Reference & Study Guides Audiobooks | Non-Fiction

John Hodgman-bestselling author, The Daily Show's "Resident Expert", minor television celebrity, and deranged millionaire-brings us the third and final installment in his trilogy of Complete World Knowledge. In 2005, Dutton published The Areas of My Expertise, a handy little book of Complete World Knowledge, marked by the distinction that all of the fascinating trivia and amazing true facts were completely made up by its author, John Hodgman. At the time, Hodgman was merely a former literary agent and occasional scribbler of fake trivia. In short: a nobody. But during an interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, an incredible transformation occurred. He became a famous minor television personality. You may ask: During his whirlwind tornado ride through the high ether of minor fame and outrageous fortune, did John Hodgman forget how to write books of fake trivia? The answer is: Yes. Briefly. But soon, he remembered! And so he returned, crashing his Kansas farmhouse down upon the wicked witch of ignorance with More Information Than You Require, a New York Times bestseller containing even more mesmerizing and essential fake trivia, including seven hundred mole-man names (and their occupations). And now, John Hodgman completes his vision with That Is All, the last book in a trilogy of Complete World Knowledge. Like its predecessors, That Is All compiles incredibly handy made-up facts into brief articles, overlong lists, and beguiling narratives on new and familiar themes. It picks up exactly where More Information left off-specifically, at page 596-and finally completes COMPLETE WORLD KNOWLEDGE, just in time for the return of Quetzalcoatl and the end of human history in 2012. 16 Hours, Read by Dick Cavett, Patton Oswalt, Jon Hamm, Paul Rudd, Sarah Vowell, Brooke Shields, Scott Adsit,. Robin Goldwasser, Jonathan Coulton, John Roderick, Rachel Maddow, Wyatt Cenac, Stephen Fry, Paul F. Tompkins, Prominent Ragnarok Denier Dr. Elliott Kalan. Music by Jonathan Coulton, John Roderick, John Flansburgh, John Darnielle, Cynthia Hopkins

John Hodgman (Author), John Hodgman, Various Readers (Narrator)

Audiobook

Don't Know Much About the American Presidents

For more than twenty years since his New York Times bestseller Don't Know Much AboutÂ® History first appeared, Davis has shown that Americans don't hate history, just the dull version dished out in school. Now Davis turns his attention to what is arguably the most important and most fascinating subject in American history: our presidents. From the heated debates over executive powers through the curious election of George Washington in 1789 and, for more than 200 years, up through the meteoric rise of Barack Obama, the presidency has been at the heart of American history. From the low lights to the bright lights, from the intellectuals to the disasters, from the memorable to the forgettable and forgotten, Davis tells all the stories. He uses his entertaining question-and-answer style to chart the history of the presidency itself as well as debunk the myths of America's leaders and recount the real stories of these very real people. For history buffs and history-phobes alike, this entertaining audiobook is packed with memorable facts that will change your understanding of the highest office in the land and the men who have occupied it. **Please contact member services for additional documents**

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Arthur Morey, Kenneth C. Davis, Kirby Heyborne, Mark Bramhall (Narrator)

Audiobook

Better Than Great: A Plenitudinous Compendium of Wallopingly Fresh Superlatives

A veritable "tko of terminology," Better Than Great is the essential guide for describing the extraordinary -- the must-have reference for anyone wishing to rise above tired superlatives. Deft praise encourages others to feel as we do, share our enthusiasms. It rewards deserving objects of admiration. It persuades people to take certain actions. It sells things. Sadly, in this "age of awesome," our words and phrases of acclaim are exhausted, all but impotent. Even so, we find ourselves defaulting to such habitual choices as "good," "great," and "terrific," or stock synonyms that tumble out of a thesaurus--"superb," "marvelous," "outstanding," and the like. The piling on of intensifiers such as "totally" only makes matters worse, while negative modifiers ("incredible," "unreal") render our common parlance nearly tragic. Until now. Not to mince words, wunderkind of word-wonks Arthur Plotnik is proffering a well-knit wellspring of worthy and wondrous words to rescue our worn-down usage. Plotnik is both hella AND hecka up to the task of rescuing the English superlative, offering readers the chance never to be at a loss for words of praise and acclamation!

