At its center are two sisters—Eri, a fashion model slumbering her way into oblivion, and Mari, a young student soon led from solitary reading at an anonymous Denny’s toward people whose lives are radically alien to her own: a jazz trombonist who claims they’ve met before, a...  more

At its center are two sisters—Eri, a fashion model slumbering her way into oblivion, and Mari, a young student soon led from solitary reading at an anonymous Denny’s toward people whose lives are radically alien to her own: a jazz trombonist who claims they’ve met before, a burly female “love hotel” manager and her maid staff, and a Chinese prostitute savagely brutalized by a businessman. These “night people” are haunted by secrets and needs that draw them together more powerfully than the differing circumstances that might keep them apart, and it soon becomes clear that Eri’s slumber—mysteriously tied to the businessman plagued by the mark of his crime—will either restore or annihilate her.

His story was told in the bestseller and acclaimed film Prince of the City. He was a detective in the narcotics division of the New York City Police Department during the 1960s and 1970s -- its most explosive and dramatic decades. His name is Robert Leuci, and now he is telling his own story....  more

His story was told in the bestseller and acclaimed film Prince of the City. He was a detective in the narcotics division of the New York City Police Department during the 1960s and 1970s -- its most explosive and dramatic decades. His name is Robert Leuci, and now he is telling his own story. All the Centurions is Leuci's accurately and sometimes mercilessly remembered account of young manhood -- a tale filled with dreadful and daring adventures on the streets and in the courthouses of New York City. Leuci takes us into the world of the New York City Police Department at a time when the city was crumbling under its own weight, drugs were taking over the poorer neighborhoods, and crime was rampant on the streets and subways. But this is also a story of shattered illusions and personal loss, of endurance and healing, and, finally, of astonishing spiritual growth. Leuci describes his evolution from a naive rookie to a seasoned detective who believes that the only people he can trust are his fellow cops -- until he learns that even that might not be true. Leuci remembers the incredibly heroic men and women who behaved more bravely than anyone thought possible -- police officers both celebrated and notorious, like Frank Serpico, Sonny Grosso, and Eddie Egan and Detective Frank King from the French Connection case; high-ranking lawyers like Alan Dershowitz, Rudy Giuliani, and Tom Puccio. Leuci also reveals the dark side of New York City's criminal justice system: the bitterness, poison, greed, untamed cruelty, and ambition that eventually overflowed into the alleyways, rooftops, precinct houses, and courtrooms of the city. All the Centurions is an engrossing read filled with great chase scenes and intriguing dramas while being, at its core, the story of a man descending into a hell of his own making who ultimately finds the way out through truth and justice. This is a true story about the mean streets of New York that is as vivid and entertaining as the best crime novel.

Father MacKenzie manages to see the good in everyone. His job is made ore difficult with his nosey housekeeper and the gossips from the shops down the road. Will they succeed in spoiling things or will Father MacKenzie's advice win the day? This charming tale shows the ups and downs of everyday...  more

Father MacKenzie manages to see the good in everyone. His job is made ore difficult with his nosey housekeeper and the gossips from the shops down the road. Will they succeed in spoiling things or will Father MacKenzie's advice win the day? This charming tale shows the ups and downs of everyday life in a heart warming way. A 2009 Quick read book from UK

A raw, gritty memoir?part true-life cop thriller, part unputdownable history of a storied time and place?that will grip you by the throat until the explosive endAlphabet City in 1988 burned with heroin, radicalism, and anti-police sentiment. Working as a plainclothes narcotics cop in the most...  more

