Tom Vernon - the thinking man's Alan Whicker - who donned his metaphorical beret and cruised through France on two wheels, delights us with the subtitles and diversity of everyday French living. He visits the more popular areas of France such as Normandy (and Tom's ancestral town of Vernon), Brittany, Champagne, Alsace and Lorraine, the Loire Valley, Languedoc, and Lozere-Averyron-Cevennes. From whom else would you learn about the woman in the Cevennes who kept all the silkworm eggs of the village in bed with her for 15 days, until they hatched? Or where you can eat a salad of geziers (chicken gizzards) followed by duck breast with green pepper sauce accompanied by courgettes and bechamel, all for 85F?

In his book Pro Cycling on $10 a Day, Phil Gaimon brings the full powers of his wit to tell his story. Plump, grumpy, slumped on the couch, and going nowhere fast at age 16, Phil Gaimon began riding a bicycle with the grand ambition of shedding a few pounds before going off to college. He soon fell into racing and discovered he was a natural, riding his way into a pro contract after just one season despite utter ignorance of a century of cycling etiquette. Presented here as a guide--and a warning--to aspiring racers who dream of joining the professional racing circus, Phil’s adventures in road rash serve as a hilarious and cautionary tale of frustrating team directors and broken promises. Phil’s education in the ways of the peloton, his discouraging negotiations for a better contract, his endless miles crisscrossing America in pursuit of race wins, and his conviction that somewhere just around the corner lies the ticket to the big time fuel this tale of hope and ambition from one of cycling’s best story-tellers. Pro Cycling on $10 a Day chronicles the racer’s daily lot of blood-soaked bandages, sleazy motels, cheap food, and overflowing toilets. But it also celebrates the true beauty of the sport and the worth of the journey, proving in the end that even among the narrow ranks of world-class professional cycling, there will always be room for a hard-working outsider.

Delivers a weight-loss plan designed to help you lose 30, 50, or even 100 pounds.

“Finally—a fitness book for the rest of us! . . . [Big Fit Girl] is sure to usher in a new generation of tough, curvy athletes.” —Jessamyn Stanley, author of Every Body Yoga In Big Fit Girl, Louise Green describes how the fitness industry fails to meet the needs of plus-size women and thus prevents them from improving their health and fitness. By telling her own story of how she stopped dieting, got off the couch, and unleashed her inner athlete—as well as showcasing similar stories from other women—Green inspires other plus-size women to do the same. Green also provides concrete advice, based on the latest research, about how to get started, how to establish a support team, how to choose an activity, what kind of clothing and gear work best for the plus-size athlete, how to set goals, and how to improve one’s relationship with food. And she stresses the importance of paying it forward—for it is only by seeing plus-size women in leadership roles that other plus-size women will be motivated to stop trying to lose weight and get fit instead. “Big Fit Girl impressed me tremendously. Green combines compelling storytelling with practical tips—true to what we know about science—in a unique way that will get you moving.” —Linda Bacon, PhD, scientist, and author of Health at Every Size “Inspiring and empowering.” —Taryn Brumfitt, producer and director, founder of the Body Image Movement “I’m thrilled to live in a world where Big Fit Girl will be part of the health section. Thank you Louise—it’s time for every person of every size to have access to this information!” —Jes Baker, The Militant Baker

“[Raschka's] marvelous sequences, fluid style, and emotional intelligence capture all of the momentum and exhilaration of this glorious accomplishment,” raves School Library Journal in a starred review. Learning to ride a bike is one of the most important milestones of childhood, and no one captures the emotional ups and downs of the experience better than Chris Raschka, who won the 2012 Caldecott Medal for A Ball for Daisy. In this simple yet emotionally rich "guide," a father takes his daughter through all the steps in the process—from choosing the perfect bicycle to that triumphant first successful ride. Using very few words and lots of expressive pictures, here is a picture book that not only shows kids how to learn to ride, but captures what it feels like to fall . . . get up . . . fall again . . . and finally "by luck, grace, and determination" ride a bicycle!

Paul is much more than your average cyclist. About five stones more. Desperate to escape the daily grind, he heads for the Scottish Highlands and finds that a change involving a pushbike and hills isn't always as good as a rest for a fat bloke. Fuelled by coffee, cake and conversations, this unlikely adventure takes Paul to the top of the world and the edge of despair. It's a journey of new experiences, stunning scenery, and the unexpected kindness of strangers. 'Fat Bloke on a Bike' follows Paul's novice attempt at cycle-touring as, huffing and puffing, he hauls his seventeen stones from Weardale in the North Pennines, along the North Sea Coast, and through Scotland's cities, islands and highlands to Inverness.