Newsletter: Nov 23rd 2022
Just wanted to chime in to wish you all a very Happy and Peaceful Thanksgiving. Several of you have expressed your thanks on our growing Thanking Tree. This year, I am most thankful for all of you who have supported us and encouraged us to keep going throughout the year! With your help, we will continue to spread the love of science and books in our communities - one book, one event, one person at a time!
I hope to see many of you at the festivities this weekend -
Early bird 20% off EVERYTHING from 10-Noon,
Freebies with each purchase and
cake-cutting at noon on Friday.
Below are all the Trivia questions, you can still send in answers or come to the birthday bash and enter to win the grand prize.
How many books are in store as of Nov 15th 2022?
What percentage of book are chlidren's (including Young Adult) ?
Which of the following non-book categories has sold the most? A. Greeting cards B. Stickers C. Puzzles D. STEM Toys
Which of the following non-fiction categories has sold the most? A. Space B. Nature C. Health/Medicine D. Math
What fictional character inspired the name ‘The Thinking Spot’?
Don't forget to check out our Saturday evening event - “A Minnesota Bestiary”.
Happy Thanksgiving and see you at The Spot soon,
Rima.
New...ish Releases
Amber
By Rachel King
November 23rd 2022; Science / Earth Sciences
Spanning centuries and continents, a beautifully illustrated history of humanity’s enduring enthrallment with a seemingly banal substance: petrified tree sap, or amber. Amber: From Antiquity to Eternity is a history of human engagement with amber across three millennia. The book vividly describes our conceptions, stories, and political and scholarly disputes about amber, as well as issues of national and personal identity, religion, art, literature, music, and science. Rachel King rewrites amber’s history for the twenty-first century, tackling thorny ethical and moral questions regarding humanity’s relationship with amber in the past, as well our connection with it today. With the Earth facing unprecedented challenges, amber—the natural time capsule, and preserver of key information about the planet’s evolutional history—promises to offer invaluable insights into what comes next.
Rachel King is a curator of Renaissance Europe and the Waddesdon Bequest at the British Museum, London.
How to Teach Economics to Your Dog
By Rebecca Campbell
November 22nd 2022; Business & Economics / Economics
A fun take on some of the biggest questions in economics, made accessible for non-experts (and dogs) Monty is a dog, not a financial genius, but economics still shapes his everyday life. Over the course of seventeen walks, Dr Rebecca Campbell chews over economic concepts and investigates how they apply to our lives – people and mutts alike. There are no graphs, no charts (Monty can’t read them) and definitely no calculus! How to Teach Economics to Your Dog tackles the knotty question of what economics actually is. Is it a mathematical science like physics? Or a moral and philosophical investigation of how societies should manage scarce resources? Along the way we meet some of the great thinkers from Adam Smith to Thomas Piketty, and ponder questions such as: What on earth does quantitative easing mean? And why are some countries so much richer than others?Dr Rebecca Campbell has a PhD from the London School of Economics where she is currently a Fellow in the Management Department, and Director of Studies of the prestigious Global Masters in Management. Before moving to LSE, she was the designer and CEO of successful fashion company Paddy Campbell. She lives in London. Anthony McGowan has a BA, MPhil and PhD in philosophy, and has lectured widely on the subject. As an author for children and young adults he’s won many awards, including the 2020 Carnegie Medal, while The Art of Failing, a hilarious account of his life as a writer, was named an Observer Book of the Year. He lives in London and shares custody of Monty.
The LEGO Story
By Jens Andersen
November 15th 2022; Biography & Autobiography / Business
The extraordinary inside story of the LEGO company—producer of the most beloved and popular toy on the planet—based on unprecedented access to the founding family that still owns the company, chronicling the brand’s improbable journey to become the empire that it is today.
From bare-bones wooden toys to plastic interlocking bricks, from a single rectangle on which a child could build a simple house to the ability to recreate the worlds of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Batman, and more, hundreds of millions of people around the world have played with LEGOs, driven around in toy cars at LEGOLAND, and flocked to theaters to watch The LEGO Movie and its sequels. Some have taken their passion into adulthood, building in the late hours when the younger generation has been tucked into bed. Though LEGO has existed for nearly a century, the product has not always been the one we know and adore today. The toy has undergone big changes in both material and design due to a combination of cultural and historical circumstances as well as industrial advancements.
