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Quirk Holiday Mall 2024: One-Stop Nonfiction Shop
Browse the books below to find the perfect gift for the offbeat fact finder in your life.
Posted by Quirk Books Staff
Movies with Balls
This irreverent, balls-out celebration of the greatest matchups in sports movie history includes analysis, maps and diagrams, and designed memorabilia, perfect for movie buffs and sports fans.
Including Caddyshack, Rocky IV, White Men Can’t Jump and 23 more classic flicks!
If you’re the kind of fan who cheers every single time you watch Rocky beat Drago, or remembers who said “If you build it, he will come,” or has ever wished you were in the stands at the ADAA Dodgeball Finals when Peter LaFleur took out White Goodman, then Movies with Balls is the book for you.
Movies with Balls celebrates and analyzes more than two dozen of the greatest sports films of all time. You’ll be transported into fictional arenas, stadiums, gyms, fields, and golf courses to relive the climactic moments from:
- The Natural
- Field of Dreams
- Teen Wolf
- The Karate Kid
- She’s the Man
- The Waterboy
- Bend It like Beckham
- Creed
- And many more!
Illustrated with fictional ticket stubs, trading cards, play maps, and more, Movies with Balls brings to life the iconic films and characters that we love and admire—just as much as we love our real-world sports and athletic heroes—letting us cheer them on, again and again.
Posted by Gaby Iori
Kid Musicians
Inspiring, relatable, and totally true biographies tell the childhood stories of a diverse group of musicians, including Taylor Swift, Louis Armstrong, Harry Styles, Mariah Carey, Yo-Yo Ma, Paul McCartney, and 10 other influential musicians.
Every great musician started out as a kid once–and many discovered their love of music early on. Whether they became world-famous pop stars, groundbreaking jazz artists, or award-winning songwriters, these musicians pushed boundaries and left their mark. In Kid Musicians, tune into the childhood stories of musical legends such as:
- Beyoncé used to play truth or dare in the middle of the night with the rest of her music group.
- Dolly Parton sometimes made up her own title, author, and story when she had to give a book report in class.
- Prince would rush home after school to watch Superman on TV.
- Taylor Swift grew up on a Christmas tree farm!
Featuring kid-friendly text and full-color illustrations, Kid Musicians highlights renowned musicians who have made an impact on the world of music.
Posted by Gaby Iori
Horror for Weenies
A smart, funny crash course in 25 iconic horror movies, from Psycho to Hereditary, for people who love getting the reference but hate being scared.
You don’t have to miss out just because you don’t like to be frightened! Stop trying to read nonsensical Wikipedia plot summaries (we know you’re doing it), and let an expert tell you everything you need to know about the most influential horror films of the past 60 years—without a single jump scare or a drop of gore.
With a rundown of the history and significance of horror cinema, explanations of common tropes, and detailed entries on 25 important movies ranging from Night of the Living Dead to The Blair Witch Project to Get Out, Horror for Weenies will turn even the scarediest of cats into a confident connoisseur.
Each entry includes:
- A detailed plot summary, with enough jokes that it won’t freak you out
- Smart, illuminating analysis of the film’s themes and cultural significance
- Descriptions of iconic scenes you definitely do not want to look at
- Talking points for impressing even the biggest scary-movie buffs
Never get left out of a conversation again!
Posted by Gaby Iori
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Experience the internationally beloved cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender in a brand new way with this humorous and playful picture book, perfect for readers of all ages.
Meet the Cabbage Merchant. A humble purveyor of cabbages, this enterprising man dreams of selling his harvest in the big city of Omashu. But his dreams—and his cabbages—are crushed when the long-lost Avatar returns…and upends his cart!
Determined to succeed, the Cabbage Merchant hits the road only to run into the Avatar again. And again. And again. With each encounter, the Avatar and his friends leave destruction and smashed cabbages in their wake. Will the Cabbage Merchant ever catch a break?
Get ready to yell “MY CABBAGES!” and reunite with your favorite Avatar: The Last Airbender characters—including Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, and Uncle Iroh—in the cabbage merchant’s saga of perseverance and ingenuity.
Posted by Gaby Iori
The Darcy Myth
What if we’ve been reading Jane Austen and romantic classics all wrong? A literary scholar offers a funny, brainy, eye-opening take on how our contemporary love stories are actually terrifying.
Covering cultural touchstones ranging from Normal People to Taylor Swift and from Lord Byron to The Bachelor, The Darcy Myth is a book for anyone who loves thinking deeply about literature and culture—whether it’s Jane Austen or not.
You already know Mr. Darcy—at least you think you do! The brooding, rude, standoffish romantic hero of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy initially insults and ignores the witty heroine, but eventually succumbs to her charms. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers plot, and one that has profoundly influenced our cultural ideas about courtship. But what if this classic isn’t just a grand romance, but a horror novel about how scary love and marriage can be for women?
In The Darcy Myth, literature scholar Rachel Feder unpacks Austen’s Gothic influences and how they’ve led us to a romantic ideal that’s halfway to being a monster story. Why is our culture so obsessed with cruel, indifferent romantic heroes (and sometimes heroines)? How much of that is Darcy’s fault? And, now that we know, what do we do about it?
Posted by Kim Ismael