Pretty Weird

A series of true stories that are at once relatable, funny, and heart-wrenching, join lauded writer Marissa Miller on a journey of battling imposter syndrome and learning to be proud to stand out. Acclaimed writer and editor Marissa Miller was born into what you would call a nice Jewish family. But she somehow grew into anything but a Nice Jewish Girl. From openly discussing any and all bodily functions with whoever would listen, to encouraging her peers to join her in undressing in the hallways at school for no reason other than to fight the oppressive institution of modern academia, she was continuously scolded by members of the Jewish community for exploring her identity and pushing the boundaries of what a “nice girl” is allowed to do. To make sense of being the odd one out, she did what any confused teenager would do: she wrote. She wrote poems on MySpace, articles for her school newspaper, extra credit English assignments to compensate for her complete and utter lack of math skills, and eventually, reported pieces for many of the world’s most prestigious media publications. But the transition to a lucrative journalism career didn’t come without is growing pains. Getting anywhere past the school newspaper stage and being asked to provide journalism lectures around the city inspired a sense of panic, dread, and most notably, impostor syndrome—the sense that success is a product of coincidence and luck as opposed to hard work and talent. No fellow journalists she idolized growing up seemed to have had a history of behavior so crude it would make your Rabbi blush. Surely, the Universe was thisclose to taking everything away from her. And to some extent, it did. In Pretty Weird—a series of true stories that are at once relatable, funny, and heart-wrenching—you’ll learn about why, like Miller, you’re worthy of success by virtue of you thinking you’re not, about why there’s no such thing as being “not sick enough” to deserve help, and that living in that liminal space of being too normal to stand out, yet too weird to fit in, is truly where all the magic happens.

Warning -- this book contains top-secret information about flowers! Prepare to be shocked and weirded out by this hilarious and totally true picture book introduction to some of nature's strangest plants. Flowers are beautiful. They have bright colors, soft petals and sweet nectar. Yum! But that's not the whole truth. Flowers can be WEIRD . . . and one bee is here to let everyone know! Talking directly to the reader, a bee reveals how flowers are so much stranger than what we think. Did you know that there are some flowers that only bloom in the nighttime? Some flowers are spooky, and look like ghosts, or bats, or a monster's mouth. And while most flowers smell good, there are some that smell like dead meat, or even horse poop! This hilarious and refreshing book with silly and sweet illustrations explores the science of flowers and shows that these plants are not always stereotypically pretty and harmless as we often think they are -- they are fascinating, disgusting, complicated and amazing.

Warning -- this book contains top-secret information about flowers! Prepare to be shocked and weirded out by this hilarious and totally true picture book introduction to some of nature's strangest plants. Flowers are beautiful. They have bright colors, soft petals and sweet nectar. Yum! But that's not the whole truth. Flowers can be WEIRD . . . and one bee is here to let everyone know! Talking directly to the reader, a bee reveals how flowers are so much stranger than what we think. Did you know that there are some flowers that only bloom in the nighttime? Some flowers are spooky, and look like ghosts, or bats, or a monster's mouth. And while most flowers smell good, there are some that smell like dead meat, or even horse poop! This hilarious and refreshing book with silly and sweet illustrations explores the science of flowers and shows that these plants are not always stereotypically pretty and harmless as we often think they are -- they are fascinating, disgusting, complicated and amazing.

There’s more to me than just being awk-weird. I own my own flower shop, have some great friends, and I have my eye on adopting the most adorable kitten. But sadly, hot guys don’t tend to be blown away by my trivia-spouting, dorky self. So when a Thor-lookalike who happens to be a professional hockey player hits on me at my bestie’s wedding rehearsal party... You better believe I climbed that tree like a cat. And the fact that it happened not once, not twice, but three times? Yeah, that’s pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a woman like me. There’s zero chance I’ll end up ever seeing him again...right? Until the pregnancy test comes up positive. What happens next? Oh my God, I wish I knew... Each book in the Ice Knights series is STANDALONE: * Parental Guidance * Awk-Weird * Loud Mouth

A sneak peek into the remarkable world of the tail-less amphibians. Some frogs blend into the green of their ponds, and live an unremarkable existence. But some are strange looking, having adapted to a special environment. This colorful and informative book reveals a rare and close-up look at the odd beauty of some of the strangest of these creatures largely hidden from our view. Weird Frogs features: Beautiful photographs that show the frogs up close -- really close Informative captions that provide fascinating details about the lives of these endangered and fascinating creatures. Available in hardcover and paperback, the book will appeal to middle school students exploring topic ideas, younger students interested in wildlife and advanced readers who enjoy picture books.

Weird Astronomy appeals to all who are interested in unusual celestial phenomena, whether they be amateur or professional astronomers or science buffs who just enjoy reading of odd coincidences, unexplained observations, and reports from space probes that "don’t quite fit." This book relates a variety of "unusual" astronomical observations – unusual in the sense of refusing to fit easily into accepted thinking, or unusual in the observation having been made under difficult or extreme circumstances. Although some of the topics covered are instances of "bad astronomy," most are not. Some of the observations recorded here have actually turned out to be important scientific breakthroughs. Included are some amusing anecdotes (such as the incident involving "potassium flares" in ordinary stars and the story of Abba 1, the solar system’s own flare star!), but the book’s purpose is not to ridicule those who report anomalous observations, nor is it to challenge scientific orthodoxy. It is more to demonstrate how what's "weird" often turns out to be far more significant than observations of what we expect to see.

From one of the top parenting websites' a comprehensive naming guide featuring the unique Babynames.com popularity ratings. Forget those traditional lists of names and their meanings-in guiding readers step-by-step through the naming process, as well as the seven things to consider, this book will help parents decide upon a name perfectly suited to their child and family. The only baby name book to draw upon the opinions of 1.2 million parents, each listing features a popularity rating derived from website feedback as well as the top personality traits associated with the name. Readers can also browse lists of names organized in unique ways such as names for sports fans or fiction lovers, and names to be avoided.

The Doors? Jim Morrison was right. People are strange. Very, very strange. All the proof you need is found in Another Weird Year, a wacky jaunt into the depths of the weirdest, oddest, and most completely outlandish news stories that?strangely enough?are 100% true. After all, who in their right mind could make up this stuff?? A Chilean prisoner accused of murder escaped from jail to meet a few friends for drinks at a local bar. Later that night, he returned to the prison and demanded to be let back into his cell where he fell asleep.? Peter Holden of Washington, D.C. eats an average of two McDonald's meals a day and has eaten at 11,000 of the chain's 13,500 North American locations. On one 54-day business trip, he managed to visit 124 of the golden-arched restaurants.? A Chicago man was accused of killing his roommate after the pair got into a heated argument. The fight?which included weapons such as an ashtray, a pair of pliers, and a fire extinguisher?was over who had the bigger portion of chicken.This collection of items from news sources around the world has it all: accounts of botched crimes . . . crazy animal stories . . . tales of incredible luck (both good and bad) . . . and stories that feature just plain ol? fashioned stupidity.Those who follow the nightly news won?t want to miss the bizarre news delivered in Another Weird Year. It's the perfect book to keep you laughing on a long trip or when you just need to put the insanity of your own life into perspective.