A raw, gritty memoir?part true-life cop thriller, part unputdownable history of a storied time and place?that will grip you by the throat until the explosive endAlphabet City in 1988 burned with heroin, radicalism, and anti-police sentiment. Working as a plainclothes narcotics cop in the most high-voltage neighborhood in Manhattan, Detective Sergeant Mike Codella earned the nickname ?Rambo? from the local dealers, as well as a $50,000 bounty on his head.  The son of a cop who grew up in a mob neighborhood in Brooklyn, Codella understood the unwritten laws of the shadowy businesses that ruled the streets. He knew that the further east you got from the relative safety of 5th Avenue, Washington Square Park and NYU, the deeper you entered the sea of human misery, greed, addiction, violence and all the things that come with an illegal retail drug trade run wild.  With his partner, Gio, Codella made it his personal mission to put away Davie Blue Eyes?a stone cold murderer and the head of Alphabet City's heroin supply chain.  Despite the hell they endured?all the beatings and gunshots, the footchases and close calls?Codella and Gio always saw Alphabet City the same way: worth saving. Alphaville, Codella?s riveting, no-holds-barred memoir, resurrects the vicious streets that Davie Blue Eyes owned, and tells the story of how Codella bagged the so-called Forty Thieves that surrounded Davie, slowly working his way to the head of the snake one scale at a time.  With the blistering narrative spirit of The French Connection, the insights of a seasoned insider, and a relentless voice that reads like the city?s own, Alphaville is at once the story of a dedicated New York cop, and of New York City itself.

"Chicago Noir is a legitimate heir to the noble literary tradition of the greatest city in America. Nelson Algren and James Farrell would be proud." -Stephen Elliott, author of Happy Baby "If ever a city was made to be the home of noir, it's Chicago. These writers go...  more

"Chicago Noir is a legitimate heir to the noble literary tradition of the greatest city in America. Nelson Algren and James Farrell would be proud." -Stephen Elliott, author of Happy Baby "If ever a city was made to be the home of noir, it's Chicago. These writers go straight to Chicago's noir heart." -Aleksandar Hemon, author of Nowhere Man Brand new stories by: Neal Pollack, Achy Obejas, Alexai Galaviz-Budziszewski, Adam Langer, Joe Meno, Peter Orner, Kevin Guilfoile, Bayo Ojikutu, Jeff Allen, Luciano Guerriero, Claire Zulkey, Andrew Ervin, M.K. Meyers, Todd Dills, C.J. Sullivan, Daniel Buckman, Amy Sayre-Roberts, and Jim Arndorfer. The city of Chicago has spent much time and money over the last decade marketing itself as a tourist-friendly place for the whole family. It's got a shiny new Millennium Park, a spaceship in the middle of Soldier Field, and thousands of identical faux-brick condo buildings that seem to spring from the ground overnight. Chicago's rough-and-tumble tough-guy reputation has been replaced by a postcard with a lake view. But that city's not gone. The hard-bitten streets once represented by James Farrell and Nelson Algren may have shifted locales, and they may be populated by different ethnicities, but Chicago is still a place where people struggle to survive and where, for many, crime is the only means for their survival. The stories in Chicago Noir reclaim that territory. Chicago Noir is populated by hired killers and jazzmen, drunks and dreamers, corrupt cops and ticket scalpers and junkies. It's the Chicago that the Department of Tourism doesn't want you to see, a place where hard cases face their sad fates, and pay for their sins in blood. These are stories about blocks that visitors are afraid to walk. They tell of a Chicago beyond Oprah, Michael Jordan, and deep-dish pizza. This isn't someone's dream of Chicago. It's not even a nightmare. It's just the real city, unfiltered. Chicago Noir.

This hysterical collection of stories of actual crimes committed by clumsy crooks and fumbling felons will have you laughing out loud at painfully dumb attempts at crime. Illustrated.

