The French writer Michel de Montaigne wrote the "Essays of Michel de Montaigne" in the 1600s. It is a collection of personal and philosophical essays. The essays talk about many different things, such as personal experiences, ethics, education, politics, religion, and what it means to be human. Montaigne's writing is conversational and often funny. He explores his ideas through stories and personal thoughts. Skepticism is a theme that comes up again and again in Montaigne's essays. He often questions beliefs that most people take for granted and argues that knowledge is always uncertain. He also talks about how important it is to know yourself and think about yourself. He promotes introspection as a way to gain wisdom and understanding. He says bad things about the legal system and religious institutions of his time, among other things. Overall, "The Essays of Michel de Montaigne" is a wonderful and thought-provoking book that gives a fresh look at a wide range of topics.

"This Will Not End Well is the first book to present a comprehensive overview of Nan Goldin's work as a filmmaker. Accompanying the retrospective show and tour of the same name, organized by Moderna Museet, Stockholm, the book draws from the nearly dozen slideshows and films Goldin has made from thousands of photographs, film sequences, audio tapes and music tracks. The stories told range from the trauma of her family history to the portrayal of her bohemian friends, to a journey into the darkness of addiction. By focusing exclusively on slideshows and video installations, This Will Not End Well aims to fully embrace Goldin's vision of how her work should be experienced. The book retains the presentation of the slide shows by showing all images in the same format on a black background and sequenced as they are in the sources. The 20 texts, of which the major part are newly commissioned by Goldin, complement and deepen the intention of her work." -- Provided by publisher

Nancy Fraser reconstructs the theory of justice for a post-Westphalian world. Revising her widely discussed theory of redistribution and recognition, she introduces representation as a third, "political, " dimension of justice, which permits us to re-conceive scale and scope as questions of justice.

The strength of a little girl's love enables her to overcome many obstacles and free a boy from the Snow Queen's spell.

In this long-awaited sequel to her bestselling books Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind , Natalie Goldberg, one of the most sought-after writing teachers of our time, takes us to the next step in the writing process. You’ve filled your notebooks, done your writing practice, discovered your original voice. Now what? How do you turn this raw material into finished stories, essays, poems, novels, memoirs? Drawing on her own experience as a writer and a student of Zen, Natalie shows you how to create a field big enough to allow your “wild mind” to wander — and then gently direct its tremendous energy into whatever you want to write. Here, too, is invaluable advice on how to overcome writer’s block, how to deal with the fear of criticism and rejection, how to get the most from working with an editor, and how to learn from reading accomplished authors. With humor and compassion, Goldberg recounts her own mistakes on the way to publication — and how you can avoid the most common pitfalls of the beginning writer. Through it all there is a deep celebration of writing itself — not just as the means to an end, but as a path to living a deeper, more fully alive life.

A collection of 180 personal, true-life accounts from NPR's National Story Project reflects the work of men and women of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life and is accompanied by a look at the role of storytelling in our lives.

Auster's tale of family dynamics past and present from the author of contemporary classic The New York Trilogy : 'a literary voice for the ages' ( Guardian ) 'I was looking for a quiet place to die. Someone recommended Brooklyn, and so the next morning I travelled down there from Westchester to scope out the terrain . . .' So begins Paul Auster's remarkable novel, The Brooklyn Follies . Set against the backdrop of the contested US election of 2000, it tells the story of Nathan and Tom, an uncle and nephew double-act. One in remission from lung cancer, divorced, and estranged from his only daughter, the other hiding away from his once-promising academic career, and, indeed, from life in general. Having accidentally ended up in the same Brooklyn neighbourhood, they discover a community teeming with life and passion. When Lucy, a little girl who refuses to speak, comes into their lives, there is suddenly a bridge from their pasts that offers them the possibility of redemption. Infused with character, mystery and humour, these lives intertwine and become bound together as Auster brilliantly explores the wider terrain of contemporary America - a crucible of broken dreams and of human folly.

A vividly rendered, almost graphic-novel approach that is simultaneously funny, dark and emotionally moving. The fragments of text and art here add up to a kind of collage that reveals a portrait of "man's best friend" as he struggles to understand his old homeless master's life, and to learn what it means to fit into human society.

Written with investigative vigour, provocative and controversial but always accessible, Eating is a hard-hitting exploration of our eating habits, making us look at what we eat as a moral issue. Organic foods are the fastest growing section of the food industry, and it is estimated that vegans are now almost as common as vegetarians. Veal consumption in the US has fallen by more than 75% since 1975, and in the UK, sales of free-range eggs have now passed in value sales of eggs from caged hens. Evidently we are concerned. But how concerned should we be about where our food comes from? Does the food we buy really affect the world around us? And what can we do? In Eating , philosopher Peter Singer and environmentalist Jim Mason follow three families with varying eating habits, from fast-food eaters to vegans, to explore how the food we eat makes its way to the table, and at what expense. The authors peel back each layer of food production, and examine how they ought to factor into our buying choices. Recognising that we are not all likely to become vegetarian or vegan, they go on to offer ways to make the most ethical choices within the framework of a diet that includes animal products.

Foreign affairs journalist Kaplan lets readers experience up close the American military worldwide in the air, at sea, and on the ground: flying in a B-2 bomber, living on a nuclear submarine, and traveling with a Stryker brigade on missions around the world. Provided unprecedented access, Kaplan moves from destroyers off the coast of Indonesia to submarines in the central Pacific, from simulated Iraqi training grounds in Alaska to technology bases in Las Vegas. He goes deep into their highly technical and exotic worlds, and tells this story through the words and perspectives of the enlisted personnel and junior officers themselves--men and women who, as he writes, have "had their national identities as Americans engraved in sharp bas-relief." He not only conveys the vast scope of America's military commitments, but also shows us astonishing and vital operations as they unfold--from the point of view of the troops themselves.--From publisher description

Corky Corcoran and her classmates at Shadyside High are shocked when the evil spirit that once targeted cheerleaders returns, and Corky realizes that the secret to defeating the spirit is hidden in Sarah Fear's grave

Readers are placed in the character of a student attending a class trip in the South American jungle, and when boredom gives way to a little unsupervised exploring, every new decision leads to a different story. Original.

Scarlett Martenson and her friends are total zombie fans! With Ross as the brains, Annie as the makeup artist, Owen as the fright master, and Scarlett as their leader, the group is unstoppable as they terrorize their unsuspecting neighbors. But when

Stine delivers the long-awaited sequel to Goodnight Kiss. Vampires are stalking the small resort town of Sandy Hollow. None of Billy's friends believe him, but nobody can explain the bodies found on the beach--with two puncture holes in the neck. The undead are here, and Billy's going to beat them--or join them.

Brenda tries to forget the horror of last Halloween.

Snooping around backstage at Mysterio's magic show, you find his Bag of Tricks. The warning label says DO NOT TOUCH! Who cares! You've got to check out cool stuff like Disappearing Powder, Reappearing Spray, and Mysterio's magic wand!

In a story that offers twenty different endings, the reader contracts a computer virus and can receive help from such characters as a bizarre teenage computer hacker or a doctor who prescribes computer chips and dip. Original.

Max's twelfth birthday party turns into a major disaster when ghosts Nicky and Tara boycott it, and sinister events spin out of control.