In recent years, cultural commentators have sounded the alarm about the dire state of reading in America. Americans are not reading enough, they say, or reading the right books, in the right way.
In this book, Alan Jacobs argues that, contrary to the doomsayers, reading is alive and well in America. There are millions of devoted readers supporting hundreds of enormous bookstores and online booksellers. Oprah's Book Club is hugely influential, and a recent NEA survey reveals an actual uptick in the reading of literary fiction. Jacobs's interactions with his students and the readers of his own books, however, suggest that many readers lack confidence; they wonder whether they are reading well, with proper focus and attentiveness, with due discretion and discernment. Many have absorbed the puritanical message that reading is, first and foremost, good for you--the intellectual equivalent of eating your Brussels sprouts. For such people, indeed for all readers, Jacobs offers some simple, powerful, and much needed advice: read at whim, read what gives you delight, and do so without shame, whether it be Stephen King or the King James Version of the Bible. In contrast to the more methodical approach of Mortimer Adler's classic How to Read a Book (1940), Jacobs offers an insightful, accessible, and playfully irreverent guide for aspiring readers. Each chapter focuses on one aspect of approaching literary fiction, poetry, or nonfiction, and the book explores everything from the invention of silent reading, reading responsively, rereading, and reading on electronic devices.
Invitingly written, with equal measures of wit and erudition, The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction will appeal to all readers, whether they be novices looking for direction or old hands seeking to recapture the pleasures of reading they first experienced as children.

Paul Farrell's stackable cards are fun for all the family Build a skyscraper using the beautifully-designed cards, with only your imagination to limit you. Each pack contains 64 cards (105 x 69 mm) in a variety of graphic designs. Clever paper engineering allows you to slot the cards together, building up and out in whichever way you like! Also included is a short booklet, with descriptions of the key elements of a skyscraper and suggestions of how to build your masterpiece. You can go traditional or get abstract and construct your own crazy high-rise! Renowned illustrator Paul Farrell has designed these cards in a cool, graphic style - turning the image of a skyscraper into a work of art. Fun, educational, creative and mindful. The sky's the limit!

Although most models of railway locomotives are produced in a pristine condition, in reality the external condition of most locomotives quickly deteriorated as operation and weather took their toll. Of all the skills associated with railway modelling, that of weathering of locomotives is perhaps one of the most difficult. It is very easy to spoil an otherwise beautiful model by the careless application of paint but as increasing numbers of modellers seek to create an ever more authentic feel for their layouts, information on the best methods of application becomes all the more important. This informative new volume provides the modeller with a guide to the principles and practice of weathering locomotives, providing modellers of all levels and abilities with a step by step guide to the skills involved and the pros and cons of undertaking such work on models. Following the same format as the rest of the 'Aspects of Modelling' series, the book includes instructive text alongside detailed colour illustrations. Examples of weathering include multiple-units as well as steam, diesel and electric locomotives.As well as the popular 4mm scale, the author also includes examples of 7mm and 2mm scale models.

Begin your lifelong love affair with the mindful art of bonsai. Do you know your shari from your nebari? Can you tell literati styling from informal upright? Want to know how to create that gnarled and twisted look? Let Happy Bonsai guide you along the path to enlightenment, with care and display profiles for 40 top trees and fully illustrated step-by-steps of more than 20 bonsai techniques and styles. Find your perfect tree and discover how to prune, shape, and tend to its needs to create a beautiful living sculpture. Fall in love with this most meditative of garden crafts.

This is a practical guide to getting the best from the many resin and etch detailing kits available to enhance scale model aircraft, and is intended to help beginners and experienced model makers alike. Richly illustrated, it uses six model-building examples, from the very basic application of etch to the major conversions. It includes an overview of the tools required; guidance on building the basic model kit; an explanation of different types of multimedia; the methods for producing etched brass; how to undertake 3D design and 3D printing and, finally, gives the steps for successful resin casting.

