In the language of fan fiction, a 'Mary Sue' is an idealised and implausibly flawless character: a female archetype that can infuriate audiences for its perceived narcissism.Such is the setting for this brilliant and important debut by Sophie Collins. In a series of verse and prose collages, Who Is Mary Sue? exposes the presumptive politics behind writing and readership: the idea that men invent while women reflect; that a man writes of the world outside while a woman will turn to the interior.Part poetry and part reportage, at once playful and sincere, these fictive-factive miniatures deploy original writing and extant quotation in a mode of pure invention. In so doing, they lift up and lay down a revealing sequence of masks and mirrors that disturb the reflection of authority.A work of captivation and correction, this is a book that will resonate with anyone concerned with identity, shame, gender, trauma, composition and culture: everyone, in other words, who wishes to live openly and think fearlessly in the modern world. Who Is Mary Sue? is a work for our times and a question for our age: it is a handbook for all those willing to reimagine prescriptive notions of identity and selfhood.
If modern party games seem stiff and soulless, step out of the shadows with this nostalgic book. Just a little practice will have you demonstrating the roar of a lion and the snap of a crocodile; and soon you'll be putting on an entire show to impress your friends and family.
How to Raise a Happy Cat focuses on the happiness to be found in the person/pet relationship and includes dozens of ideas for activities and hacks you can build into daily life with your pet, from spontaneous play and activities to making them the perfect sleep spot. We know how important happiness is for ourselves but when it comes to pets, making sure they’re happy – as opposed to obedient, say – is often underrated. Yet there’s plenty of fresh science that shows that a happy, engaged pet is easy to live with and creates happiness in its owners, too. How to Raise a Happy Cat shows what you can learn from your pet’s behaviour and body language, offer a mass of practical ways to raise your pet’s happiness levels, and show you how to connect with them in the way they’ll love best. Building on recent scientific developments into animal behavioural science, this book's methods aim to increase inter-species understanding and encouraging the behaviour you do want, while discouraging the behaviour you don’t. Divided into 6 chapters, each of which contains plenty of easy-to-follow activities which owners can carry out themselves, this book will become an invaluable resource for building and strengthening the bond between human and cat. Sections include: How you can get to know your cat better; How to develop happiness in different areas, from exercising to playing; A guide to different stages in a cat’s life and at how to tailor activities to a kitten or to an ageing cat Perfect for cat owners who want to get to know their feline friends as individuals, this indispensible book offers a new angle that gives owners lots of customized ideas for having fun with their pet, as well as explaining behaviours that they may have previously found baffling.
Mental exercise provides just as many benefits for dogs as physical exercise does. But once you have basic training—sit, down, come, stay—under your belt, what can you do to build your dog’s brainpower? Take your pup’s repertoire of skills to the next level with an array of games that challenge his body and mind alike. Training your dog in the course of play also allows you and your dog to have fun together while continuing to strengthen that ever-important human–canine bond. Inside Tricks and Games for Smart Dogs: •A dog’s perception of play and the science behind the success of play-based training •Using treats and good timing to encourage desired behaviors •Step-by-step instructions for fifty brain games that teach new behaviors and increase a dog’s intelligence, including adaptations for different skill levels •Increasing your dog’s physical abilities and mental acuity as he learns •Socialization and how it affects your dog’s attitude toward interacting with other dogs •Introducing your dog to new canine playmates
How to Raise a Happy Dog focuses on the happiness to be found in the person/pet relationship and includes dozens of ideas for activities and hacks you can build into daily life with your pet, from spontaneous play and activities to making them the perfect sleep spot. We know how important happiness is for ourselves but when it comes to pets, making sure they’re happy – as opposed to obedient, say – is often underrated. Yet there’s plenty of fresh science that shows that a happy, engaged pet is easy to live with and creates happiness in its owners, too. How to Raise a Happy Dog shows what you can learn from your pet’s behaviour and body language, offer a mass of practical ways to raise your pet’s happiness levels, and show you how to connect with them in the way they’ll love best. Building on recent scientific developments into animal behavioural science, this book's methods aim to increase inter-species understanding and encouraging the behaviour you do want, while discouraging the behaviour you don’t. Divided into 6 chapters, each of which contains plenty of easy-to-follow activities which owners can carry out themselves, this book will become an invaluable resource for building and strengthening the bond between human and dog. Sections include: How you can get to know your dog better; How to develop happiness in different areas, from exercising to playing; A guide to different stages in a dog’s life and at how to tailor activities to a puppy or to an ageing dog. Perfect for dog owners who want to get to know their canine friends as individuals, this indispensible book offers a new angle that gives owners lots of customized ideas for having fun with their pet, as well as explaining behaviours that they may have previously found baffling.
Answers to just about every question you could have about dogs" - ***** reader's review Why does your dog get so possessive over the sofa, or so excited when someone calls at the front door? And why does he bark at bicycles and growl at men in hats? This book will help you solve the riddles of your dogs behaviour and put your own into context!
