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Color Harmony for Artists: How to Transform Inspiration into Beautiful Watercolor Palettes and Paintings
Ana Victoria Calderon
Explore and create expressive palettes and paintings with Color Harmony for Artists.

Watercolor author, artist, and teacher Ana Victoria Calderon guides you through choosing, mixing, and using color with watercolor and mixed media to create the most expressive and appealing combinations and effects for a wide range of moods and subjects. You'll explore a variety of subjects and themes, including flowers, foliage, landscapes, skies, cities, figures, art movements, and historical eras.
  • Begin with a quick overview of the basics of color, color mixing, and mixed media.
  • Explore a variety of color and media combinations, including brilliant brights, muted neutrals, high-contrast complements, and special effects.
  • Find inspiration in evocative photos, abundant palettes, and beautiful paintings.

With Color Harmony for Artists, every artist, from beginner to advanced, will be inspired to embrace the creative possibilities of color and paint!

Creative Watercolor: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners--Create with Paints, Inks, Markers, Glitter, and More!
Ana Victoria Calderon
Creative Watercolor offers beginners a fun, modern, and practical approach to a timeless medium with instructions on how to paint simple motifs, create elegant lettering, and embellish projects beautifully.

Popular watercolor artist and workshop instructor Ana Victoria Calderon shares her step-by-step techniques for painting modern designs in this classic medium. All the fundamentals needed to get started in watercolor are here, allowing you to quickly learn how to create beautiful watercolor paintings. Through a series of easy tutorials and projects, you will:
  • Discover basic materials and tools, plus options for embellishing your paintings
  • Master essential techniques, starting with easy warm-up activities. Then, learn to layer, and get into the flow with watercolor
  • Get an introduction to scanning and digital editing for making multiples
  • Paint a variety of simple, beautiful designs: flowers and leaves, butterflies and critters, fruits and vegetables, and delightful lettering
  • Use what you’ve learned to create unique, stylish stationery, including beautiful invitations, place cards, menus, monograms, recipe gift cards, thank you notes—any project you can imagine, for any kind of event you can think of!

There’s never been a better time to dive into the world of watercolor, so why wait? Grab a brush and get painting!

Perfect for all skill levels, the books in the Art for Modern Makers series take a fun, practical approach to learning about and working with paints and other art mediums to create beautiful DIY projects and crafts.
 

How to Draw Manga Furries: The Complete Guide to Anthropomorphic Fantasy Characters (750 illustrations)
Hitsujirobo,
With How to Draw Manga Furries, you'll follow the lead of five professional Japanese artists as they show you how to bring dynamic fantasy characters to life—on the page or on screen!

Furries are anthropomorphic characters—animals who have human traits (not to be confused with kemonomimi, or humans with some animal features!). They're widely popular in manga, anime and cosplay—from fan favorites like Wolf's Rain and Lackadaisy to the newer Beastars and BNA: Brand New Animal. The genre allows creators to be more imaginative, freeing artists from traditional human personality traits, actions and physical appearance.

With the help of the expert authors, you'll learn to draw:
  • Anatomically correct furry manga bodies, skulls, faces, appendages and tails with human proportions
  • Characters based on cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, goats, birds, whales, sharks, crocodiles, dragons—and more!
  • Furries seen from their most powerful perspective—from muzzle to rump to flipper tip
  • Illustrations shown from many various angles with different poses, positions and movements
  • And so much more!

With this book as your guide, your imagination will run wild as you create memorable heroes, wicked villains and compelling sidekicks with your pen or on screen.

*Recommended for artists 10 & up*
You Suck at Cooking: The Absurdly Practical Guide to Sucking Slightly Less at Making Food: A Cookbook
You Suck at Cooking
Do you crave food all the time? Do you think you might want to eat again in the future? Do you suck at cooking? Inspired by the wildly popular YouTube channel, these 60+ recipes will help you suck slightly less
 
You already know the creator of the YouTube show You Suck at Cooking by his well-manicured hands and mysterious voice, and now you’ll know him for this equally well-manicured and mysterious tome. It contains more than sixty recipes for beginner cooks and noobs alike, in addition to hundreds of paragraphs and sentences, as well as photos and drawings.

You’ll learn to cook with unintimidating ingredients in dishes like Broccoli Cheddar Quiche Cupcake Muffin-Type Things, Eddie’s Roasted Red Pepper Dip (while also learning all about Eddie’s sad, sad life), Jalapeño Chicken, and also other stuff. In addition, there are cooking tips that can be applied not only to the very recipes in this book, but also to recipes outside of this book, and to all other areas of your life (with mixed results).
 
In the end, you just might suck slightly less at cooking.*
 
*Results not guaranteed
Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 535 Easy(ish) Steps
Kelly Williams Brown
From breaking up with frenemies to fixing your toilet, this way fun comprehensive handbook is the answer for aspiring grown-ups of all ages.

If you graduated from college but still feel like a student . . . if you wear a business suit to job interviews but pajamas to the grocery store . . . if you have your own apartment but no idea how to cook or clean . . . it's OK. But it doesn't have to be this way.

Just because you don't feel like an adult doesn't mean you can't act like one. And it all begins with this funny, wise, and useful book. Based on Kelly Williams Brown's popular blog, Adulting makes the scary, confusing "real world" approachable, manageable—and even conquerable. This guide will help you to navigate the stormy Sea of Adulthood so that you may find safe harbor in Not Running Out of Toilet Paper Bay, and along the way you will learn:
  • What to check for when renting a new apartment—not just the nearby bars, but the faucets and stove, among other things.
  • When a busy person can find time to learn more about the world (It involves the intersection of NPR and hair-straightening.)
  • How to avoid hooking up with anyone in your office—imagine your coworkers having plastic, featureless doll crotches. It helps.
  • The secret to finding a mechanic you love—or, more realistically, one that will not rob you blind.
Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love
Jonathan Van Ness
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

NPR'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR

INDIE BESTSELLER

GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD WINNER: BEST MEMOIR & AUTOBIOGRAPHY



A laugh-and-cry-out-loud memoir from the beloved star of Netflix’s Queer Eye, Jonathan Van Ness

Who gave Jonathan Van Ness permission to be the radiant human he is today? No one, honey.

The truth is, it hasn’t always been gorgeous for this beacon of positivity and joy.

Before he stole our hearts as the grooming and self-care expert on Netflix’s hit show Queer Eye, Jonathan was growing up in a small Midwestern town that didn’t understand why he was so…over the top. From choreographed carpet figure skating routines to the unavoidable fact that he was Just. So. Gay., Jonathan was an easy target and endured years of judgement, ridicule and trauma—yet none of it crushed his uniquely effervescent spirit.

Over the Top uncovers the pain and passion it took to end up becoming the model of self-love and acceptance that Jonathan is today. In this revelatory, raw, and rambunctious memoir, Jonathan shares never-before-told secrets and reveals sides of himself that the public has never seen. JVN fans may think they know the man behind the stiletto heels, the crop tops, and the iconic sayings, but there’s much more to him than meets the Queer Eye.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll come away knowing that no matter how broken or lost you may be, you’re a Kelly Clarkson song, you’re strong, and you’ve got this.

Perspective Made Easy
Ernest R. Norling
Perspective, the author tells us, is easy; yet surprisingly few artists are aware of the simple rules that make it so. This easy-to-follow book — the first devoted entirely to clarifying the laws of perspective — remedies the situation. In it, the author uses over 250 simple line drawings to illustrate the concepts involved.
Beginning with clear, concise, immediately applicable discussions of the horizon, vanishing point, and the crucial relationship of eye level to perspective drawing, you'll learn how to place figures and objects in a drawing, depict interiors, create shade and shadows, and achieve all the other elements necessary for a successful perspective drawing. By repeatedly stressing important points, Mr. Norling teaches you to make them second-nature. Moreover, his approach is so simple and direct that no matter how little raw talent or experience you have, you will soon be able to apply these techniques almost instinctively.
Mastery of perspective is a basic skill every artist must have. This simple, nontechnical guide will enable you to master its essentials in a relatively short time. Clear and concise, this book is an essential addition to any artist's bookshelf.
AK516 - SS MOST ICONIC VEHICLES Vol 2
Scared Sh*tless: 1,003 Facts That Will Scare the Sh*t Out of You
Cary McNeal
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll s#*t yourself!

Back by popular demand, the mind-blowing follow-up to the bestselling 1,001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You. An all-new collection of entertaining and horrifying truths about us, our world, and why we’re totally screwed. With more disturbing facts and fun new topics, including weird celebrities, boobs, the internet, clowns, serial killers, sexual fetishes, bacon, Elvis, things that will eat you, and more. From stupid dead people to halitosis caused by constipation to a singer whose music can get you killed in some Jamaican neighborhoods, it’s all here—everything you need to know about the scary s#*t that surrounds all of us.

FACT: Men are four times as likely as women to be struck by lightning.
FACT: McDonald’s McRib sandwich contains some of the same ingredients used to manufacture gym mats and running shoes.
FACT: Möbius syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that renders victims unable to move their faces.
FACT: You can get an STD from a bikini wax.

Fuck Yeah, Video Games: The Life and Extra Lives of a Professional Nerd
Daniel Hardcastle
'A labour of undiluted love and enthusiasm' Daily Telegraph

As Daniel Hardcastle careers towards thirty, he looks back on what has really made him happy in life: the friends, the romances... the video games. Told through encounters with the most remarkable – and the most mind-boggling – games of the last thirty-odd years, Fuck Yeah, Video Games is also a love letter to the greatest hobby in the world.

From God of War to Tomb Raider, Pokémon to The Sims, Daniel relives each game with countless in-jokes, obscure references and his signature wit, as well as intricate, original illustrations by Rebecca Maughan. Alongside this march of merriment are chapters dedicated to the hardware behind the games: a veritable history of Sony, Nintendo, Sega and Atari consoles.