This is a stunning collection of thirteen of the most gripping short crime and suspense fiction that has appeared throughout the years in Canada's Cold Blood series, which debuted in 1987. Some of Canada's favorite veteran writers as well as new up-and-comers are featured here in a...  more

This is a stunning collection of thirteen of the most gripping short crime and suspense fiction that has appeared throughout the years in Canada's Cold Blood series, which debuted in 1987. Some of Canada's favorite veteran writers as well as new up-and-comers are featured here in a diversity of styles and subjects. Contents:     The best of birtles / William Bankier -- Tale of a tub / Charlotte MacLeod -- Naked truths / Mary Jane Maffini -- Out of bounds / John North -- Man on the roof / Jas R. Petrin -- The Tamerlane crutch / James Powell -- Fan mail / Peter Robinson -- Somewhere they can't find me / Peter Sellers -- Murder in the green / Ted Wood -- Hephaestus / Eric Wright -- Current events / Vivienne Gornall -- An eye for an eye / Nancy Kilpatrick -- Year of the dragon / Tony Aspler A delicious sampling of murder, betrayal, and revenge certain to satisfy the appetites of hungry mystery lovers everywhere.

In seventeenth certury Persia, a young woman working as a servant in the home of her uncle, a rich rug designer in the court of the Shah, blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets. But while her talent flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim, and she finds herself faced with a...  more

In seventeenth certury Persia, a young woman working as a servant in the home of her uncle, a rich rug designer in the court of the Shah, blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets. But while her talent flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim, and she finds herself faced with a daunting decision-- to forsake her own dignity or to risk everything in an effort to maintain it.

Fierce and controversial, Detective Cassandra Maldonado played major hardball to join New York's most elite homicide squad. But she's never seen anything like the hauntingly brutal murder of FYSHBone, a rap superstar and media mogul. Cassandra's instincts tell her that Sabio Guzmán, Bone's...  more

Fierce and controversial, Detective Cassandra Maldonado played major hardball to join New York's most elite homicide squad. But she's never seen anything like the hauntingly brutal murder of FYSHBone, a rap superstar and media mogul. Cassandra's instincts tell her that Sabio Guzmán, Bone's risk-addicted celebrity lawyer, is keeping secrets worth killing for. With the Feds, the city's biggest loan shark, and a vicious music tycoon all out to silence Sabio for good, the heat Cassandra feels for him is destined to bring explosive bad news. Soon their careers and lives are on the line. They're left with everything to lose, nowhere to hide-and one deadly last chance to uncover the truth . . .

Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But...  more

Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the fuku - the curse that has haunted the Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim.

"Buddy Boys" is an strongly written account of the nefarious doings of the infamous 77th Precinct of the NYPD. Located in the middle of Bedford-Stuyvesant, the 77th was notorious during the 1970s for being a precinct gone mad with corruption and venality. The cops were so out of control that...  more

"Buddy Boys" is an strongly written account of the nefarious doings of the infamous 77th Precinct of the NYPD. Located in the middle of Bedford-Stuyvesant, the 77th was notorious during the 1970s for being a precinct gone mad with corruption and venality. The cops were so out of control that they were more criminal than the criminals they were supposed to be chasing and arresting; lying on the witness stand and sabotaging their own prosecutions (grilled by a defense attorney on the actions of a defendant one cop had arrested for supposedly dealing drugs in his presence, the cop breaks down and yells "How the hell do I know? I wasn't even there!"), and robbing not only drug dealers but the people they are supposed to protect.

A lyrical evocation of four generations of Mexican women who defy tradition to discover themselves. Distanced from her heritage, Amparo is nevertheless spellbound by the histories of her grandmother, aunt, and mother. Listening to the ancestral music, Amparo learns to hear its strains woven...  more

A lyrical evocation of four generations of Mexican women who defy tradition to discover themselves. Distanced from her heritage, Amparo is nevertheless spellbound by the histories of her grandmother, aunt, and mother. Listening to the ancestral music, Amparo learns to hear its strains woven throughout her life.

A collection of 11 detective stories designed for younger readers, includes famous types like Ellery Queen, Hercule Poirot and Perry Mason. Daring Detectives : The Day the Children Vanished - Hugh Pentecost Through A Dead Man's Eye - Cornell Woolrich The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim -...  more

A collection of 11 detective stories designed for younger readers, includes famous types like Ellery Queen, Hercule Poirot and Perry Mason. Daring Detectives : The Day the Children Vanished - Hugh Pentecost Through A Dead Man's Eye - Cornell Woolrich The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim - Agatha Christie Green Ice - Stuart Palmer The Grave Grass Quivers - MacKinlay Kantor The Case of the Irate Witness - Erle Stanley Gardner Adventure of the Grice-Paterson Curse - August Derleth The Headmaster - Michael Gilbert The Adventure of the Seven Black Cats - Ellery Queen The Wicked Cousin - Leslie Charteris The Footprint In the Sky - John Dickson Carr

Another collection of Close to Home cartoons from John McPherson, this survival guide will make you laugh yourself sick.

