Susie B Anthony Rabinowitz Gersten was sure her marriage to Jonah Gersten, MD -- adoring spouse and doting father to their young triplets -- was perfection. But when the Park Avenue plastic surgeon is found dead in the Upper East Side apartment of second-rate "escort" Dorinda Dillon,...  more

Susie B Anthony Rabinowitz Gersten was sure her marriage to Jonah Gersten, MD -- adoring spouse and doting father to their young triplets -- was perfection. But when the Park Avenue plastic surgeon is found dead in the Upper East Side apartment of second-rate "escort" Dorinda Dillon, nothing makes sense to Susie -- not Jonah's sexual liaison with someone like Dorinda, not the over-the-top politeness of Jonah's partners, and definitely not being universally pitied (widow of murder victim!) and quietly mocked (husband paid for sleazy sex!) by everyone she knows. Then her tough-talking, super-chic grandma Ethel flies in from Miami, and together they take on Jonah's snooty parents, his egotistical colleagues, the NYPD, and the DA as Susie tries to prove that her wonderful life with her husband was no lie.

What if you could see how your life would unfold--just by clicking a button? It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and...  more

What if you could see how your life would unfold--just by clicking a button? It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future. Everybody wonders what their destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

"Remind yourself what really matters with The Art of Forgetting. Fast-paced, painful, funny, and renewing at once . . . Take a cue from the book and pass it along to your buds. " -DailyCandy Marissa Rogers has always been just fine as a beta. After all, hadn't taking charge without taking...  more

"Remind yourself what really matters with The Art of Forgetting. Fast-paced, painful, funny, and renewing at once . . . Take a cue from the book and pass it along to your buds. " -DailyCandy Marissa Rogers has always been just fine as a beta. After all, hadn't taking charge without taking credit been paying off? It's what vaulted her to senior editor at a glossy-if somewhat tedious-diet magazine and let her be best friends with gorgeous, charismatic, absolutely alpha Julia Ferrar. And then Julia is hit by a cab. Her external injuries are minor, but brain damage steals her memory and alters her personality. To help her friend, Marissa must assume the alpha role and help Julia recover her past. As Julia heals, she begins dredging up memories Marissa would rather forget-including the fact that Julia once asked her to abandon the love of her life.

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces ... Dante’s Inferno. Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and...  more

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces ... Dante’s Inferno. Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust ... before the world is irrevocably altered.

Oscar Martin was fourteen when he mysteriously disappeared from his Iowa farmhouse home in June 1914. His sister claimed Oscar had rowed out to sea – but how was that possible? There is no ocean in Iowa. When, nearly a century later, Lucy Martin and her parents move from their city...  more

Oscar Martin was fourteen when he mysteriously disappeared from his Iowa farmhouse home in June 1914. His sister claimed Oscar had rowed out to sea – but how was that possible? There is no ocean in Iowa. When, nearly a century later, Lucy Martin and her parents move from their city apartment to that same farmhouse in Iowa, it is not long before Lucy discovers the strange and dangerous Book of Story Beginnings. And it’s not long before Oscar reappears in a bizarre turn of events that sends the two distant relatives on a perilous journey to save Lucy’s father.

When Celia Donnelly?s husband, Jonathon, surprises her with a family vacation to Mexico, the harried book editor couldn't be happier. She is overworked and exhausted, a situation that has taken a toll on her eighteen-year marriage, not to mention her relationship with her teenaged son. Escaping...  more

When Celia Donnelly?s husband, Jonathon, surprises her with a family vacation to Mexico, the harried book editor couldn't be happier. She is overworked and exhausted, a situation that has taken a toll on her eighteen-year marriage, not to mention her relationship with her teenaged son. Escaping the perpetually rainy Pacific Northwest for the sugary sands of Mexico could be just what the doctor ordered. Yet shortly after their arrival south of the border, a chance encounter with a stranger sparks illicit memories of a former affair. The moment passes, but that brief encounter proves enough to change her life forever. Hours later, Celia is lured from the beach and abducted off the street. At first a seemingly random victim, Celia quickly realizes her captors know exactly who she is. Desperate for news of her family and devastated by the betrayal of someone she trusts, Celia, along with an unlikely ally, is soon running for her life. Pursued from the balmy shores of Mexico to the steamy thickets of the jungle, to the crisp, cold mountains of Zurich, Celia will stop at nothing to find her way home.

