More than sixty pieces exploring a broad range of interests and topics, including (but not limited to): authors past and present; music; storytelling; comics; bookshops; travel; fairy tales; America; inspiration; libraries; ghosts; and the title piece, at turns touching and self-deprecating, which recounts the author's experiences at the 2010 Academy Awards in Hollywood.

The Devil's Dictionary (1906) is a work of satire by Ambrose Bierce. Although he is commonly remembered for his chilling short stories on the experiences of Civil War soldiers, Bierce was recognized in his day as a leading journalist and humorist who spent decades ruffling feathers and drawing laughter with his witty opinion columns, poems, and definitions. Toward the end of his career, he decided to compile these satirical definitions into a book,...

Why do you "call shotgun" when you want the front passenger seat? What does "letting the cat out of the bag" have to do with divulging secrets? Why do you ask people to "cut to the chase"? How come you hear all those juicy rumors "through the grapevine"? Like many people you've probably used idioms or phrases like these without giving them a second thought. But if you were to take a moment to step back and learn about them you'll be pleasantly surprised...

If you were a verb, you would add an action or condition to every sentence. Your could run, soar, swoop or feel. You could be helping verb or a linking verb.

"To be or ot to be?" Hamlet is, arguably, Shakespeare's most well-known play, with its compelling lead character, stunning language, and philosophical underpinnings. This drama of the procrastinating Danish prince who ponders whether or not to revenge his father's death now appears in a beautifully illustrated edition with annotations by Princeton professor Jeff Dolven.

Idylls of the King (1859-1885) is a cycle of narrative poems by British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Written while Tennyson was serving as Poet Laureate, Idylls of the King reworks the medieval Arthurian legend in blank verse and with an elegiac tone. Based on Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and the early British Mabinogion manuscripts, Tennyson's work connects an ancient tradition to the reign and ideals of Queen Victoria. "The Coming of Arthur"...

"Considered as one of the classics of twentieth century feminist literature, The Room of One's Own is a book-length essay written by Virginia Woolf. Delineating the basic requirements of a woman to write, the author incorporates detailed revelations of the various power structures that stop a woman to excel and elucidate her creative capabilities. Illustrating the importance of women's literacy through a fictional character named Judith Shakespeare,...

Simple text and drawings show how adverbs are used to help build sentences.

A volume of essays is comprised of top-selected pieces from the past decade and considers a broad range of topics organized under such main categories as "Reading," "Being," "Seeing," and "Feeling."

"Pam had some jam on her ham. With rhyming, carefully leveled text and comedic, colorful illustrations, this book provides plenty of examples of short vowel sounds and encourages readers to try the sounds for themselves"--