Arthur Plotnik (Author), Richard Waterhouse (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Science Of Discworld Revised Edition

In the 'fantasy' universe of the phenomenally bestselling Discworld series, everything runs on magic and common sense. The world is flat and million-to-one chances happen nine times out of ten. Our world seems different - it runs on rules, often rather strange ones. Science is our way of finding out what those rules are. The appeal of Discworld is that it mostly makes sense, in a way that particle physics does not. The Science of Discworld uses the magic of Discworld to illuminate the scientific rules that govern our world. When a wizardly experiment goes adrift, the wizards of Unseen University find themselves with a pocket universe on their hands: Roundworld, where neither magic nor common sense seems to stand a chance against logic. The Universe, of course, is our own. And Roundworld is Earth. As the wizards watch their accidental creation grow, we follow the story of our universe from the primal singularity of the Big Bang to the Internet and beyond. Through this original Terry Pratchett story (with intervening chapters from Cohen and Stewart) we discover how puny and insignificant individual lives are against a cosmic backdrop of creation and disaster. Yet, paradoxically, we see how the richness of a universe based on rules, has led to a complex world and at least one species that tried to get a grip of what was going on.

Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen, Terry Pratchett (Author), Michael Fenton Stevens, Stephen Briggs (Narrator)

Audiobook

Care To Make Love In That Gross Little Space Between Cars?

The Believer magazine presents a compendium of advice from producers, writers, and actors of The Daily Show, Saturday Night Live, Parks and Recreation, Late Show with David Letterman, The Hangover, and The Colbert Report, along with other musicians, cartoonists, New Yorker writers, and those similarly unqualified to offer guidance. Here Amy Sedaris describes the perfect murder for unwanted hermit crabs-you will need a piece of meat and a brick. Simon Rich explains how to avoid being found dead in your underwear by firemen-buy some long johns. Zach Galifianakis provides insight into how he changed his name without a social security card-he just started calling himself Adam Zapple, and it stuck. Bob Saget finally illuminates what "friends with benefits" really means-a nonsexual relationship wherein your ex makes monetary deposits into your bank account. Contributors include: Rob Baedeker, Anne Beatts, Elizabeth Beckwith, Jerri Blank, Roz Chast, Louis C.K., Mike Doughty, Dave Eggers, Rich Fulcher, Zach Galifianakis, Dan Guterman, Anthony Jeselnik, Julie Klausner, Lisa Lampanelli, Nick Hornby, Sam Lipsyte, Liam Lynch, Merrill Markoe, Rose McGowan, Misc. Canadian rock musicians, Laraine Newman, The Pleasure Syndicate, Bob Powers, Simon Rich, Bob Saget, George Saunders, Kristen Schaal, Paul Scheer, Amy Sedaris, Allison Silverman, Paul Simms, Brendon Small, Jerry Stahl, Scott Thompson, Fred Willard, Cintra Wilson, Weird Al Yankovic, and Alan Zweibel

The Believer (Author), Judd Apatow, Various Readers (Narrator)

Audiobook

Brain Trust

Blind Them…with SCIENCE! How much better would your life be if you had an army of Nobel Laureates, MacArthur 'geniuses' and National Medal of Science winners whispering tips in your ear about your body language, or how to resist that impulse purchase you'll regret tomorrow, or when to sell your car—or even helping you trick your spouse into doing the dishes? With this mighty little tome, you can have the next best thing--because Brain Trust is packed with bite-sized scientific wisdom on our everyday challenges, hand-delivered to you direct from the galaxy's biggest brains. Based entirely on interviews with an incredible lineup of luminaries from the fields of neuroscience, economics, anthropology, music, mathematics, and more, Brain Trust is full of cutting-edge science that'll help you see the real world better—and smarter. Discover: --what advanced math can teach you about getting all your chores done today --how creating a 'future self' can help you shop smarter at the grocery store --what prairie voles can teach us about love --how the science of happiness can help you trick lawyers into doing charity work --the components of gullibility, and how they can help you scam-proof yourself --the secrets to building your very own army of cyborg beetles --how memetic information can help you exploit altruism for good…or evil --why eating for eight hours can help you lose weight --the behavioral economics behind selling your junk for big bucks on eBay --how to get more plasure for less price …And much, much more. *** Please contact Member Service for additional documents.

