stories were used to explain the worlds they saw above them. You'd be amazed how much of our world today reflects the myths and stories of these cultures! Most amateur astronomers are familiar with the various Solar System objects, but they will be only peripherally aware of what ancient cultures thought of these other worlds. In fact, the mythology of the planets challenges many twenty-first century concepts and beliefs There are other books available on astromythology, but this one focuses mostly on our own Solar System, as opposed to the constellations and deep sky objects. Alexander offers a new angle on timeless subjects and is exciting, informative and dramatic, as well as surprisingly relevant to everyday life. Find out for yourself how our modern world is steeped in the bygone worlds of yesteryear.

A comprehensive guidebook, backed by the renowned program Outward Bound, to aid outdoors lovers into the area of backpacking.

Discover the secret to positivity by tapping into your inner strengths!As a teen, your brain is changing every day. You're more aware of the challenges and difficulties of life. You're questioning everything. And you can tell when grownups are being fake or dishonest. All of these sudden realizations can be overwhelming, and as a result, you may fall into a “negativity trap.” And while there's nothing wrong with a little sarcasm or skepticism—after a while, negative thoughts have a way of turning inward, causing stress, damaging your self-esteem, and crushing your confidence. So, how can you start building the real positivity you need to be happy, healthy, and in control of your life?You only need to look inside yourself.In this unique workbook, you'll learn to tap into the power of your own character strengths—such as bravery, creativity, being a good friend, perseverance, honesty, and more—in order to build self-confidence, boost a positive attitude, and cope with the inevitable stress of life.

Robert Jones' Makeup Masterclass is a comprehensive guide to makeup that is organized from beginner to pro. You can start at your skill level and learn! This all inclusive guide to the makeup brush is a full beauty education for women (and men!) of all ages and skill levels. Robert Jones' Makeup Masterclass features lessons for people of all skill levels; from the "makeup-challenged" to those who are ready to take their skills to the professional level.   This guide book includes: Step-by-step photos to build your makeup repertoire and maximize natural beauty at any age Techniques to highlight your best traits and build your confidence as a makeup artist Before-and-after photos to help you achieve looks for any skin tone Basic products and tools you should have in your makeup drawer Extensive product information to help you make smart purchases  Tips for organizing your makeup--know what to keep and what to toss Secrets about product shelf-life and makeup ingredients you should know before buying Tips and tricks to help you achieve your desired effect, shape your face, and find quick fixes for problem areas (dark circles, age spots, thin lips, uneven skin tone, and more)   Helpful Q&As in every chapter Quick-reference index   Robert Jones' Makeup Masterclass is about more than dramatic transformations. It's for honing makeup artistry and building confidence for a beautiful result. 

Make science simple! This book features easy and fun Science Experiments with Liquid using household items. Young readers can assemble experiments at home from Floating on Liquid Rainbows to Cleaning up Copper. No laboratory needed! Each activity includes easy instructions with how-to photos, and short science explanations.

Sewing Essentials, first published in 1984, has long been recognized as the one book every sewing enthusiast should own. This popular book has been updated, making it even more appealing for today's sewers. Clearly written instructions and more than 450 full-color photographs lead you step-by-step through all common sewing techniques. It's like having your own personal sewing instructor right beside you. Get professional guidance on all of these topics: Sewing equipment and tools Using patterns Selecting and preparing fabrics All kinds of seams and seam finishes Darts, gathers, hems, zippers and buttonholes Facings, cuffs, collars and waistbands Whether you are just learning to sew or have sewn for years, you'll find this book a valuable reference. Singer New Sewing Essentials, Updated and Revised Edition is your guide to sewing success.

Yoga is so prevalent in the modern world--practiced by pop stars, taught in schools, and offered in yoga centers, health clubs, and even shopping malls--that we take its presence, and its meaning, for granted. But how did the current yoga boom happen? And is it really rooted in ancient Indian practices, as many of its adherents claim? In this groundbreaking book, Mark Singleton calls into question many commonly held beliefs about the nature and origins of postural yoga (asana) and suggests a radically new way of understanding the meaning of yoga as it is practiced by millions of people across the world today. Singleton shows that, contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence in the Indian tradition for the kind of health and fitness-oriented asana practice that dominates the global yoga scene of the twenty-first century. Singleton's surprising--and surely controversial--thesis is that yoga as it is popularly practiced today owes a greater debt to modern Indian nationalism and, even more surprisingly, to the spiritual aspirations of European bodybuilding and early 20th-century women's gymnastic movements of Europe and America, than it does to any ancient Indian yoga tradition. This discovery enables Singleton to explain, as no one has done before, how the most prevalent forms of postural yoga, like Ashtanga, Bikram and "Hatha" yoga, came to be the hugely popular phenomena they are today.