Books

(PG-13, SPOILERS) “See, Wade comes from the ‘hood. So he straight obsessed with getting Halliday’s cash money.” Sparky Sweets – the teacher who puts the lit in literature – sums up the story, themes and questions presented by Ernest Cline’s hit young adult novel.

Mondo’s upcoming art book is a back catalog of its highly sought-after movie posters. The book includes prints of Olly Moss’ posters for the Star Wars trilogy, Francesco Francavilla’s Clash of the Titans piece, Laurent Durieux’s subtle Jaws poster and many more.

From veteran translator Clyde Mandelin (Mother 3, Dragon Ball, Attack on Titan) comes This Be Book Bad Translation, Video Games!, a funny and insightful book about how errors in video game localizations occur, with 99 screenshots of bad translations as examples.

Simon Stålenhag is back with more retro sci-fi paintings. Set in an alternate ’90s US and centered on a young girl traveling with her robot, The Electric State is a 120-page art book with a supplementary narrative written by Simon as well. More on his site.

A spectacularly fun book for any Star Wars fan, graphic designer Tim Leong’s lighthearted paperback is packed with infographics, facts, and figures from what each lightsaber color means, to the heights of popular characters, to the Jedi High Council seating chart.

Illustrator Sean C. Jackson’s nifty book is packed with dozens of fun and challenging maze designs of tiny isometric villages, dotted with buildings, trees, staircases, fountains, bridges, monuments, and more.

Emil Ferris’ critically-acclaimed graphic novel is drawn and written as the diary and sketchbook of Karen Reyes, a monster-obsessed 10-year old living in 1960’s Chicago who tries to solve the murder of her upstairs neighbor.

Author Brett McKay and illustrator Ted Slampyak present a how-to guide packed with over 100 practical skills for real men. You’ll learn everything from how to fire a gun, to how to shine your shoes, to how to be a good uncle, to how to escape a bear attack.

A simple, yet ingenious accessory for any avid book reader, simply clip the magnetic SUJI-IN bookmark into the back of your book, set its thumb-shaped holder over the page you’re currently reading, and it automatically keeps track of your place as you flip pages.

Author Lance Akiyama’s DIY book teaches you how to use popsicle sticks, paint stirrers, PVC pipe, clothespins, and other household objects to create 19 different rubber band and hydraulic-powered weapons and siege engines.

Emma Stokes’ book of cocktail recipes organizes the drinks by their chemical composition – or at least what their primary liquor component is. Perfect for science geeks who like their booze, there’s also a version for oenophiles by wine expert Sara Rowlands.

Authors Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris present a series of hilarious “educational” manuals which poke fun at kitschy 1960s Easy Reader books. The audiobook version is narrated by none other than Andy Richter.

Knock Knock’s hilarious book is filled with 45 decision making flowcharts to help you figure out the right plan of action when it comes to some of life’s more basic quandaries. It’s much better than flipping a coin. A companion book covers things that matter slightly more.

A wonderful book for anyone who loves video games. Author Dustin Hansen explores the origins of arcade, console and PC games dating back to Pong, all the way up to modern games like Overwatch, with an eye towards the creators and their sources of inspiration.

As you wish… This coloring book for kids of all ages pays tribute to Rob Reiner’s 1986 classic The Princess Bride. It features 70-pages for you to color, as Wesley, Fezzik and Inigo Montoya take on Prince Humperdink and the six-fingered man to rescue Princess Buttercup.

We’ve featured a number of Pawel “Sariel” Kmiec’s incredible LEGO Technic builds. Now learn from the best with this 424-page guide which takes you from basic building principles up through sturdy and complex mechanisms so you can make your own wonderful machines.

The perfect gift for Star Wars fans of all ages, this new collection includes the charming Vader as good dad books, Goodnight Darth Vader and Darth Vader and Friends, along with two frameable art prints, all wonderfully illustrated by author Jeffrey Brown.

Jeff Wysaski hit the Internet jackpot with his Obvious Plant parody signs. Now you can be an Obvious Planter with Jeff and Archie McPhee’s High Five This Sign. The book contains 23 tear-out signs that will lighten up your town’s poles.

Stålenhag’s follow up to Tales from the Loop, Things from the Flood is still filled with paintings of Nordic countrysides invaded by mechanical beings and relics. But here a flood from a “huge abandoned underground facility” washed up strange organic creatures as well.

Music archivist and former record-publicity executive Michael Ochs amassed a substantial private collection of albums and has generously shared his favorites with us in this book. It’s a sentimental look at great art and a slice of history all rolled into one petite package.

Kobo’s new e-book reader has a 7.8″ 1872 x 1404 screen yet weighs just half a pound. It’s also waterproof and has an adjustable night mode that reduces blue light. It also has Wi-Fi, 8GB of storage and a battery that lasts up to a month per charge.

Pop Chart Lab’s upcoming poster features its top 100 novels. Each title is represented by a foil-covered book cover. You can scratch the foil off to reveal the full cover art. The poster measures 18″x 24″. We’d love to have a customizable print.

Chad Howitt’s profile of Josh Spencer, owner of Los Angeles’ famous used book shop The Last Bookstore. An outdoorsman, Josh was paralyzed from the waist down after an accident. But it led him to create what become a beloved landmark.

Alex Bellos and Edmund Harris’ wonderful coloring book is designed for kids and adults who are fascinated with patterns, geometry, or mathematics. It’s packed with dozens of intricate and soothing designs to help keep your mind distracted from the day’s woes.

The Book of General Ignorance informs us about many things in life we don’t know or make assumptions about; e.g., camels store fat in their humps, not water. Grab a copy of it now and get smarter. Seriously, don’t you want to know who blew the nose off the Sphinx?