Joyous, absurd, personal and at times sweary, Daniel's memoir is a celebration of the sheer brilliance of video games.

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Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light: Essays
Helen Ellis
The bestselling author of American Housewife and Southern Lady Code returns with a viciously funny, deeply felt collection of essays on friendship among grown-ass women.

When Helen Ellis and her lifelong friends arrive for a reunion on the Redneck Riviera, they unpack more than their suitcases: stories of husbands and kids; lost parents and lost jobs; powdered onion dip and photographs you have to hold by the edges; dirty jokes and sunscreen with SPF higher than they hair-sprayed their bangs senior year; and a bad mammogram. It's a diagnosis that scares them, but could never break their bond. Because women pushing fifty won't be pushed around.

In these twelve gloriously comic and moving essays, Helen Ellis dishes on married middle-age sex, sobs with a theater full of women as a psychic exorcises their sorrows, gets twenty shots of stomach bile to the neck to get rid of her double chin, and gathers up the courage to ask, "Are you there, Menopause? It's Me, Helen."

A book that reads like the best cocktail party of your life, Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light is chockablock with fabulous characters: cat-lady plastic surgeons and waterpark Adonises; bridge ladies and poker players; platinum medallion fliers and Garage Sale Swindlers; forty-year-old divorcées; fifty-year-old new moms and still-young octogenarians. Alive with the sensational humor and ferocious love for her friends that won Helen Ellis legions of fans, this book has a raw vulnerability and an emotional generosity that takes this acclaimed author to a whole new level of accomplishment.
Subpar Parks: America's Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors
Amber Share
**A New York Times Bestseller!**

Based on the wildly popular Instagram account, Subpar Parks features both the greatest hits and brand-new content, all celebrating the incredible beauty and variety of America’s national parks juxtaposed with the clueless and hilarious one-star reviews posted by visitors.

Subpar Parks, both on the popular Instagram page and in this humorous, informative, and collectible book, combines two things that seem like they might not work together yet somehow harmonize perfectly: beautiful illustrations and informative, amusing text celebrating each national park paired with the one-star reviews disappointed tourists have left online. Millions of visitors each year enjoy Glacier National Park, but for one visitor, it was simply "Too cold for me!" Another saw the mind-boggling vistas of Bryce Canyon as "Too spiky!" Never mind the person who visited the thermal pools at Yellowstone National Park and left thinking, “Save yourself some money, boil some water at home.”

Featuring more than 50 percent new material, the book will include more depth and insight into the most popular parks, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Acadia National Parks; anecdotes and tips from rangers; and much more about author Amber Share's personal love and connection to the outdoors. Equal parts humor and love for the national parks and the great outdoors, it's the perfect gift for anyone who loves to spend time outside as well as have a good read (and laugh) once they come indoors.
Mannequins in Museums: Power and Resistance on Display
Bridget R. Cooks
Mannequins in Museums is a collection of historical and contemporary case studies that examine how mannequins are presented in exhibitions and shows that, as objects used for storytelling, they are not neutral objects.

Demonstrating that mannequins have long histories of being used to promote colonialism, consumerism, and racism, the book shows how these histories inform their use. It also engages readers in a conversation about how historical narratives are expressed in museums through mannequins as surrogate forms. Written by a select group of curators and art historians, the volume provides insight into a variety of museum contexts, including art, history, fashion, anthropology and wax. Drawing on exhibition case studies from North America, South Africa, and Europe, each chapter discusses the pedagogical and aesthetic stakes involved in representing racial difference and cultural history through mannequins. As a whole, the book will assist readers to understand the history of mannequins and their contemporary use as culturally relevant objects.

Mannequins in Museums

will be compelling reading for academics and students in the fields of museum studies, art history, public history, anthropology and visual and cultural studies. It should also be essential reading for museum professionals who are interested in rethinking mannequin display techniques.
Well, This Is Exhausting: Essays
Sophia Benoit
Named a Best Book of the Month by Vogue, Good Morning America, Bustle, Fortune, Goodreads, and more!

From Bustle columnist and Twitter sensation Sophia Benoit, this “charming and often laugh-out-loud funny” (Vogue) memoir-in-essays explores the ins and outs of modern womanhood—from finding feminism, the power of pop culture, and how to navigate life’s constant double standards—perfect for fans of Shrill and PEN15.

Like so many women, Sophia spent her formative years struggling to do the “right” thing—to make others comfortable, to take minimal and calculated risks, to live up to society’s expectations—only to realize that there was so little payoff to this tiresome balancing act. She spends her childhood in Missouri navigating her parents’ divorce and helping care for her younger siblings, always remaining reliable and responsible. She heads off to college having completely missed her change at a carefree youth.

Tired of trying so hard, Sophia finally lets go of the crushing pressure to be perfect. She navigates the highs and lows of the dating world (high: being a beta tester for Bumble; low: hastily shaving her legs before a hotel hookup and getting blood all over the sheets), and walks the line between being a “chill” girl and making sure her boyfriend’s nonchalance about altitude sickness doesn’t get him killed. She learns what it means to be a feminist, how to embrace her own voice, and when to listen to women who have been through more and have been doing the work longer.

With varied and laugh-out-loud funny topics ranging from how to be the life of the party (even when you have crippling anxiety), to an ill-fated consultation with a dietician who deems Sophia’s overindulgence in ketchup a serious health risk, to a masterful argument for why no one should judge you for having an encyclopedic knowledge of reality TV, Well, This is Exhausting explores what it means to care too much and try too hard, while maintaining a sense of humor about the absurdity of it all.
Blue: In Search of Nature's Rarest Color
Kai Kupferschmidt
A globe-trotting quest to find blue in the natural world—and to understand our collective obsession with this captivating color

Search human history and you’ll quickly conclude that we’ve been enamored of blue at least since the pharaohs. So, it’s startling to turn to the realms of nature and discover that “true” blue is truly rare. From the rain forest’s morpho butterfly to the blue jay flitting past your window, few living things are blue—and most that appear so are performing sleight of hand with physics or chemistry. Cornflowers use the pigment found in red roses to achieve their blue hue. Even the blue sky above us is a trick of the light.

Science journalist Kai Kupferschmidt has been fascinated by blue since childhood. In Blue, his quest to understand the science and nature of his favorite color takes him from a biotech laboratory in Japan and a volcanic lake in Oregon to Brandenburg, Germany— home of the last surviving blue-feathered Spix’s macaws. Whether it’s deep underground where blue crystals grow or miles overhead where astronauts gaze down at our “blue marble” planet, wherever we do find Earth’s rarest color, it always has a story to tell.
 
London's Museums and Galleries: Exploring the Best of the City's Art and Culture
Eleanor Ross
A curated guide to the best of London’s museums and galleries.

From the obscure to the resplendent, Eleanor Ross acquaints you with the very best museums and galleries the city has to offer. Including world-famous art to quirky collections, London is host to a vast assortment of enlightening spaces just waiting to be explored.  

​This compact and portable little book introduces locals and tourists alike to the capital’s cultural hot spots.
Get the Hell Out of Debt: The Proven 3-Phase Method That Will Radically Shift Your Relationship to Money
Erin Skye Kelly
Erin Skye Kelly wrote Get the Hell Out of Debt after her own struggle to become consumer-debt free. She was tired of listening to middle-aged men in suits tell her to consolidate and refinance her debt when all that seemed to happen was she’d end up in more of it while they profited from it. When Kelly figured out the two most important tools to money management—and started achieving massive results—other women wanted to join in on the debt-free journey. With her sense of humor and straight-shooting sensibilities, Erin began transforming lives.

This book is not only a step-by-step process that will walk you through how to pay off your debt—it’s a deeply personal journey centered around changing your mindset. As you master each of the three phases through repetition, you will create your own financial freedom, allowing you to live debt-free forever and create wealth and abundance that will positively impact your life—and the people you love and serve.

No matter how much consumer debt you carry, this book is a judgment-free zone from cover-to-cover. Your dreams are welcome here.

Look At This If You Love Great Art: A critical curation of 100 essential artworks • Packed with links to further reading, listening and viewing to take your enjoyment to the next level
Chloë Ashby
Look At This If You Love Great Art is a must read for anyone with a passion for exceptional art. Featuring 100 of the best artworks ever produced, inside is a collection of insightful summaries on just what it is that makes each one so vital.

Art writer Chloë Ashby talks you through the pieces that resonate with her, revealing the fascinating stories behind them and offering her considered take on why each work should be regarded as a pinnacle of artistic endeavour. With entries curated to offer a unique juxtaposition of styles, mediums and schools of art, expect a contemporary take on classic artworks, where titans of art history cross paths with under-appreciated examples from outside the traditional canon, and where rebellious visionaries blaze trails that still influence today’s cutting-edge artists.

Covering all the most important genres of art –Abstraction, Pop Art, Surrealism, Renaissance art, Impressionism and more – this engaging summary only deals with artworks that really matter and the reasons why you have to see them.
 
How To Not Be Put Under A Love Spell: What To Do To Not Be Effected
Timeka Willis
Men are the Target for a Lot of Things. Love Spells are Sometimes Put on a Lot of Men without There Permission. Now This Book is Meant to Help Men who Want to Know how to Diluted the Spell Effects so They Can Go on with their Life and Not be Effected by whatever was Cast Upon Them. Regain and Take back Control Over Your Life and Don't be Scared or effected by what's Going on. Learn the Easy Ways to Not be Effected by the Workings.
The Road to Love and Laughter: Navigating the Twists and Turns of Life Together
Kristin Adams
What's the secret to keeping love alive and full of laughter? Kristin and Danny Adams, the couple behind numerous hilarious viral lip sync videos, draw from their own experience in marriage and entertainment to encourage you to live loudly, love radically, and laugh uncontrollably.

