Fluent in 3 Months
¥68.28
Meet the man who makes the mission of learning any language possible! The all-you-need guide to learning a language. Language hacker Benny Lewis shows how anyone anywhere can learn any language without leaving their home, using a simple toolkit and by harnessing the power of the Internet. Benny definitely wasn’t born with the ‘language gene’. After graduating in electronic engineering in his native Ireland he spent six months in Spain struggling to learn Spanish. This frustrating experience fuelled his determination to take a different approach to learning foreign languages. Today he speaks over ten languages including Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, and Hungarian. He has also learnt Japanese in Spain. This typifies one of his ‘3-month challenges’ where he targets a new language and proceeds to become fluent in it within just three months. He charts his progress on his blog, proving that his techniques allow anyone to learn a language from anywhere. Benny’s blog, also called Fluent in 3 Months, is the largest language learning blog in the world. The key principles of Benny’s method: ? Speak from day one: find mother-tongue speaking partners online. Don’t be self-conscious – keep the flow going! ? Change your mindset: ditch the excuses, you can do it! ? Stay focused and determined: even if you don’t have much time, never forget the goal you’ve set yourself and work at it. ? Learning a language doesn’t need to be expensive: there is a wealth of free resources out there, if you know where to find them ? Reap the rewards! Learning a new language is not an end in itself, but a means to meeting new people and discovering new cultures. Curiosity will fuel your determination.
HMS Ganges Days
¥68.57
When Peter Broadbent entered HMS Ganges, the toughest training establishment for young recruits to the Royal Navy, he was a naive 15-year-old Yorkshire schoolboy, entranced with the idea of seeing the world, proud of his drainpipe trousers and DA hairstyle, and eager to meet girls. In other words, he was a 'Nozzer' - a raw and unsuspecting recruit. When he emerged 386 days later it was as a prospective 'Dabtoe', not quite a fully trained Seaman, but well on the way. This funny and vivid memoir accurately captures what it was like to climb the mast, have your kit trashed, learn to swear, develop a taste for Kye and Stickies, double around the parade-ground at dead of night in your pyjamas, endlessly run up and down Laundry Hill ... and to do it all and much more while being continually barracked by a demanding Petty Officer Instructor. Along the way, Peter relished learning the Navy lingo and how to sail. He consumed platefuls of Cheese Ush, won a boxing certificate, discovered a secret stash of Playboy magazines, smoked thousands of cigarettes, and convinced girls back home that his shorn hair was in fact the very latest fashion 'down south'.
Passion for the Park
¥68.57
Passion for the Park is a celebration of the ordinary lover of the beautiful game, the dedicated lads who turn out week after week in the hope of beating another works or pub team. In Park Football the kit is never washed, there is no spare ball, studs are never inspected, there are holes in the goal-netting, the referee is always looking the wrong way, and the only spectators are an old man and his dog. This funny and irreverent memoir charts the author's own undistinguished football career, playing for two Sunday League teams and idolising Don Revie's Leeds United, and his attempts to inspire steelworks apprentices with a love for English literature.
Dear Miss Landau
¥68.57
Every morning James Christie puts on a blue rugby shirt and jeans. His wardrobe is full of identical outfits. Every day he eats the same meal and drinks from the same mug. These are not ingrained habits, but survival strategies. For James, coping with new experiences feels like smashing his head through a plate glass window. The only relief comes from belting the heavy bag at the boxing club or watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He's an autistic man lost in a neuro-typical world. Differently wired. Alien.Despite a high IQ, it seems he'll spend the next 20 years cleaning toilets. But then his life takes an amazing turn - from a Glasgow tenement to a rendezvous with a Hollywood star on Sunset Boulevard.On that road trip across America, the man who feels he lacks a soul will find it. Eight time zones and 5,000 miles away, he has a date with the actress who played Drusilla, the kooky vampire who changed his life when he saw her in a Buffy episode. Drusilla has no soul either. And maybe that's the attraction. But Drusilla is fictional. The lady he'll see on Sunset is Juliet Landau. She's real, and that's a very different proposition...
