Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Will anyone take on Jake Semple? Jake Semple is notorious. Rumor has it he burned down his old school and got kicked out of every school in his home state. Only one place will take him now, and that's a home school run by the Applewhites, a chaotic and hilarious family of artists. The only one who doesn't fit the Applewhite mold is E.D. -- a smart, sensible girl who immediately clashes with the unruly Jake.... (more)

Tibaldo and the Hole in the Calendar

by Abner Shimony

Tibaldo Bondi, son of the assistant to the great Florentine physician Turisanus, is supposed to celebrate his 12th birthday on October 10, 1582. But 1582 is no ordinary year. Inaccuracies in the calendar established under Julius Caesar have been piling up for over a millennium, the equinoxes are coming earlier and earlier in the year, and Easter is inexorably drifting out of traditional season. When Pope... (more)

Religious Affections: A Christian's Character Before God

Religious Affections: A Christian's Character Before God

by Jonathan Edwards

In the wake of the Toronto Blessing and other revival movements, Christians need this book more than ever. Edwards, the central figure in New England's first Great Awakening, offers his most detailed description of the signs--false and true--of religious revival, while high-lighting the role truly balanced emotions play within the Christian life.

China Shifts Gears: Automakers, Oil, Pollution, and Development (Urban and Industrial Environments)

China Shifts Gears: Automakers, Oil, Pollution, and Development (Urban and Industrial Environments)

by Kelly Sims Gallagher

Chinese production of automobiles rose from 42,000 cars per year in 1990 to 2.3 million in 2004; the number of passenger vehicles on the road doubled every two and a half years through the 1990s and continues to grow. In China Shifts Gears , Kelly Sims Gallagher identifies an unprecedented opportunity for China to "shift gears" and avoid the usual problems associated with the automobile industry—including urban... (more)

The Advancing Guitarist

by Mick Goodrick

Veteran musician and educator Mick Goodrick presents practical information for guitarists who want to improve their playing technique and style and simply become better musicians. Rather than a step-by-step method book, the information is presented in a general essay format, discussing ways that the various techniques covered may be applied by the advancing guitarist to enhance his/her own style of playing, some... (more)

Last Breath: Cautionary Tales from the Limits of Human Endurance

Last Breath: Cautionary Tales from the Limits of Human Endurance

by Peter Stark

Sudden, extreme deaths have always fascinated us-- and now more than ever as athletes and travelers rise to the challenges of high-risk sports and journeys on the edge. In this spellbinding book, veteran travel and outdoor sports writer Peter Stark reenacts the dramas of what happens inside our bodies, our minds, and our souls when we push ourselves to the absolute limits of human endurance. Combining the... (more)

Monetary Policy Strategy

by Frederic S. Mishkin

This book by a leading authority on monetary policy offers a unique view of the subject from the perspectives of both scholar and practitioner. Frederic Mishkin is not only an academic expert in the field but also has been a high-level policymaker. He is especially well positioned to discuss the changes in the conduct of monetary policy in recent years, in particular the turn to inflation targeting. Monetary... (more)

Mandala Astrological Tarot Deck & Book Set

The Evolution Controversy: A Survey of Competing Theories

The Evolution Controversy: A Survey of Competing Theories

by Thomas B. Fowler

In the emotional debate surrounding evolution, it is often difficult to cut through the competing agendas to gain an unbiased understanding of the scientific issues involved. The Evolution Controversy provides a resource for doing so. The authors leave aside the profound philosophical and religious issues involved in the controversy in favor of a balanced and critical examination of the four major schools of... (more)

Very Model of a Man

by Howard Jacobson

This is, in part the story of Cain and Abel, told from the point of view of Cain. It is also about the nature of family relationships and sibling rivalry and about Jewishness. Along the way the book makes observations about skin problems among angels and pre-Freudian psychological complexities.

A Short History of Nearly Everything

by Bill Bryson

One of the world’s most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey -- into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer. In A Walk in the Woods , Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail -- well, most of it. In In A Sunburned Country , he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to offer. Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest... (more)

Perl for System Administrators

by David N. Blank-Edelman

The Perl programming language lets you write quick yet powerful scripts for automating many administrative tasks. Written for several different platforms (Unix, Windows NT, and MacOS), Perl for System Administration is aimed at all levels of administrators--from hobbyists to card-carrying SAGE members-- sysadmins on multi-platform sites. Assuming only a little familiarity with Perl, this book leads you... (more)

Hatchet

by Gary Paulsen

After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.

High Performance MySQL

by Jeremy D. Zawodny

As users come to depend on MySQL, they find that they have to deal with issues of reliability, scalability, and performance--issues that are not well documented but are critical to a smoothly functioning site. This book is an insider's guide to these little understood topics. Author Jeremy Zawodny has managed large numbers of MySQL servers for mission-critical work at Yahoo!, maintained years of contacts with the... (more)

Vampire Tarot Deck

Vampire Tarot offers a unique view into a world of darkness shrouded in mystery and beauty. The stunning and original paintings are highlighted with metallic inks, unique paper, and fabric.

The Giver: Book 2

Gathering Blue

by Lois Lowry

Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. When she is given a task that no other community member can carry out, Kira soon realizes that she is surrounded by many mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world—and to find out what exists beyond it.

Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership

Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership

by Alexander Strauch

With over 150,000 copies sold, this comprehensive look at the role and function of elders brings all the advantages of shared leadership into focus. Beginning with the four broad categories of eldership (leading, feeding, caring, and protecting), Biblical Eldership explores the essential work of elders, their qualifications (including why qualifications are necessary), their relationships with each other, and... (more)

The Seashell on the Mountaintop

by Alan Cutler

Seventeenth-century scientists were baffled: How did the fossils of seashells find their way to the tops of mountains? Nicolaus Steno, hailed by Stephen Jay Gould as "the founder of geology," solved the puzzle, looking directly at the clues left in the layers of the Earth. Paradoxically, at the same time his ideas were undermining the Bible’s authoritative claim as to the age of the planet, Steno was entering... (more)

The New Orleans Voodoo Tarot (Destiny Books S.)

The New Orleans Voodoo Tarot (Destiny Books S.)

by Louis Martinie?

The first tarot to celebrate an African-American culture, this book and 79-card deck capture both the spirit and the imagery of Voodoo's African, West Indian, and Catholic influences. Ancient and earth-honoring, Voodoo's practices take on different forms specific to time and place, but its essence remains focused on the loa --the potent spiritual forces of Voodoo that are manifested directly through human beings... (more)

Shelfari Book Activity

Tags: advanced

Surviving the Applewhites

by Stephanie S. Tolan