Every relationship needs plenty of love and laughter. But how do you keep the fun going when the road gets hard? Viral video creators Kristin and Danny Adams's journey has involved more "heated fellowship" than their hilarious lip sync videos might lead you to think. Kristin and Danny invite you to:

  • Turn roadblocks into opportunities for growth, wisdom, and even laughter
  • Have faith in God to sustain you in difficult times and bring back your joy
  • Let go of the fear of change and find courage to face all of life together
  • Face the "laugh blockers" that get in the way of the joy of connection

Rediscover the joy of your unique connection for a deeper and more fulfilling marriage journey.

"You will come away changed. . . . This is a must-read!" -- Jefferson and Alyssa Bethke

"With humor and so much wisdom, this story will leave you inspired and feeling like you're not alone." -- Jeremy and Audrey Roloff

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Are You Sh*tting Me?: 1,004 Facts That Will Scare the Crap Out of You
Cary McNeal
Blue Ice, Meteors, and Beaver Ass, Oh My!

FACT: The use of maggots to clean wounds has proven to be effective for patients who don't respond to traditional treatments.

FACT: The Icelandic dish hákarl is beheaded basking shark that is buried in the ground for six to 12 weeks to putrefy before it is eaten.

FACT: Used during the Dutch Revolt, rat torture involved trapping rodents under a bowl on a prisoner's stomach then heating the bowl's exterior so the animals would eat through the victim's flesh to try to escape.

FACT: The average person picks his nose five times every hour, occasionally eating what he picks.

The world is a scary place, and it gets scarier every day. From the creator of the bestselling 1,001 Facts That Will Scare The S#*t Out Of You comes this new collection of 1,004 (count 'em!) truly horrifying and horrifyingly true facts about the world around us.

From ancient medical practices to doomsday scenarios, to disgusting food from around the world and the entire terrifying state of Florida, the facts in Are You Sh*tting Me? are sure to entertain and disturb you at once. Unless of course you are already disturbed, in which case this is the book for you!
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
Trevor Noah
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime story of one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed

NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST MEMOIRS OF THE DECADE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Michiko Kakutani, New York Times • USA Today • San Francisco Chronicle • NPR • Esquire • Newsday • Booklist

Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.

The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love.

Praise for Born a Crime

“Compelling . . . By turns alarming, sad and funny, [Trevor Noah’s] book provides a harrowing look, through the prism of Mr. Noah’s family, at life in South Africa under apartheid. . . . Born a Crime is not just an unnerving account of growing up in South Africa under apartheid, but a love letter to the author’s remarkable mother.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
Yearbook
Seth Rogen
#2 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* • “Rogen’s candid collection of sidesplitting essays . . . thrives at both explaining and encapsulating a generational comedic voice.”—The Washington Post

A collection of funny personal essays from one of the writers of Superbad and Pineapple Express and one of the producers of The Disaster Artist, Neighbors, and The Boys. (All of these words have been added to help this book show up in people’s searches using the wonders of algorithmic technology. Thanks for bearing with us!)
 
Hi! I’m Seth! I was asked to describe my book, Yearbook, for the inside flap (which is a gross phrase) and for websites and shit like that, so… here it goes!!!
 
Yearbook is a collection of true stories that I desperately hope are just funny at worst, and life-changingly amazing at best. (I understand that it’s likely the former, which is a fancy “book” way of saying “the first one.”) 
 
I talk about my grandparents, doing stand-up comedy as a teenager, bar mitzvahs, and Jewish summer camp, and tell way more stories about doing drugs than my mother would like. I also talk about some of my adventures in Los Angeles, and surely say things about other famous people that will create a wildly awkward conversation for me at a party one day.
 
I hope you enjoy the book should you buy it, and if you don’t enjoy it, I’m sorry. If you ever see me on the street and explain the situation, I’ll do my best to make it up to you.
 
*I was beaten by Bill O’Reilly, which really sucks.
How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler
Ryan North
An NPR Best Book of 2018

"How to Invent Everything is such a cool book. It's essential reading for anyone who needs to duplicate an industrial civilization quickly." --Randall Munroe, xkcd creator and New York Times-bestselling author of What If?

The only book you need if you're going back in time

What would you do if a time machine hurled you thousands of years into the past. . . and then broke? How would you survive? Could you improve on humanity's original timeline? And how hard would it be to domesticate a giant wombat?

With this book as your guide, you'll survive--and thrive--in any period in Earth's history. Bestselling author and time-travel enthusiast Ryan North shows you how to invent all the modern conveniences we take for granted--from first principles. This illustrated manual contains all the science, engineering, art, philosophy, facts, and figures required for even the most clueless time traveler to build a civilization from the ground up. Deeply researched, irreverent, and significantly more fun than being eaten by a saber-toothed tiger, How to Invent Everything will make you smarter, more competent, and completely prepared to become the most important and influential person ever. You're about to make history. . . better.
Scared Sh*tless: 1,003 Facts That Will Scare the Sh*t Out of You
Cary McNeal
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll s#*t yourself!

Back by popular demand, the mind-blowing follow-up to the bestselling 1,001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You. An all-new collection of entertaining and horrifying truths about us, our world, and why we’re totally screwed. With more disturbing facts and fun new topics, including weird celebrities, boobs, the internet, clowns, serial killers, sexual fetishes, bacon, Elvis, things that will eat you, and more. From stupid dead people to halitosis caused by constipation to a singer whose music can get you killed in some Jamaican neighborhoods, it’s all here—everything you need to know about the scary s#*t that surrounds all of us.

FACT: Men are four times as likely as women to be struck by lightning.
FACT: McDonald’s McRib sandwich contains some of the same ingredients used to manufacture gym mats and running shoes.
FACT: Möbius syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that renders victims unable to move their faces.
FACT: You can get an STD from a bikini wax.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise Part 1
Gene Luen Yang
The wait is over! Ever since the conclusion of Avatar: The Last Airbender, its millions of fans have been hungry for more—and it's finally here!

This series of digests rejoins Aang and friends for exciting new adventures, beginning with a faceoff against the Fire Nation that threatens to throw the world into another war, testing all of Aang's powers and ingenuity!

* The continuation of Airbender and the link to its upcoming sequel, Legend of Korra!

* Written by Gene Luen Yang, author of the National Book Award-nominated American Born Chinese.
How to Draw People: Step-by-Step Lessons for Figures and Poses
Jeff Mellem
The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Drawing Figures!

To draw an anatomical figure, you don't need a stack of weighty anatomy books. Just take it step by step!

In How to Draw People, author Jeff Mellem teaches beginning artists how to draw the human figure, from stick figure to anatomically accurate person, in clear, easy-to-follow lessons. More than just a reference, this book provides the step-by-step instruction to teach you to draw the human figure and the anatomical knowledge to draw it realistically.

In each chapter, called "levels," you'll learn core concepts for drawing the human figure. Each new chapter builds on the previous one to give you the skills you need to add complexity to your drawing. By the end of each chapter, you will be able to draw the figure with greater detail. By the end of Level 5, you will be able to draw an expressive figure with defined muscle groups in a variety of poses both real and imagined.

   • Clear goals to progress from stick figure to anatomically correct
   • Exercises and assignments to practice new skills
   • Level-Up Checklists in each chapter to assess your skills before moving on

With clear step-by-step demonstrations and check-ins along the way, How to Draw People is the beginner's guide to drawing realistic figures.
You Can Draw It in Just 30 Minutes: See It and Sketch It in a Half-Hour or Less
Mark Kistler
"Sharpen your pencils and open your sketchbook; your teacher is waiting."--Boston Globe

Emmy Award-winning and longtime PBS host Mark Kistler is back with You Can Draw It in Just 30 Minutes, the sequel to his hugely popular You Can Draw in 30 Days. Take a 30-minute creativity break and be amazed at what you accomplish! Learn to draw 25 different everyday objects--each completed in just half an hour--with step-by-step illustrations and friendly, personality-filled instructions for each lesson. Inside you'll find:
  • Fun "art hacks": Drawing shortcuts (such as tracing handy objects) make you more productive and efficient in your drawing.
  • Blueprints for quick drawings: You'll learn to find the simple shapes within complex-appearing objects.
  • Long-term techniques: The skills you gain along the day in the individual lessons can be used in more detailed, longer projects.
  • Hundreds of variations: More cartoonish? More realistic? The drawings can be modified for a new work of art every time.
In 30 minutes, you'll have a finished drawing. Pick up your pencil and begin today!
Alfred's Basic Adult All-in-One Course, Book 1: Learn How to Play Piano with Lesson, Theory and Technic
Willard A. Palmer
Alfred's Basic Adult All-in-One Course is designed for use with a piano instructor for the beginning student looking for a truly complete piano course. It is a greatly expanded version of Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course that will include lesson, theory, technic and additional repertoire in a convenient, "all-in-one" format. This comprehensive course adds such features as isometric hand exercises, finger strengthening drills, and written assignments that reinforce each lesson's concepts. There is a smooth, logical progression between each lesson, a thorough explanation of chord theory and playing styles, and outstanding extra songs, including folk, classical, and contemporary selections. At the completion of this course, the student will have learned to play some of the most popular music ever written and will have gained a good understanding of basic musical concepts and styles.