Favored poet Helen Steiner Rice's beautiful verse has been treasured for decades. Her work will encourage you, as you experience the heavenly Father's blessings in Barbour's newest 160-page Value Book-a super value at only $1.99! You'll want to share Helen Steiner Rice's uplifting inspirational...  more

Favored poet Helen Steiner Rice's beautiful verse has been treasured for decades. Her work will encourage you, as you experience the heavenly Father's blessings in Barbour's newest 160-page Value Book-a super value at only $1.99! You'll want to share Helen Steiner Rice's uplifting inspirational verse again and again with A Collection of Blessings. Poems like "Thank You, God, for Everything" and "The Blessing of Sharing" will refresh and inspire your heart.

An insider's tale of a dedicated pair of New York City cops who uncover a heinous scheme of arson that will keep you spellbound from beginning to electrifying end.

Perhaps a 70-year-old spice farmer in southern China in 1907, should know better than to purchase a 15-year-old concubine, especially one who has the presumption to read and write.Still, she is beautiful, an exquisite plaything to replenish his youth and give him more sons.... When the...  more

Perhaps a 70-year-old spice farmer in southern China in 1907, should know better than to purchase a 15-year-old concubine, especially one who has the presumption to read and write.Still, she is beautiful, an exquisite plaything to replenish his youth and give him more sons.... When the concubine gives birth to a daughter, she kills herself, believing that the child will be put to death as a useless girl. But Li X'ia survives, at the mercy of her father, who sees her only as a source of future profit. When the farmer orders his wives to bind the girl's feet to increase her value, Li outwits them and escapes the bandages. At the age of eight she is sold to the silk weavers at Ten Willows, where she faces a life of degradation--but Li manages to escape that too, and finds a way to continue the studies that mattered so much to her lost mother. In time she marries an English sea captain, Ben Devereax, only to be murdered by his enemies on the day she gives birth to their daughter. That daughter, Siu Sing, is spirited to safety by the Fish, a devoted old servant of her parents'. The Fish takes Sing to Master To, a great teacher who watches over the child and trains her in spiritual wisdom and martial arts. But when Sing is approaching young womanhood, the Master is slain by a jealous former pupil, who sells Sing into slavery. Finding temporary refuge at an opium den where she is tutored in the arts of pleasing men, Sing refuses to settle for life as a concubine.  Determined to find her English father, she calls upon all her courage and wisdom to embark on an adventure that will take her from great peace to great danger, and from remote mountain refuges to the perils of Shanghai and Hong Kong on the eve of World War II.

You'll be shocked and amazed. You'll laugh and cry as you discover what it is really like being a big city cop! Cop Tales! is a collection of short stories told in gritty street vernacular full of humor from a Chicago Police veteran's hindsight. Cop Tales! takes you from the harsh realities...  more

You'll be shocked and amazed. You'll laugh and cry as you discover what it is really like being a big city cop! Cop Tales! is a collection of short stories told in gritty street vernacular full of humor from a Chicago Police veteran's hindsight. Cop Tales! takes you from the harsh realities of being a cop to the comical side of the human condition.

