Thirty Three Years Of Running In Circles

Rand Mintzer woke up one day and realized that he was morbidly obese, barely passing his college classes, and without any real goals. Inspired by the memory of a television movie and encouraged by a college roommate, he started running and turned his life around. That was more than thirty years ago, and he's been running ever since-even finishing a marathon. Whether you are battling a weight problem or already consider yourself a runner, you will be motivated by his personal story of redemption. "Every runner's story is at once unique and cut from a common cloth. Rand Mintzer's story is filled with heartwarming lessons and goals reached while saturated with logical and practical advice from which every new runner can benefit. Essentially two books in one, Thirty-Three Years of Running in Circles runs from the inspiring personal to the logical and essential practical while covering everything in between." -Rich Benyo, editor, Marathon and Beyond magazine

"Aylmer Maude's 'The Life of Tolstoy: First Fifty Years'" is a literary gem that offers readers an unparalleled glimpse into the life of the renowned Russian author, Leo Tolstoy, during the formative years of his extraordinary journey. Aylmer Maude, a close friend and translator of Tolstoy's works, brings a unique perspective to this biographical work. Maude's vivid storytelling and intimate knowledge of Tolstoy's life and literary career make this book a captivating read. Delving into Tolstoy's early influences, struggles, and the development of his literary genius, Maude provides readers with profound insights into the mind and soul of one of the world's greatest novelists. This biography is not just a scholarly endeavor; it is a heartfelt tribute to Tolstoy's enduring legacy and a testament to the enduring power of literature.

Midwestern Strange chronicles B.J. Hollars's exploration of the mythic, lesser-known oddities of flyover country. The mysteries, ranging from bipedal wolf sightings to run-ins with pancake-flipping space aliens to a lumberjack-inspired "Hodag hoax," make this book a little bit X-Files, a little bit Ghostbusters, and a whole lot of Sherlock Holmes. Hollars's quest is not to confirm or debunk these mysteries but rather to seek out these unexplained phenomena to understand how they complicate our worldview and to discover what truths might be gleaned by reexamining the facts in our "post-truth" era. Part memoir and part journalism, Midwestern Strange offers a fascinating, funny, and quirky account of flyover folklore that also contends with the ways such oddities retain cultural footholds. Hollars shows how grappling with such subjects might fortify us against the glut of misinformation now inundating our lives. By confronting monsters, Martians, and a cabinet of curiosities, we challenge ourselves to look beyond our presumptions and acknowledge that just because something is weird, doesn't mean it is wrong.