Yet as ubiquitous as the LEGO company is, the family behind the brand is an enigma. Now, for the first time, the Kirk Kristiansen family has agreed to tell the story of LEGO and their life’s work to Jens Andersen, one of Denmark’s most acclaimed writers and beloved biographers. Through interviews with Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen—who represents the third generation of the family business—and with access to the vast LEGO archive, Andersen takes the reader back to the very beginning of LEGO and chronicles its improbable journey to become the iconic company that it is today.
The LEGO Story is the definitive story behind one of the most beloved brands on the planet, shown through the deeply personal lens of one singular family. Excellently written with ease and verve, it’s also a riveting cultural history of changing generations’ view of childhood and the importance of play. Richly illustrated with never-before-seen photos from the family’s private archive, this is the ultimate book for fans of LEGO, revealing everything you ever wanted to know about the brand.
Jens Andersen is an award-winning Danish author and literary critic whose works include acclaimed biographies of Hans Christian Andersen and Astrid Lindgren. He has a Ph.D. in Nordic Literature from Copenhagen University. Jens lives in Denmark and writes for several Danish newspapers.
Chasing Plants
By Chris Thorogood
September 12th 2022; Science / Life Sciences / Botany
From an acclaimed botanist and artist, a thrilling and beautifully illustrated expedition around the globe in search of the world’s most extraordinary plants. After making a strange discovery on a childhood trip to Ikea—a stand of sap-sucking, leafless broomrapes, stealing nutrients from their neighbors’ roots—Chris Thorogood dreamed of becoming a botanist and would stop at nothing to feed his growing addiction to plants. In his hair-raising adventures across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, Thorogood treads a death-defying path over cliffs, up erupting volcanoes, through typhoons, and out into the very heart of the world’s vast, green wilderness. Along the way, he encounters pitcher plants, irises, and orchids more heart-piercingly beautiful than could ever be imagined. But with Thorogood as our guide in Chasing Plants, we not only imagine: we see. An internationally acclaimed botanical illustrator, Thorogood conjures his adventures spent seed-collecting and conserving plants around the world back to life in his electric paintings, which feature throughout the book. They bring plants out of the shadows, challenging us to see their intrigue and their character, and helping us to understand why plant species must be protected. To join Thorogood in his wild adventures is to be cast under his green spell: readers will never think of plants the same way again.
Chris Thorogood is Deputy Director and Head of Science of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum. His research focuses on the evolution, conservation, and biomimetic applications of plants. Thorogood is a wildlife artist, botanical illustrator, and an international best-selling author of specialist field guides and popular books.
Why Food Matters
By Paul Freedman
November 8th 2022; Social Science / Agriculture & Food
An award-winning historian makes the case for food’s cultural importance, stressing its crucial role throughout human historyFrom the author of Ten Restaurants That Changed America, an exploration of food’s cultural importance and its crucial role throughout human history “A rich and fascinating narrative that reaches deep into the historical and cultural larder of societal experience, powerfully illustrating the myriad ways that food matters as an essential condiment for humanity.”—Danny Meyer, founder of Union Square Hospitality Group and Shake Shack Why does food matter? Historically, food has not always been considered a serious subject on par with, for instance, a performance art like opera or a humanities discipline like philosophy. Necessity, ubiquity, and repetition contribute to the apparent banality of food, but these attributes don’t capture food’s emotional and cultural range, from the quotidian to the exquisite. In this short, passionate book, Paul Freedman makes the case for food’s vital importance, stressing its crucial role in the evolution of human identity and human civilizations. Freedman presents a highly readable and illuminating account of food’s unique role in our lives. It is a way to express community and celebration, but it can also be divisive. This wide-ranging book is a must-read for food lovers and all those interested in how cultures and identities are formed and maintained.
Paul Freedman is Chester D. Tripp Professor of History at Yale University. He specializes in medieval social history, the history of Spain, comparative studies of the peasantry, trade in luxury products, and the history of cuisine.