At thirty-four Sara Gallagher is finally happy. Her antique furniture restoration business is taking off and she?s engaged to a wonderful man. But there?s one big question that still haunts her ? who are her birth parents? Sara is finally ready to find out. Some questions are better left...  more

At thirty-four Sara Gallagher is finally happy. Her antique furniture restoration business is taking off and she?s engaged to a wonderful man. But there?s one big question that still haunts her ? who are her birth parents? Sara is finally ready to find out. Some questions are better left unanswered. Sara?s birth mother rejects her?again. Then she discovers her biological father is an infamous killer who?s been hunting women every summer for over thirty years. Sara tries to come to terms with her horrifying parentage ? and her fears that she?s inherited more than his looks ? with her therapist, Nadine, who we first met in Still Missing. But Sara soon realizes the only thing worse than finding out your father is a killer is him finding out about you. What if murder is in your blood? Never knowing is a complex and compelling portrayal of one woman?s quest to understand where she comes from. That is, if she can survive?

From the author of HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT, the story of a fractured family and three sisters' secrets. The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family...  more

From the author of HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT, the story of a fractured family and three sisters' secrets. The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless. Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year's Day, she will reinstate the family in her will. Or at least consider it. And so the confessions begin.... Some involve love. Some involve hate. Some involve life. Some involve death. No secret is too big or too small for the Sullivans, or for author Natalie Standiford, in this smart and funny novel about the confessions that can bring families together...or tear them apart.

Who are you? What have we done to each other? These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of Nick. That she kept secrets from...  more

Who are you? What have we done to each other? These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of Nick. That she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they weren't made by him. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what did happen to Nick's beautiful wife?

On her eighteenth birthday, Lexi Larrabee gets the shock of her life. If she wants to receive her beloved trust fund, every week for the next year, she must take on a different odd job. But if there?s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast food restaurant employee, it?s...  more

On her eighteenth birthday, Lexi Larrabee gets the shock of her life. If she wants to receive her beloved trust fund, every week for the next year, she must take on a different odd job. But if there?s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast food restaurant employee, it?s dealing with the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her. In a hilarious coming of age story about family, good intentions, and second chances, Lexi learns that although she might have 52 reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night....  more

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway -- a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love -- a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

The True Story of Cinderella's fairy Godmother Lil is an old woman who spends her days shelving rare books in a tiny Manhattan bookstore and lonely nights at home in her apartment. But Lil has an intriguing secret. Tucked and bound behind her back are white feathery wings -- the only key to who...  more

The True Story of Cinderella's fairy Godmother Lil is an old woman who spends her days shelving rare books in a tiny Manhattan bookstore and lonely nights at home in her apartment. But Lil has an intriguing secret. Tucked and bound behind her back are white feathery wings -- the only key to who she once was: the fairy godmother responsible for getting Cinderella to the ball to unite with her Prince Charming. But on the fateful night, something went terribly and beautifully wrong. Lil allowed herself to unthinkable: to feel the emotions of human beings and fall in love with the prince herself, going to the ball in place of Cinderella in her exquisitely gorgeous human guise. For her unforgivable mistake, she was banished to live among humans, far from her fairy sisters and their magical underwater world. But then one day she meets Veronica -- a young, fair skinned, flame-haired East Village beauty with a love of all things vintage and a penchant fro falling in love with the wrong men--and suddenly it becomes clear to Lil that she's been given a chance at redemption. If she can find a soul mate for Veronica, she may right her wrong and return to the fairy world she so deeply longs for....

Georgia Bottoms may be Six Points, Alabama's finest feature -- beautiful, worldly, a splendid cook and faithful churchgoer who cares for her aged mother and sells handmade quilts to her grateful neighbors. Georgia also has a discreet side business, "entertaining" six local...  more

Georgia Bottoms may be Six Points, Alabama's finest feature -- beautiful, worldly, a splendid cook and faithful churchgoer who cares for her aged mother and sells handmade quilts to her grateful neighbors. Georgia also has a discreet side business, "entertaining" six local gentlemen at night. Judge Barnett on Sunday, Sheriff Allred on Friday, the doctor on Wednesday (Monday's are Georgia's own). Each gentleman gets a night tailored to his particular tastes, each has been trained to leave a "gift" to help Georgia get by, and each one thinks he is Georgia's only secret lover. When Preacher Eugene Hendrix (Saturdays) decides he must confess their affair in front of his wife and the entire congregation, Georgia may be able to stop him in time. But one pin pulled out of her elaborately protected life may be all it takes to send the whole structure to hell in a hurry. Chin high, posture perfect, her Chanel handbag tucked firmly under her arm, Georgia sets out to save herself, her mama, and her particular notion of virtue from total ruin. Nothing in Six Points will ever be the same. Written with hilarity, insight, and affection for the many failings of man-and womankind, Georgia Bottoms plumbs the irrepressible workings of the rebellious human heart.