A Cop's Tale by Jim O'Neil and Mel Fazzino delivers a rare look into the bare-bones brand of law enforcement from the 1960s to 1980s in New York City. O'Neil describes the thrill of putting LeRoy "Nicky" Barnes out of business and his key role helping the DEA end Frank Lucas's grip on the Harlem...  more

A Cop's Tale by Jim O'Neil and Mel Fazzino delivers a rare look into the bare-bones brand of law enforcement from the 1960s to 1980s in New York City. O'Neil describes the thrill of putting LeRoy "Nicky" Barnes out of business and his key role helping the DEA end Frank Lucas's grip on the Harlem drug trade; and his experience at the "Dog Day Afternoon" bank robbery. It's one of New York's finest getting as down-and-dirty as the criminals he faced to protect the citizens of the city he loved.

All in color! High hills, rolling uplands, steep escarpments, swift-flowing streams, stately homes and humble dwellings draw visitors to the Cotswolds, one of Britain's most celebrated regions. Now it's your turn. The journey starts in Oxford and ends in the elegant city of Bath. Along the way,...  more

All in color! High hills, rolling uplands, steep escarpments, swift-flowing streams, stately homes and humble dwellings draw visitors to the Cotswolds, one of Britain's most celebrated regions. Now it's your turn. The journey starts in Oxford and ends in the elegant city of Bath. Along the way, you'll travel to the well-known sites of the region, as well as many hidden and secret gems. Trim size: 9 x 11.

When her thirty-year marriage broke up, Sue Hubbell found herself alone and broke on a small Ozarks farm. Keeping bees, she found solace in the natural world. She began to write, challenging herself to tell the absolute truth about her life and the things that she cared about. The result is one...  more

When her thirty-year marriage broke up, Sue Hubbell found herself alone and broke on a small Ozarks farm. Keeping bees, she found solace in the natural world. She began to write, challenging herself to tell the absolute truth about her life and the things that she cared about. The result is one of the best-loved books ever written about life on the land, about a woman finding her way in middle age.

The last thing Katie Bonner wanted was to become the manager of Artisans Alley. But when her business partner, Ezra Hilton, is found bludgeoned to death, she has no other choice. Business under Ezra has been faltering-but was it enough to provoke someone to murder? Only Kate can find the answer.

New York is not only a world capital of finance, fashion, and media, but also of every imaginable variety of criminal activity from the most brutal to the most creative. From rampaging draft rioters to Prohibition-era beer barons, from brilliant art thieves to Wall Street insiders, from the Boss...  more

New York is not only a world capital of finance, fashion, and media, but also of every imaginable variety of criminal activity from the most brutal to the most creative. From rampaging draft rioters to Prohibition-era beer barons, from brilliant art thieves to Wall Street insiders, from the Boss Tweed to Dapper Don, New York's criminals personify the dark side of the most vibrant and diverse city on earth. Crimes of New York takes us from the tortured, violent life of David Berkowitz, aka Son of Sam, who terrorized the city in the process of killing six young women to the story of the Manhattan yuppie millionaire whose marriage dissolved in drug abuse and ended in murder; from the life of a woman struggling to stay straight in the South Bronx to the violent childhood of teen killer Cape Man Salvatore Agron. Their crimes reflect our common failings-greed, anger, lust for power-intensified by the brutality and sophistication of the unique pressure cooker that is New York.

Full-color photos. Learn about the formation and practical uses of crystals, semiprecious stones, and precious metals.

Violet Paz has just turned 15, a pivotal birthday in the eyes of her Cuban grandmother. Fifteen is the age when a girl enters womanhood, traditionally celebrating the occasion with a quincea?ero. But while Violet is half Cuban, she?s also half Polish, and more importantly, she feels 100%...  more

Violet Paz has just turned 15, a pivotal birthday in the eyes of her Cuban grandmother. Fifteen is the age when a girl enters womanhood, traditionally celebrating the occasion with a quincea?ero. But while Violet is half Cuban, she?s also half Polish, and more importantly, she feels 100% American. Except for her zany family?s passion for playing dominoes, smoking cigars, and dancing to Latin music, Violet knows little about Cuban culture, nada about quinces, and only tidbits about the history of Cuba. So when Violet begrudgingly accepts Abuela?s plans for a quincea?ero?and as she begins to ask questions about her Cuban roots?cultures and feelings collide. The mere mention of Cuba and Fidel Castro elicits her grandparents? sadness and her father?s anger. Only Violet?s aunt Luz remains open-minded. With so many divergent views, it?s not easy to know what to believe. All Violet knows is that she?s got to form her own opinions, even if this jolts her family into unwanted confrontations. After all, a quince girl is supposed to embrace responsibility?and to Violet that includes understanding the Cuban heritage that binds her to a homeland she?s never seen. This is Nancy Osa?s first novel.

