Natural Science

Trapped in the demon world, Louis, one of the most powerful sorcerers in existence, will find himself struggling with the darkness that has seeped into his soul. His family are determined to save him, but they have no idea what the demons have unleashed. And when a sorcerer of his strength loses control, there's a chance that no one will survive the fallout.

Bottled & Sold shows how water went from being a free natural resource to one of the most successful commercial products of the last 100 years - and why we are poorer for it. It's a big story and water is big business. Every second of every day in the United States, a thousand people buy a plastic bottle of water, and every second of every day a thousand more throw one of those bottles away. That adds up to more than 30 billion bottles a year and tens of billions of dollars of sales. Are there legitimate reasons to buy all those bottles?

Based on interviews and advice from leading glacial, ocean, climate, and geographical scientists, and interwoven with personal, historical, and mythological stories, Magnason's On Time and Water is a rich and compelling work of narrative nonfiction that illustrates the reality of climate change - and offers hope in the face of an uncertain future.

Six months ago, a series of murders brought us together, a trio of beautiful, resourceful women, a smoking hot shapeshifter, and little old me, here on glorious, sunny Shelnora Island. And ever since, we've stuck together, investigating mysteries and living life to its fullest. But now, a new series of bizarre deaths plague our tropical paradise. Even more terrifying and gruesome than the werewolf killer, with corpses torn apart and stitched back together, missing couples, and a mysterious ancient tome. Looks like it's time for Supernatural Inc. to get to the bottom of it all!

Throughout history, rivers have been our foremost source of fresh water both for agriculture and for individual consumption, but now economists say that by 2025 water scarcity will cut global food production by more than the current U.S. grain harvest. In this groundbreaking book, veteran science correspondent Fred Pearce focuses on the dire state of the world's rivers to provide our most complete portrait yet of the growing world water crisis and its ramifications for us all.

Bounty hunter John Smoke never liked the rules. As a result of his overly aggressive - and often illegal - arrest methods, he ended up behind bars. But the Bureau won't let him be. Placed in the able care of beautiful, tough-as-nails Sidney Shaw, his new FBI handler, Smoke needs to alter his loose-cannon ways to remain a free man. But there is an unchecked evil festering deep in the heart of the nation's capital, a shadow conspiracy that won't be defeated with a by-the-book approach to law enforcement.

Scrapbooking is magic, and so am I. Or at least I would be, if I could take a freaking nap already. What kind of dream witch can't even make herself fall asleep? A tired witch. A middle-aged, raising-her-teenage-son-alone witch. I'm supposed to keep the magic world a secret. I'm supposed to dream the future. But supposed-tos are for suckers. At 41, I'm done with doubt. And I'm not about to let anyone else tell me what I can or can't do.

When her sister drowned, Azure Galanides was given a choice: sell her soul or let the child die. The decision was simple, and Daneliya lived, but the consequences were worse than she had imagined. Azure became a slave, turned into one of the Sea Goddess’ murderous mermaids. From caregiver to killer, regret became her constant companion, and hope was a long-forgotten stranger. She didn’t deserve redemption. At least, that was what she thought until she met Elios. But the Goddess would stop at nothing to snuff out Azure’s life, and by helping her, Elios put a target on his back.

David Christian is renowned for pioneering the emerging discipline of Big History, which surveys the whole of the past. With Future Stories, he casts his sharp analytical eye forward, offering an introduction to the strange world of the future, and a guide to what we think we know about it at all scales, from the individual to the cosmological. Christian consults theologians, philosophers, scientists, statisticians, and scholars as he explores how we prepare for uncertain futures, including the future of human evolution, artificial intelligence, interstellar travel, and more.

What can nature teach us about living together? Investigating eight symbiotic relationships trying to survive the climate and biodiversity crises, Sophie Pavelle explains why it has never been more vital for us to understand symbiosis. Symbiotic relationships regulate ecosystems, strengthen resilience and bind pivotal connections. Species living together in symbiosis is no accident – these dynamics evolved.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought forth global anxiety about linkages between the environment and society at a fundamental structural level. Earthly Order: How Natural Laws Define Human Life provides an accessible exposition of the latest foundational knowledge on how natural and social systems science can inform planetary crises. Humanity has either tried to conquer or capitulate to natural order, whereas we should be seeking to understand latent structures and patterns that permeate all systems and develop an "earthly order," that is socially functional and sustainable.