Journey to the Edge of Reason
By Stephen Budiansky
November 22nd, 2002; Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology
The first major biography written for a general audience of the logician and mathematician whose Incompleteness Theorems helped launch a modern scientific revolution.
Nearly a hundred years after its publication, Kurt Gödel’s famous proof that every mathematical system must contain propositions that are true—yet never provable—continues to unsettle mathematics, philosophy, and computer science. Yet unlike Einstein, with whom he formed a warm and abiding friendship, Gödel has long escaped all but the most casual scrutiny of his life.
Stephen Budiansky’s Journey to the Edge of Reason is the first biography to fully draw upon Gödel’s voluminous letters and writings—including a never-before-transcribed shorthand diary of his most intimate thoughts—to explore Gödel’s profound intellectual friendships, his moving relationship with his mother, his troubled yet devoted marriage, and the debilitating bouts of paranoia that ultimately took his life. It also offers an intimate portrait of the scientific and intellectual circles in prewar Vienna, a haunting account of Gödel’s and Jewish intellectuals’ flight from Austria and Germany at the start of the Second World War, and a vivid re-creation of the early days of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, where Gödel and Einstein both worked.
Eloquent and insightful, Journey to the Edge of Reason is a fully realized portrait of the odd, brilliant, and tormented man who has been called the greatest logician since Aristotle, and illuminates the far-reaching implications of Gödel’s revolutionary ideas for philosophy, mathematics, artificial intelligence, and man’s place in the cosmos.
Stephen Budiansky is a historian, biographer, and journalist whose writing has appeared in the Atlantic, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. A recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, he resides in Loudoun County, Virginia.
Swift and Hawk: Cyberspies
By Logan Macx
November 22nd 2022; Juvenile Fiction / Computers & Digital Media; Ages 9 to 12, Grades 4 to 7
For fans of the Alex Rider and Spy School series comes a twenty-first-century spin on the spy novel, featuring a girl and boy whose brilliant minds and cutting-edge technology make them unstoppable. When their families are violently kidnapped, Swift and Hawk—teen experts in AI and robotics—are plunged into a life-or-death rescue mission by the secretive Möbius group. Their journey takes them from hidden tunnels beneath the British Museum to the dangerous docklands of Amsterdam in search of the mysterious ship Nightfall. Caught in a treacherous world of spies and saboteurs, Swift and Hawk will be pushed to the limit as they follow a trail that leads to the remote island of Spøkelsøy—and straight into the hands of a dark and chilling enemy.
Logan Macx is the pen name of Edward Docx and Matthew Plampin. Edward Docx is an award-winning novelist and journalist. Matthew Plampin is the author of four acclaimed historical novels and lectures in nineteenth-century art and architecture. They live in London.
Why Humans Build Up
By Gregor Craigie
September 13th 2022 ; Juvenile Nonfiction / Architecture ; Ages 9 to 12, Grades 4 to 7
Part of the nonfiction Orca Timeline series, with photographs and illustrations throughout. This book explores why and how people have constructed taller and taller buildings over the course of human history.
★“This great STEAM offering has multiple applications and will be useful for report writers and aspiring architects alike.”—Booklist, starred review
★“Finely detailed inside and outside...Broad in scope, perceptively organized, and enriched with fascinating entries.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Why did they build it so high?
People have been constructing tall buildings for thousands of years, for many different reasons. Castle walls kept people safe. Utility towers transmit TV and cell-phone signals. Observatories give people a bird’s-eye view of the world. Beautiful buildings stand out in the crowd. Skyscrapers provide housing for a lot of people. There are some good reasons for building up, and a few bad ones as well.
With a growing global population, we will need more and more space to live, learn and work in. But what does that mean for the health of the planet? Can we do it sustainably? Tall buildings may be part of the answer. From the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Leaning Tower of Pisa to the Burj Khalifa and the Shanghai Tower, Why Humans Build Up asks why and how we build higher and higher, and what that means for the planet.
