Awesome Books

Sometimes, we all could use a little schadenfreude to brighten our days. National Geographic author Michael Farquhar’s book catalogs 365 tales of misery and misfortune through the years, from the time casino magnate Steve Wynn ruined his Picasso, to that time people were drowned by a flood of molasses.

Expand your mind every day with this app that offers up new content 30 times a month. Each of its non-fiction micro books is designed to be read or listened to in less than 12-minutes, making it a perfect complement to your daily commute or your lunch break. Grab a lifetime subscription in The Awesomer Shop.

Illustrator Don Moyer of Calamityware offers up a small book with some big lessons. If you feel like you’re a monster when it comes to parties, public events, or other places where people gather, this 68-page mini book will set you on the right path to proper decorum.

If you ski or snowboard, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the work of artist James Niehues. You just didn’t know it. You see, James hand painted many of the maps we use to navigate the trails. Now you can own a collection of 200 of his intricate works in this beautiful coffee table book, a great gift for any winter sports fanatic.

A bunch of different artists offer their illustrative interpretations of the fiercest female superheroes and supervillains in the DC universe, while graphic novelist Shea Fontana profiles them. A great gift for comic book fans old and new.

From the Cornflake Wars of 1906 to the Toilet Paper Panic of 1973, author Gabe Henry’s and illustrator Dave Hopkins’ compact almanac is filled with one strange historical fact for each day of the year. Makes a great gift for trivia buffs or a bedside reader for your guest room.

Cyriak Harris is best known for his incredibly surreal, layered, and detailed animations. Now, the artist has created his first book, a science fiction story about a horse who could destroy the universe, and the meaning of life. It’s been referred to as The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets Black Beauty meets The Matrix.

Master doodle artist Lei Melendres‘ creative coloring book sends you on a mission to explore weird and creepy scenes filled with hundreds of wacky characters and hard to find objects. Once you find your objectives, simply color them in, then move on to the next challenge.

Ease the wait for Rick and Morty‘s fourth season with Adult Swim’s The Art of Rick and Morty book. It contains never before seen sketches and designs for the show’s characters, details of the writer’s room and more. It’s also available as an eBook.

A series of classic board games, each presented in vintage style, and packed inside a box designed to look like a hardcover book. Each one packs its board, pieces, dice, etc. inside. Choose from Monopoly, Clue, Yahtzee, Scrabble, Scattergories, or LIFE.

Author J.W. Rinzler’s 336-page hardcover book takes us inside the production of Ridley Scott and Dan O’Bannon’s 1979 science fiction/horror classic Alien. The book includes interviews with the original crew, and photographs, artworks, and storyboards from the production.

If you grew up in the ’70s or ’80s, there’s not much more iconic than the box art from classic Atari games. Authors Robert V. Conte and Tim Lapetino explore the history of videogaming’s great forefather, and the artists and creative process behind these now classic works.

A fun coffee table book or bathroom reader filled with random and strange bits of trivia, each accompanied by a silly illustration. Learn how Napoleon was attacked by rabbits, how dancing goats are the reason we have coffee, and how it’s illegal for a mortician to swear in front of the dead in Georgia.

Best known for their iconic, in-depth auto repair manuals, Haynes also offers a series of books which delve into the design, construction, and operation of famous military planes like the F/A-18 Hornet, Grumman F-14 Tomcat, and the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.

Authors Kelly and Zach Weinersmith take a lighthearted, but informative look at “Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything.” The book looks at everything from fusion power, to brain-computer interfaces, to 3D-printed organs, and how they could dramatically improve lives, or end up being the end of us.

xkcd creator Randall Munroe’s latest book offers solutions to real-world problems. But don’t expect to get advice you can actually use. Instead, you’ll receive overly-complicated and impractical methods, in what he calls “world’s least useful self-help book.” Drops 9/3/19.

Expert LEGO designer and builder Jeff Friesen presents an amazing book for LEGO fanatics, architecture fanatics, and anyone who enjoys building things. It includes plans for building 50 different models as part of 8 fantastic LEGO micro cities.

Back when science fiction was considered pulp fiction, art directors and artists had the freedom to run wild with the cover art for sci-fi books. Nerdwriter pays homage to some of these notable people and their work, and reminds us to have a greater appreciation for cover art.

Illustrator Andrew Morgan’s thick-paged kids book is perfect for teaching toddlers their ABCs. But instead of animals and everyday objects, each letter of the alphabet is illustrated with a rock and roll god or goddess. He also makes a version for budding rap stars.

Is your kid good at spelling? Throw ’em a curve ball with P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever, an A to Z guide to a few of the many quirks of the English language, with its silent consonants and other rule-breaking pronunciations. (Thanks Nathan!)

The Folio Society presents a fantastic new hardcover edition of Ray Bradbury’s classic, as the denizens of Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show are brought to life through creepy, intricate illustrations by artist Tim McDonagh. A great gift for any fan of dark fantasy.

Serial Box offers compelling original content in eBook and audio formats. Each episode runs about 40 minutes , with each series running 10 to 16 weeks. Choose from sci-fi/fantasy, drama, or murder/mystery bundles, each including five series. Save 51% in The Awesomer Shop.

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.