The Encyclopedia of Superstitions Review

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(More customer reviews)Richard Webster's "The Encyclopedia of Superstitions" is a collection of superstitions, primarily from the Western world [not including regional superstitions] and are alphabetically listed, from A to Z. However, the author lists not just superstitions associated with particular objects, creatures or people, but also anything associated with the subject, e.g. divination, though not strictly a form of superstition, has associations with the subject and hence the author includes it and even mentions the different forms of divination.
A typical entry reads something like this - "Purse: It is important to place a coin in any purse that you intend to give away as a gift. This ensures that the person who receives the purse will have good luck and will never run out of money. See coin, money"
The list of superstitions is by no means exhaustive as the author himself in the preface mentions the large scope of superstitions of cultures across the globe. Perhaps at some point, there will a compendium of Eastern superstitions.
On the whole, this is an amusing and interesting read for fans of trivia, and may even be helpful for purposes of research. There aren't much illustrations, just random black and white drawings of objects of superstitions. Final verdict: a fun & informative read!


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Have you ever rubbed a frog on your freckles?

Trivia fans and fun fact fanatics will adore this fascinating, flickable encyclopedia of superstitions! Richard Webster presents over five hundred of the most obscure, curious, and just-plain-freaky superstitions of the Western world.Discover batty beliefs about baldness, beans, and the Bermuda Triangle, and peculiar practices regarding hiccups, hearses, and hunchbacks. From modern myths to centuries-old lore,The Encyclopedia of Superstitionsoffers a wealth of wonderfully weird beliefs on just about every topic you can imagine:HolidaysBirth DeathWeddingsColorsGemstones TreesFlowersFairiesWeatherNumbersAnimals BirdsInsectsHousehold ItemsZodiac SignsGamblingThe Human BodyFood

"[T]his reference makes for compulsive browsing."-Publishers Weekly

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A Killer Workout: A Fat City Mystery Review

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(More customer reviews)The second book in the Fat City Mystery series is another fun read. Kathryn Lilley spins a great story about Kate Gallagher's weight loss pursuit, weaving some characters from the previous book "Dying to be thin" into this tale. We learn more in this book about why Kate's father is so protective of her - her mother was killed in a armed robbery of a bakery -(can this lead to the next book?)


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Plus-sized reporter Kate Gallagher decides to report for duty at Body Blast, a boot camp-style fitness program. But then her roomie is discovered with a broken neck at the foot of the climbing wall. It's not the first suspicious accident at the camp—another woman recently fell to her death during a Wilderness Challenge. Kate knows that losing weight is hard, but now it looks like it's turning into mortal combat.

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My School (Middle School Survival Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)We purchased this book used and it arrived in excellent condition (actually better than expected). Shipping was very prompt. Our 11-year-old son read the book for a school book report and said that he enjoyed it. He especially liked the interesting and humorous stories that the authors related from their own lives.

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Middle school is like a roller coaster, filled with ups and downs, twists and turns; it's exhilarating and scary all at the same time! From piles of homework, to understanding the variety of 'interesting' people working at your school, and dealing with the new challenges of changing for gym class in front of everyone, it's normal to feel a little overwhelmed. That's why in My School, from the Middle School Survival Series, we will tackle the things that weigh heavily on middle school students just like you. This book will address important middle school issues like:dealing with bullies, jocks, nerds, and every other category of student you encounter revealing the truth behind the urban legends of middle school pop quizzes, tardiness, and other survival tips This book is filled with short and easy-to-read tips, along with funny stories from the authors (who, believe it or not, used to be middle school morons!), and quotes and questions from students just like you. After reading My School, you'll be able to walk the halls like the confident student you want to be.

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The Wire in the Blood (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries.) Review

