Showing results by narrator "Keith McCarthy" in All Categories

In The Invention of the Modern Dog, Michael Worboys, Julie-Marie Strange, and Neil Pemberton explore when, where, why, and how Victorians invented the modern way of ordering and breeding dogs. Though talk of "breed" was common before this period in the context of livestock, the modern idea of a dog breed defined in terms of shape, size, coat, and color arose during the Victorian period in response to a burgeoning competitive dog show culture.

Come back in time 900 years, to the fierce and desolate Northern lands, where Norsemen ruled with ax and sword. In this fast-paced historical novel by best-selling Susan Peek, the conflict unfolds between Magnus Erlendson, a heroic young prince aflame with the love of God, and his outlawed cousin Hakon, who blames Magnus for his banishment from their kingdom. What follows is a tale of betrayal and revenge, bravery and forgiveness, as Magnus seeks to restore his father's vanquished kingdom to its rightful hands.

The Education Myth questions the idea that education represents the best, if not the only, way for Americans to access economic opportunity. As Jon Shelton shows, linking education to economic well-being was not politically inevitable. In the 18th and 19th centuries, for instance, public education was championed as a way to help citizens learn how to participate in a democracy. By the 1930s, public education, along with union rights and social security, formed an important component of a broad-based fight for social democracy.

In How Design Makes the World, best-selling author and designer Scott Berkun reveals how designers, from software engineers to city planners, have succeeded and failed us. From the airplane armrest to the Facebook “like” button, and everything in between, Berkun shows how design helps or hinders everyone, and offers a new way to think about the world around you.

When we're kids, our parents tell us that being creative is fun, fun, fun. But when you decide to turn art into your career, whether that's painting, writing, drawing, or sculpting Edgar Allan Poe out of earthworms, that's when things get tough. In this insightful and heartfelt guide, artist and speaker Phil Hansen shares his hard-won wisdom from the front lines of life as a professional creative. Hansen provides advice for the difficult moments - the slumps, the creative blocks, the times when something you love doesn't resonate with the world - and gives you the pep talk you need....

Was the Confederacy doomed from the start in its struggle against the superior might of the Union? Did its forces fight heroically against all odds for the cause of states’ rights? In reality, these suggestions are an elaborate and intentional effort on the part of Southerners to rationalize the secession and the war itself. Unfortunately, skillful propagandists have been so successful in promoting this romanticized view that the Lost Cause has assumed a life of its own.

Hope, survival, and determination. A boy turns into a man during a dangerous road trip from Canada to Mexico on a small motorcycle with less than $100 in cash (including gas).

Mythology gets real at Camp Hercules.... The last thing Logan wants to do with his entire summer is go to some fake mythology-themed camp, but that’s exactly what he’s stuck doing. When he gets there, it’s even worse than he imagined. Each bunk has to re-enact one of the twelve labors of Hercules, sword fighting and all. The whole thing is ridiculous...at least he thinks it is until he finds out that everything is real: Mount Olympus, the three Fates who run the trading post, and...oh wait! That can’t really be a Hydra, can it?

Are you interested in rock climbing, but don’t know where to get started? Or do you want to just learn more about the sport? It can be overwhelming trying to get your head wrapped around the different equipment, types of climbing, and techniques used. But the thing about the sport is you’ll improve dramatically once you've familiarized yourself with these basic concepts.

Jessica Lange: An Adventurer's Heart, the first full-length biography of Lange, presents a comprehensive study of the life and work of an exceptional actress. Beginning with her upbringing in Minnesota, author Anthony Uzarowski traces Lange's formative years as a restless soul who found solace in art and a life on the road before turning to acting.

The Solaran Defense Forces make the difficult decision to evacuate the colony of Robichar in order to avoid a direct confrontation. But when Captain Elya Nevers gets shot down during the evacuation, his squadron and the admiral in charge have to think fast to rescue their pilot before the Kryl overrun the system.

Calum, Hagen, and Laurel find themselves in the "middle of the middle" as seventh grade closes in on them. Even though Calum's Sidhe talents have surpassed all others, he wonders if it will be enough to bring Finley home. An old friend, Kira, steps in to help Calum with the final piece of the puzzle and while Hagen is impressed, Laurel is suspicious of her motives. Even if it means going against all Calum knows to be true, he’s determined to bring Finley home. After all, it was Calum’s fault Finley disappeared in the first place. 

The Kryl invaded in the dead of night. The Nevers family had to flee. Yuzosix, once their home, must be left behind. Along the way, young Elya Nevers develops a strange habit...he begins to collect bot parts. Something about it soothes him. But this strange obsession soon catapults Elya into an inescapable conflict, one that will shape the man he becomes. And plant the seed of his destiny.

Calum Ranson is sure of three things: His cousin Finley is alive, Calum will find him, and no one knows Calum and his family are Sidhe. That is, until Laurel shows up at his mother's bookstore wearing a dark clan's mark. When Calum learns the details surrounding the disappearance of Laurel's brother, he suspects the evil Hobayeth clan. Calum and Laurel work together in the Realm of Man and the Otherworld to rescue her brother, revealing a connection between Calum and Laurel that may cost Finley his life. 

The Last Card offers an unprecedented look into the process by which President Bush overruled much of the military leadership and many of his trusted advisors, and authorized the deployment of roughly 30,000 additional troops to the warzone in a bid to save Iraq from collapse in 2007.

The Wheel of Life is in spin and the United States government wants to rig the game. ThunderBird is the center of an intense government program. His every breath and heartbeat is monitored as the Native American's mind is manipulated. After all, ThunderBird has a godlike power that whatever he writes down on paper becomes reality. 

Parents are always overreacting. "Stay away from strangers," they say. "Don't go near the woods," they warn. And it's all so pointless until there's a tragic accident. And here, there was a tragic accident. One that haunts me to this day. It still leaves me with a broken heart, missing my brother. But this story? It's not about me. It's about him.

It is 1995 in North Carolina and high-school student Taylor Hanes is struggling to escape his small-minded dying textile town. He finds his ticket out by lying on the application in order to get a full-ride scholarship to a state university. His actions generate unexpected consequences from his family and his hometown, but worse yet, he awakens the wrath of the scholarship’s long dead benefactor.

Thirteen-year-old Sam Every has traveled back in time to the Golden Age of Piracy to face Captain Slayer, master of the dark arts. Deceived into handing Slayer the ultimate weapon, the Sword of ZelKar, Sam has lost his hands, sliced off in his first clash with the evil pirate. But all is not lost. Sam’s friends have found their way back in time, and with the help of the pirate hunter Benjamin Hornigold have rescued him from the island where Slayer marooned him. Now, Sam must rise above his injuries and find the strength to again face Slayer before it is too late.

Follow the story of Raymond Askren, a young preteen boy who grew up in the midst of the Second World War. Not only did Raymond face a world of uncertainty during these times, but he was especially connected to the war as he watched his two heroes, his brothers - Ralph and Floyd - head off to battle after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. The Askren Boys will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will take you back to a time and place where life was simple.