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“Are You Smart or What?” This offbeat word games book combines challenges and surprising answers with playful innovations for readers of all ages. Puzzles are about ordinary things people can relate to, with titles such as “Compound Interest,” “Creature Feature” and “Mental Migraines,” and is by newspaper columnist Pat Battaglia, also known as Dr. Fun. A sample puzzle, illustrated with a penny, a nickel and a dime, is on the cover: “Tommy’s mother has three children represented by the coins below. The first child is named Penny. The second is named Nicole. What is the name of the third child?” Answer: Tommy’s mother’s third child is named Tommy. What else could it be?” “Are You Smart or What” is published by International Puzzle Features in Charlotte. Softcover, 112 pages, $9.95. Call |
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“The Path to Dignity” “Stand tall, be proud, hold your head high, and remember who you are.” Those were Sophie’s mother’s last words of advice when she died and sent her daughter off to America. Sophie looked hopefully to the future as she stepped aboard The Gallant Lady, unaware of her coming struggle. Sheltered by a loving mother and father, she was forced to grow up quickly on the boat by boat captain Fenner. Ahead of her lay three months at sea, and beyond that, America. “The Path to Dignity” is written by Lorraine Hughes, who lives in Roanoke Rapids. Published by Publish America in Frederick, Md. Softcover, 192 pages, $19.95. Call (301) 695-1707 or visit www.publishamerica.com |
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The Ghost on Number 2 Fictional Tom Wolters, drug company executive, is facing a perilous midlife crisis. Struggling to raise two teenage sons without a wife and losing interest in his work, his only motivation appears to be golf. He returns to his hometown during a business/golfing trip, and is eerily confronted by the ghost of his grandmother. His late grandmother, one of the premier golfers in her day, tries to coach Tom back into being positive about life. In a series of occurrences, sometimes dreams, and sometimes during drunken escapades, the ghost whacks her misguided grandson with wit and wisdom as he faces his personal conflicts on and off the golf course. Author Richard J. Domann lives in Cary. Softcover, 308 pages, $12.25. Call (888) 280-7715 or visit www.authorhouse.com |
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Mountain wildflowers Whether it’s skunk cabbage in late winter, phlox bursting with color in the summer or witch hazel blossoms waiting for the cool fall, the flowers in the North Carolina mountains put on a spectacular show. “Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains” features descriptions of each flower, bloom seasons and geographic ranges of growth, along with vivid, full-page color photographs. Also included in many of the 120 flowers profiled: the role the flower has played through history and its folklore and modern medicinal value. Written by Leonard N. Adkins and photographed by Joe Cook. Published by Menasha Ridge Press in Birmingham, AL. Softcover, 265 pages, $19.95. Call (800) 243-0495 or visit www.menasharidge.com |
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Yesterday Sublime “Yesterday Sublime” is a nostalgic look at a rural teacher’s life in the early 1900s. Full of illustrations and photographs, the author, 95-year-old Edith Wright Brookbank, describes growing up at Kemps Mill, checking rabbit traps, working at science labs at Elon College, eloping at age 21 and working as a teacher and other jobs. As she recalls it, teachers could work up to three months before they got paid during the Great Depression, and life was indeed challenging. The author, a member of Randolph EMC, also shares stories about obtaining her M.Ed. raising her daughter Ann, and vacationing in Cuba. Published by Village Printing in Asheboro. Softcover, 175 pages, $12.95. Call (336) 629-1107. The book can also be purchased at Faith Book Nook and Weston’s Feed in Asheboro, and Cox’s Grocery near Asheboro. |
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Scoundrels, rogues and heroes Did you know baseball great Babe Ruth hit his first home run in North Carolina? Or that legend Annie Oakley gave shooting lessons in Pinehurst? The tales in “Scoundrels, Rogues and Heroes Of The Old North State” include these stories and more, spanning 400 years of North Carolina history, covering colorful eras and highlighting characters from the high sea, the coast, the mountains, Piedmont and Sandhills. Chapters include “Otto Wood, Famous Prison Escape Artist,” “Phineas T. Barnum in North Carolina,” “Camden County Slave Bought His Freedom,” and “Largest Mail-Order Liquor Business.” Written by historian D.G. Jones and edited by K. Randell Jones and Caitlin D. Jones. Published by The History Press in Charleston, S.C. Softcover, 128 pages, $16.99. Call (866) 223-5778 or visit www.historypress.net/pub.htm |