Smile on the Face of the Pig
¥68.57
1950s Britain - when life was great if you had the guts to live it.Murder, lurid courtroom dramas, gypsy horse fairs, eccentric admirals, child brides, and falling in love - it's all in a day's work for cub reporter John Bull.Meet a cast of characters - from the parish clerk who dresses like a French resistance fighter, complete with rifle over her shoulder, to the medium whose spirit guide (her soldier boyfriend killed in World War II) gets in touch by pinging her suspender belt.The Smile on the Face of the Pig is a cheeky expose of life in the 1950s: crazy nights at the theatre with the old-time music-hall stars, skinny-dipping by starlight, drinking with the freebooting river-folk, and riding through the freezing night on a BSA motorbike chasing the Big Scoop that will carry him to Fleet Street, fame and fortune.
Going Loco
¥68.57
Picking up from where A Seaside Practice left off, in Going Loco Dr Tom takes time out from the surgery for stints as a medical researcher and reporter, describing his travels from Rio to Miami, Vienna to Buenos Aires. Part memoir, part travelogue, Going Loco takes us on a journey around the medical world, from the challenge of malaria and sleeping sickness in up-country Kenya to the stress of smuggling beagle dogs into Amsterdam. We meet impossible patients, brave souls, a few mad doctors, and even the odd international criminal and spy on the way, yet still enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the Scottish Islands and Highlands as we do so.
The Rural Ranger
¥69.49
The Rural Ranger
When Do Fish Sleep?
¥72.71
Ponder, if you will ...Why are tennis balls fuzzyHow come birds don't tip over when they sleep on telephone wiresWhat makes yawning contagiousWhy, oh why, do roosters have to crow so early in the morningPop-culture guru David Feldman demystifies these topics and so much more in When Do Fish Sleep-- the unchallenged source of answers to civilization's most baffling questions. Part of the Imponderables series and charmingly illustrated by Kassie Schwan, When Do Fish Sleeparms readers with the knowledge about everyday life that encyclopedias, dictionaries, and almanacs just don't have. And think about it, where else are you going to get to the bottom of why Mickey Mouse has only four fingers?
Why Do Pirates Love Parrots?
¥72.71
Are you the type of person who stays up nights wondering how they get the paper tag into Hershey's KissesOr why portholes are roundEven if you don't lose sleep over such matters, you have to admit that such questions are, well, worthy of consideration. Here, from David Feldman, creator of the Imponderables series, are the latest questions on the minds of his devoted readers and fans. No question from his readers is too small or obscure for Feldman to tackle. From the return of red Ms (they are back, if you've missed it) to new-car smell, the answers to life's little mysteries are dissected in these pages. Although it's all done in great fun, there is also an educational edge to the answers, as Feldman ferrets out top experts in diverse fields to come up with his entertaining answers. And their answers may surprise you from the detailed physics involved in why cans of Diet Coke float but regular Coke doesn't, all the way to why they put crinkly paper into pairs of men's socks (but only one sock, not both).Complete with drawings by longtime Imponderables illustrator Kassie Schwan, and a special section updating answers to questions in previous books in the series, this eleventh book of Imponderables is sure to entertain the thousands of Feldman fans who have purchased over 2 million copies to date. Prepare to be delighted!
Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise?
¥72.71
Ponder, if you will ...What is the difference between a kit and a caboodleWhy don't people get goose bumps on their facesWhere do houseflies go in the winterWhat causes that ringing sound in your earsPop-culture guru David Feldman demystifies these topics and so much more in Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise-- the unchallenged source of answers to civilization's most nagging questions. Part of the Imponderables series and charmingly illustrated by Kassie Schwan, Why Do Clocks Run Clockwisechallenges readers with the knowledge about everyday life that encyclopedias, dictionaries, and almanacs just don't have. And think about it, where else are you going to get to the bottom of why hot dogs come ten to a package while hot dog buns come in eights?
Do Elephants Jump?
¥72.71
Ponder, if you will ... Where do you find fascinating explanationsfor a multitude of mysteriesWhy do pianos have 88 keys?How does the hole get in the needle of a syringeWhy is peanut butter sticky?Pop culture guru David Feldman demystifies these questions and much more in Do Elephants JumpOne of the Imponderables series -- the unchallenged source of answers to civilization's everyday mysteries -- and charmingly illustrated by Kassie Schwan, this book provides you with small mysteries that puzzle and amaze us.