Gregor Craigie is a writer and journalist. He wakes up at 3:45 every weekday morning to talk on CBC Radio in Victoria, British Columbia. Despite the early hours, Gregor loves his job because he gets to ask questions and write for a living. Before his current job at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, he worked for the BBC World Service in London and traveled to several different countries, telling stories for radio listeners. Why Humans Build Up is his first book for kids.
Kathleen Fu is a Canadian illustrator based in Toronto with a background in fine art, architecture and urban design. She is a graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Architecture and her current work is heavily inspired by her time studying architecture, city life and storytelling. She enjoys creating intricate illustrations with a Where's Waldo-esque style, injecting each piece with as many unique characters and different shapes as possible. Her work has been published in the New York Times, Reader's Digest, the Globe and Mail, The Walrus and many other publications.
WOLVES! Strange and Wonderful
By Laurence Pringle
November 22nd 2022; Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / Wolves, Coyotes & Wild Dogs; Ages 7 to 10, Grades 2 to 5
Learn all about wolves with this newest title in the acclaimed Strange and Wonderful series featuring careful research and exquisite illustrations. This nonfiction book takes young readers on a journey into the lives of wolves, the largest of all wild mammals who have lived in the Northern Hemisphere for millions of years. Kids will learn how wolves use their powerful jaw muscles and sharp teeth to hunt their prey, how a wolf pack forms, and the meaning of different wolf howls. This book explores every aspect of these fascinating canines and even corrects erroneous myths and lore about them. Series Overview: There are more than a dozen titles in the Strange and Wonderful series, including Elephants, Bats, Frogs, Owls, Penguins, Sharks, and Whales.
Laurence Pringle has written more than 100 books for children and teenagers, including the Secret Life series, among many other award-winning science titles. Internationally, his books have sold more than 3 million copies. Meryl Henderson has illustrated numerous children’s books, including all of the books in the Strange and Wonderful series.
The Yawn Book
By Diana Kim
November 22nd 2022; Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Nature / Anatomy & Physiology; Ages 4 to 7,
Grades P to 3
Why do we yawn? Which animals yawn? And why are yawns so CONTAGIOUS? Learn the answers to these questions and more in this fact-filled and funny nonfiction picture book for fans of Carson Ellis and Matt Lamothe.
Yawning: Everyone does it. But no one knows why.
Why did you yawn before your piano recital? Do you yawn more than your grandmother? And is your pet dog really yawning because you are? Find out in The Yawn Book, a funny and fascinating book of facts, including the most unbelievable one: no one knows for sure why we yawn at all.
One thing is for sure . . . this book will definitely make you yawn!
Diana Kim is a recent graduate of RISD, and this is her first picture book. She lives in Seoul, South Korea.
Human Body Learning Lab
By Betty Choi
November 22nd 2022; Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Nature / Anatomy & Physiology; Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7
Pediatrician and popular homeschooling blogger Dr. Betty Choi takes kids on an engaging exploration of the inner workings of all the major systems of the human body, with hands-on learning lab experiments, colorful diagrams and infographics, model building, and challenging games.Pediatrician Dr. Betty Choi invites kids ages 8 and up to explore the marvels of the human body with lively hands-on projects and activities, including shaping bones from salt dough, creating a moving model of the eyes, crafting a 3d skin model, making a blow-up model of how a bicep muscle contracts, tracing capillary action, and even setting up a working model of the urinary system to show how pee is produced. Packed with colorful diagrams of how each major body system works, fun facts, and easy tests that kids can use to learn about and evaluate their own body functions—from touch sensitivity to colorblindness, taste perception, lung capacity and more—The Human Body Learning Lab makes biology more exciting and engaging than ever.
Betty Choi, MD is a pediatrician and writer with extensive experience in medical education content development. She completed her pediatrics training at Boston Children's Hospital / Boston Medical Center, worked as pediatric hospitalist and concierge physician. She has dedicated her career to education. Passionate about improving science communication and access to affordable education, she believes that connection is the key to motivating change. Through her website chalkacademy.com and social media, she has reached thousands of families around the world to advocate for healthy, positive parenting; hands-on learning for children; and diversity and inclusion. She lives in California with her husband and children.