Titles:
* Alouette
* Alpine Melody
* Amazing Grace
* Au Claire de la Lune
* Aunt Rhody
* Auld Lang Syne
* Aura Lee
* The Bandleader
* Beautiful Brown Eyes
* Blow the Man Down!
* Blues for Wynton Marsalis
* Brother John
* Café Vienna
* The Can-Can
* Chasing the Blues Away
* Chiapanecas
* Cockles and Mussels
* The Cuckoo
* Day is Done
* Dueling Harmonics
* The Entertainer
* A Friend Like You
* Go Down, Moses
* Good King Wenceslas
* Good Morning to You!
* Good People
* Got Those Blues
* Greensleeves
* Happy Birthday to You!
* Harmonica Rock
* Harp Song
* Here's a Happy Song!
* He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
* I'm Gonna Lay My Burden Down
* Jericho
* Jingle Bells
* Joy to the World!
* Kum-ba-yah!
* Largo (Dvorak)
* Lavender's Blue
* Lightly Row
* Little Brown Jug
* Liza Jane
* London Bridge
* Lone Star Waltz
* Love Somebody
* Lullaby
* The Marine's Hymn
* Mary Ann
* Merrily We Roll Along
* Mexican Hat Dance
* Michael, Row the Boat Ashore
* Money Can't Buy Everything
* My Fifth
* Ode to Joy
* On Top of Old Smoky
* O Sole Mio
* Raisins and Almonds
* Rock Along
* Rockets
* Rockin' Intervals
Let's Pretend This Never Happened
Jenny Lawson
The #1 New York Times bestselling (mostly true) memoir from the hilarious author of Furiously Happy.

“Gaspingly funny and wonderfully inappropriate.”—O, The Oprah Magazine

When Jenny Lawson was little, all she ever wanted was to fit in. That dream was cut short by her fantastically unbalanced father and a morbidly eccentric childhood. It did, however, open up an opportunity for Lawson to find the humor in the strange shame-spiral that is her life, and we are all the better for it.

In the irreverent Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson’s long-suffering husband and sweet daughter help her uncover the surprising discovery that the most terribly human moments—the ones we want to pretend never happened—are the very same moments that make us the people we are today. For every intellectual misfit who thought they were the only ones to think the things that Lawson dares to say out loud, this is a poignant and hysterical look at the dark, disturbing, yet wonderful moments of our lives.

Readers Guide Inside

Funny books

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Mother, Can You Not?
Kate Siegel
Based on the wildly popular Instagram account @CrazyJewishMom, Kate Siegel's essay collection about life with the woman who redefined the term "helicopter mom."
 
There is nothing more wonderful than a mother’s love. There is also nothing more annoying. Who else can proudly insist that you’re perfect while simultaneously making you question every career, fashion, and relationship decision you have ever made?
 
No one understands the delicate mother-daughter dynamic better than Kate Siegel—her own mother drove her so crazy that she decided to broadcast their hilarious conversations on Instagram. Soon, hundreds of thousands of people were following their daily text exchanges, eager to see what outrageous thing Kate’s mom would do next. Now, in Mother, Can You NOT?, Kate pays tribute to the woman who invented the concept of drone parenting. 

From embarrassing moments (like crashing Kate's gynecological exams) to outrageous stories (like the time she made Kate steal a cat from the pound) to hilarious celebrations (including but not limited to parties for Kate's menstrual cycles), Mother, Can you NOT? lovingly lampoons the lengths to which our mothers will go to better our lives (even if it feels like they’re ruining them in the process).
My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses
Steven Adler
From Steven Adler, the original drummer for Guns N’ Roses, comes My Appetite for Destruction, the inside story of GNR. Offering a different perspective from the bestselling Slash, Adler chronicles his life with the band, and own intense struggle with addiction, as seen on Dr. Drew’s Celebrity Rehab and Sober House.
You Suck at Cooking: The Absurdly Practical Guide to Sucking Slightly Less at Making Food: A Cookbook
You Suck at Cooking
Do you crave food all the time? Do you think you might want to eat again in the future? Do you suck at cooking? Inspired by the wildly popular YouTube channel, these 60+ recipes will help you suck slightly less
 
You already know the creator of the YouTube show You Suck at Cooking by his well-manicured hands and mysterious voice, and now you’ll know him for this equally well-manicured and mysterious tome. It contains more than sixty recipes for beginner cooks and noobs alike, in addition to hundreds of paragraphs and sentences, as well as photos and drawings.

You’ll learn to cook with unintimidating ingredients in dishes like Broccoli Cheddar Quiche Cupcake Muffin-Type Things, Eddie’s Roasted Red Pepper Dip (while also learning all about Eddie’s sad, sad life), Jalapeño Chicken, and also other stuff. In addition, there are cooking tips that can be applied not only to the very recipes in this book, but also to recipes outside of this book, and to all other areas of your life (with mixed results).
 
In the end, you just might suck slightly less at cooking.*
 
*Results not guaranteed
Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 535 Easy(ish) Steps
Kelly Williams Brown
From breaking up with frenemies to fixing your toilet, this way fun comprehensive handbook is the answer for aspiring grown-ups of all ages.

If you graduated from college but still feel like a student . . . if you wear a business suit to job interviews but pajamas to the grocery store . . . if you have your own apartment but no idea how to cook or clean . . . it's OK. But it doesn't have to be this way.

Just because you don't feel like an adult doesn't mean you can't act like one. And it all begins with this funny, wise, and useful book. Based on Kelly Williams Brown's popular blog, Adulting makes the scary, confusing "real world" approachable, manageable—and even conquerable. This guide will help you to navigate the stormy Sea of Adulthood so that you may find safe harbor in Not Running Out of Toilet Paper Bay, and along the way you will learn:
  • What to check for when renting a new apartment—not just the nearby bars, but the faucets and stove, among other things.
  • When a busy person can find time to learn more about the world (It involves the intersection of NPR and hair-straightening.)
  • How to avoid hooking up with anyone in your office—imagine your coworkers having plastic, featureless doll crotches. It helps.
  • The secret to finding a mechanic you love—or, more realistically, one that will not rob you blind.
Other People's Love Letters: 150 Letters You Were Never Meant to See
Bill Shapiro
Fevered notes scribbled on napkins after first dates. Titillating text messages. It's-not-you-it's-me relationship-enders. In Other People’s Love Letters, Bill Shapiro has searched America’s attics, closets, and cigar boxes and found actual letters–unflinchingly honest missives full of lust, provocation, guilt, and vulnerability–written only for a lover’s eyes. Modern love, of course, is not all bliss, and in these pages you’ll find the full range of a relationship, with its whispered promises as well as its heartache. But what at first appears to be a deliciously voyeuristic peek into other people’s most passionate moments, will ultimately reawaken your own desires and tenderness…because when you read these letters, you’ll find the heart you’re looking into is actually your own.

• "i think UR great. wanna have wine & Tequila again sometime?"

• "I can't believe you're real, and I think about you constantly in some way or the other all day. I haven't given the finger to anyone driving since I met you."

• "With you I learned how to fight cleaner, how to talk things out better, and how to make a strong loving family out of nothing. These are priceless gifts that I will carry with me the rest of my life. One more thing you did for me: you left, and I had to get through it."

• "P.S. I look forward to your letters too much to call. Also, where do you stand on chains?"
Who's Your Caddy?: Looping for the Great, Near Great, and Reprobates of Golf
Rick Reilly
The funniest and most popular sportswriter in America abandons his desk to caddy for some of the world’s most famous golfers—and some celebrity duffers—with hilarious results in this New York Times bestseller.
 
Who knows a golfer best? Who’s with them every minute of every round, hears their muttering, knows whether they cheat? Their caddies, of course. So sportswriter Rick Reilly figured that he could learn a lot about the players and their game by caddying, even though he had absolutely no idea how to do it. Amazingly, some of the best golfers in the world—including Jack Nicklaus, David Duval, Tom Lehman, John Daly, Jill McGill of the LPGA tour, and Casey Martin—agreed to let Reilly carry their bags at actual PGA and LPGA Tour events. To round out his portrait of the golfing life, Reilly also persuaded Deepak Chopra and Donald Trump to take him on as a caddy, accompanied the four highest-rolling golf hustlers in Las Vegas around the course, and carried the bag for a blind golfer.

Between his hilarious descriptions of his own ineptitude as a caddy and his insight into what makes the greats of golf so great, Reilly’s wicked wit and an expert’s eye provide readers with the next best thing to a great round of golf.
Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love
Jonathan Van Ness
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

NPR'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR

INDIE BESTSELLER

GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD WINNER: BEST MEMOIR & AUTOBIOGRAPHY



A laugh-and-cry-out-loud memoir from the beloved star of Netflix’s Queer Eye, Jonathan Van Ness

Who gave Jonathan Van Ness permission to be the radiant human he is today? No one, honey.

The truth is, it hasn’t always been gorgeous for this beacon of positivity and joy.

Before he stole our hearts as the grooming and self-care expert on Netflix’s hit show Queer Eye, Jonathan was growing up in a small Midwestern town that didn’t understand why he was so…over the top. From choreographed carpet figure skating routines to the unavoidable fact that he was Just. So. Gay., Jonathan was an easy target and endured years of judgement, ridicule and trauma—yet none of it crushed his uniquely effervescent spirit.

Over the Top uncovers the pain and passion it took to end up becoming the model of self-love and acceptance that Jonathan is today. In this revelatory, raw, and rambunctious memoir, Jonathan shares never-before-told secrets and reveals sides of himself that the public has never seen. JVN fans may think they know the man behind the stiletto heels, the crop tops, and the iconic sayings, but there’s much more to him than meets the Queer Eye.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll come away knowing that no matter how broken or lost you may be, you’re a Kelly Clarkson song, you’re strong, and you’ve got this.

Ayoade on Ayoade
Richard Ayoade
In this book Richard Ayoade - actor, writer, director, and amateur dentist - reflects on his cinematic legacy as only he can: in conversation with himself. Over ten brilliantly insightful and often erotic interviews, Ayoade examines himself fully and without mercy, leading a breathless investigation into this once-in-a-generation visionary.

Only Ayoade can appreciate Ayoade's unique methodology. Only Ayoade can recognise Ayoade's talent. Only Ayoade can withstand Ayoade's peculiar scent. Only Ayoade can truly get inside Ayoade.

They have called their book Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey. Take the journey, and your life will never be the same again.