In 1874 the great Cheyenne chief, Little Wolf, had an idea to help his people assimilate into the new white culture. He asked President Ulysses S. Grant for "the gift of 1000 white women as wives." Since all children born in the Cheyenne culture become members of their mother's...  more

In 1874 the great Cheyenne chief, Little Wolf, had an idea to help his people assimilate into the new white culture. He asked President Ulysses S. Grant for "the gift of 1000 white women as wives." Since all children born in the Cheyenne culture become members of their mother's tribe, Little Wolf reasoned that as a result of these unions, "the next generation of Cheyenne children would be born into the the white man's tribe with the full privileges attendant on that position." His request was NOT granted. But what if it HAD been? Through the fictional journals of May Dodd, Jim Fergus explores this idea, introducing the reader to many of these adventurous brides and the native people they come to live among.

The spellbinding epic set in twelfth-century England, The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of the lives entwined in the building of the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known—and a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother...  more

The spellbinding epic set in twelfth-century England, The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of the lives entwined in the building of the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known—and a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother.

Lanky lizards! The slinkster-cool novels in Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat series have finally been compiled into one delicious volume. All of the ethereal, mesmerizing titles are here--Weetzie Bat, Witch Baby, Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys, Missing Angel Juan, and Baby Be-Bop--together like...  more

Lanky lizards! The slinkster-cool novels in Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat series have finally been compiled into one delicious volume. All of the ethereal, mesmerizing titles are here--Weetzie Bat, Witch Baby, Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys, Missing Angel Juan, and Baby Be-Bop--together like the big, beautiful family described on their pages. Block's unique, poetic style immediately draws readers into an intoxicating magical-realist world populated by empathetic, original characters (as well as a few ghosts, fairies, and genies): "He kissed her. A kiss about apple pie ? la mode with the vanilla creaminess melting in the pie heat. A kiss about chocolate, when you haven't eaten chocolate in a year. A kiss about palm trees speeding by, trailing pink clouds when you drive down the Strip sizzling with champagne. A kiss about spotlights fanning the sky and the swollen sea spilling like tears all over your legs." We cheer for these young women and men as they struggle with the universal trials of growing up, finding love, and letting go--all within the vivid, glittering, urban embrace of Los Angeles. Block's stories about finding yourself, being true to your dreams, and believing in what might seem impossible will inspire teens and adults alike with the resounding messages of hope and the transformative power of love. --Brangien Davis Contents: Weetzie Bat -- Witch Baby -- Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys -- Missing Angel Juan -- Baby Be-Bop.

Where were the kisses? Weetzie Bat wondered. And so begins a magical journey of discovery. As she turns forty and the relationship with her secret-agent lover-man Max falls apart, Weetzie packs up her lime green and bright orange bikini, orange suede sneakers, and Pucci tunic, jumps in her '65...  more

Where were the kisses? Weetzie Bat wondered. And so begins a magical journey of discovery. As she turns forty and the relationship with her secret-agent lover-man Max falls apart, Weetzie packs up her lime green and bright orange bikini, orange suede sneakers, and Pucci tunic, jumps in her '65 mint green Thunderbird, and leaves. Weetzie finds herself at the enchanted pink hotel in sparkling Los Angeles, where she once shied away from a kiss that may have led her to the love of her life. Now she returns, perhaps in search of her lost passion, and meets an otherworldy cast of characters, among them a blue-skinned receptionist, an invisible cleaning lady, a seductive fawn, and a sushi-eating mermaid who gives her a kiss that sets the wheel of self-discovery in motion. Block invests every scene with equal shots of magic and realism, rendering her heroine and supporting players in vivid, poetic detail. In Necklace of Kisses the fans that have grown up with Weetzie Bat will be able to meet her in adulthood and find that life is still no less trying and no less full of wonder.

