Massachusetts and weird: not too much of a stretch, some would say. But the authors dug a little deeper and found all kinds of local legends, bizarre beasts, surprising cemeteries, and uncovered the best kept secrets from all over the Bay State. If it's unusual or unexplainable or fantastic, and in the Bay State, you'll find it all here.

"If your taste extends to the odd side of traveling, [this is your ticket]."--"Booklist."

City of Weird conjures what we fear: death, darkness, ghosts. Hungry sea monsters and alien slime molds. Blood drinkers and game show hosts. Set in Portland, Oregon, these thirty stories blend imagination, literary writing, and pop culture into a cohesive weirdness that honors the city’s personality, its bookstores and bridges and solo volcano, as well as the tradition of sci-fi pulp magazines. Including such authors as Rene Denfeld, Justin Hocking, Leni Zumas, and Kevin Sampsell, editor Gigi Little has curated a collection that is quirky, chilling, often profound—and always perfectly weird.

With hundreds of books dedicated to conventional sports and activities, this encyclopedia on the weirdest and wackiest games offers a fresh and entertaining read for any audience. Weird Sports and Wacky Games around the World: From Buzkashi to Zorbing focuses on what many would consider abnormal activities from across the globe. Spanning subjects that include individual games, team sports, games for men and women, and contests involving animal competitors, there is something for every reader. Whether researching a particular country or region's traditions or wanting an interesting read for pleasure, this book offers an array of uses and benefits. Though the book focuses on games and sporting activities, the examination of these topics gives readers insight into unfamiliar places and peoples through their recreation—an essential part of the human experience that occurs in all cultures. Such activities are not only embedded in everyday life but also indelibly interconnected with social customs, war, politics, commerce, education, and national identity, making the whimsical topic of the book an appealing gateway to insightful, highly relevant information.

The End is Weird. In the event of cosmic fallout, it is vital that you adhere to the following: Secure your own persona, and a backup if available. A neighbor’s is acceptable. Your skin may attempt to abscond. This is normal in these situations. Do not panic. Ignore all notifications from your mobile devices. They are not to be trusted. Pay no mind to the details of that photograph. Yes, that one. Should your body accrue any additional limbs, please keep proper inventory; they will need to be accounted for. Avoid celebrity advice. Do not feed the bears. You will feel dizzy. You will feel nausea. Do not panic. This will pass. Do not panic. This will not pass. Step bravely. Do not panic. BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror, Volume One, encompasses the finest Weird fiction previously published in 2022. Edited by Alex Woodroe. Table of Contents: Banhus—M.E. Bronstein User Warning—Charlotte Ariel Finn The Bear Across the Way—Emily Rigole En el Patio de la Casa del Callejón—Tania Chen In Haskins—Carson Winter The Imperfection—Mae Murray Blame—Warren Bennedetto Low Tide Jenny—Bitter Karella Machine (r)Evolution—Colleen Anderson Skin—Isha Karki Eat Your Colors—Sonora Taylor Paradise—Sloane Leong There is No Easy Way Towards Earth—jonah wu Notes on the Forum of the Simulacra—Cadwell Turnbull Blood Calumny—Joe Koch Lemmings—Kirstyn McDermott Water Goes, Sand Remains—Jolie Toomajan The Mules—Jennifer Jeanne McArdle Stage Five Clinger—Nikki R. Leigh The Day When the Last War is Over—Sergey Gerasimov Mother; Microbes—H.V. Patterson The Mythologization of Tymber Prescott in Five Selected Photos—Luciano Marano

A veteran music journalist explores how four legendary rock bands—KISS, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Starz—laid the foundation for two diametrically opposed subgenres: hair metal in the '80s and grunge in the '90s. It was the age when heavy-footed, humorless dinosaurs roamed the hard-rock landscape. But that all changed when into these dazed and confused mid-'70s strut-ted four flamboyant bands that reveled in revved-up anthems and flaunted a novel theatricality. In They Just Seem a Little Weird, veteran entertainment journalist Doug Brod offers an eye- and ear-opening look at a crucial moment in music history, when rock became fun again and a gig became a show. This is the story of friends and frenemies who rose, fell, and soared once more, often sharing stages, studios, producers, engineers, managers, agents, roadies, and fans-and who are still collaborating more than forty years on. In the tradition of David Browne's Fire and Rain and Sheila Weller's Girls Like Us, They Just Seem a Little Weird seamlessly interweaves the narratives of KISS, Cheap Trick, and Aerosmith with that of Starz, a criminally neglected band whose fate may have been sealed by a shocking act of violence. This is also the story of how these distinctly American groups-three of them now enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-laid the foundation for two seemingly opposed rock genres: the hair metal of Poison, Skid Row, and Mötley Crüe and the grunge of Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and the Melvins. Deeply researched, and featuring more than 130 new interviews, this book is nothing less than a secret history of classic rock.

Internationally renowned author and scientist Tim Flannery explores our planet’s rivers and oceans and the extraordinary animals that live in them. Can jellyfish become zombies? Are narwhals unicorns? Can a turtle live in a tree? Tim Flannery has the answers. In this informed and accessible book, he introduces some of the most spectacular and unusual creatures in Earth’s waters with in-depth and often bizarre facts. Flannery ties together concepts of climate change, evolution, conservation, and taxonomy throughout each animal’s profile, firmly connecting it to its environment while sparking wonder at its role in the natural world. Packed with vibrant illustrations and guided by real-life anecdotes from one of our greatest science communicators, Weird, Wild, Amazing! Water teaches readers to cherish and delight in our planet’s ecosystems with Tim Flannery’s signature mix of humor and wisdom.