This full-colour guided journal provides a flexible framework for those looking to change their messy ways. Through prompts, challenges, and checklists, readers will explore their relationship with cleaning: why they hate it, what stands in their way, and how to make small changes that lead to big results down the road. Cleaning Sucks will help you define your own measure of success - nevermind those unattainable #goals in glossy magazines and TV makeover shows. Everyone deserves a space they love, but that means something different for everyone. When inspiration does strike to get up and declutter, you'll find easy-to-accomplish tasks, ways to track new habits as they're being built, and other real-life tools to help you reach your home goals. And for when you just need a little extra motivation, Cleaning Sucks provides tips, tricks, quotes, and gentle kicks in the pants to get you off your butt and tidying up.

Create a dynamic space for designing and building DIY electronic hardware, programming, and manufacturing projects. With this illustrated guide, you'll learn the benefits of having a Makerspace--a shared space with a set of shared tools--that attracts fellow makers and gives you more resources to work with. You'll find clear explanations of the tools, software, materials, and layout you need to get started--everything from basic electronics to rapid prototyping technology and inexpensive 3D printers.

A Makerspace is the perfect solution for many makers today. While you can get a lot done in a fully-decked out shop, you'll always have trouble making space for the next great tool you need. And the one thing you really miss out on in a personal shop is the collaboration with other makers. A Makerspace provides you with the best of both worlds.

Perfect for any maker, educator, or community, this book shows you how to organize your environment to provide a safe and fun workflow, and demonstrates how you can use that space to educate others.

Filled with dirigibles and floating cities, penny-farthings and pirate ships, curiosities and robots galore, Steampunk LEGO is an illustrated collection of Victorian-era sci-fi treasures, all built from LEGO. Curated by award-winning LEGO builder and special effects master Guy Himber, this full-color coffee table book showcases an eclectic variety of models designed by dozens of the world s best LEGO artists. Grab your brass goggles and join fictional explorer Sir Herbert Jobson as he travels the world cataloguing its technological wonders for Queen Victoria. His entertaining descriptions of an imaginative alternate history bring these delightful LEGO models to swashbuckling life.

The 'ShipCraft' series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject class, highlighting differences between sister-ships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring colour profiles and highly-detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the ships, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references - books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites. The subject of this volume is the Second World War German Navy's motor torpedo boats called Schnellboote, known to the Allies as E-Boats. One of the most effective coastal attack craft of the time, the type was built in large numbers and constantly improved as the war progressed, giving many variants to interest modellers. With its unparalleled level of visual information - paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs - it is simply the best reference for any modelmaker setting out to build one of these famous boats.

Kid Crafts introduces younger children to the magic of electronics through the softer side of circuits! Young explorers will learn about electronics through sewing and craft projects aimed at maker parents and their children, elementary school teachers, and kids' activity leaders. Each project introduces new skills and new components in a progressive series of projects that take learners from the very basics to understanding how to use components such as sensors, transistors, and timers. The book is breezy, highly illustrated, and fun for everyone!

Nicholas Whittaker's much-loved classic recollects the long sunny days of his childhood when, notepad in hand, jam sandwiches in the duffel bag, he happily spent his time jotting down train numbers during the Indian summer of steam and the heyday of diesel. Whittaker returns to his roots in this updated edition, casting a sceptical eye over recent developments, catching up with old acquaintances and considering the toll that half a century of ridicule and a couple of decades of privatisation have wrought upon his beloved pastime. As Andrew Martin notes in his Foreword, this is 'one of the best books ever written about rail enthusiasm'. Equally it is a poetically written memoir of growing up in a more innocent age, a hymn to British eccentricity and to the virtues of observing the world around you: 'Spotters - of trains, planes, buses or birds - are a last redoubt for something rapidly vanishing from our lives: looking outward, seeing, observing. People notice things less and less these days, while watching things more and more.' Praise for the first edition: 'An elegy: for the steam trains already vanishing when Whittaker's hobby began in 1964; for the short-lived diesel age which followed; for an era of near innocence.' Times Literary Supplement 'Whittaker writes with humour and considerable evocative power . For anyone who will admit to having a childhood brush with this now derided hobby, Platform Souls brings it all rushing back.' Independent