Pink Smog, the long-awaited prequel to Francesca Lia Block's groundbreaking novel Weetzie Bat, was praised as "an intoxicating mix of mystery, fantasy, and romance" by ALA Booklist in a starred review. Weetzie Bat is one of the seminal young adult novels of the '90s and continues to be an iconic...  more

Pink Smog, the long-awaited prequel to Francesca Lia Block's groundbreaking novel Weetzie Bat, was praised as "an intoxicating mix of mystery, fantasy, and romance" by ALA Booklist in a starred review. Weetzie Bat is one of the seminal young adult novels of the '90s and continues to be an iconic treasure for teens everywhere. Now Pink Smog reintroduces a whole new generation to the eponymous Weetzie Bat?before she was Weetzie. Against the backdrop of a Los Angeles teeming with magical realism, Louise Bat struggles to find a way to deal with life after her father's unceremonious departure.Longtime fans and newfound readers alike will fall in love with Francesca Lia Block's beautifully crafted and brutally honest world. Maggie Stiefvater, New York Times bestselling author of The Raven Boys, proclaimed "Pink Smog sparkles and obscures; it's a glorious mirage, like the city it pays homage to."Extras in this paperback edition include "The Girl in the Pink Pinto," an essay about the inspiration for Weetzie Bat, the official Pink Smog playlist, an excerpt from Francesca Lia Block's next novel, and more!

The good news: you won’t stop laughing. The bad news: Every word is true.Profiling fifty of the most disgusting, painful, life-threatening and otherwise icky diseases, this remarkable book is the perfect treat for the closet temperature-taker, speed-dialing doctor stalker, or...  more

The good news: you won’t stop laughing. The bad news: Every word is true.Profiling fifty of the most disgusting, painful, life-threatening and otherwise icky diseases, this remarkable book is the perfect treat for the closet temperature-taker, speed-dialing doctor stalker, or tissue-wielding virus-phobe in all of us. Each disease is fully documented, including a checklist of symptoms, an overview, treatment, prognosis, and—for the rare cases in which the reader is not yet infected—notes on prevention. With fascinating, sickeningly accurate text written by a member of the editorial staff in the Infectious Disease Department of Elsevier, The Hypochondriac’s Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have is capable of startling even the most health-confident into fanatical hand washing.

Hot on the heels of the wildly successful The Hypochondriac’s Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have comes The Paranoid’s Pocket Guide to Mental Disorders You Can Just Feel Coming On, Dennis DiClaudio’s hilarious look at fifty disturbingly familiar maladies...  more

Hot on the heels of the wildly successful The Hypochondriac’s Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have comes The Paranoid’s Pocket Guide to Mental Disorders You Can Just Feel Coming On, Dennis DiClaudio’s hilarious look at fifty disturbingly familiar maladies you just know are buried deep in your psyche. This inspired new collection profiles the most nerve-wracking, harebrained, loopy, life-threatening and totally out-there mental disorders you could imagine—and some you could never imagine. With complete descriptions of the symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, and treatment for psychosis, this book could convince even the most rational readers that something—or someone—is out to get them. From the slightly odd Stendhal Syndrome (the fear of artwork) to the mentally debilitating Athazagagoraphobia (the feeling that you’ve forgotten something important) and the downright bizarre Windigo Psychosis (the belief that you are a wild and ravenous monster), The Paranoid’s Pocket Guide to Mental Illnesses You Can Just Feel Coming On is a fascinating compendium of psychological illnesses for all of us to fret and agonize over.

Uncover the details of the sexual desires your conscious mind is too ashamed to admit to. So you like animals. Everyone likes animals. But if you really, really like animals—or clowns, or trees, or dressing up in a fur suit before you enter the bedroom—hen this book is for you. The...  more

Uncover the details of the sexual desires your conscious mind is too ashamed to admit to. So you like animals. Everyone likes animals. But if you really, really like animals—or clowns, or trees, or dressing up in a fur suit before you enter the bedroom—hen this book is for you. The Deviant’s Pocket Guide is an unerringly witty and surprisingly comprehensive pocket encyclopedia of the absurd and hilarious fantasies we indulge in the bedroom. As DiClaudio puts it, “human sexuality is a lovely and complex flower,” and this book is a colorful testament to that. In its pages, you will find clowns, balloons, hot rods, shoes, and a curio cabinet’s worth of other unlikely sexual objects. Each of the forty illustrated encyclopedia entries is broken down into relevant sections, including a narrative fantasy typical of the fetish, the speculated psychological origins, and a few other factoids to complete the picture. The Deviant’s Pocket Guide is a look into our collective medicine cabinets: clever, devious, and surprisingly thorough—a handbook of our best-kept secrets, difficult to put down and impossible to ignore.