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(More customer reviews)Val McDermid is one of the most adventurous current crime writers, a welcome change from those whose every new book is a gradually less profitable clone of their previous one. This story, a sequel to the excellent 'The Mermaids Singing', is actually not much like it at all. The main characters return, but that's where the similarity ends. The Mermaids Singing focused in on several ghastly serial murders and the efforts of criminal profiler Tony Hill to get a grasp of the killer's mind, while battling the personal demons that seem to afflict every fictional police psychologist.
In 'The Wire in the Blood', girls are disappearing and dying and we guess quite early on who's responsible - the book details the efforts of the police to link the killings and determine the killer's identity. There are many stories in this book, and in the hands of a less skilled writer it could easily have fallen apart. Even with this writer's talent, there's a lot going on to keep track of, we're introduced in detail to a huge crowd of individuals in the first few chapters and there are lots of threads to follow.
The centerpiece of the plot is the return of Tony Hill, this time teaching a class of baby profilers, who all bond together and function as a forensic profiling collegiate ensemble when one of their own number disappears after getting too close to the truth. As well as heaps of information about profiling itself, the book offers insight into how territorial turf wars and the resentment by old-time beat police of the 'mumbo jumbo' of psychological tools can impact effective crime fighting - unlike his fictional FBI counterparts, Tony Hill does not ride in on a white horse as much as bang on the door and beg to be heard. Like many of Ms McDermid's books it's populated with strong females, with a nod of approval to gay women.
This isn't a perfect book - there are patches of coarse writing, some things are a bit hackneyed (hidden basement full of custom torture equipment...), the symbolism of the victim's injuries is over the top, and Dr Hill is only able to feel fully understood once his beloved, a Police Officer, also has 'blood on her hands'... hmmm. But it's interesting, touching on things most crime books don't, and is far better than many much better known best-sellers.

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Across the country, dozens of teenage girls have vanished. Authorities are convinced they're runaways with just the bad luck of the draw to connect them. It's the job of criminal profilers Dr. Tony Hill and Carol Jordan to look for a pattern. They've spent years exploring the psyches of madmen. But sane men kill, too. And when they hide in plain sight, they can be difficult to find...He's handsome and talented, rich and famous--a notorious charmer with the power to seduce...and the will to destroy. No one can believe what he's capable of. No one can imagine what he's already done. And no one can fathom what he's about to do next. Until one of Hill's students is murdered--the first move in a sick and violent game for three players. Now, of all the killers Hill and Jordan have hunted, none has been so ruthless, so terrifyingly clever, and so brilliantly elusive as the killer who's hunting them...

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Dead Ball Review

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(More customer reviews)Where else can you find murder, mystery, elite sports, guns, greed, special ops, mafia, and glamour? Dead Ball has it all! The story takes place on the rarefied grounds of AllSport - state-of-the-art facilities that house & train top athletes in numerous sports to compete at the highest levels. It's no surprise then, that combining the world's most highly skilled and competitive athletes, with the best training facility in the world, and all of the rivers of money that follow and flow, makes for a combustible mix. Cutthroat tactics abound throughout the book, the players are many, and the high-stakes world of amateur & professional sports makes for a thrilling read. A brazen murder is committed and the list of suspects with plenty of motive and opportunity is long. Then the body count grows. The sports world is one where all kinds of people come to play, not just the athletes, and rules of the game are sometimes subject to dangerous interpretation. Is murder just another form of competition? Is it no more than a price to be paid as a means to an end? Or is it revenge? Dead Ball is full-throttle action from the very first page!
Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

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Michael Balkind, author of the critically acclaimed thriller Sudden Death, scores a home run in his newest book titled Dead Ball.Murder, mystery, elite sports, guns, greed, special ops, mafia, and glamour? Dead Ball has it all! The story takes place on the hallowed grounds of AllSport, a sports facility that houses & trains inner city athletes who have shown professional potential in various sports. Before AllSport, many of these athletes lived in poverty. Many were members of street gangs. Combining these kids, the country's top professional athletes, the finest training facility in the world, and big money, makes for a combustible mix. Cutthroat tactics abound and the high-stakes world of professional sports makes for a thrilling read. A brazen murder is committed and the list of suspects with plenty of motive is long. Then the body count grows. The sports world is one where all kinds of people come to play, not just the athletes, and the rules of the game are sometimes subject to dangerous interpretation. Is murder just another form of competition? Dead Ball is full-throttle action from the very first page!

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Spike It: Can Jamie Learn to live with Her New Stepsister? (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) Review

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(More customer reviews)As a long time reader of Matt Christopher books, Spike It ranks right up there with the best I have read. Every 6th to 8th grade student should have an opportunity to read this book, as it gives a valuable lesson in dealing with the sometimes tough situations teenagers face in life beyond the volleyball court. I recommend this book highly.

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Unhappy at having to share space and family with her new stepsister Michaela when her father remarries, thirteen-year-old Jamie is further dismayed when Michaela joins her volleyball team and becomes a star player.

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