Böcker av Michael McBride

Impress your friends with mind-blowing knowledge from a book that's even more fun than the facts inside Over the course of a raucous night, a cast of hilarious characters explore and debate history, space, psychology, and what it means to be human. The reader has a front row seat at the party, from the early small talk--where they discuss light and fun ideas ("Did you know that astronauts have Velcro on the inside of their helmets to scratch their noses?")--to the end of the night, when conversations get deeper. ("Who were the Sea Peoples and did they cause the Bronze Age collapse?") Each character at the party serves a purpose. There's a travel blogger who shares fun facts from around the world--the reader can even see her photos! An archaeologist from a prestigious Boston university is attending the party; he'll chime in and add context on ancient civilizations. A sharp-witted friend from Long Island is less intellectual--but he loves cracking jokes and only understands history through sports metaphors! Through these characters and others, How to Sound Smart at Parties avoids the traditional problem that fun fact books have: they're hard to read for more than a few pages at a time. Instead, this book can be read cover-to-cover. By presenting ideas in the form of dialogue and narrative, the reader stays engaged and learns without even realizing it. Characters ask the big questions: what constitutes a conspiracy theory? How do our biases inform what we share? Are there any more hors d'oeuvres? Between bites of cheese and bytes of information, the reader picks up facts that they can share with their real-life friends. But most importantly: they have fun. Because How to Sound Smart at Parties is a party. And, just like any great party, you'll never want it to end.

A small town in the hills of Southern Indiana is the hometown of Michael Johnson. Michael "MJ" Johnson is the town marshal who wants to simplify his life as he approaches the age of forty. He decides to leave law enforcement, and just weeks before his official retirement date, a murder takes his life down a complicated series of paths that eventually leads him to the life he didn't know he was looking for.His best friend from high school, Barry Kaiser, who is now the mayor of West Baden and instrumental in getting him the marshal position, becomes the prime suspect in the murder. Complicating things even more is his present relationship with Barry's younger sister, Monica.His town marshal replacement, Kathy, works closely with him during the investigation, resulting in the two of them becoming involved with each other, and through his relationship with her, he finds what was missing in his life. He then realizes that leaving the force was merely an exit from his present life and would still have left him empty.He is retired from the force and now having what he believes to be a life he could never have. However, doubts about his conclusion to the murder haunted his serenity. He secretly began following up on a lead that hadn't occurred to him during the initial investigation. What he uncovers is far more than he bargained for, and the murder he thought he had put behind him now comes back to threaten not only his life but also the life of his wife and unborn child.He discovers a world behind the murder he knew existed but finds inconceivable that it could exist in the small-town atmosphere he grew up in and believed he understood.

When Marks father died there was a void.... But by chance Mark receives what he believes is a message from beyond the grave. 'So it begins...' And perhaps there is 'hope' after all! This is a story for all of those who have lost someone. Maybe, just maybe, all is not lost...

A Safety Man loses his job after there is a fatality on a construction site. However, it isn't long before a missing labourer and talk of a murder start an unlikely hero on a mission to clear his name. Uncoiling the dark and dangerous underworld of Scotland capital city.... Michael McBride is the author of 'Hunt Hunted, Murder Murdered', 'Natures Way' and 'The Wordsmith', and won Global Short Story for 'Friendly Fire' in 2010. He spent 20 years in Safety Management roles, and wrote this book while giving the right people, the right information, at the right time - so that they could go home safely every day. Some days your job can be murder....

The Library of the Dead is an anthology of literary fiction inspired by Chapel of the Chimes, a crematory and columbarium founded in 1909 in Oakland, California, and one of the area's most beautiful historic buildings. Thousands are entombed in golden books (urns) shelved from floor to ceiling in a glowing labyrinth of nearly countless rooms. The stories within The Library of the Dead represent a few of those golden books, and when opened, reveal the stories of those inside.