'Spy in the Sky' matters have long been a source of interest and fascination for aircraft enthusiasts, historians and modellers and none more so than the elusive and secretive Soviet types of the Cold War era. Yefim Gordon presents us here with a range of such types, presenting a collection of photographs, profiles and line drawings together with supplementary text detailing the history of each craft, encompassing the various developmental milestones, successes and pitfalls experienced along the way. The Soviet Union's two dedicated spyplane types, the Yakovlev Yak-25RV 'Mandrake' (the Soviet equivalent of the Lockheed U-2) and the MiG-25R 'Foxbat' are profiled, supplemented by details garnered from a host of original sources. Well-illustrated histories and structural analyses are set alongside detailed descriptions of the various plastic scale model kits that have been released, along with commentary concerning their accuracy and available modifications and decals. With an unparalleled level of visual information - paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs - it is simply the best reference for any model-maker setting out to build a variant of this iconic craft.

The 'ShipCraft' series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject class, highlighting differences between sister-ships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring colour profiles and highly-detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the ships, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references - books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites.This is the first volume in the series not devoted to a naval vessel, but the most famous liner of all time is a suitable subject as one of the most popular of all ship modelling subjects. Apart from Titanic herself, this volume also covers her sister ships Olympic and Britannic which enjoyed longer and more varied careers, including wartime service as troopship and hospital ship.

Take a hands-on flight through history with this model airplane kit! Scale Model Paper Airplanes Kit is filled with famous and historical model planes, just waiting to be assembled. It features 14 paper replicas spanning the history of aviation--from the Spitfire to the Concorde. The pop-out plane pieces are made of high-quality cardstock and printed in full color on both sides. With this kit, you can build and fly: Air Force One--The world's most famous Boeing 747 (a workhorse of commercial passenger air travel for 50 years) Bell X-1--The experimental aircraft that first broke the sound barrier in 1954, piloted by the intrepid Chuck Yeager Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor--A state-of-the-art stealth fighter with a top speed of over 1,500 miles per hour The Wright Flyer--The first powered aircraft, flown by the Wright brothers on December 17, 1903 And many more! This kit includes: Pre-cut, pop-out airplane pieces made of high-quality cardstock that you assemble with any invisible tape (tape not included) 32 page full-color book with instructions and historical information about each plane Rubber band slingshot launcher Aviation enthusiasts will enjoy making their way through history with model paper airplanes that actually fly. Please note that young aviators will need help with assembly.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND OFFICIAL COMPANION TO THE HIT BBC SERIES

BBC’s The Repair Shop is a place where Britain’s most skilled and caring craftspeople rescue and resurrect items that owners thought were beyond saving. Their shared love of craft has helped hundreds of people recover and relive cherished memories, and inspired millions to rediscover their own prized possessions. The skill required to properly restore those items may be beyond most of us, but there are small things we can all do to care for the items we love the most. How do you replenish the stuffing in your child’s beloved, tatty teddy bear, for instance? Or remove a water mark left on your wooden table? What’s the best way to prevent your leather from cracking?

Direct from the Repair Shop's 'Workshop of Dreams', this ‘make do and mend’ guide collects advice and stories from each of the show’s experts, to help you understand and care for those aging treasures and heirlooms around your house or gathering dust in the garage. Whether it’s wood, ceramics, leather or silverware, you will get to know your materials, tools and terms from Britain’s best, as the Repair Shop experts share their tips on restoring and conserving, reveal their favourite tools, and provide a series of small, manageable projects that help tackle the most common problems that occur in their given medium. Their book, like the show it accompanies, with help you safeguard your sentimental legacy for generations to come.