On the night of September 20, 1938, the news on the radio was full of Hitler's pending invasion of Czechoslovakia. Severe weather wasn't mentioned; only light rain was forecast for the following day. In a matter of hours, however, a hurricane of unprecedented force would tear through one of the wealthiest and most populated stretches of coastline in America, obliterating communities from Long Island to Providence, destroying entire fishing fleets from Montauk to Narragansett Bay.

Feathers are an evolutionary marvel: Aerodynamic, insulating, beguiling. They date back more than 100 million years. Yet their story has never been fully told. In Feathers, biologist Thor Hanson details a sweeping natural history, as feathers have been used to fly, protect, attract, and adorn through time and place. Applying the research of paleontologists, ornithologists, biologists, engineers, and even art historians, Hanson asks: What are feathers? How did they evolve? What do they mean to us?

For weeks, something’s been...off. I can’t explain it, but it’s as if I’m being watched. Suddenly, I’m a statistic - snatched off the street and thrown in a trunk by a terrifying man who turns into a wolf. His wolf wants me dead, yet something draws me to this broken man. We share an indescribable attraction, and my touch may be enough to heal his beast’s psychotic mind. But the Supernatural Forces doesn’t believe in second chances, and the SF always catches the rogue werewolves. And when they do, if I can’t prove Collin’s worth saving...they’ll kill him.

When the formidable power of Jessa Lebron's mark was unleashed during her impulsive foray into Vanguard, the American supernatural prison, she learned the truth. She's a dual shifter: wolf and, as an added bonus, dragon - of the fluffy persuasion. Yep, she's one special cupcake. Now, pursued by the Four, powerful hunters of the dragon marked, she has no choice but to run.

Flowers, and the fruits that follow, feed, clothe, sustain, and inspire all humanity. Flowers are used to celebrate all-important occasions, to express love, and are also the basis of global industries. Americans buy 10 million flowers a day, and perfumes are a worldwide industry worth $30 billion annually. Stephen Buchmann takes us along on an exploratory journey of the roles flowers play in the production of our foods, spices, medicines, and perfumes while simultaneously bringing joy and health.

In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, David Norman discusses how dinosaurs were first discovered and interpreted and how our understanding of them has changed over the past 200 years. He looks at some of the amazing discoveries that have enabled us to gain new and unexpected insights into dinosaurs as animals with natural histories and behaviors and considers some of the biggest questions in dinosaur biology, such as the implications of them having warm blood.

Lovelorn kangaroo shifter Hamish Mulherne, drummer for the mega-hit rock band Hunter’s Moon, waited years for the band’s jaguar shifter bassist to notice him. Instead, she’s just gotten married and is in a thriving poly relationship. How is Hamish supposed to compete with that? But with everyone else in the band mated and revoltingly happy, he needs somebody. Since he can’t expect true love to strike twice, he signs up with Supernatural Selection. Because what the hell?

The Shotgun Conservationist doesn’t teach us how to hunt, it explores why we should hunt. As public lands remain imperiled, factory farms pollute the earth and subject animals to inhumane conditions, and global uncertainty presses us all to be more self-sufficient, there has never been a better time to take up hunting. Writer, natural historian, and public speaker Brant MacDuff has done just that. An avid animal lover and raised as a non-hunter, MacDuff started his journey intending to investigate the claim that “hunting is conservation.”

One of the great science and health revelations of our time is the danger posed by meat-eating. Every day, it seems, we are warned about the harm producing and consuming meat can do to the environment and our bodies. Many of us have tried to limit how much meat we consume, and many of us have tried to give it up altogether. But it is not easy to resist the smoky, cured, barbecued, and fried delights that tempt us.