The soda fountain was such a sociable place. Folks exchanged news, views, and wisecracks too. Those bygone days are treasured in this sweet and stylish retro celebration. Ever wonder why the ice cream sundae is spelled with a dae instead of a day? You'll find the answer to that and dozens more pop-culture trivia questions, all featured with nostalgic photos and illustrations. Old-fashioned full-color photos and illustrations on every page appear with pithy quotations and comical quips drawn mainly from mid-twentieth-century writers -- or with brief, entertaining one-page essays that give historical background to many aspects of twentieth-century pop culture. ¿Return to kindness, humor, and wisdom, when there was a time for everyone -- young and old.¿

Ever wonder why the ice cream sundae is spelled with a dae instead of a day? You'll find the answer to that and dozens more pop-culture trivia questions, all featured with nostalgic photos and illustrations. Soda Fountain Wisdom is one of a two-book series titled Retro Moments. These titles recall the days when Mom and Dad were teens. Old-fashioned photos and illustrations on every page appear with pithy quotations and comical quips drawn mainly from mid-twentieth-century writers-or with brief, entertaining one-page essays that give historical background to many aspects of twentieth-century pop culture. Retro Moments make great gift books, but bookstore gift-buyers probably will take home extra copies for themselves. These delightful little books carry their readers back to the days of drive-ins, roadside diners, fin-tailed convertibles, and the bright magazine advertisements of yesteryear.

A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.

Includes over 250 recipes, many from his BBC TV series Dish of the Day, Simple Suppers and Simple Cooking.From Nigel Slater, presenter of Dish of the Day and one of our best-loved food writers, a beautiful and inspiring companion volume to his bestselling Kitchen Diaries.

Discover the essential thinking tools you’ve been missing with The Great Mental Models series by Shane Parrish, New York Times bestselling author and the mind behind the acclaimed Farnam Street blog and “The Knowledge Project” podcast. This first book in the series is your guide to learning the crucial thinking tools nobody ever taught you. Time and time again, great thinkers such as Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett have credited their success to mental models–representations of how something works that can scale onto other fields. Mastering a small number of mental models enables you to rapidly grasp new information, identify patterns others miss, and avoid the common mistakes that hold people back. The Great Mental Models: Volume 1, General Thinking Concepts shows you how making a few tiny changes in the way you think can deliver big results. Drawing on examples from history, business, art, and science, this book details nine of the most versatile, all-purpose mental models you can use right away to improve your decision making and productivity. This book will teach you how to: Avoid blind spots when looking at problems. Find non-obvious solutions. Anticipate and achieve desired outcomes. Play to your strengths, avoid your weaknesses, … and more. The Great Mental Models series demystifies once elusive concepts and illuminates rich knowledge that traditional education overlooks. This series is the most comprehensive and accessible guide on using mental models to better understand our world, solve problems, and gain an advantage.

Her tears grant wishes. Her next tear will end her life. She didn’t ask to be the Wishtress. Myrthe was born with the ability to turn her tears into wishes. But when a granted wish goes wrong, she is cursed: the next tear she sheds will kill her. She must travel to the Well to break the curse before it can claim her life—and before the king’s militairen find her. To survive the journey, Myrthe must harden her heart to keep herself from crying even a single tear. He can stop time with a snap of his fingers. Bastiaan’s powerful—and rare—Talent came in handy when he kidnapped the old king. Now the new king has a job for him: find the Wishtress and deliver her to the schloss. But Bastiaan needs a wish of his own. He gains Myrthe’s trust by promising to take her to the Well, but once he gets what he needs, he’ll turn her in. As long as his growing feelings for the girl with a stone heart don’t compromise him. Their quest can end only one way: with her death. Everyone seems to need a wish—the king, Myrthe’s cousin, the boy she thinks she loves. And they’re ready to bully, beg, and betray her for it. No one knows that to grant even one wish, Myrthe would pay with her life. And if she tells them about the curse . . . they’ll just kill her anyway. “A beautiful tale about self-worth, second chances, and mysterious enchantment.” —Kathryn Purdie, #1 New York Times bestselling author Exciting and clean YA fantasy Stand-alone novel Book length: approximately 125,000 words Includes discussion questions for book clubs

My name is Anastasia. The history books say I died. They don’t know the half of it. Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them, and he’s hunted Romanov before. Nastya’s only chances of saving herself and her family are either to release the spell and deal with the consequences, or to enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya has only dabbled in magic, but it doesn’t frighten her half as much as her growing attraction to Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her. That is, until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other. Praise for Romanov: "I am obsessed with this book! A magical twist on history that will have Anastasia fans wishing for more. I loved every detail Brandes wrote. If you love magic and Imperial Russia, you want Romanov on your shelf!" —Evelyn Skye "Romanov will cast a spell on readers and immerse them in a history anyone would long to be a part of." —Sasha Alsberg "If you think you know the story behind Anastasia Romanov, think again! The perfect blend of history and fantasy, Romanov takes a deeper look at the days leading up to the family’s tragedy, while also exploring the possibilities behind the mysteries that have long intrigued history buffs everywhere. Brandes weaves a brilliant and intricate saga of love, loss, and the power of forgiveness. Prepare to have your breath stolen by this gorgeous novel of brilliant prose and epic enchantment." —Sara Ella Full-length historical fantasy Includes discussion questions for book clubs Paperback contains special bonus chapter