Winner of the 2019 Phi Beta Kappa Award for Science "A valuable perspective on the most important problem of our time." —Adam Becker, NPR Light of the Stars tells the story of humanity’s coming of age as we realize we might not be alone in this universe. Astrophysicist Adam Frank traces the question of alien life from the ancient Greeks to modern thinkers, and he demonstrates that recognizing the possibility of its existence might be the key to save us from climate change. With clarity and conviction, Light of the Stars asks the consequential question: What can the likely presence of life on other planets tell us about our own fate?
Hamid rubbed the light from his eyes and looked again. He was not dreaming; it was his stepfather! The man watched Kinza as a snake might watch a baby rabbit at play, waiting for the moment to strike. And for one breathless moment Hamid was sure that he would reach out and snatch her away. Hamid does not want his little blind sister, Kinza, to be sold to a beggar by their stepfather, so he decides to rescue her. Together they escape from their mountain village to a town where there may be a new home for Kinza. But this is only the start of their adventures. Will Kinza be safe? What will happen to Hamid, who dares not go back home? Set in North Africa, readers will be delighted by yet another of Patricia St. John's exciting, freshly edited novels.
Youngsters can become a storyteller and navigator of the stars with this interactive introduction to the night sky. This kit includes a flashlight and star-punched cards of ten different constellations to project onto a table or wall. The enclosed book also provides the Greek myth behind each constellation's name. Full-color illustrations. Pkg. Consumable.
Light from a Distant Star is a gripping coming-of-age story with a brutal murder at its heart and a heroine as unforgettable as Harper Lee’s "Scout." It is early summer and Nellie Peck is on the cusp of adolescence--gangly, awkward, full of questions, but keenly observant and wiser than many of the adults in her life. The person she most admires is her father, Benjamin, a man of great integrity. His family’s century old hardware store is failing and Nellie’s mother has had to go back to work. Nellie’s older half-sister has launched a disturbing search for her birth father. Often saddled through the long, hot days with her timid younger brother, Henry, Nellie is determined to toughen him up. And herself as well. Three strangers enter Nellie’s protected life. Brooding Max Devaney is an ex-con who works in her surly grandfather’s junkyard. Reckless Bucky Saltonstall has just arrived from New York City to live with his elderly grandparents. And pretty Dolly Bedelia is a young stripper who rents the family’s small, rear apartment and becomes the titillating focus of Nellie’s eavesdropping. When violence erupts in the lovely Peck house, the prime suspect seems obvious. Nellie knows who the real murderer is, but is soon silenced by fear and the threat of scandal. The truth, as she sees it, is shocking and unthinkable, and with everyone’s eyes riveted on her in the courtroom, Nellie finds herself seized with doubt. No one will listen. No one believes her, and a man’s life hangs in the balance. A stunning evocation of innocence lost, Light from a Distant Star stands as an incredibly moving and powerful novel from one of America's finest writers.
VERSE & RHYMES. Children and adults will fall in love with the adorable illustrations and sweet verse in these charming versions of the classic children's rhymes. Ages 0+
Available for the first time as a traditional paperback, this revised and updated edition contains new and archival interviews with those closest to Chris Bell and the Big Star circle: their friends, family, former bandmates—even fans, exes, classmates, and coworkers. “Bell’s and Big Star’s existence was short, but the wealth of stories and quotes here provides a healthy sustenance for the truth seekers. A top-notch biography.” —San Francisco Book Review The varied cast of voices—many from the band’s hometown of Memphis—comprises all the members of Big Star, including Chris Bell, the iconic Alex Chilton, Andy Hummel, and Jody Stephens. In the following decades after its 1975 breakup, the obscure group somehow reached and inspired some of rock’s most important bands, including R.E.M., the Replacements, Yo La Tengo, Teenage Fanclub, Beck, and Wilco. With Chris Bell at the center of the Big Star universe, this book carefully reveals the production of the band’s masterful 1972 debut LP, #1 Record, for Ardent/Stax Records. Despite stellar reviews, the record suffered abysmal sales. Soon after, toxic personality conflicts and turmoil tore the band apart while Bell battled drug abuse and depression. There Was A Light then delves into Big Star’s second and third albums, while recounting Bell’s second act as a struggling solo musician and born-again Christian. During several trips to Europe, he produced ambitious recordings and pitched himself to record labels—even crossing paths with Paul McCartney. From this fertile era arose Bell’s lone solo album, the posthumously released I Am the Cosmos—his swan song and masterpiece. There Was A Light details the pop culture phenomenon that made Big Star legendary and divulges how its staunch fanbase saved the band from obscurity. “... an encyclopedic compendium…illuminating Bell’s life from a thousand angles.” —Memphis Flyer
“Who needs diamonds when you have the stars?” Brooke’s question was posed to the sparkling sky. It was the final night of her spring break, and the first time she and Rafe had been together after dark. The voice she heard a moment later was Rafe’s, but the language was music. “What did you say, Rafe?” What are you singing to me? “I said what you said, Brooke. ‘Who needs diamonds when you have the stars?’” “But in what language?” “Nahuatl. The language of my ancestors.” Rafe is a descendant of enemies, of vanquished emperor and triumphant conquistador, and inside him the battle rages still. When a monstrous storm destroys everyone and everything Rafe loves, he finds sanctuary in a new land and comfort in the gentle grace of horses. He applies for work at Fox Haven Farm, an equestrian estate in Virginia, and home of 17-year-old Brooke and 15-year-old Lily. The girls were raised as sisters and were once so close, but Lily's mysterious illness has separated them. Only Brooke is at the Farm when Rafe arrives. Lily is at a clinic in Switzerland with Brooke's mother and Lily's father. Rafe and Brooke have nine days together, caring for the horses they love, smiling, talking . . . and touching? No. Rafe is a worldly twenty-two year-old and Brooke is a lovely innocent. And, he believes, they have all the time in the world. But tragedy strikes when Lily returns. Within hours of the tragedy Brooke is gone—without even saying goodbye—to live with her grandmother in California, and fragile, devastated Lily, the sole heir to Fox Haven Farm, is alone, afraid, and needing Rafe's help. Now, Brooke decides to go back to the Farm. She must. Her life is stalled. She has to make sense of the past, make peace with it, before she can truly go forward. Praise for the novels of Katherine Stone: Katherine Stone writes “in the vein of Danielle Steel and Sandra Brown.”—Library Journal “A hauntingly beautiful story set against the splendor of California’s Napa Valley. An intriguing, multilayered tale filled with such deep emotions and vivid descriptions that it’s nearly impossible to put down.”—Rendezvous on Bed of Roses “Heart-tugging . . . few romance fans will remain unmoved.”—Publishers Weekly on Thief of Hearts “Poignant . . . Cass is an intrepid heroine, but it is Chase who wins our hearts when he refuses to allow Cass’s seeming betrayal to stop him from protecting his beloved.”—Midwest Book Review on Bed of Roses “Remarkably romantic and thoroughly enchanting.”—Rendezvous on Pearl Moon “Fairytale elements mix with those of a present day romance for . . . thoroughly enjoyable results.”—Kirkus Reviews on Rainbows “Sweeping drama . . . Her most emotionally charged and intricate story of love yet.”—Romantic Times on Imagine Love “Alluring . . . Fascinating . . . Each page brings a new adventure, every plot twist another question begging to be answered.”—Rendezvous on Imagine Love Katherine Stone's "high quality romance ranks right up there with Nora Roberts."—Booklist