Math Magic
¥72.78
Don't live in fear of math any longer. Math Magic makes math what you may never have imagined it to be: easy and fun!Scott Flansburg -- the Human Calculator who believes that there are no mathematical illiterates, just people who have not learned how to make math work for them -- demonstrates how everyone can put their phobia to rest and deal with essential every-day mathematical calculations with confidence. This is the book for millions of otherwise successful adults who are afraid to balance their checkbooks and don't know how to figure interest on savings or credit, and for the millions of students who dread their math classes and live in fear of the SAT math section.In Math Magic, Scott Flansburg shows the reader how to:Master the basics, including the real way addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division work Simplify calculations through estimation Quick-check answers Convert metric measures to more familiar ones Figure tips, taxes, and percentages -- never get short-changed again! Master algebra using the nine easy steps to algebra Math Magic is for all of us who need and want to improve our understanding of math. With the help of Flansburg, the Guinness World Record holder as the Fastest Human Calculator, you can do math just like magic.
Speaking of Journalism
¥72.78
Veteran journalist and writing teacher William Zinsser, whose books on writing have sold more than 700,000 copies, presents 11 of his most successful students discussing what it is like to work as a journalist in the 1990s.
How to Catch a Pig
¥72.93
Way back before man abandoned the woods for the cities and traded his hunting rifle for a BlackBerry he had to know how to do certain things to survive. He had to trap and build and grow things, using his calloused hands and valuable knowledge passed down through the generations. For most men today, these once-cherished skills are as dead as the dodo.But take heart! Now guys can reconnect with those less-complicated times, rediscover how to embrace adventure, and appreciate the outdoor life. Denis Boyles, principal author of A Man's Life, has culled a wealth of essential, nearly lost manly endeavors from U.S. government pamphlets, century-old publications, and ancient scouting manuals to help reeducate us in the fine macho arts of: Tracking a bobcat Splicing a rope Rescuing someone from drowning Sending a smoke signal Building a log cabin And much, much, much more including, of course, how to catch a pig!
How Did They Do That?
¥72.99
The totally satisfying answers to more than 100 questions that drive normal people not to mention infomaniacs and trivia buffs crazy.Questions about matters great and small, from ancient times to yesterday.Illustrated with illuminating technical drawings and unusual vintage photographs.How did they spend $40 million making Heaven's Gate?How did they decide the length of a mile?How did Beethoven compose when he was deaf?How did they discover the Hope diamond?How did they know the size of the Earth over 1,700 years before anyone sailed around it?How did they set the price of the Louisiana Purchase?How did the FBI devise the "Ten Most Wanted" list?How did they decide which horses were Thoroughbreds?How did they pick the Four Hundred?How did they start the Guiness Book of World Records?How did the Indians decide that cows were sacred?How did they discover penicillin?How did they build the Great Pyramid at Giza?How did they decide how tall to make the Empire State Building?How did they know there was an El Dorado?How did they start the Chicago fire of 1871?How did Hannibal cross the Alps?
Forever Take My Hand
¥73.48
Iris Therese Smith Reid was born in Grimsby in 1938, and she gives a vivid account of what it was like to be a child growing up during the war. It was a time of great hardship and sometimes terror as Grimsby was ravaged by German bombing raids during the Blitz, but Iris recalls many lighter moments too, the games she played among the bombsites and the memorable characters she knew. The second part of this biography covers Iris's working family life, most of which was spent in and around Grimsby. Now in her late seventies, Iris has spent the last sixteen years looking after her husband, Francis, who has vascular dementia. Part three relates how she and Francis have struggled with his illness together and how they continue to get the most out of life.
Rainbows Have Echoes
¥73.48
Rainbows Have Echoes is Julie Miller's autobiographical account of her successful career as an English teacher in England and New Zealand. While her career flourished her personal life has often been stormy, from an unhappy first marriage in the 1960s to, more recently, her heartbreak as she struggled to come to terms with her second husband's descent into dementia. Julie sees her life as a succession of rainbows and wasp stings, the good interweaving with the bad, great joy and times of hardship and sadness. As a teacher, Julie has been acclaimed for her work with traumatised children, easing them into educational pursuits and inspiring them with her own zest for life. The steep learning curves of her own life show that whatever life throws at you, however taxing it might prove to be, one can rise above the challenges and find a renewed delight in the world and its inhabitants.