Ayoade on Ayoade captures the director in his own words: pompous, vain, angry and very, very funny.
Seriously...I'm Kidding
Ellen DeGeneres
~b~>With the winning, upbeat candor that has made her show on of the most popular and honored daytime shows on the air, beloved talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres shares her views on life, love, and American Idol.

"I've experienced a whole lot the last few years and I have a lot to share. So I hope that you'll take a moment to sit back, relax and enjoy the words I've put together for you in this book. I think you'll find I've left no stone unturned, no door unopened, no window unbroken, no rug unvacuumed, no ivories untickled. What I'm saying is, let us begin, shall we?"

Seriously... I'm Kidding is a lively, hilarious, and often sweetly poignant look at the life of the much-loved entertainer as she opens up about her personal life, her talk show, and more.

PRAISE FOR Seriously... I'm Kidding
"DeGeneres's amiably oddball riffs on everything from kale to catwalks to Jesus will make fans smile." -- People

"Whatever the topic, DeGeneres's compulsively readable style will appeal to fans old and new." - Publishers Weekly
"Fans will not be disappointed...[DeGeneres's] trademark wit and openness shine through and through." -- Kirkus/DIVspan
OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say?: A Non-Boring Guide to How Our Democracy is Supposed to Work
Ben Sheehan
Do you know what the Constitution ACTUALLY says?

This witty and highly relevant annotation of our founding document is the go-to guide to how our government really works (or is supposed to work).

Written by political savant and entertainment veteran, Ben Sheehan, and vetted for accuracy by experts in the field of constitutional law, OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say? is an entertaining and accessible guide that explains what the Constitution actually lays out.

With clear notes and graphics on everything from presidential powers to Supreme Court nominations to hidden loopholes, Sheehan walks us through the entire Constitution from its preamble to its final amendment (with a bonus section on the Declaration of Independence). Besides putting the Constitution in modern-day English so that it can be understood, OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say? gives readers all of the info they need to be effective voters and citizens in the November elections and beyond.

On music

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My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses
Steven Adler
From Steven Adler, the original drummer for Guns N’ Roses, comes My Appetite for Destruction, the inside story of GNR. Offering a different perspective from the bestselling Slash, Adler chronicles his life with the band, and own intense struggle with addiction, as seen on Dr. Drew’s Celebrity Rehab and Sober House.
Lindsey Stirling: Violin Play-Along Volume 35, Volume 35
Lindsey Stirling
(Violin Play-Along). The Violin Play-Along series will help you play your favorite songs quickly and easily. Just follow the music, listen to the audio to hear how the violin should sound, and then play along using the separate backing tracks. With the melody and lyrics included, you may also choose to sing along. Chord symbols are provided should you wish to elaborate on the melody. This volume includes: Michael Jackson Medley * Party Rock Anthem * Pump It * Right Round * River Flows in You * Starships * A Thousand Years * We Found Love.
Blues Harmonica For Dummies
Winslow Yerxa
Breathe the blues into your harmonica!

Blues harmonica is the most popular and influential style of harmonica playing, and it forms the basis for playing harmonica in other styles such as rock and country. Blues Harmonica for Dummies gives you a wealth of content devoted to the blues approach—specific techniques and applications, including bending and making your notes sound richer and fuller with tongue-blocked enhancements; use of amplification to develop a blues sound; blues licks and riffs; constructing a blues harmonica solo; accompanying singers; historical development of blues styles; and important blues players and recordings.

The accompanying website features all the musical examples from the book, plus play-along exercises and songs that let you hear the sound you're striving for.

  • In-depth coverage of major blues harmonica techniques
  • Blues song forms, improvisation, and accompanying singers
  • Information on blues history and personalities

If you're intrigued by the idea of understanding and mastering the compelling (yet mysterious) art of playing blues on the harmonica, Blues Harmonica For Dummies has you covered.

P.S. If you think this book seems familiar, you're probably right. The Dummies team updated the cover and design to give the book a fresh feel, but the content is the same as the previous release of Blues Harmonica For Dummies (9781118252697). The book you see here shouldn't be considered a new or updated product. But if you're in the mood to learn something new, check out some of our other books. We're always writing about new topics!

Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah
Kathy Iandoli
The definitive biography of Aaliyah—the talented R&B singer and artist whose tragic death at only twenty-two years old shocked the entertainment world and solidified her as an unforgettable music legend, featuring new in-depth research and exclusive interviews.

By twenty-two years old, Aaliyah had already accomplished a staggering amount: hit records, acclaimed acting roles, and fame that was just about to cross over into superstardom. Like her song, she was already “more than a woman” but her shocking death in a plane crash prevented her from fully growing into one.

Now, two decades later, the full story of Aaliyah’s life and cultural impact is finally and lovingly explored. Baby Girl features never-before-told stories, including studio anecdotes, personal tales, and eyewitness accounts on the events leading up to her untimely passing. Her enduring influence on today’s artists—such as Rihanna, Drake, Lana del Rey, and many more—is also revealed, providing Aaliyah’s discography a cultural critique that is long overdue.

Eye-opening, moving, and as unforgettable as its subject, Baby Girl is a necessary read for anyone who has been touched by Aaliyah’s music and story.

This book was written without the participation of Aaliyah’s family/estate.
Kiss - Alive II (Songbook)
KISS
(Recorded Version (Guitar)). Exact transcriptions in notes and tab for all 20 songs from the band's 1977 live double album: Any Way You Want It * Christine Sixteen * Detroit Rock City * Hard Luck Woman * I Want You * Larger Than Life * Love Gun * Rockin' in the U.S.A. * Shock Me * Shout It Out Loud * and more!
Blues Hanon (Music Instruction): 50 Exercises for the Beginning to Professional Blues Pianist
(Musicians Institute Press). We're proud to present MI instructor Peter Deneff's fourth book in the Musicians Institute Hanon series. In this private lesson for beginning to professional blues pianists, Deneff covers: major and minor blues modes; workouts for the right and left hand; building fluency in all 12 keys; suggested fingerings; practice tips; and soul, gospel, boogie woogie, R&B and rock styles.
The Beatles Guitar Chord Songbook: Volume J-Y
The Beatles
(Guitar Chord Songbook). Volume J-Y features complete lyrics, chord symbols and guitar chord diagrams for 100 more Beatles hits, including: Lady Madonna * Let It Be * The Long and Winding Road * Love Me Do * Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds * Michelle * Money (That's What I Want) * Norwegian Wood * Nowhere Man * Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da * Paperback Writer * Penny Lane * Revolution * Rocky Raccoon * Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band * She Loves You * Something * Strawberry Fields Forever * Taxman * Twist and Shout * We Can Work It Out * When I'm Sixty-Four * With a Little Help from My Friends * Yellow Submarine * Yesterday * You've Got to Hide Your Love Away * and more.
The Death of Rhythm and Blues
Nelson George
From Nelson George, supervising producer and writer of the hit Netflix series, "The Get Down," this passionate and provocative book tells the complete story of black music in the last fifty years, and in doing so outlines the perilous position of black culture within white American society. In a fast-paced narrative,  Nelson George’s book chronicles the rise and fall of “race music” and its transformation into the R&B that eventually dominated the airwaves only to find itself diluted and submerged as crossover music.
Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education: From Understanding to Application
Vicki R. Lind
Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education presents teaching methods that are responsive to how different culturally specific knowledge bases impact learning. It is a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students’ cultural references in all aspects of learning. Designed to be a supplementary resource for teachers of undergraduate and graduate music education courses, the book provides examples in the context of music education, with theories presented in Section I and a review of teaching applications in Section II. Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education is an effort to answer the question: How can I teach music to my students in a way that is culturally responsive? This book serves several purposes, by:

• Offering theoretical/philosophical frameworks of social justice

• Providing practical examples of transferring theory into practice in music education

• Illustrating culturally responsive pedagogy within the classroom

• Demonstrating the connection of culturally responsive teaching to the school and larger community

Suzuki Violin School - Volume 4 (Revised): Violin Part
Dr. Shinichi Suzuki
Titles:
* Lullaby (Tonalization) ( F. Schubert)
* Lullaby (Tonalization) (J. Brahms)
* Concerto No. 2 in G Major, Op. 13, 3rd Movement (F. Seitz)
* Concerto No. 5 in D Major, Op. 22, 1st Movement (F. Seitz)
* Concerto No. 5 in D Major, Op. 22, 3rd Movement (F. Seitz)
* Concerto in A Minor, 1st Movement, Op. 3, No. 6 (A. Vivaldi/T. Nachez)
* Concerto in A Minor, 3rd Movement, Op. 3, No. 6 (A. Vivaldi/T. Nachez)
* Perpetual Motion, "Little Suite No. 6" (K. Bohm)
* Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043, 1st Movement, Violin II (J. S. Bach)

Lives of creatives

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A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
Jon Krakauer
Here is Jon Krakauer’s portrait of the iconoclastic architect Christopher Alexander, whose revolutionary human-centered approach has shaken the foundations of modern architecture.