From sea to shining sea-including a quick stop at Fort Payne, Alabama, the Official Sock Capital of the World-there's something for everyone in this great nation. With compelling juxtapositions of pictures and text, Hubert Pedroli and Mary Tiegreen showcase a select 1,001.The newest addition to...  more

From sea to shining sea-including a quick stop at Fort Payne, Alabama, the Official Sock Capital of the World-there's something for everyone in this great nation. With compelling juxtapositions of pictures and text, Hubert Pedroli and Mary Tiegreen showcase a select 1,001.The newest addition to the successful 1,001 series, this cross-country collection invites us to view our homeland and its people from a fresh perspective. Vintage images, breathtaking landscapes, and thought-provoking excerpts revel in the incredible diversity of America. There's Tupperware, the safety pin, and Velcro. There's also national parks, vintage cars, and, of course, the Bill of Rights. Patriotic and nonpartisan, this book is the perfect gift, no matter what your political affiliation. A thousand-plus ways to pledge allegiance: What's not to love? AUTHOR BIO: Hubert Pedroli moved to the U.S. from France in the late 1970s, and he's been discovering reasons to love America ever since. His previous books include 1,001 Reasons to Love(tm) Golf.Mary Tiegreen is a designer and writer whose lifelong interest in the art of bookmaking has resulted in beautifully illustrated titles on a wide variety of topics. She is the creative director of STC's 1,001 Reasons to Love(tm) series.

An irreverent, idiosyncratic, and information-filled catalog of all things Southern--the people, places, history, traditions, foods, and foibles that fascinate Americans both north and south of the Mason-Dixon line.The Confederate States. The Cotton Kingdom. The Sahara of the Bozart. The bible...  more

An irreverent, idiosyncratic, and information-filled catalog of all things Southern--the people, places, history, traditions, foods, and foibles that fascinate Americans both north and south of the Mason-Dixon line.The Confederate States. The Cotton Kingdom. The Sahara of the Bozart. The bible Belt. However it is defined, the South is the most intriguing--and misunderstood--region of the country. It's not surprising: Where else can such diverse cultural icons as Robert E. Lee, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Moon Pie be found in one place?In 1001 short, eminently readable essays, authors John and Dale Reed illuminate every nook and cranny of this fertile land and culture, clarifying with an authoritative but humorous touch what everyone should know about. Interspersed with their incisive entries on history, politics, life, and literature, is a whole mess of fun facts such as what state has the best barbecue, where kudzu originally came from, why chivalry is so important to Southern males, and the origins of bluegrass music. So if you want to know the difference between a bubba, a good ol' boy, a redneck, a whelp (Tennesseean), and a sandlapper (South Carolinian), you're sure to find it in 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About The South.

Comic, skeptic, cyber-sleuth, syndicated columnist, and inspired wordsmith, Evan Morris is the Word Detective. He's an etymologist with a sense of humor, a lexicographer with an attitude. Morris's unique approach to language and his distinctive brand of absurdity have found a loyal...  more

Comic, skeptic, cyber-sleuth, syndicated columnist, and inspired wordsmith, Evan Morris is the Word Detective. He's an etymologist with a sense of humor, a lexicographer with an attitude. Morris's unique approach to language and his distinctive brand of absurdity have found a loyal following of readers curious about everything from soup to nuts -- and that means the origins of the phrase soup to nuts, and thousands more words and phrases. This book is a collection of 150 of Morris's language columns, which appear in newspapers throughout the country and on his popular Web site. A clueless husband writes the WORD DETECTIVE to ask if his wife has insulted him by calling him gormless. Coworkers write to settle a watercooler dispute about the logic of feed a cold, starve a fever. The Word Detective snoops around, follows the leads, and uncovers the answers. The book is chock-full of fascinating lore about the origins and uses of the English language and includes special sections exploring groups of words such as euphemisms, eponyms, and onomatopoeic forms. Funny and offbeat, clever and curmudgeonly, irreverent and irritable, this detective is for all of us who appreciate a dash of wit with our words.

