""Nicky has found a creative way of channeling her feelings and has produced a piece of work that is an inspiration to people who have experienced mental health problems. It is also of great value to us professionals and we should not forget that an essential part of our continuing medical education is listening to patients"" - Dr Eleni Palazidou MD, PhD, MRCP, MRCPSYCH DescriptionNicky Thomas' extraordinary book of poetry charts her feelings and experiences of depression and the recovery of some stability in her life. Nicky found that writing her book proved a cathartic process and helped her to overcome her depression and stop self-harming. Nicky hopes that this book maybe able to help someone else feel less alone in their despair and help families, friends and health professionals gain a greater understanding. This is a wonderfully strong book from a very strong and determined woman.Depression, although so common, is still so badly misunderstood - on the one hand it is not taken seriously and people are told to 'cheer up' and 'try harder'; on the other hand the stigma leaves many people further isolated and discriminated against. Taking medication is often seen as admitting defeat, failing; when taking medication for any physical order is socially acceptable. Nicky Thomas About the AuthorNicola Thomas was born in 1968. Diagnosed with clinical depression at an early age, Nicky has had to endure twelve separate hospital admissions and years of psychotherapy before her eventual recovery. Nicola feels that her recovery has been aided by her writing - whenever she is depressed she writes about her feelings. It is no coincidence that when she is writing Nicky stops self-harming. As well as being a successful author, Nicky is currently studying at college and works voluntarily.

Maybe you've been speaking English all your life, or maybe you learned it later on. But whether you use it just well enough to get your daily business done, or you're an expert with a red pen who never omits a comma or misplaces a modifier, you must have noticed that there are some things about this language that are just weird. Perhaps you're reading a book and stop to puzzle over absurd spelling rules (Why are there so many ways to say '-gh'?), or you hear someone talking and get stuck on an expression (Why do we say "How dare you" but not "How try you"?), or your kid quizzes you on homework (Why is it "eleven and twelve" instead of "oneteen and twoteen"?). Suddenly you ask yourself, "Wait, why do we do it this way?" You think about it, try to explain it, and keep running into walls. It doesn't conform to logic. It doesn't work the way you'd expect it to. There doesn't seem to be any rule at all. There might not be a logical explanation, but there will be an explanation, and this book is here to help. In Highly Irregular, Arika Okrent answers these questions and many more. Along the way she tells the story of the many influences--from invading French armies to stubborn Flemish printers--that made our language the way it is today. Both an entertaining send-up of linguistic oddities and a deeply researched history of English, Highly Irregular is essential reading for anyone who has paused to wonder about our marvelous mess of a language.

"So use your time as best you can, be happy when you're done, and live your life with no regrets, they only give you one". Words of wisdom, whimsy and wonder fill this collection of tall tales and silly stories. As you wander through the pages you just may come across a rare Giraffapotamus, or meet The Remarkable Hector McTwee, and maybe even take a ride on a Unicornicycle. There are Cannonballs and Cartwheelers, Tree Climbers and Trampolinists, Moon Swimmers and Moose Riders, and an amazing assortment of funny, strange, and unforgettable rhymes that will have you wondering just what's coming next. A timeless collection of poems and art keeping the tradition of hardcover books and bedtime reading alive. This is the first in a projected trilogy which will include the sequel Running To The Sun, to be followed by Sailing To The Stars. In the spirit of the wonderful books by Shel Silverstein, these beautifully illustrated verses and story-poems come to life with memorable characters and messages that will appeal to youngsters, parents, grandparents, adults, teens, and basically children of all ages. This poetry collection will become a favorite that you will turn to again and again, for bedtime reading, family time, or if you just need a smile to brighten your day.

A sweet and clever friendship story in rhyme, about looking past physical differences to appreciate the person (or dragon) underneath. George and Blaise are pen pals, and they write letters to each other about everything: their pets, birthdays, favorite sports, and science fair projects. There’s just one thing that the two friends don’t know: George is a human, while Blaise is a dragon! What will happen when these pen pals finally meet face-to-face? "When I was a kid, my best friend was Josh Funk. Now he's becoming a friend to a whole new generation.”--B.J. Novak, author of The New York Times bestseller The Book With No Pictures

The fifth book in the popular picture book series featuring Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast! When Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast awake one morning to near-darkness, they are aghast. Who would steal the fridge light? And what if the fridge is--gasp--dark all the time? Not to worry. Our trusty heroes are on the case. They gather the best of the best to investigate. Miss Brie, Baron von Waffle, and their friends put together blueprints, collect supplies, and, for good measure, take pictures in disguise. Will they be able to bring the fridge back to its bright self, or will they have to live in semi-darkness . . . forever?

The author of such global bestsellers as Lolita and Pale Fire, Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) is also one of the most controversial literary translators and translation theorists of modern time. In Between Rhyme and Reason, Stanislav Shvabrin discloses the complexity, nuance, and contradictions behind Nabokov's theory and practice of literalism to reveal how and why translation came to matter to Nabokov so much. Drawing on familiar as well as unknown materials, Shvabrin traces the surprising and largely unknown trajectory of Nabokov's lifelong fascination with translation to demonstrate that, for Nabokov, translation was a form of intellectual communion with his peers across no fewer than six languages. Empowered by Mikhail Bakhtin's insights into the interactive roots of literary creativity, Shvabrin's interpretative chronicle of Nabokov's involvement with translation shows how his dialogic encounters with others in the medium of translation left verbal vestiges on his own creations. Refusing to regard translation as a form of individual expression, Nabokov translated to communicate with his interlocutors, whose words and images continue to reverberate throughout his allusion-rich texts.