Krakauer delves into Alexander’s life and career, from his theories on a timeless “pattern language” that could be used to create buildings and towns that were simultaneously more livable and more beautiful, to his belief that architecture is correctly viewed as a powerful social instrument; from his on-site drafting techniques to his design process that, like a cocoon, shapes a building from the inside out. With trademark rigor, nuance, and insight, Krakauer powerfully draws us into Alexander’s singular vision of human-centered design—one in which people reclaim control over their built environment.
The Queen Next Door: Aretha Franklin, An Intimate Portrait
Linda Solomon
"Aretha was private. I respected this and she trusted me." Linda Solomon met Aretha Franklin in 1983 when she was just beginning her career as a photojournalist and newspaper columnist. Franklin’s brother and business manager arranged for Solomon to capture the singer’s major career events—just as she was coming back home to Detroit from California—while Franklin requested that Solomon document everything else. Everything. And she did just that. What developed over these years of photographing birthday and Christmas parties in her home, annual celebrity galas, private backstage moments during national awards ceremonies, photo shoots with the iconic pink Cadillac, and more was a friendship between two women who grew to enjoy and respect one another. The Queen Next Door: Aretha Franklin, An Intimate Portrait is a book full of firsts as Solomon was invited not only to capture historical events in Aretha’s music career showcasing Detroit but to join in with the Franklin family’s most intimate and cherished moments in her beloved hometown. From performance rehearsals with James Brown to off-camera shenanigans while filming a music video with the Rolling Stones, from her first television special to her first time performing with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, to her last performance with her sisters at her father’s church and her son’s college graduation celebration. In the book’s afterword, Sabrina Vonne' Owens, Franklin’s niece, honors her aunt, a woman who was an overwhelming supporter of civil rights, women’s rights, and fundraising campaigns that helped to benefit her hometown. There was a time in her career—when Franklin was more in demand than ever before—when she insisted that if someone wanted her to perform, they had to come to Detroit. During this time all of her major concerts, national television specials, music videos, and commercials would happen in Detroit. Aretha Franklin showed her respect for the people in the city who championed her from the very beginning when she started singing as a young girl in the church choir. Franklin used to say, "I am the lady next door when I am not on stage." The Queen Next Door offers fans a personal and unseen look at an extraordinary woman in her most natural moments—both regal and intimate—and highlights her devotion to her family and her hometown Detroit—"forever and ever."
Broken Glass: Mies van der Rohe, Edith Farnsworth, and the Fight Over a Modernist Masterpiece
Alex Beam
The true story of the intimate relationship that gave birth to the Farnsworth House, a masterpiece of twentieth-century architecture—and disintegrated into a bitter feud over love, money, gender, and the very nature of art.

“An amazing story, brilliantly told.”—Sebastian Smee, Pulitzer Prize–winning art critic and author of The Art of Rivalry

In 1945, Edith Farnsworth asked the German architect Mies van der Rohe, already renowned for his avant-garde buildings, to design a weekend home for her outside of Chicago. Edith was a woman ahead of her time—unmarried, she was a distinguished medical researcher, as well as an accomplished violinist, translator, and poet. The two quickly began spending weekends together, talking philosophy, Catholic mysticism, and, of course, architecture over wine-soaked picnic lunches. Their personal and professional collaboration would produce the Farnsworth House, one of the most important works of architecture of all time, a blindingly original structure made up almost entirely of glass and steel.

But the minimalist marvel, built in 1951, was plagued by cost overruns and a sudden chilling of the two friends' mutual affection. Though the building became world famous, Edith found it impossible to live in, because of its constant leaks, flooding, and complete lack of privacy. Alienated and aggrieved, she lent her name to a public campaign against Mies, cheered on by Frank Lloyd Wright. Mies, in turn, sued her for unpaid monies. The ensuing lengthy trial heard evidence of purported incompetence by an acclaimed architect, and allegations of psychological cruelty and emotional trauma. A commercial dispute litigated in a rural Illinois courthouse became a trial of modernist art and architecture itself.

Interweaving personal drama and cultural history, Alex Beam presents a stylish, enthralling narrative tapestry, illuminating the fascinating history behind one of the twentieth-century's most beautiful and significant architectural projects.
Big Eyes: The Screenplay
Scott Alexander
WITH AN INTERVIEW WITH MARGARET KEANE

The full screenplay by award-winning Ed Wood writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski for acclaimed director Tim Burton's film Big Eyes, starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz.

A rare close-up look into a corner of the 1950s and '60s art world and a perfectly observed account of a dysfunctional marriage, Big Eyes tells the true story of Margaret Keane, an artist who lived and worked in virtual slavery while her husband, Walter, gained fame and fortune passing himself off as the creator of his wife's wildly popular paintings. The story of their toxic relationship would culminate in a Hawaiian courtroom, as Margaret ultimately fights to save her name and reclaim her art, during a heated public court battle. 

This edition, illustrated with photos throughout, contains the complete screenplay, an afterword by the screenwriters, and an interview with Margaret Keane, the real-life subject of Big Eyes, by Tyler Stallings.
Secret Lives of Great Artists: What Your Teachers Never Told You about Master Painters and Sculptors
Book 5
Take a tour through the wilder side of art history and discover true tales of murder, forgery, trickery, and great art—featuring jaw-dropping profiles of Da Vinci, Dali, and more
 
With outrageous anecdotes about everyone from Leonardo Da Vinci to Caravaggio to Edward Hopper, Secret Lives of Great Artists recounts the seamy, steamy and gritty history behind the great masters of international art. You’ll learn that Michelangelo’s body odor was so bad, his assistants couldn’t stand working for him; that Vincent van Gogh sometimes ate paint directly from the tube; and Georgia O’Keeffe loved to paint in the nude. This is one art history lesson you’ll never forget!
Walt before Mickey: Disney's Early Years, 1919-1928
Timothy S. Susanin
For ten years before the creation of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney struggled with, failed at, and eventually mastered the art and business of animation. Most biographies of his career begin in 1928, when Steamboat Willie was released. That first Disney Studio cartoon with synchronized sound made its main character—Mickey Mouse—an icon for generations.

But Steamboat Willie was neither Disney's first cartoon nor Mickey Mouse's first appearance. Prior to this groundbreaking achievement, Walt Disney worked in a variety of venues and studios, refining what would become known as the Disney style. In Walt before Mickey: Disney's Early Years, 1919–1928, Timothy Susanin creates a portrait of the artist from age seventeen to the cusp of his international renown.

After serving in the Red Cross in France after World War I, Walt Disney worked for advertising and commercial art in Kansas City. Walt used these experiences to create four studios—Kaycee Studios, Laugh-O-gram Films, Disney Brothers Studio, and Walt Disney Studio. Using company documents, private correspondence between Walt and his brother Roy, contemporary newspaper accounts, and new interviews with Disney's associates, Susanin traces Disney's path. The author shows Disney to be a complicated, resourceful man, especially during his early career. Walt before Mickey, a critical biography of a man at a crucial juncture, provides the “missing decade” that started Walt Disney's career and gave him the skills to become a name known worldwide.
Shoot an Iraqi: Art, Life and Resistance Under the Gun
Wafaa Bilal
Wafaa Bilal's childhood in Iraq was defined by the horrific rule of Saddam Hussein, two wars, a bloody uprising and time spent interned in chaotic refugee camps in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Bilal eventually made it to the United States to become a professor and a successful artist, but when his brother was killed by an unmanned U.S. Predator drone, he decided to use his art to confront those in the comfort zone with the realities of life in a conflict zone.

His response was “Domestic Tension,” an unsettling interactive performance piece: for one month, Bilal lived alone in a prison cell-sized room in the line of fire of a remote-controlled paintball gun and a camera that connected him to Internet viewers around the world. Visitors to the gallery and a virtual audience that grew by the thousands could shoot at him twenty-four hours a day. The project received overwhelming worldwide attention and spawned provocative online debates; ultimately, Bilal was named Chicago Tribune’s Artist of the Year.

Structured in two parallel narratives, the story of Bilal’s life journey and his “Domestic Tension” experience, Shoot an Iraqi, is for anyone who seeks insight into the current conflict in Iraq and for those fascinated by interactive art technologies and the ever-expanding world of online gaming.

Iraqi-born artist Wafaa Bilal has exhibited his art worldwide, and traveled and lectured extensively to inform audiences of the situation of the Iraqi people, and the importance of peaceful conflict resolution. Bilal's 2007 dynamic installation "Domestic Tension" gained global recognition, being named Artist of the Year by the Chicago Tribune. Bilal has held exhibitions in Baghdad, the Netherlands, Thailand and Croatia; as well as at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, the Milwaukee Art Museum and various other US galleries. His residencies have included Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, California; Catwalk in New New York; and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Daybook: The Journal of an Artist
Anne Truitt
A classic work for artists of all kinds, about reconciling the call of creative work with the demands of daily life, now with a new introduction by Audrey Niffenegger.

Renowned American artist Anne Truitt kept this illuminating and inspiring journal over a period of seven years, determined to come to terms with the forces that shaped her art and life. Her range of sensitivity—moral, intellectual, sensual, emotional, and spiritual— is remarkably broad. She recalls her childhood on the eastern shore of Maryland, her career change from psychology to art, and her path to a sculptural practice that would “set color free in three dimensions.” She reflects on the generous advice of other artists, watches her own daughters’ journey into motherhood, meditates on criticism and solitude, and struggles to find the way to express her vision. Resonant and true, encouraging and revelatory, Anne Truitt guides herself—and her readers—through a life in which domestic activities and the needs of children and friends are constantly juxtaposed against the world of color and abstract geometry to which she is drawn in her art.

Beautifully written and a rare window on the workings of a creative mind, Daybook showcases an extraordinary artist whose insights generously and succinctly illuminate the artistic process.
A Clearing In The Distance: Frederick Law Olmsted and America in the 19th Century
Witold Rybczynski
In a brilliant collaboration between writer and subject, Witold Rybczynski, the bestselling author of Home and City Life, illuminates Frederick Law Olmsted's role as a major cultural figure at the epicenter of nineteenth-century American history.

We know Olmsted through the physical legacy of his stunning landscapes -- among them, New York's Central Park, California's Stanford University campus, and Boston's Back Bay Fens. But Olmsted's contemporaries knew a man of even more extraordinarily diverse talents. Born in 1822, he traveled to China on a merchant ship at the age of twenty-one. He cofounded The Nation magazine and was an early voice against slavery. He managed California's largest gold mine and, during the Civil War, served as the executive secretary to the United States Sanitary Commission, the precursor of the Red Cross.