Jobsworth
¥73.48
Malcolm Philips was a reluctant bureaucrat. When it was suggested that he give up selling ice-cream and go to work for the council, he protested that it would be full of jobsworths, skivers and crawlers. Truth to tell, however, he quickly fitted in among what his boss described as all the other 'sods and buggers' at County Hall. The 1960s and 1970s were the halcyon days of local government when rules and regulations multiplied at the expense of common sense and no-one was entirely sure what the person in the next office actually did ... or even what purpose their own job served. In these Confessions, Malcolm tells all: his surreptitious visits to the girls in the typing pool, the ingenious fiddles, the arrival of flower power in the computer room, the goings-on in the roof-space after the Christmas party, and the mysterious expenses, such as 'repairs to elephant'.Some of the 'sods and buggers' you'll meet in this book include Archie, a master of foul language and never without a Player's No. 6; Vince, who had the power to disrupt machinery just by looking at it, and the Lord of the Stationery Cupboard who refused to issue a new pencil unless the old one had been worn down to a stub.As for Malcolm, he thrived, quickly progressing from his early faux pas in commandeering a chair with arms (only for staff on a higher grade) to being allowed to use the rubber stamp with the chief's signature on it. What more could a young man desire?
Posthuman Blues
¥73.48
Posthuman Blues, Vol. I is first volume of the edited version of the popular weblog maintained by author Mac Tonnies from 2003 until his tragic death in 2009. Tonnies' blog was a pastiche of his original fiction, reflections on his day-to-day life, trenchant observations of current events, and thoughts on an eclectic range of material he culled from the Internet. What resulted was a remarkably broad portrait of a thoughtful man and the complex times in which he lived, rendered with intelligence, imagination, and a wickedly absurdist sense of humor.
Small Talk: B1+ (Collins Business Skills and Communication)
¥73.58
Build key business relationships Collins Small Talk gives you the confidence to start a conversation and transition into bigger conversation topics so that you are able to build relationships, develop business partnerships and be successful in business. Learn the language to: ? Meet people for the first time ? Greet people in subsequent meetings ? Show and receive hospitality ? Deal with remote communication ? End a conversation The book includes information on best practice and key phrases for students to refer to and practise saying out loud using online audio. Online audio also includes good and bad examples of authentic recordings of small talk for learners to listen to and assess. Suitable for students whose level of English is Intermediate / CEF level B1 and higher. Small Talk is part of Collins’ English for Business range of materials to help business people who need to use English frequently in their work. It is designed for people who are about to or already work for a foreign or multinational company, deal with overseas customers or travel for business. Other titles in the Collins English for Business range: Reading ? Writing ? Listening ? Speaking ? Key Business Skills ? Business Grammar & Practice ? Business Vocabulary in Practice ? Effective International Business Communication
Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin
¥73.58
An in-depth biography of the Latin language from its very beginnings to the present day from the widely acclaimed author of ‘Empires of the Word’. The Latin language has been a constant in the cultural history of the West for over two millennia. It has shaped the way we think of ourselves and of our (central) place in the world. It has formed and united us as Europeans, has been the foundation of our education for centuries and defined the way in which we express our thoughts, our faith and our knowledge of the workings of the world. And yet, Latin began life as the cumbersome dialect of a small southern Italian city-state. Its active use lasted three times as long as Rome's Empire and its use echoes on in the law codes of half the world, in terminologies of biology and medicine, and until forty years ago in the litany of the Catholic Church, the most populous form of Christianity. In ‘Ad Infinitum’, Nicholas Ostler examines the reasons why Latin made such a long-lasting impact on language, and how it managed to stay alive for two millennia despite the cultural superiority of Greek. He will look at how Latin's sturdy roots remained untouched while empires rose and fell, the influence of religion, war and the ways it has progressed through medieval times right up until the present day.