After Daniel Ogilvie's previous book, George and the Rabbit's flirtation with the New York Times' Best Seller list (which went unrequited) this book follows George's travails as he finds himself at odds with today's society. Fresh from his failed suicide attempt, George decides to start up his own company, bringing him into contact with venture capitalists, estate agents, HR managers and many others who compete at the bottom of George's personal evolutionary scale. George has found new love and, after slaughtering any rival beaus, his path is clear. But will his inamorata be attracted, long-term, to a sociopathic introvert? Will Mr. Benson maintain his new-found libido? What role do the armadillos and Mutiny on the Bounty play in a politician's career? Just how did Ashley contract leprosy? And can a profane Shirley Bassey impersonator save the day?
“Chatty, humorous, and sometimes almost hysterically funny . . . Everything, perhaps even more, that you might have wanted to know about armadillos.” —The Quarterly Review of Biology Perhaps no creature has so fired the imagination of a populace as the armadillo, that most ungainly, awkward, and timid little animal. What is it that sets this quizzical little creature apart from the rest of the animal kingdom? Larry L. Smith and Robin W. Doughty ably answer this question in The Amazing Armadillo: Geography of a Folk Critter. This informative book traces the spread of the nine-banded armadillo from its first notice in South Texas late in the 1840s to its current range east to Florida and north to Missouri. The authors look at the armadillo’s natural history and habitat as well as the role of humans in promoting its spread, projecting that the animal is increasing in both range and number, continuing its ecological success in areas where habitat and climate are favorable. The book also contributes to a long-standing research theme in geography: the relationship between humans and wildlife. It explores the armadillo’s value to the medical community in current research in Hansen’s Disease (leprosy) as well as commercial uses, and abuses, of the armadillo in recent times. Of particular note is the author’s engaging look at the armadillo as a symbol of popular culture, the efforts now underway to make it a “totem animal” symbolizing the easy-going lifestyles of some Sunbelt cities, and the spread of the craze for armadilliana to other urban centers.
The word armadillo is Spanish for “little armored one.” This midsize mammal that looks like a walking tank is a source of fascination for many people but a mystery to almost all. Dating back at least eleven million years, the nocturnal, burrowing insectivore was for centuries mistaken for a cross between a hedgehog and a turtle, but it actually belongs to the mammalian superorder Xenarthra that includes sloths and anteaters. Biologists W. J. Loughry and Colleen M. McDonough have studied the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) for more than twenty years. Their richly illustrated book offers the first comprehensive review of everything scientists know about this unique animal. Engaging both scientists and a broader public, Loughry and McDonough describe the armadillo’s anatomy and physiology and all aspects of its ecology, behavior, and evolution. They also compare the nine-banded armadillo with twenty or so other, related species. The authors pay special attention to three key features of armadillo biology—reproduction, disease, and habitat expansion—and why they matter. Armadillos reproduce in a unique and puzzling manner: females always give birth to litters of genetically identical quadruplets, a strategy not found in any other vertebrates. Nine-banded armadillos are also the only vertebrates except for humans known to contract leprosy naturally. And what about habitat expansion? The authors suggest that the armadillo’s remarkable spread across the southeastern United States may be the consequence of its most notable feature: a tough, protective carapace. Biologists, evolutionists, students, and all those interested in this curious creature will find The Nine-Banded Armadillo rich in information and insight. This comprehensive analysis will stand as the definitive scientific reference for years to come and a source of pleasure for the general public.
Molly Gosler and the Voo-Doo Doll By: M. B. York Molly Gosler is a girl wonder who uses herbs to cure diseases with her wonderful Aunt Martha, another herbalist. When Molly’s birthday party comes around, her fantastic time was ruined when the evil Dr. Medualla snuck in with a lethal injection which not even the gods and goddesses of their universe could stop. Molly and her voo-doo doll will have to be the ones to save the day!
The first of his peerless novels of Cold War espionage and international intrigue, Call for the Dead is also the debut of John le Carré's masterful creation George Smiley. "Go back to Whitehall and look for more spies on your drawing boards." George Smiley is no one's idea of a spy—which is perhaps why he's such a natural. But Smiley apparently made a mistake. After a routine security interview, he concluded that the affable Samuel Fennan had nothing to hide. Why, then, did the man from the Foreign Office shoot himself in the head only hours later? Or did he? The heart-stopping tale of intrigue that launched both novelist and spy, Call for the Dead is an essential introduction to le Carré's chillingly amoral universe.
The explosive new thriller from New York Times-bestselling author and master of the medical thriller Robin Cook. Newly minted chief resident at Boston Memorial Hospital Noah Rothauser is swamped in his new position, from managing the surgical schedules to dealing with the fallouts from patient deaths. Known for its medical advances, the famed teaching hospital has fitted several ORs as "hybrid operating rooms of the future"--an improvement that seems positive until an anesthesia error during a routine procedure results in the death of an otherwise healthy man. Noah suspects Dr. William Mason, an egotistical, world-class surgeon, of an error during the operation and of tampering with the patient's record afterward. But Mason is quick to blame anesthesiologist, Dr. Ava London. When more anesthesia-related deaths start to occur, Noah is forced to question all of the residents on his staff, including Ava, and he quickly realizes there's more to her than what he sees. A social-media junkie, Ava has created multiple alternate personas for herself on the Internet. With his own job and credibility now in jeopardy, Noah must decide which doctor is at fault and who he can believe--before any more lives are lost.
Armadillo is trying to come up with a plan for global domination...but with every new idea, being a bad guy seems a little less fun—especially if ruling the world means losing your best friend. Readers will delight in star cartoonist James Sturm's tender and just depiction of a friendship in peril. James Sturm is the author of several books for kids, including the Adventures in Cartooning series and the forthcoming Ape and Armadillo Take Over the World. Sturm also helped start a college for cartoonists, the Center for Cartoon Studies, in the small railroad village of White River Junction, Vermont.
