A Sense of the Mysterious

Author: Alan Lightman
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 1400078199
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Book Description
From the bestselling author of Einstein's Dreams comes this lyrical and insightful collection of science writing that delves into the mysteries of the scientific process--physics, astronomy, mathamatics--and exposes its beauty and intrigue. In these brilliant essays, Lightman explores the emotional life of science, the power of imagination, the creative moment, and the alternate ways in which scientists and humanists think about the world. Along the way, he provides in-depth portraits of some of the great geniuses of our time, including Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, Edward Teller, and astronomer Vera Rubin. Thoughtful, beautifully written, and wonderfully original, A Sense of the Mysterious confirms Alan Lightman's unique position at the crossroads of science and art.

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter

Author: Alexis Hall
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 044000134X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 354

Book Description
In this charming, witty, and weird fantasy novel, Alexis Hall pays homage to Sherlock Holmes with a new twist on those renowned characters. Upon returning to the city of Khelathra-Ven after five years fighting a war in another universe, Captain John Wyndham finds himself looking for somewhere to live, and expediency forces him to take lodgings at 221b Martyrs Walk. His new housemate is Ms. Shaharazad Haas, a consulting sorceress of mercurial temperament and dark reputation. When Ms. Haas is enlisted to solve a case of blackmail against one of her former lovers, Miss Eirene Viola, Captain Wyndham is drawn into a mystery that leads him from the salons of the literary set to the drowned back-alleys of Ven and even to a prison cell in lost Carcosa. Along the way he is beset by criminals, menaced by pirates, molested by vampires, almost devoured by mad gods, and called upon to punch a shark. But the further the companions go in pursuit of the elusive blackmailer, the more impossible the case appears. Then again, in Khelathra-Ven reality is flexible, and the impossible is Ms. Haas' stock-in-trade.

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother)

Author: David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 1984848615
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Book Description
New York Times bestselling author David Levithan takes young readers on twisting journey through truth, reality, and fantasy and belief. Aidan disappeared for six days. Six agonizing days of searches and police and questions and constant vigils. Then, just as suddenly as he vanished, Aidan reappears. Where has he been? The story he tells is simply. . . impossible. But it's the story Aidan is sticking to. His brother, Lucas, wants to believe him. But Lucas is aware of what other people, including their parents, are saying: that Aidan is making it all up to disguise the fact that he ran away. When the kids in school hear Aidan's story, they taunt him. But still Aidan clings to his story. And as he becomes more of an outcast, Lucas becomes more and more concerned. Being on Aidan's side would mean believing in the impossible. But how can you believe in the impossible when everything and everybody is telling you not to?

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
Publisher: Chicken House
ISBN: 1909489255
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 449

Book Description
When an advert appears in the newspaper for children to take part in a secret mission, children everywhere sit a series of odd tests. In the end, just Reynie, Kate, Sticky and Constance succeed. They have three things in common: they are honest, talented and orphans. They must go undercover and work as a team to save themselves, but also the world.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages

Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN: 191332219X
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 286

Book Description
The inimitable quartet of Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance haven't had a mission together in some time. But with the arrival of a new Society member - and a new threat - they must reunite to face dilemmas more dangerous than ever before.

The Art of Mystery

Author: Maud Casey
Publisher: Graywolf Press
ISBN: 1555979858
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 115

Book Description
A sensitive and nuanced exploration of a seldom-discussed subject by an acclaimed novelist The fourteenth volume in the Art of series conjures an ethereal subject: the idea of mystery in fiction. Mystery is not often discussed—apart from the genre—because, as Maud Casey says, “It’s not easy to talk about something that is a whispered invitation, a siren song, a flickering light in the distance.” Casey, the author of several critically acclaimed novels, reaches beyond the usual tool kit of fictional elements to ask the question: Where does mystery reside in a work of fiction? She takes us into the Land of Un—a space of uncertainty and unknowing—to find out and looks at the variety of ways mystery is created through character, image, structure, and haunted texts, including the novels of Shirley Jackson, Paul Yoon, J. M. Coetzee, and more. Casey’s wide-ranging discussion encompasses spirit photography, the radical nature of empathy, and contradictory characters, as she searches for questions rather than answers. The Art of Mystery is a striking and vibrant addition to the much-loved Art of series.

The Mysterious Bottle

Author: Neill Jones
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1728345103
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 49

Book Description
Book 1 of The Fearless Four Series The Fearless Four are Thomas and his best friends, Zac, Cameron and Josh. When they get together, fun and adventure just happens! In their first story, the boys find an unusual bottle, which they hope will bring them fame and fortune, but we know things don’t always turn out the way we want them to. Instead, they find themselves trying to get the genie back in the bottle. Each book has been written with a sense of fun and enjoyment, but with a message for the reader; how do we behave when we are in trouble? Oh, and if you are reading these books and your name is Zac, watch out, you are going to have some interesting times! Congratulations on choosing Book One of The Fearless Four stories. Happy Reading!

The Sense of an Ending

Author: Julian Barnes
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307957330
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 158

Book Description
BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

The Mysterious Universe

Author: Ellen Jackson
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780618563258
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 72

Book Description
The universe is rapidly expanding. Of that much scientists are certain. But how fast? And with what implications regarding the fate of the universe? Ellen Jackson and Nic Bishop follow Dr. Alex Fillippenko and his High-Z Supernova Search Team to Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii, where they will study space phenomena and look for supernovae, dying stars that explode with the power of billions of hydrogen bombs. Dr. Fillippenko looks for black holes--areas in space with such a strong gravitational pull that no matter or energy can escape from them--with his robotic telescope. And they study the effects of dark energy, the mysterious force that scientists believe is pushing the universe apart, causing its constant and accelerating expansion.

The Where, the Why, and the How

Author: Jenny Volvovski
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1452108226
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 171

Book Description
Scientists answer seventy-five questions pertaining to the natural world, ranging from whether earthquakes are predictable to why whales sing. Each question features an accompanying illustration.