Rybczynski's passion for his subject and his understanding of Olmsted's immense complexity and accomplishments make his book a triumphant work. In A Clearing in the Distance, the story of a great nineteenth-century American becomes an intellectual adventure.
Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay: Reflections on Art, Family, and Survival
Christopher Benfey
New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2012

"Beautiful, haunted, evocative and so open to where memory takes you. I kept thinking that this is the book that I have waited for: where objects, and poetry intertwine. Just wonderful and completely sui generis."  (Edmund de Waal, author of The Hare with Amber Eyes)

An unforgettable voyage across the reaches of America and the depths of memory, Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay follows one incredible family to discover a unique craft tradition grounded in America¹s vast natural landscape. Looking back through the generations, renowned critic Christopher Benfey unearths an ancestry--and an aesthetic--that is quintessentially American. His mother descends from colonial explorers and Quaker craftsmen, who carved new arts from the trackless wilds of the frontier. Benfey¹s father escaped from Nazi Europe--along with his aunt and uncle, the famed Bauhaus artists Josef and Anni Albers--by fleeing across the Atlantic and finding an eventual haven in the American South.

Bricks form the backbone of life in North Carolina¹s rural Piedmont, where Benfey¹s mother was raised among centuries-old folk potteries, tobacco farms, and clay pits. Her father, like his father before him, believed in the deep honesty of brick, that men might build good lives with the bricks they laid. Nurtured in this red-clay world of ancient craft and Quaker radicalism, Benfey¹s mother was poised to set out from home when a tragic romance cracked her young life in two. Salvaging the broken shards of his mother¹s past and exploring the revitalized folk arts resisting industrialization, Benfey discovers a world brimming with possibility and creativity.

Benfey¹s father had no such foundation in his young life, nor did his aunt and uncle. Exiled artists from Berlin¹s Bauhaus school, Josef and Anni Albers were offered sanctuary not far from the Piedmont at Black Mountain College. A radical experiment in unifying education and art, Black Mountain made a monumental impact on American culture under Josef¹s leadership, counting Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, and Buckminster Fuller among its influential students and teachers. Focusing on the natural world, innovative craftsmanship, and the physical reality of materials, Black Mountain became a home and symbol for an emerging vision of American art.

Threading these stories together into a radiant and mesmerizing harmony, Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay is an extraordinary quest to the heart of America and the origins of its art.

Art & design

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Hygge: The Danish Art of Comfort, Joy and Happiness
Erika Olsen
Enjoy Every Moment Like the Danish Do!


Denmark is said to be the happiest country in the world...


The Danish people owe their happy life to the art of hygge, meaning intimacy, coziness and joy.


Hygge teaches to enjoy life from the comfort of your house. Get together and learn how simple, inexpensive experiences and activities can drastically improve your life quality. Cuddle with a loved one, share food, read by the candlelight and release your oxycontin. Not only is this book about the subject Hygge, reading it also makes you 'feel' Hygge.


Get inspired by easy to understand information that will help you live, love and even decorate your house. Get in touch with yourself, friends, family and co-workers. Discover the joy of simplicity and coziness with the Hygge lifestyle borrowed from the Danish.


Hygge will motivate you to slow down and enjoy the most intimate, special and heartwarming moments. Learn to appreciate your indoors and surroundings, your safe haven and your playground.


Get in touch with the secrets of the Danish!


This book will teach you a lot more than how to enjoy your cup of tea while listening to the rain ticking on the roof. Capture the moment, reclaim your joy and get together. In ‘Hyge: The Danish Art of Comfort, Joy and Happiness’, you will learn:


-What Hygge is, means and does for you
-How to slow down, relax and enjoy the moment like the Danish
-How to be authentic with life and people around you
-Countless ways to surround yourself with good energy at home
-Hyggelist activities that help you connect and bond with yourself
-What hygge can do for relationships
-The best oxytocin boosters
-How to Hygge by yourself
-How to design your ‘Hygge home’
-Colors and their effect on feelings
-How to improve your quality of life with 30-day Hygge challenges


As a bonus, the book comes with high-quality Hygge recipes for the whole family!


Learn about Denmark’s best lifestyle secrets.


Grab your copy today!


The book contains high-quality photographs, making the print version a perfect gift!

Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style
W. David Marx
Look closely at any typically "American" article of clothing these days, and you may be surprised to see a Japanese label inside. From high-end denim to oxford button-downs, Japanese designers have taken the classic American look-known as ametora, or "American traditional"-and turned it into a huge business for companies like Uniqlo, Kamakura Shirts, Evisu, and Kapital. This phenomenon is part of a long dialogue between Japanese and American fashion; in fact, many of the basic items and traditions of the modern American wardrobe are alive and well today thanks to the stewardship of Japanese consumers and fashion cognoscenti, who ritualized and preserved these American styles during periods when they were out of vogue in their native land.

In Ametora, cultural historian W. David Marx traces the Japanese assimilation of American fashion over the past hundred and fifty years, showing how Japanese trendsetters and entrepreneurs mimicked, adapted, imported, and ultimately perfected American style, dramatically reshaping not only Japan's culture but also our own in the process.
The H.P. Lovecraft Drawing Book: Learn to draw strange scenes of otherworldly horror
Nigel Dobbyn
Draw your own nightmarish art inspired by the horrifying world of H.P. Lovecraft.

Science fiction artist Nigel Dobbyn provides 16 projects for you to sketch, all with easy step-by-step instructions. Choose from ghouls, tentacled creatures, terrifying alien beings, and reptilian gods from beyond our universe.

With detailed information on all the materials you will need and clear tutorials for the basic techniques, you won't need any prior drawing skills to master these otherworldly monstrosities.

Silver Jewelry Making: An Easy & Complete Step by Step Guide
Janet Evans
Wearing jewelry is essential to helping women developed their own style. For women wishing to create a look that's unique, the last thing they'll want to invest money in is mass produced pieces of jewelry. It's for this reason alone, learning the skills needed for making silver jewelry could prove extremely beneficial. When it comes to making such pieces you need to know where to purchase the right kinds of supplies. In this book not only do we discuss what's needed to start your own silver jewelry making venture but also provide several projects you may want to try out. We also recommend you attend a silver jewelry-making course if you can as well. If you're having problems finding courses we highly recommend you look online for what you need. You may even find an online course that enables you to learn in the comfort of your own home. As a beginner, the kind of course you should be looking for is one, which covers the basics. The kinds of skills this course should be teaching you relate to soldering cutting, shaping and texturing the silver plus polishing it. Also look for courses that teach you skills such as making jump rings, hooks and clasps for earrings. Finally what you should be looking for in a course is one that'll allow you to make a number of different pieces of jewelry from silver. The actual process of turning a piece of silver into a piece of jewelry is not only very technical, but also allows your artistic side to flourish. Once you've finished making silver jewelry either for yourself or for someone else, can prove extremely satisfying, especially as you watch the piece develop and grow
Cricut for Beginners: The Complete DIY Guide to Master the Use of Cricut Machine and Cricut Design Space to Craft Out Awesome Cricut Project Ideas (Graphical Illustrations Included)
Alice Green
Have you ever felt your options were limited when it came to what you could achieve with DIY projects? Was there a time you stumbled upon an awesome project and wanted to replicate it? Do you want a step by step guide on how to use the Cricut machine, Cricut Design Space and Cricut tools to create AWESOME DIY piece of crafts in no time? If so, then read on…

If you have a creative streak in you, and you are a lover of DIY projects, then you should get the Cricut machine for yourself if you haven’t yet done so. Cricuts give their users the freedom to create a ton of DIY projects, even if they are not professionals. However, the challenge to doing so is usually what the best option of the Cricut machines there is to purchase, which in part, is why this book was written to help you with.

Cricut for Beginners is a Complete DIY guide that was created with the sole intention of helping you master the use of the Cricut machine. It also contains pricey and valuable information that will get you started with using the Cricut Design Space, which is an inherent part of your creative journey using this machine. With the knowledge of how the design space works going by the detailed guide discussed in the pages of this book, you will be able to craft out phenomenal Cricut Project Ideas in no time, even as a beginner.

This guide has been made easy-to-understand even if you are a first-timer with using Cricuts, with a thorough breakdown of the steps that are involved in helping you make the most out of your machine and create amazing DIY projects for any occasion. Even as a total beginner, you will discover that the knowledge encapsulated in this guide will be of immense benefit to you as you start putting all your DIY project ideas to work.

This book is designed for parents, creative people, minimalist, or just someone who loves the idea of having to embark upon DIY projects and create a lot of beautiful crafts. With your Cricut, there are hundreds and even thousands of projects you can get started with immediately and complete in record time.

At the end of this book, you will;

1. Have a better grasp of what the Cricut machine is, how it works and what crafts it can create.

2. Be exposed to the most popular Cricut machines used to create many of the wonderful pieces of DIY crafts you must have come across, with insights on which is the best fit for you.

3. Be familiar with virtually all the necessary tools you will need to bring your creative ideas to life.

4. Discover how to set-up your Cricut machine on your Windows PC/Mac and on your iOS/Android devices, even if you are not tech-savvy.

5. Have mastered how the Cricut Design Space works, how to set it up on your PC and mobile devices and how you can use this tool with your Cricut machine to make beautiful crafts in no time.

6. Have at your fingertips, awesome DIY project ideas you can use to begin creating eye-catching crafts.

7. Know how to get your Cricut machine to last for a lifetime as well as how to resolve common problems faced when using the Cricut machine.

And so much more valuable content!

If you are ready to uncover what you can achieve with your Cricut machine, and the magical, beautiful crafts that can be created with a few steps and clicks, then waste no more time other than grabbing a copy of this book RIGHT NOW

Nail Art Techniques: How To Create Mesmerizing Design Of Your Manicure Other Women Envy?: (Step By Step Guide With Pictures)
Tanya Angelova
Are you ready for a great manicure?If so, you've come to the right place. 

