Science Myths

In this sharp and controversial international best seller, an award-winning economist debunks the pervasive myth that the government is sluggish and inept, and at odds with a dynamic private sector. She reveals in detailed case studies that the opposite is true: The state is, and has been, our boldest and most valuable innovator. Denying this history is leading us down the wrong path. A select few get credit for what is an intensely collective effort, and the US government has started disinvesting from innovation.

Two years have passed since the Spirit King's Curse shook the world. In this time, Souma and the Kingdom of Friedonia have been preparing for an impending period of unprecedented chaos. However, the Kingdom was not the only country to burgeon over the two years. Fuuga has been expanding the border of his Great Tiger Kingdom of Haan as well. Following the acquisition of the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, Fuuga sought to bring the Mercenary State Zem under his control. Now, having gained such powerful forces, he declares war on mankind's greatest nation—the Gran Chaos Empire.

After years as a court magician and interdimensional hero, Skeeve needed a rest. So he took some time off to study magic and relax. When a few months later several members of the M.Y.T.H. Inc. Team each ask him to train some talented, young magicians in "practical magic", he has to agree. But after the assassins attack and a manticore tries to eat them, the Khlad mage soon discovers that there is more going on than learning. His students are preparing for a very deadly magical game, and you won't believe where.

From New York Times best-selling author Chris Colfer comes two new audiobooks about two beloved characters, Mother Goose and Queen Red Riding Hood. Mother Goose's diary entries over the last 500 years take listeners on a journey to learn buried secrets; and the young queen gives us her take on politics, government, health, love, and of course, what it means to be royalty.

When Hunter Cassidy exposed the true identity of the underground's brutal leader, she also uncovered the devastating truth about her own life. With her time running out, Hunter must ally herself with her mortal enemy - the only woman with the power to destroy Hunter and everything she loves, including Slade Baines. Determined not to lose Hunter, Slade will do anything to find the final Realm that holds the secret to saving Hunter and destroying their enemies once and for all.

Kamzin has always dreamed of becoming one of the emperor’s royal explorers, the elite climbers tasked with mapping the wintry, mountainous empire and spying on its enemies. She knows she could be the best in the world, if only someone would give her a chance. But everything changes when the mysterious and eccentric River Shara, the greatest explorer ever known, arrives in her village and demands to hire Kamzin - not her older sister Lusha, as everyone had expected - for his next expedition.

Young Twig lives in the Deepwoods, among the Woodtrolls, but he isn't one of them. In a brave attempt to find out where he belongs, Twig wanders into the mysterious, fascinating, and sometimes hazardous world beyond the Deepwoods. In his travels he encounters myriad peculiar creatures, like his wise guardian, the Caterbird; the Slaughterers, a peaceful race who butcher animals for their livelihood; and the vicious, bile-swilling Rotsucker.

Abby and Jonah fall through their magic mirror into the story of The Princess and the Pea. Abby spends a restless night atop a giant pile of mattresses - and in the morning, what does she discover but a smushed pea beneath the stack! The kingdom declares that she has passed their test, and is the new princess! But what will happen when the real princess shows up? Hilarity, adventures, and lots of girl power ensue!

All too frequently leadership is reduced to a simple dichotomy: the strong versus the weak. Yet there are myriad ways to exercise effective political leadership - as well as different ways to fail. We blame our leaders for economic downfalls and praise them for vital social reforms, but rarely do we question what makes some leaders successful while others falter.

Best-selling author Leigh Bardugo takes listeners deeper into her world than ever before. Out of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, from the hands of Alina Starkov to yours, the Istorii Sankt’ya is fully realized for the first time. These tales include miracles and martyrdoms from familiar Saints like Sankta Lizabeta of the Roses and Sankt Ilya in Chains, to the strange and obscure stories of Sankta Ursula, Sankta Maradi, and the Starless Saint.

Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods. Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her 15th birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.

Many people believe that, at its core, biological sex is a fundamental, diverging force in our development. According to this familiar story, differences between the sexes are shaped by past evolutionary pressures - women are more cautious and parenting-focused, men seek status to attract more mates - re-created in each generation by sex hormones and male and female brains. This, in turn, is the basis of supposedly entrenched inequalities in our modern societies.

Seven kids, Thor's hammer, and a whole lot of Valkyries are the only things standing against the end of the world. When 13-year-olds Matt Thorsen and Fen, and Laurie Brekke, modern-day descendants of Thor and Loki, discovered they were fated to take the places of the Norse gods in an epic battle against the apocalypse, they thought they knew how things would play out. Gather the descendants standing in for the gods, defeat a giant serpent, and save the world. No problem, right?

Donald Alexander Mackenzie (1873-1936) was a Scottish writer. Teutonic Myth and Legend (1912) is his retelling of the legends and myths of the Goths, Norsemen, Vandals, Burgundians, Franks, Angles, Saxons, and other Germanic tribes. Poems and prose passages from classic literature that are related to these myths are included.

In her debut children's book, Rebecca Solnit reimagines a classic fairy tale with a fresh, feminist Cinderella and new plot twists that will inspire young listeners to change the world. In this modern twist on the classic story, Cinderella, who would rather just be Ella, meets her fairy godmother, goes to a ball, and makes friends with a prince. But that is where the familiar story ends. Instead of waiting to be rescued, Cinderella learns that she can save herself and those around her by being true to herself and standing up for what she believes.

Elaine and Iona continue to attend the School of Sorcery and Spellcraft, working on their classes and Classes, learning the secrets of the world, and receiving divine quests. Iona discovers that the Valkyries have been uprooted, the Order being slowly smothered by political enemies who want their riches for themselves. She's in no position to take out the entrenched power structures, but can she humiliate Rolland on the world stage?

A story of romance, adventure, and humor, Between the Lines features high-schooler and social outsider Delilah, who discovers a charming fairy tale in the school library and can’t resist turning to it again and again. But one day she finds the book has hidden depths—and that the story’s handsome prince has somehow stepped from the page into her very own world.

Soren's beloved mentor, Ezylryb, is finally back at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. But all is not well. There's a war between good and evil in the owl kingdom. On one side is a group led by Soren's fearsome brother, Kludd, who wears a terrifying metal mask to cover his battle-scarred face. On the other side are the owls of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, who must fight to protect their legendary tree from Kludd's attacks.

Rin is sure that something is wrong with her…something really bad. Something that is keeping her from feeling at home in the Forest homestead where she’s lived all her life. Something that is keeping her from trusting herself with anyone at all. When her brother Razo returns from the city for a visit, she accompanies him to the palace, hoping that she can find peace away from home. But war has come to Bayern again, and Rin is compelled to join the queen and her closest allies as they venture into the Forest.

Myths are usually seen as stories from the depths of time—fun and fantastical, but no longer believed by anyone. Yet, as Philip Ball shows, we are still writing them—and still living them—today. From Robinson Crusoe and Frankenstein to Batman, many stories written in the past few centuries are commonly, perhaps glibly, called "modern myths." But Ball argues that we should take that idea seriously. Our stories of Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Sherlock Holmes are doing the kind of cultural work that the ancient myths once did.