Viva Editions are books that inform, enlighten, and entertain. The very name, "Viva!", is celebratory. And while Viva Editions is a line of books that are as fun as they are informational, the intention behind Viva is very serious—these are books that are truly helpful and intended to enhance people's lives.


Monday, June 13, 2011

The world's "better than greatest" dad?

If these adjectives don't describe your dad, ask Arthur Plotnik Word lovers will be equally delighted by this rhapsody of rhetoric

More · Buy

Better Than Great
A Plenitudinous Compendium of Wallopingly Fresh Superlatives
by Arthur Plotnik
Better Than Great is the essential guide for describing the extraordinary—the must-have reference for anyone wishing to rise above tired superlatives. Arthur Plotnik, the wunderkind of word-wonks is, without mincing, proffering a well knit wellspring of worthy and wondrous words to rescue our worn-down usage. Plotnik is both hella AND hecka up to the task of rescuing the language of praise, offering readers the chance to never be at a loss for words!

Booklist gave Better Than Great a starred review: "Original, assiduously researched, and zestfully written, this work of reviviscent wordy fun is to be read as well as consulted, and what gonzo joy awaits language lovers as Plotnik serves up high-fivable hot sauce for the brain."



More · Buy

Wordcatcher
An Odyssey into the World of Weird and Wonderful Words
by Phil Cousineau
The world's preeminent mythology scholar explores the mystery and meaning of marvelous words

Author Phil Cousineau explores the obscure territory of word origins with great erudition and endearing curiosity. The English poet W. H. Auden was once asked to teach a poetry class for 20 students. Two hundred applied to study with him. When asked how he chose his students, he said he picked the ones who actually loved words. So too, with this book—it takes a special wordcatcher to create a treasure chest of remarkable words and their origins, and any word lover will relish the stories that Cousineau has discovered.



Know any dads of tweens or teens? And for the dad who's got everything
The Available Parent
Radical Optimism for Raising Teens and Tweens
by John Duffy
Embrace Fearless Parenting

When hugs and family fun have been replaced by silence, slamming doors and an ever-changing array of moods, you need new tools. Top teen expert Dr. John Duffy has encountered all of this and more in his family counseling practice and offers excellent advice, clear strategies and teen-tested solutions in The Available Parent.

Dr. Duffy can help you shift the dynamic in your relationship with your teenager. Using the techniques in The Available Parent, you can begin to enjoy a healthy, satisfying, new kind of relationship with your teenager—one based on a foundation of radical optimism, rather than fear-based control. Dr. Duffy's step-by-step guide is an innovative approach to taking care of teens and tweens. You'll see that it's the available parent that fosters an extraordinary teenager.



More · Buy

Random Obsessions
Trivia You Can't Live Without
by Nick Belardes
A People's History of the Peculiar
Did you know Thomas Jefferson’s grandson was an ax murderer? How about an ailment so surreal it’s named after Alice in Wonderland? Historian Nick Belardes explains the unexplained, from the permanently puzzling Mothman conspiracy to secret Star Wars Jedi religious cults and the charmingly eccentric reason why British aerospace engineers sent teddy bears floating out into space.

Truly trivia you can’t live without, Random Obsessions is filled with facts, lists, definitions, and astonishing information guaranteed to provide you with the best cocktail conversation for many years to come. Your guide, Nick Belardes, has devoted his life to poking around the peculiar and perplexing, and the result is a trivia book that is anything but trivial. These real-world facts are outlandish enough to sharpen your brain and occupy your mind for hours of reading.



More · Buy





Viva Editions, an imprint of Cleis Press, 2246 Sixth St., Berkeley, CA 94710

No comments:

Post a Comment