Already at 25, something of a fuddy-duddy, even a trifle eccentric, stockbroker Malcom Warren is summoned to visit his very rich and very autocratic aunt. Wealth gave Aunt Catherine power, a young husband, and a most unpleasant end. Tricked into handing Aunt Catherine a fatal dose of poison,...  more

Already at 25, something of a fuddy-duddy, even a trifle eccentric, stockbroker Malcom Warren is summoned to visit his very rich and very autocratic aunt. Wealth gave Aunt Catherine power, a young husband, and a most unpleasant end. Tricked into handing Aunt Catherine a fatal dose of poison, Malcom must turn detective to protect himself-and his much maligned young uncle. Trouble is, Malcom is more a Watson than a Holmes.

When young academic Terry Williams goes to the Scottish Highlands, she's simply intending to edit the letters of Catherine McCulloch, burnt as a witch in the 17th century. But then the body of a woman is found on a farm, dumped into the death pit. She is one of the modern-day witches.

As 85 color images reveal the beauty and craftsmanship of these unique toys, 25 historical sepia-toned photos place them in the context in which they were used, all accompanied by fact-filled captions and an authoritative text. Seven tales illustrate the role of toys in passing on valuable lessons.

The cactus has long fascinated both garden lovers and naturalists alike for its ability to survive in harsh environments. This guide includes information on time of bloom, habitat, anatomy, and function for 80 of these magnificent desert plants.

When Nita DeLeon's mother died, she took with her a deep family secret. Now, almost twenty-five years later, Nita begins sifting through family history-and discovers a letter from her Aunt Pancha hidden in an address book, a letter that offers new insight into her parents' lives in Guatemala. As...  more

When Nita DeLeon's mother died, she took with her a deep family secret. Now, almost twenty-five years later, Nita begins sifting through family history-and discovers a letter from her Aunt Pancha hidden in an address book, a letter that offers new insight into her parents' lives in Guatemala. As Nita uncovers the truth, she gains comfort in a man who helps her heal the wounds of the past-and finds hope for a more meaningful future...

The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays is a compendium of facts, activities, and stories from around the world suitable for use by the entire family. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur : sweet beginnings -- Sukkot : the great day -- Simhat Torah : rejoicing in the Torah -- Hanukkah : eight...  more

The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays is a compendium of facts, activities, and stories from around the world suitable for use by the entire family. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur : sweet beginnings -- Sukkot : the great day -- Simhat Torah : rejoicing in the Torah -- Hanukkah : eight nights, eight lights -- Tu B'Sh'vat : the trees' birthday -- Purim : masks, melodrama, and merriment -- Pesah : a season of freedom -- Shavuot : the giving of the Torah -- Yom HaShoah : Holocaust remembrance day -- Yom Ha'atzmaut : Israeli independence day -- Shabbat : a peaceful island

From the author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Tuesdays with Morrie, a new novel that millions of fans have been waiting for. "Every family is a ghost story . . ." Mitch Albom mesmerized readers around the world with his number one New York Times bestsellers, The...  more

