Strange but True Stories from Japan is a fascinating collection of vignettes, ranging from historical to the personal. Here you will be exposed to the goings-on of Americans serving time in Japanese prisons and the many who claimed the identity of Tokyo Rose. And learn about the bizarre habits of the eels that roam the Chikugo River. In this eclectic and, well, strange, book you'll relive-from a distance-Kamakura's hara-kiri bloodshed and discover the surprising fate of the armless geisha, Tsuma-kichi. Seward also weaves touching memoir pieces between chapters that recount hilarious instances of fractured English and shocking-to-the-average-American Japanese cuisine. Written with an eye and ear for the theatrical and for the rhythm of Japanese life, this delightful but serious romp through modern Japan brings Seward's wide and varied cultural and military background to center stage.

Humorously illustrated and accompanied by exciting photographs, Inside Hockey! explores the facts, adventures, and one-of-a-kind anecdotes that make hockey one of North America's most popular sports. This highly energetic book gives kids an inside look at the facts about male and female hockey superstars, inventions, rules that changed the game, and some of the dazzling science behind the sport. Perfect for diehard hockey fans and those new to the game, Inside Hockey! has something for everyone. Readers of all ages will discover the stories behind the greatest goal scorers, crazy goalies, practical jokers and hijinks, superstitions, the most ferocious fights, players overcoming obstacles, and the obsession with that Cup called Stanley. In what other sport could you find a player who would rather fight than score, and one who used to sleep in his uniform so he wouldn't miss a second of ice time in the morning? Or a goalie who sewed an elastic mesh net (like a spider web) between his legs to catch the puck, and one who talked to the goalposts like they were his old friends? With insider information about the game and behind the scenes profiles on players and their incredible experiences, Hockey Night will never look the same way again.

Sean McIndoe of Down Goes Brown, one of hockey's favourite and funniest writers, takes aim at the game's most memorable moments--especially if they're memorable for the wrong reasons--in this warts-and-all history of the NHL. The NHL is, indisputably, weird. One moment, you're in awe of the speed, skill and intensity that define the sport, shaking your head as a player makes an impossible play, or shatters a longstanding record, or sobs into his first Stanley Cup. The next, everyone's wearing earmuffs, Mr. Rogers has shown up, and guys in yellow raincoats are officiating playoff games while everyone tries to figure out where the league president went. That's just life in the NHL, a league that often can't seem to get out of its own way. No matter how long you've been a hockey fan, you know that sinking feeling that maybe, just maybe, some of the people in charge here don't actually know what they're doing. And at some point, you've probably wondered: Has it always been this way? The short answer is yes. As for the longer answer, well, that's this book. In this fun, irreverent and fact-filled history, Sean McIndoe relates the flip side to the National Hockey League's storied past. His obsessively detailed memory combines with his keen sense for the absurdities that make you shake your head at the league and yet fanatically love the game, allowing you to laugh even when your team is the butt of the joke (and as a life-long Leafs fan, McIndoe takes the brunt of some of his own best zingers). The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL is the weird and wonderful league's story told as only Sean McIndoe can.

The twins toy hockey game seems to be magic as it plays games identical to the real ones before they even happen.

A collection of 150 unusual occurrences in a dozen different sports.

Nominated in the nonfiction category for the 2004/2005 Red Cedar Book Awards (British Columbia's Young Reader's Choice book award) Brian McFarlane, one of hockey’s best known and most respected historians, has gathered stories from the very first organized game of hockey, to the Olympic gold-medal face-off between Canada and the US at the 2002 Olympics. Whether through a story of courage – such as Mario Lemieux’s comeback from cancer – or through a story of the ridiculous – such as the notorious flying hot dog – Real Stories from the Rink presents tales about men’s and women’s hockey that cover players of every position, as well as coaches. It also includes the kind of statistics and records that are dear to every hockey fan.

The “highly entertaining and thoroughly reprehensible” #1 New York Times bestseller—now with sixteen pages of photos and a new introduction (The New York Times). My name is Tucker Max, and I am an asshole. I get excessively drunk at inappropriate times, disregard social norms, indulge every whim, ignore the consequences of my actions, mock idiots and posers, sleep with more women than is safe or reasonable, and just generally act like a raging dickhead. But, I do contribute to humanity in one very important way: I share my adventures with the world. --from the Introduction Actual reader feedback: "I find it truly appalling that there are people in the world like you. You are a disgusting, vile, repulsive, repugnant, foul creature. Because of you, I don’t believe in God anymore. No just God would allow someone like you to exist." "I’ll stay with God as my lord, but you are my savior. I just finished reading your brilliant stories, and I laughed so hard I almost vomited. I want to bring that kind of joy to people. You’re an artist of the highest order and a true humanitarian to boot. I'm in both shock and awe at how much I want to be you."