This is a magical story set in an overgrown garden the size of a field where one very lonely, sometimes grumpy gnome wishes things were different. Although he wants his garden to be a beautiful place where he can sit, he works with wood all day and does not know how to change the wild growth into something wonderful and inviting. One day, a green-fingered Fairy Princess comes to stay in the Gnome’s cottage, and with a little hard work, a little magic and a little assistance from Mark-o’-the-Wisp who lives next door transforms his wilderness into a gorgeous garden. Along the way, the Fairy Princess helps the Gnome make friends with his neighbours and other locals, and even encourages a furry feline housemate! Touching on themes such as the importance of friendship and the wonder of nature against the backdrop of the seasons, The Grumpy Gnome’s Garden will be loved by children aged 4 upwards. For anyone who loves nature, this modern fairytale is an enchanting read for children and adults to share.

There’s a new threat in town – and it’s only twelve inches tall. How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack is the only comprehensive survival guide that will help you prevent, prepare for, and ward off an imminent home invasion by the common garden gnome. Once thought of as harmless garden decorations, evidence is mounting that these smiling lawn statues are poised and ready to wreck havoc. The danger is real. And it’s here. Class 1 gnome-slayer and gnome defence expert Chuck Sambuchino has developed a proven system – Assess, Protect, Defend, Apply – for safeguarding property, possessions, and loved ones. Strategies include step-by-step instructions for gnome-proofing the average dwelling, recognising and interpreting the signs of a gathering horde and – in the event that a secured perimeter is breached – confronting and combating the attackers at close range.

In the context of the transformations that Europe is undergoing, Zoom in, Zoom out: Crossing Borders in Contemporary European Cinema attempts to serve as a testimony to the multiple ways in which European filmmakers are questioning the many borders of the continent. European films have become a vital cultural space where the relationship between borders and identity is being renegotiated. The films discussed here self-consciously address the question of European identity while overtly crossing geographic, cultural, linguistic and aesthetic borders. While all the articles explore the crossing of borders in Contemporary European films, the volume maintains diverse themes and perspectives as subtopics. It includes articles not only about films that deal thematically with border-crossings, but also articles that examine movies that cross borders in genres and techniques. The articles have different theoretical approaches (Film theory, Cultural Studies, History, Sociology, Philosophy, and Psychoanalysis) and cover films from well-known cinematic traditions (French, Spanish, German, and Italian) as well as lesser-known cinematic traditions (Yugoslavian, Greek, and Irish). As a whole, the essays frame the self-conscious gesture by European filmmakers to define European cinema as a work-in-progress, or at the very least, as a project that, like Europe itself, raises as many questions as it answers. "This volume is a welcome addition to the growing critical literature on the evolution of the conception and practice of national cinema in Europe over the last two decades. Sandra Barriales-Bouche and Marjorie Attignol Salvodon have chosen a solid selection of representative case studies that reflects different critical approaches to the problem of maintaining local or national cinema production in Europe during a period of intense globalization. Their insightful introduction formulates the theme of “unsettled borders” and “renegotiated identities” that will resonate in the nine essays that follow. With a focus on the critical concept of these unsettled borders, the various authors explore the ways that the traditional mark of national space has been transformed through political and economic realignments as well as new technologies and the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers for whom national cinema no longer means what it did even twenty years ago. The volume provides a good balance of critical approaches that includes auteur studies, descriptions of state policies and the particular practices of filmmakers and producers in different parts of the continent (Spain, Germany, Ireland, the Balkans) and, finally, useful appendices that provide a close-up view of the complex nature of international co-productions." —Marvin D’Lugo, Professor of Spanish, Clark University "This is an interesting collection of essays that has been well conceived and organised. The standard of writing is high and I recommend publication. I particularly commend the conceptual framework underpinning the volume. This marries a cultural studies approach, which still dominates the study of film in Area Studies and language departments across Europe and the US (where filmic texts are increasingly used as teaching tools), with the more industry-based focus one tends to find adopted by Media and Screen Studies departments. Thus this collection will appeal to a wide range of students and academics. The introduction sets out the volume’s overarching framework cogently and clearly, giving a nuanced exploration of the way that the notion of the border can be used as a dynamic prism to help define and explore the limits of our understanding of Europe, European identity and European culture, within which cinema has long played a key role. The editors give a good account, for example, of the way film has been employed as a space to explore the possibilities of European integration by EU politicians as well as highlighting the flaws inherent within this project. They do, however, perhaps suggest a certain Western European/North American-centric view in their suggestion that the cinema of Yugoslavia, Greece or Ireland is somehow less well known than other national and transnational cinemas explored here. Less well known to whom? ... However, from the broad range of cinemas explored in the rest of the volume clearly this is not the case. Particular high points for me are the chapters on the work of Fatih Akin by Janis Little Solomon and John Davidson’s discussion of Schulze gets the Blues, as well as Olivier Asselin’s fascinating account of Database Cinema. This will be a good addition to scholarship on European film and I look forward to receiving my copy." —Professor Paul Cooke (University of Leeds)

