Awesome Books

Rogier Wieland Studio created this captivating stop-motion promo clip for Trombosestichting, The Dutch Thrombosis Foundation, who is distributing a free e-book to help educate people about the dangers and warning signs of blood clots, wrapped up in the guise of a noir thriller.

From Chiquita to Count Chocula, from the Geico Gecko to the Jolly Green Giant, mascots have long been a staple of the advertising industry. Author Warren Dotz’s two-volume series is filled with characters from the iconic to the obscure, from the lovable to the downright weird.

Ernest Cline presents the follow-up to his beloved bestseller. After the events of Ready Player One, Wade Watts makes a discovery in Halladay’s vaults – an advancement that could make OASIS even more wondrous – and addictive. Expect a heaping helping of pop culture references when the book hits on 11.24.2020.

Not every drink needs to knock you on your ass. Author Kat Odell’s cocktail book offers up 50 recipes for festive drinks that taste delicious but are light on the alcohol. They’re perfect for a daytime party, a day at the beach, or just when you want something mellow and not too potent.

From the poison brick-slinging Brickbat to The Horrible Hand, author Jon Morris’ humorous reference book catalogs some of the weirdest and worst supervillains in the history of comic books. Can’t get enough? Round out your bookshelf with some equally unfortunate superheroes and their half-baked sidekicks.

Wally Koval and the followers of the Accidentally Wes Anderson Instagram page are on a mission to find real locations that capture the fastidious and whimsical style of filmmaker Wes Anderson. This 368-page book chronicles some of these wondrous destinations through images and stories, along with a foreword by Anderson himself.

Just because you’re away from your kitchen doesn’t mean you can’t serve up an amazing meal for your friends and family. Emma Frisch’s cookbook for the outdoors not only includes recipes and menus, but shopping and equipment lists to help make dining under the stars a truly memorable experience.

There are plenty of good books out there for honing your survival skills, but how many of them cover what to do if you’re held captive by furry creatures on Endor, stuck on an exploding Death Star, or frozen in carbonite? Well, you’re in luck, thanks to BBC culture editor Christian Blauvelt and his handy Star Wars survival guide.

Philippines-based illustrator Kerby Rosanes presents a wonderful adult coloring book, packed with images of creatures intertwined with fantastical settings. The 96-page paperback offers weeks and weeks of coloring challenge with its intricately-detailed imagery.

Artist Basil Wolverton was known for his amazingly offbeat illustrations that blended science fiction, fantasy, and humor. The books Creeping Death from Neptune and Brain Bats of Venus chronicle his work from 1909 to 1952, during which time his images were published by everyone from Marvel to MAD Magazine.

This fascinating coffee table book brings together the talents of scientific illustrator / tattoo artist Katy Wiedemann and anatomy professor Dr Jennifer Z Paxton. Its pages are filled with detailed images of the inner workings of our bodies, accompanied by informative text that’s informative but still digestible without a medical degree.

Cocktail expert Robert Simonson’s book offers up 75 recipes for delicious beverages you can make with a simple trio of ingredients. From classics like the Bee’s Knees to modern drinks like Remember the Alimony, there’s something for every taste in this 2018 James Beard Foundation book award finalist.

Originally published back in 1953, Hervey Garrett Smith’s book The Arts of the Sailor: Knotting, Splicing and Ropework is a great reference for mariners of all experience levels to learn about shipboard skills, along with detailed illustrations and directions for working with rope and tying various useful knots.

Since 1980, “Weird Al” Yankovic’s friend and drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz has been documenting Al’s misadventures, capturing images of the world’s greatest novelty singer in the studio, on tour, and on video sets. Schwartz’s 208-page hardcover book is filled with never-before-seen photos shot between 1983 and 1986.

Ever wonder how Starfleet crews keep in such good shape during when they’re not fighting Gorn? Robb Pearlman’s amusing workout book offers up exercises like Vulcan side planks, Tribble twists, and those dreaded Wesley crunchers. The perfect gift for Star Trek fans.

Did you know that killer whales have been known to eat deer, or that fluffy white clouds can weigh a million pounds? Author Shane Carley’s offbeat trivia book is filled with 500 strange things that sound like they were totally made up, but are factually correct.

Written by retired Navy SEAL Clint Emerson, this book is packed with illustrated tips and solutions for taking control in dangerous situations, including self defense, escape, and evasion techniques. The tips include low-tech/no-tech methods to help you improvise when things go South. Be sure to check out the Survival Edition as well.

Expand your programming knowledge with an outstanding bundle of eBooks from renowned tech publisher O’Reilly. Pay what you want, but 15 bucks or more gets you all 15 titles, covering SQL, PHP, R, C#, Java, TypeScript, Python, Scala, Rust, and more.

Stuck at home with the kids? Author Mike Rampton comes to the rescue with a compilation of more than 500 family friendly games and diversions to keep the boredom to a minimum. Each activity is ranked by energy level and can be played with stuff lying around the house.

This collection of four books from wilderness expert and author Dave Canterbury includes everything you ever wanted to know about thriving in the wild. The combined reference guides include over 1000 pages of techniques for building shelters, trapping, gathering, and cooking, along with first aid and survival.

When it’s hot and sunny out, you should be drinking some appropriately sunshiney drinks. Davis Adams’ cocktail book is packed with delicious combinations of rum, fruit juice, and other staples of the tiki scene. And if you’re looking for some glasses to serve your conconctions, we highly recommend Geeki Tikis.

Packed with over 400 pages of artwork and historical artifacts from the Transformers franchise, author Jim Sorenson’s coffee table compendium is sure to delight any Transformers fan. The deluxe edition includes a collector’s box and five ready-to-frame prints.

Learn everything there is to know about coffee in this 256 page reference guide by champion barista Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood. The book features illustrations and information about numerous types of coffee, terminology, along with details on growing, roasting, brewing, and the finer points of coffee tasting.

Were the raptors in Jurassic Park just misunderstood? Who’s the better tough guy movie dog owner? Shea Serrano’s book explores these and other random questions from the world of movies. Arturo Torres‘ witty and sharply-drawn images are the perfect accompaniment to Serrano’s in-depth analysis.

This Humble Bundle is packed with over $1000 worth of reading material from Morgan & Claypool to help you learn about electronic circuits, microcontrollers, and engineering principles. Pay what you want, and if you spend more than $15, you’ll get all 17 e-Books, while supporting the National Coalition Against Censorship.

Ready to challenge your brain? Created by Google Software Engineering Manager and puzzle fanatic Willa Chen, this book is filled with 135 of the toughest puzzles money can buy. There’s a good variety too, from cryptograms to word searches to Sudoku, crosswords, and more.