From the author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Tuesdays with Morrie, a new novel that millions of fans have been waiting for. "Every family is a ghost story . . ." Mitch Albom mesmerized readers around the world with his number one New York Times bestsellers, The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Tuesdays with Morrie. Now he returns with a beautiful, haunting novel about the family we love and the chances we miss. For One More Day is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that covers a lifetime and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one? As a child, Charley "Chick" Benetto was told by his father, "You can be a mama's boy or a daddy's boy, but you can't be both." So he chooses his father, only to see the man disappear when Charley is on the verge of adolescence. Decades later, Charley is a broken man. His life has been crumbled by alcohol and regret. He loses his job. He leaves his family. He hits bottom after discovering his only daughter has shut him out of her wedding. And he decides to take his own life. He makes a midnight ride to his small hometown, with plans to do himself in. But upon failing even to do that, he staggers back to his old house, only to make an astonishing discovery. His mother--who died eight years earlier–-is still living there, and welcomes him home as if nothing ever happened. What follows is the one "ordinary" day so many of us yearn for, a chance to make good with a lost parent, to explain the family secrets, and to seek forgiveness. Somewhere between this life and the next, Charley learns the astonishing things he never knew about his mother and her sacrifices. And he tries, with her tender guidance, to put the crumbled pieces of his life back together. Through Albom's inspiring characters and masterful storytelling, readers will newly appreciate those whom they love--and may have thought they'd lost--in their own lives. For One More Day is a book for anyone in a family, and will be cherished by Albom's millions of fans worldwide.

Filled with warm, inspirational stories that illustrate the kind of values Christians want to pass to future generations, Front Porch Tales is the perfect book for family reading times. Family members of all ages will be deeply touched by these stories designed to lift their spirits and help...  more

Filled with warm, inspirational stories that illustrate the kind of values Christians want to pass to future generations, Front Porch Tales is the perfect book for family reading times. Family members of all ages will be deeply touched by these stories designed to lift their spirits and help them gain perspective on what is really important in life. Stories can be slowly savored one at a time, or the entire book can be read in one sitting. Either way, readers will be encouraged as each tale wraps its way around their hearts.

Frontier Justice highlights eighteen crimes and subsequent punishments of the most interesting, controversial, and unusual executions from an era when hangings and shootings were a legal means of capital punishment. Each action-packed chapter includes biographical information, the pursuit, the...  more

Frontier Justice highlights eighteen crimes and subsequent punishments of the most interesting, controversial, and unusual executions from an era when hangings and shootings were a legal means of capital punishment. Each action-packed chapter includes biographical information, the pursuit, the investigation, legal maneuvers, trial information, and rarely-seen photographs.

Cops are the people who see and hear it all. They work at one of the world's most dangerous jobs, but it's also one of the most entertaining. When their lives are at risk-and even when they aren't-cops encounter constant weirdness and stupidity in human behavior. The Funniest Cop Stories Ever...  more

Cops are the people who see and hear it all. They work at one of the world's most dangerous jobs, but it's also one of the most entertaining. When their lives are at risk-and even when they aren't-cops encounter constant weirdness and stupidity in human behavior. The Funniest Cop Stories Ever collects the strangest, most amusing stories about stupid crooks, bungled crimes, and station-house banter. A true look at what life is like behind the badge, the tales in The Funniest Cop Stories Ever were collected by real-life ex-New York City policeman Scott Baker and coauthor Tom Philbin. Anecdotes are told by the real-life cops who experienced them and include: A foot chase after a dwarf who karate-kicked his girlfriend's door and assaulted her while wearing a tuxedo and carrying a violin case. A beggar who ended people's pay phone calls so he could demand their extra spare change. A narcotics bust on a guy who claimed the crack cocaine-and his pants-didn't belong to him.

Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle was "nothing short of spectacular" (Entertainment Weekly). Now she brings us the story of her grandmother -- told in a voice so authentic and compelling that the book is destined to become an instant classic. "Those old cows knew trouble was coming before...  more

Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle was "nothing short of spectacular" (Entertainment Weekly). Now she brings us the story of her grandmother -- told in a voice so authentic and compelling that the book is destined to become an instant classic. "Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did." So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, in Jeannette Walls's magnificent, true-life novel based on her no-nonsense, resourceful, hard working, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town -- riding five hundred miles on her pony, all alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car ("I loved cars even more than I loved horses. They didn't need to be fed if they weren't working, and they didn't leave big piles of manure all over the place") and fly a plane, and, with her husband, ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette's memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle. Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds -- against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. Half Broke Horses is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa or Beryl Markham's West with the Night. It will transfix readers everywhere.