In the deepest part of the forest, Norman is planting a garden. He and his friend, Milly the Mole, plan to grow fruit and vegetables for all their forest friends again this year. Then one day a butterfly appears, and dazzles the gnome with her beauty. Soon he’s filling his garden with delicate flowers to please the butterfly. When a summer storm sweeps through the forest, will Norman’s fragile new garden survive? And what about his friendship with loyal Milly?

In this folkloric examination of mass-produced material culture in the United States, Jeannie Banks Thomas examines the gendered sculptural forms that are among the most visible, including Barbie, Ken, and G.I. Joe dolls; yard figures (gnomes, geese, and flamingos); and cemetery statuary (angels, sports-related images, figures of the Virgin Mary, soldiers, and politicians). Images of females are often emphasized or sexualized, frequently through nudity or partial nudity, whereas those of the male body are not only clothed but also armored in the trappings of action and aggression. Thomas locates these various objects of folk art within a discussion of the post-women's movement discourse on gender. In addition to the items themselves, Thomas explores the stories and behaviors they generate, including legends of the supernatural about cemetery statues, oral narratives of yard artists and accounts of pranks involving yard art, narratives about children's play with Barbie, Ken, and G.I. Joe, and the electronic folklore (or "e-lore") about Barbie that circulates on the Internet.

Home Sweet Gnome is a whimsical story that takes place in the mid-1900s in a small community called Oak Grove. Life is simple there. Family and friends visit often. Ma’s home cooking and sitting on the front porch with Pa are part of the daily routine. The story begins as the main character, Rosie, is going to visit her grandparents. She and her dad travel by bus to meet a friend named Miss Ruby. Rosie and Miss Ruby travel on to the place known as Oak Grove while enjoying the scenery along the way. While at Oak Grove, Rosie and her cousins enjoy being together and become part of some extraordinary adventures. During their visit, the cousins meet a special friend name Thaddeus. He and the children become very good friends. As the story continues, an uninvited guest visits Oak Grove. The trespasser comes with ill intentions but is met with resistance. The plot intensifies as the children work with Thaddeus to protect the garden. At the end of the story, the adventure continues as the story takes an unexpected twist. The ending leaves the reader believing that anything is possible in the garden at Oak Grove!

"Here I stand by the garden path Covered in mud on my lower half But Chloe if you can make me laugh I'll make sure you will get a bath!"

They’re coming for you. Can you really blame garden gnomes for having a grudge? They’re displayed as kitschy jokes, wounded by weed whackers, peed on by dogs. After midlife witch Missy Mindle seriously bungles a spell, gnomes throughout Jellyfish Beach, Florida, are becoming possessed by an evil force and are exacting retribution. Missy has to undo the fast-spreading spell and stop the surge of “accidental” human deaths. The problem is, her regular job is home-health nurse for elderly supernaturals, and she also has to help solve the murder of one of her werewolf patients. Like the gnomes, the Werewolf Women’s Club is out for revenge. And something is coming for her, too. Gnome Coming is the perfect place to jump into Freaky Florida, a clean, humorous paranormal mystery series filled with magic, monsters, and mystery; sarcasm and satire; and, of course, Florida Man. If you love the thrills of urban fantasy, the wit of cozy witch mysteries and paranormal women’s fiction, and a big splash of comedy, this series is for you. Grab this book and enjoy a vacation in Jellyfish Beach today.