Who doesn't want to spend more time playing?! Tricks and Games to Teach Your Dog is the how-to book for dog owners looking to improve their "fun factor" in their dogs' eyes. Author Sophie Collins, assisted by Suellen Dainty, promise that any owner of a dog;no matter what age, breed, activity level, size or personality;can transform his pooch into an accomplished performer in brief daily five-minute training sessions. In all, the book offers 80 tricks and games, from the tried-and-true rainy-day tricks like "roll over" and "play dead" to out-of-the-box surprises like "lion tamer" and the "commando crawl." Fully illustrated with color photographs and drawings, Tricks and Games to Teach Your Dog serves as a game plan for busy owners who wish to spend more quality time with their dogs, engaging them in educational games to improve their obedience skills while deepening the dogs' bonds with their owners. Readers can teach their dogs helpful household tasks, such as the "laundry service," "fetch my keys" and "answer the door," as well as games that expand their repertory of manners, such as "say please," "learning a ‘stop' signal," and "dinner time." The authors emphasize the importance of safety in teaching tricks and games and caution owners to only work with safe objects when teaching fetching or finding games. The book is filled with practical training tips that owners can use throughout their dogs' lives. Once an owner is confident and aware of his own technique, he will be better prepared to give the dog specific direction and not confuse the dog by giving false cues or misusing body language, tone of voice or hand signals. The level of difficulty in the lessons range from the simplest ("high five" and "stand ten") to more challenging tricks like "shut the door," "push the ball" and "freeze." The unmistakable focus of the book is fun and activity, and no dog (or owner) ever wants to lead a dull, boring existence. To that end, the authors discuss some great fun outings to bring an owner's play sessions with his dog to an all-time high: camping, volleyball, biking and hiking for starters. And for really adventurous overachievers, the authors provide a brief introduction to the ever-popular obstacle-course sport known as dog agility.
A guide to dog behavior shows how the positions and movements of the ears, eyes, head, mouth and teeth, back, legs, and tail correspond the mood of the animal.
1 Dog Behaviour: Canine behaviourists confirm that the majority of problems experienced by owners are most easily solved by a comprehension of the dog's viewpoint, so being able to 'read' your dog is useful as well as interesting. 2 Choosing a dog: This section encourages you to consider your circumstances - whether you are active, lazy, time-rich but money-poor etc; whether you live alone or with a family. Understanding the commitment you're able to make to a pet will help you to make the right choice. 3 Basic Dog Care: Once you've got a dog, you need to take care of him. This section covers everything, from a place to sleep (e.g. puppy crate versus basket) to feeding, handling, grooming and health checks. 4 Training, Exercise and Games: Starting with an in-depth look at the exercise and play needs of different types of dogs, this section has everything you need to ensure that you have a well-mannered, fun-loving pet. 5 A Healthy Dog: Keeping a young dog healthy is usually straightforward, but it may become more challenging as he gets older. This section looks at the treatment options both for preventing and treating problems and will help you to take the right decisions for your pet's care.
The fabulously eccentric (and secretly kind) Madame Badobedah returns for another escapade in this call to adventure—and ode to female explorers and pioneers—from Sophie Dahl and Lauren O’Hara. Mabel lives with her parents in the Mermaid Hotel, where she keeps an eye on all the guests, particularly her friend, the endlessly fascinating Madame Badobedah. Madame Badobedah, who considers herself part of a long tradition of daring women such as Amelia Earhart and Zora Neale Hurston, has pirouetted through pyramids, swum with mermaids, and helped a triceratops with a toothache. Just opening one of the drawers in her dressing table full of mementos elicits tales of banshees and curses and an exciting new quest: a reverse jewel heist! On a mission to return a priceless “borrowed” emerald, Mabel and her adopted godmother don their best spy costumes and head to the Natural History Museum, where they might just meet an old—very old—friend. But as Mabel discovers, no one is too young or old for adventure, because it’s adventuring that makes life worthwhile. In concert with Lauren O’Hara’s fantastical illustrations, Sophie Dahl spins a tale of intergenerational friendship that shines like Madame Badobedah’s found sea glass: a colorful treasure.
How to Grow Plants from Seeds is a great little book - a hand-holding, step-by-step guide with clear pictures and instructions. It demystifies the process and covers flowers as well as vegetables and herbs. A most useful present for anyone wanting to get started on sowing seeds.' Country Living How To Grow Plants From Seeds does away, once and for all, with the idea that there's something difficult about growing direct from seed. There's no need to rely on the professionals to raise seedlings for you: seeds are not only cheap to buy and environmentally friendly but, if you follow a few basic rules, they're also fantastically rewarding, not least because a single packet will usually leave you with plenty of spares to swap with fellow enthusiasts. Whether you're a novice or an experienced gardener, if you want to nurture an impressive cutting garden or aim to have a bounteous harvest of fruit and vegetables, here's what you need to know, presented in a straightforward and accessible way. You'll discover the basic rules for different seeds, their sowing preferences (Indoor, under cover or direct- to-plot? Surface-sow or cover up? Water or spray?), how long they take to germinate, and how to prick out, pot on and raise your infant plants to become sturdy, productive adults. The book opens with a basic primer showing how seeds work, to give every grower the best chance at success. This is followed by extensive chapters on raising food and flowers from seed with plenty of detailed plant profiles included, and finally there's a guide to collecting seeds from your plants and how to save and swap - so that you, too, can become a seed evangelist.
Small White Monkeys is a fragmented essay that includes poems and images on self- expression, self-help, and shame. Beginning with the image of small white monkeys, the text examines the authors relationship with shame through a series of short studies on cats, hair as a metonym for the self in poetry and fiction, and perceptions of sexual violence, among other things. Using the Glasgow Womens Librarys Archive Collections and Lending Library for research, Collins incorporates material from the librarys archives and the work of female creators past and present, including Anna Mendelssohn, Jean Rhys, Selima Hill, Adrian Piper, June Jordan, Denise Riley, vahni Capildeo, and veronica forrest-Thomson. Based in edinburgh, Collins is the editor of Currently & Emotion, an anthology of contemporary poetry translations. She was featured in Penguin Modern Poets 1, alongside work by Anne Carson and emily Berry, and has been recognized for her extensive poetic works.
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