This is a step by step guide with pictures on how to do classic French manicure and acrylic decorations that will make your nails stand out. 

What you see is what you get! 

Grab your copy now!
Mechanical Appliances, Mechanical Movements and Novelties of Construction
Gardner D. Hiscox
From the devices that power ships and trains to the workings of clocks, typewriters, and guns, this engrossing visual narrative profiles the specific and unique properties of hundreds of mechanical devices. Nearly 1,000 detailed illustrations depict steam-powered appliances, spring-powered devices, hydraulic equipment, and other machines, many of which remain in common use today. Each apparatus features a detailed line drawing and an informative explanation of its workings and uses. A final chapter chronicles 400 years of impassioned but futile searching for a perpetual motion machine.The companion to Dover's 1800 Mechanical Movements, Devices and Appliances, this volume features fewer but more complex machines than its predecessor. Today's readers—especially engineers, inventors, and other mechanically inclined individuals—will find endless fascination and inspiration among the novelty and variety of these ingenious mechanical designs.
Making Costume Jewelry: An Easy & Complete Step by Step Guide
Janet Evans
If you're someone who has an eye for fashion and enjoys making their own things, why not save yourself money by making your own costume jewelry. Even the simplest pieces of costume jewelry can be overpriced so why spend money on such accessories when making them for yourself could save you a great deal of money. Of course when it comes to making your own jewelry there are certain things you need to consider before you do. The first thing you need to consider before you begin the process of learning how to make costume jewelry is what type you wish to make. The best way of determining what style of jewelry you want to make is to look through various magazines and see what's on offer in stores locally. It's also a good idea to gain inspiration for your costume jewelry designs by visiting museums or art galleries. You may even gain inspiration for your designs when out for a walk. It's a good idea as you go through various magazines, newspapers or when you look online you keep copies of images of costume jewelry that you like. Then look at these images to help you to come up with your own unique designs. In this book we offer help about how to go about making costume jewelry including some projects you may want to try. However if you can, see whether there are any jewelry making classes close to where you live. Of course if you cannot find any locally then there are plenty of classes to be found online as well. Another thing you should be doing is to designate a particular area in your home where you'll work on your jewelry pieces. It's important to remember, even when making the simplest of pieces you'll require lots of different items to complete the project. Plus you need plenty of space to be able to work on each piece of jewelry comfortably. If you have a small room in your home that's used for storing things in then this would be the perfect place for setting up as your jewelry workspace. It's a good idea to spend money not only investing in the tools you need to create your designs with but also a good table and chair. You want the space where you're sitting to be comfortable and also allow you to not place too much stress on your body as you do work. Remember you're going to be working with very small items so make sure the area in which you are working is well lit. If you need to purchase a good standard lamp or reading lamp that can direct light straight on to the work surface from above. Also investing in a light that contains LED bulbs rather than conventional incandescent or halogen bulbs should be considered. This is because these types of lights actually produce a form of lighting that's very similar to natural sunlight, so it means far less strain is being placed on your eyes as you work on very small and delicate parts of the jewelry. As for the chair, make sure you choose one that offers your back plenty of support. So investing in a good quality typist's type chair should be considered. Not only do they provide support to the upper part of the back but also the lower part. Also make sure you look for a store that can reliably provide you with all the materials you need when making costume jewelry. If you're having problems sourcing what you need locally there are plenty of online stores you can use instead.
Color Design Workbook: New, Revised Edition: A Real World Guide to Using Color in Graphic Design
Sean Adams
From the meanings behind colors to working with color in presentations, Color Design Workbook provides you with the information needed to effectively apply color to design work.

Since color is such an important part of graphic design, designers need the most up-to-date, as well as the most fundamental, information on the subject to have the tools needed to use color effectively.

The Color Design Workbook, New, Revised Edition explains the meanings behind colors, working with color in presentations, and loads more. This guide book provides you with the vital information needed to creatively and effectively apply color to your own design work.

You will also receive guidance on talking with clients about color and selling color ideas, and you'll also learn the science behind color theory. Case studies are included to show the effects some color choices had on both their clients and consumers. So why wait any longer? Become a color expert now!
Locs for Life: The Root to Well Being for African-American Women
Kalimah Johnson, LMSW, ACSW
Have you ever thought about locking your African textured/type hair?  Are you afraid what others will say or think about you?  Do you need a guide to help you through the process?  Do you already have Locs/Locks/Dreads and need style/care ideas or encouragement from other sisters who have? 

If you have answered yes to any of these questions then "Locs For Life: The Root to Well Being for African American Women" is the book for you!

It is an easy read with a plethora of stories outlining the journey of hair locking.  Topics such as colorism, racism, beauty standards and other social issues are candidily discussed by the writer.  What is most unique about this book is that the writer prepares you for the emotional/spiritual aspects of hair locking.

Kalimah Johnson is  Masters Level Social Worker and uses those tools to discuss this topic from a sensitive and comprehensive standpoint.  Her expertise and courageous efforts will provide you with all the tools, power and knowledge you will need to inspire you to wear your hair out in the world "as is". 

On creativity

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Modigliani: 90 Paintings (Paintings
Jessica Findley
Amedeo Clemente Modigliani was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. Primarily a figurative artist, he became known for paintings and sculptures in a modern style characterized by mask-like faces and elongation of form. Amedeo Modigliani was on born July 12, 1884 in Livorno, Italy. After studying in Italy, Modigliani settled in Paris and exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants. Following the advice of Brancusi, he studied and was influenced by African sculpture. In 1917 he began painting a series of female nudes that are among his best works. Modigliani died in 1920 in Paris of tubercular meningitis, exacerbated by poverty, overwork and addiction to alcohol and narcotics.
Tintoretto: 150 Paintings
Jessica Findley
For his phenomenal energy in painting Tintoretto was termed Il Furioso. His work is characterized by its muscular figures, dramatic gestures, and bold use of perspective in the Mannerist style, while maintaining color and light typical of the Venetian School. His nickname derives from his father's profession of dyer (tintore). He is said to have trained very briefly with Titian, but the style of his immature works suggests that he may also have studied with Veronese or Schiavone. Almost all of his life was spent in Venice and most of his work is still in the churches or other buildings for which it was painted. He appears to have been unpopular because he was unscrupulous in procuring commissions and ready to undercut his competitors. As well as religious works, Tintoretto painted mythological scenes and he was also a fine portraitist, particularly of old men. Tintoretto had great influence on Venetian painting, but the artist who most fruitfully absorbed the visionary energy and intensity of his work was El Greco.
Color Harmony for Artists: How to Transform Inspiration into Beautiful Watercolor Palettes and Paintings
Ana Victoria Calderon
Explore and create expressive palettes and paintings with Color Harmony for Artists.

Watercolor author, artist, and teacher Ana Victoria Calderon guides you through choosing, mixing, and using color with watercolor and mixed media to create the most expressive and appealing combinations and effects for a wide range of moods and subjects. You'll explore a variety of subjects and themes, including flowers, foliage, landscapes, skies, cities, figures, art movements, and historical eras.
  • Begin with a quick overview of the basics of color, color mixing, and mixed media.
  • Explore a variety of color and media combinations, including brilliant brights, muted neutrals, high-contrast complements, and special effects.
  • Find inspiration in evocative photos, abundant palettes, and beautiful paintings.

With Color Harmony for Artists, every artist, from beginner to advanced, will be inspired to embrace the creative possibilities of color and paint!

Caspar David Friedrich: 115 Paintings
Jessica Findley
Caspar David Friedrich was a 19th-century German Romantic landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation and one of the most original geniuses in the history of landscape painting. He is best known for his mid-period allegorical landscapes which typically feature contemplative figures silhouetted against night skies, morning mists, barren trees or Gothic ruins. His primary interest as an artist was the contemplation of nature, and his often symbolic and anti-classical work seeks to convey a subjective, emotional response to the natural world. Friedrich's paintings characteristically set a human presence in diminished perspective amid expansive landscapes, reducing the figures to a scale that, according to the art historian Christopher John Murray, directs "the viewer's gaze towards their metaphysical dimension".

He was virtually forgotten at the time of his death and his immediate influence was confined to members of his circle in Dresden, notably Georg Friedrich Kersting, who sometimes painted the figures in Friedrich's work. It was only at the end of the 19th century, with the rise of Symbolism, that his greatness began to be recognized. Most of his work is still in Germany.

Creative Watercolor: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners--Create with Paints, Inks, Markers, Glitter, and More!
Ana Victoria Calderon
Creative Watercolor offers beginners a fun, modern, and practical approach to a timeless medium with instructions on how to paint simple motifs, create elegant lettering, and embellish projects beautifully.

Popular watercolor artist and workshop instructor Ana Victoria Calderon shares her step-by-step techniques for painting modern designs in this classic medium. All the fundamentals needed to get started in watercolor are here, allowing you to quickly learn how to create beautiful watercolor paintings. Through a series of easy tutorials and projects, you will:
  • Discover basic materials and tools, plus options for embellishing your paintings
  • Master essential techniques, starting with easy warm-up activities. Then, learn to layer, and get into the flow with watercolor
  • Get an introduction to scanning and digital editing for making multiples
  • Paint a variety of simple, beautiful designs: flowers and leaves, butterflies and critters, fruits and vegetables, and delightful lettering
  • Use what you’ve learned to create unique, stylish stationery, including beautiful invitations, place cards, menus, monograms, recipe gift cards, thank you notes—any project you can imagine, for any kind of event you can think of!

There’s never been a better time to dive into the world of watercolor, so why wait? Grab a brush and get painting!

Perfect for all skill levels, the books in the Art for Modern Makers series take a fun, practical approach to learning about and working with paints and other art mediums to create beautiful DIY projects and crafts.