With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry -- lonely, friendless, not too good at sports -- spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding...  more

With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry -- lonely, friendless, not too good at sports -- spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele -- a onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his "Husband for a Day" coupon, he still can't make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart. But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others -- especially those we love -- above ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for. In a manner evoking Ian McEwan's Atonement and Nick Hornby's About a Boy, acclaimed author Joyce Maynard weaves a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence, and devastating treachery as seen through the eyes of a young teenage boy -- and the man he later becomes -- looking back at an unexpected encounter that begins one single long, hot, life-altering weekend.

Boston, 1865. A series of murders, all of them inspired by scenes in Dante's Inferno. Only an elite group of America's first Dante scholars -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and J. T. Fields -- can solve the mystery. With the police baffled, more...  more

Boston, 1865. A series of murders, all of them inspired by scenes in Dante's Inferno. Only an elite group of America's first Dante scholars -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and J. T. Fields -- can solve the mystery. With the police baffled, more lives endangered, and Dante's literary future at stake, the Dante Club must shed its sheltered literary existence and find the killer.

Set in a small Alabama train stop town in the 1930s, this gem of a book almost could have been shelved as just another light romantic comedy. Various women's voices tell anecdotes of Whistle Stop, as the chapters jump back and forth through time. We hear from Mrs. Threadgoode, reminiscing...  more

Set in a small Alabama train stop town in the 1930s, this gem of a book almost could have been shelved as just another light romantic comedy. Various women's voices tell anecdotes of Whistle Stop, as the chapters jump back and forth through time. We hear from Mrs. Threadgoode, reminiscing fondly from her nursing home in the 1980s, and the chatty Dot Weems, editor of the gossipy town newsletter (1929-1969), and then listen in on spirited dialogue set in the town of Whistle Stop itself. The storytellers never find use for the label "lesbian," nor do they see fit to take us behind closed doors, but this is nevertheless the irresistible story of a fierce and true love between two women, Idgie and Ruth. After Idgie saves Ruth from an abusive marriage, these two friends become partners in running the Whistle Stop Cafe, where no one, "not even hobos and colored," is turned away for inability to pay. Readers are set down in the corner booth to eavesdrop on the comings and goings of an array of eccentric, ragtag characters who drop in for buttermilk biscuits, Big George's barbecue, and, eventually, news about their own hometown murder mystery. Among revelations big and small, Fannie Flagg mixes direct and empowering confrontations with racism, sexism, and ageism with the colorful and endearing language of the depression-era South and the cafe's recipes for grits, collard greens, and, of course, fried green tomatoes.

As a world-class equestrian and Olympic contender, Annemarie Zimmer lived for the thrill of flight atop a strong, graceful animal. Then, at eighteen, a tragic accident destroyed her riding career and Harry, the beautiful horse she cherished. Now, twenty years later, Annemarie is coming home...  more

As a world-class equestrian and Olympic contender, Annemarie Zimmer lived for the thrill of flight atop a strong, graceful animal. Then, at eighteen, a tragic accident destroyed her riding career and Harry, the beautiful horse she cherished. Now, twenty years later, Annemarie is coming home to her dying father's New Hampshire horse farm. Jobless and abandoned, she is bringing her troubled teenage daughter to this place of pain and memory, where ghosts of an unresolved youth still haunt the fields and stables -- and where hope lives in the eyes of the handsome, gentle veterinarian Annemarie loved as a girl... and in the seductive allure of a trainer with a magic touch. But everything will change yet again with one glimpse of a white striped gelding startlingly similar to the one Annemarie lost in another lifetime. And an obsession is born that could shatter her fragile world.

Twenty years after her competitive riding career died, Annemarie Zimmer worries that her relationship with the man she loves is off course, and fears that daughter Eva's own dreams of Olympic glory will carry her far from home ... and into harm's way. When the teenage Eva is invited...  more

Twenty years after her competitive riding career died, Annemarie Zimmer worries that her relationship with the man she loves is off course, and fears that daughter Eva's own dreams of Olympic glory will carry her far from home ... and into harm's way. When the teenage Eva is invited to audition for a world-class trainer, Annemarie realizes that she must give Eva a chance to soar. But when Eva falls in love with a spectacular blue roan Nokota who hasn't let anyone ride him since his arrival at the barn, Annemarie's doubts come crashing back. It is a time of change at Maple Brook, when fears must be saddled and broken. And one remarkable family must learn how to deal with Flying Changes.

