Top 10 Reads: DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, Once Again, Takes Top Spot; Week Ending 12/9/12

7) LEGO Ninjago: Character Encyclopedia
by DK Publishing
"Sensei Wu's ninjas may work together, but they are actually all very different and unique. Little ninjas everywhere can now learn everything there is to know about their favorite Masters of Spinjitzu in DK's LEGO® Ninjago: Character Encyclopedia.

Each beautifully illustrated spread features tons of fun facts on the different characters, variants of each minifigure, and the various vehicles, weapons, and locations that make up the LEGO Ninjago world. Additional pages will be included featuring special events from the new animated series on Cartoon Network, making this book the perfect addition to every LEGO lover's collection!"
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8) Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
by Susan Cain
"Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie’s birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical megachurch, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools. She questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation, and where the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. And she draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the surprising differences between extroverts and introverts."
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9) Gone Girl: A Novel
by Gillian Flynn
"One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?"
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10) The LEGO Ideas Book
by Daniel Lipkowitz
"You have what it takes! Did you ever wonder what you can do with all of those LEGO® bricks after you have created the project they came with?

Now with The LEGO Ideas Book, you can take what you already have and make something new! The book is divided into six themed chapters—transportation, buildings, space, kingdoms, adventure, and useful makes—each with basic templates of key models and spreads to inspire you to create your own."
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