Garth Sundem (Author), Garth Sundem (Narrator)

Audiobook

How to Shop for Free: Shopping Secrets for Smart Women Who Love to Get Something for Nothing

For fashionistas and carpool moms alike: a veteran super shopper's secrets for finding insider deals and making use of coupons and promotions to maximize savings. You've heard of amazing deals, online discounts, outlet shopping-but has anyone showed you how to shop for free? Meet Kathy Spencer-hot, hip mom of four who can whittle a $267.22 grocery bill down to one penny. One penny. Now, this smart, sassy, step-by-step savings guide teaches you how to do just that by revealing: Kathy's killer two-for-one shopping strategy Which stores have the best savings-and how to cash in Month-by-month steals and off-season shopping secrets How to amass so much free stuff that you'll have to give it away! You'll learn how to find the best savings and combine them with store promotions, coupons, rewards programs, and store credit to get almost anything for free-from organic produce to makeup, baby formula to brand-name clothing. With an eye toward cutting your monthly spending on the basics, Spencer guides you through many popular stores-including CVS, Kohl's, Office Max, PetSmart, Target, and Home Depot-and explains how to maximize your savings. Follow Spencer's plan, and before you know it, you'll be shopping for free.

Kathy Spencer, Samantha Rose (Author), Hillary Huber (Narrator)

Audiobook

Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?

You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and thrown in a blender. The blades start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do? If you want to work at Google, or any of America's best companies, you need to have an answer to this and other puzzling questions. Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google? guides readers through the surprising solutions to dozens of the most challenging interview questions. The book covers the importance of creative thinking, ways to get a leg up on the competition, what your Facebook page says about you, and much more. Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google? is a must read for anyone who wants to succeed in today's job market.

William Poundstone (Author), Joe Ochman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Financial Stability for the Disabled: A Self-Help Guide for Social Workers, Caregivers, & Persons wi

Presented as a compact collection of short stories with detailed descriptions of various federal programs, Financial Stability for the Disabled gives you an idea of where to start when someone you know is or has become disabled. It is an easy to read manuel that maps out the financial resources available for Canadians with disabilities and those living on low incomes.

Austin Mardon, Dr. Austin Mardon, Kayle Paustian, Shelley Qian (Author), David Knutson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man

While it's definitely more than just monster trucks, grilling, and six-pack abs, true manliness is hard to define. The words macho and manly are not synonymous. Taking lessons from classic gentlemen such as Benjamin Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt, authors Brett and Kate McKay have created a collection of the most useful advice every man needs to know to live life to its full potential. This book contains a wealth of information that ranges from survival skills to social skills to advice on how to improve your character. Whether you are braving the wilds with your friends, courting your girlfriend, or raising a family, you'll find practical information and inspiration for every area of life. You'll learn the basics all modern men should know, including how to: Shave like your grandpa Be a perfect house guest Fight like a gentleman using the art of bartitsu Help a friend with a problem Give a man hug Perform a fireman's carry Ask for a woman's hand in marriage Raise resilient kids Predict the weather like a frontiersman Start a fire without matches Give a dynamic speech Live a well-balanced life So jump in today and gain the skills and knowledge you need to be a real man in the twenty-first century.

Brett McKay, Kate McKay (Author), Todd McLaren (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Art of Manliness---Manvotionals: Timeless Wisdom and Advice on Living the 7 Manly Virtues

For centuries, being a man meant living a life of virtue and excellence. But then, through time, the art of manliness was lost. Now, after decades of excess and aimless drift, men are looking for something to help them live an authentic, manly life—a primer that can give their lives real direction and purpose. This book holds the answers. To master the art of manliness, a man must live the seven manly virtues: Manliness, Courage, Industry, Resolution, Self-Reliance, Discipline, Honor. Each chapter covers one of the seven virtues and is packed with the best classic advice ever written down for men. From the philosophy of Aristotle to the speeches and essays of Theodore Roosevelt, this book contains the manly wisdom of the ages—poems, quotes, and essays that will inspire you to live life to the fullest and realize your complete potential.

Brett McKay, Brett Mckay, Kate McKay, Kate Mckay (Author), Kate McKay, Stephen Hoye (Narrator)

Audiobook

Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct

Most people would agree that thoughtful behavior and common decency are in short supply, or simply forgotten in hurried lives of emails, cellphones, and multi-tasking. In Choosing Civility, P. M. Forni identifies the twenty-five rules that are most essential in connecting effectively and happily with others. In clear, witty, and, well...civilized language, Forni covers topics that include: Think Twice Before Asking Favors Give Constructive Criticism Refrain from Idle Complaints Respect Others' Opinions Don't Shift Responsibility and Blame Care for Your Guests Accept and Give Praise Finally, Forni provides examples of how to put each rule into practice and so make life-and the lives of others-more enjoyable, companionable, and rewarding. Choosing Civility is a simple, practical, perfectly measured, and quietly magical handbook on the lost art of civility and compassion.

P. M. Forni (Author), David Drummond (Narrator)

Audiobook

Reference & Study Guides Audiobooks in Non-Fiction