She was only two-foot eight-inches tall, but her legend reaches out to us more than a century later. As a child, Mercy Lavinia “Vinnie” Bump was encouraged to live a life hidden away from the public. Instead, she reached out to the immortal impresario P. T. Barnum, married the tiny...  more

She was only two-foot eight-inches tall, but her legend reaches out to us more than a century later. As a child, Mercy Lavinia “Vinnie” Bump was encouraged to live a life hidden away from the public. Instead, she reached out to the immortal impresario P. T. Barnum, married the tiny superstar General Tom Thumb in the wedding of the century, and transformed into the world’s most unexpected celebrity. Here, in Vinnie’s singular and spirited voice, is her amazing adventure -- from a showboat “freak” revue where she endured jeering mobs to her fateful meeting with the two men who would change her life: P. T. Barnum and Charles Stratton, AKA Tom Thumb. Their wedding would captivate the nation, preempt coverage of the Civil War, and usher them into the White House and the company of presidents and queens. But Vinnie’s fame would also endanger the person she prized most: her similarly-sized sister, Minnie, a gentle soul unable to escape the glare of Vinnie’s spotlight. A novel of the Gilded Age, and of a woman’s public triumphs and personal tragedies, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb is the epic of a heroine who conquered the country with a heart as big as her dreams.

For Dr. David Bec, the loss was shattering. And every day for the past eight years, he has relived the horror of what happened. The gleaming lake, The pale moonlight. The piercing screams. The night his wife was taken. The last night he saw her alive. Everyone tells him it's time to move on,...  more

For Dr. David Bec, the loss was shattering. And every day for the past eight years, he has relived the horror of what happened. The gleaming lake, The pale moonlight. The piercing screams. The night his wife was taken. The last night he saw her alive. Everyone tells him it's time to move on, to forget the past once and for all. But for David Beck, there can be no closure. A message has appeared on his computer, a phrase only he and his dead wife know. Suddenly Beck is taunted by the the impossible..... that somewhere, somehow, Elizabeth is alive.

The FaceAcknowledged as “America’s most popular suspense novelist”(Rolling Stone ) and as one of today’s most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of...  more

The FaceAcknowledged as “America’s most popular suspense novelist”(Rolling Stone ) and as one of today’s most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human. Now he delivers the page-turner of the season, an unforgettable journey to the heart of darkness and to the pinnacle of grace, at once chilling and wickedly funny, a brilliantly observed chronicle of good and evil in our time, of illusion and everlasting truth. He’s Hollywood’s most dazzling star, whose flawless countenance inspires the worship of millions and fires the hatred of one twisted soul. His perfectly ordered existence is under siege as a series of terrifying, enigmatic “messages” breaches the exquisitely calibrated security systems of his legendary Bel Air estate.The boxes arrive mysteriously, one by one, at Channing Manheim’s fortified compound. The threat implicit in their bizarre, disturbing contents seems to escalate with each new delivery. Manheim’s security chief, ex-cop Ethan Truman, is used to looking beneath the surface of things. But until he entered the orbit of a Hollywood icon, he had no idea just how slippery reality could be. Now this good man is all that stands in the way of an insidious killer—and forces that eclipse the most fevered fantasies of a city where dreams and nightmares are the stuff of daily life. As a seemingly endless and ominous rain falls over southern California, Ethan will test the limits of perception and endurance in a world where the truth is as thin as celluloid and answers can be found only in the illusory intersection of shadow and light.Enter a world of marvelous invention, enchantment, and implacable intent, populated by murderous actors and the walking dead, hit men and heroes, long-buried dreams and never-dying hope. Here a magnificent mansion is presided over by a Scottish force of nature known as Mrs. McBee, before whom all men tremble. A mad French chef concocts feasts for the mighty and the malicious. Ming du Lac, spiritual adviser to the stars, has a direct line to the dead. An aptly named cop called Hazard will become Ethan’s ally, an anarchist will sow discord and despair, and a young boy named Fric, imprisoned by celebrity and loneliness, will hear a voice telling him of the approach of something unimaginably evil. Traversing this extraordinary landscape, Ethan will face the secrets of his own tragic past and the unmistakable premonition of his impending violent death as he races against time to solve the macabre riddles of a modern-day beast.A riveting tour de force of suspense, mystery, and miraculous revelation, The Face is that rare novel that entertains, provokes, and uplifts at the same time. It will make you laugh. It will give you chills. It will fill you with hope.From the Hardcover edition.