What if our beliefs were not what divided us, but what pulled us together? In Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight-year journey between two worlds -- two men, two faiths, two communities -- that will inspire readers everywhere. Albom's first...  more

What if our beliefs were not what divided us, but what pulled us together? In Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight-year journey between two worlds -- two men, two faiths, two communities -- that will inspire readers everywhere. Albom's first nonfiction book since Tuesdays with Morrie, Have a Little Faith begins with an unusual request: an eighty-two-year-old rabbi from Albom's old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy. Feeling unworthy, Albom insists on understanding the man better, which throws him back into a world of faith he'd left years ago. Meanwhile, closer to his current home, Albom becomes involved with a Detroit pastor -- a reformed drug dealer and convict -- who preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church with a hole in its roof. Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Albom observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi embracing it as death approaches; the younger, inner-city pastor relying on it to keep himself and his church afloat. As America struggles with hard times and people turn more to their beliefs, Albom and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man: how to endure when difficult things happen; what heaven is; intermarriage; forgiveness; doubting God; and the importance of faith in trying times. Although the texts, prayers, and histories are different, Albom begins to recognize a striking unity between the two worlds -- and indeed, between beliefs everywhere. In the end, as the rabbi nears death and a harsh winter threatens the pastor's wobbly church, Albom sadly fulfills the rabbi's last request and writes the eulogy. And he finally understands what both men had been teaching all along: the profound comfort of believing in something bigger than yourself. Have a Little Faith is a book about a life's purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man's journey, but it is everyone's story. Ten percent of the profits from this book will go to charity, including The Hole In The Roof Foundation, which helps refurbish places of worship that aid the homeless.

A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven. Heaven is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking...  more

A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven. Heaven is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear. Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us. Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.

Adrian Ludlow, a novelist with a distinguished but slightly faded reputation, is living in semi-retirement with his wife, Eleanor, in an isolated cottage beneath the flight path of London's Gatwick airport. Their old friend from college days, Sam Sharp, who has since become a successful...  more

Adrian Ludlow, a novelist with a distinguished but slightly faded reputation, is living in semi-retirement with his wife, Eleanor, in an isolated cottage beneath the flight path of London's Gatwick airport. Their old friend from college days, Sam Sharp, who has since become a successful screenplay writer, drops by unexpectedly on the way to Los Angeles. Sam is fuming over a scathing profile of himself by Fanny Tarrant, one of the new breed of pugnacious interviewers, in that day's newspaper. Together, Sam and Adrian plan to take revenge on the journalist, though Adrian is risking what he values most: his privacy. What follows is unexpected and upsetting for all of them, including Fanny.David Lodge's delicious novella examines with characteristic wit and insight the tensions between private life and public interest in contemporary culture.

He is a brilliant math professor, with a peculiar problem -- since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only eighty minutes of short-term memory. She is an astute young housekeeper with a ten-year-old son who is hired to care for him. And between them a strange, beautiful relationship...  more

He is a brilliant math professor, with a peculiar problem -- since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only eighty minutes of short-term memory. She is an astute young housekeeper with a ten-year-old son who is hired to care for him. And between them a strange, beautiful relationship blossoms. Though the professor can hold new memories for only eighty mintues, his mind is still alive with elegant equations from the past; and through him, the numbers, in all of their articulate order, reveal a sheltering and poetic world to both the housekeeper and her son. The Housekeeper and the Professor is an enchanting story about what it means to live in the present, and about the curious equations that can create a family where one before did not exist.

IN THIS CAPTIVATING, OFTEN HILARIOUS DEBUT MYSTERY, ONE OF THE GREAT COMEDIANS OF OUR TIME BLENDS FACT WITH FICTION, AS LAW & ORDER: SVU'S RICHARD BELZER'S OFF-CAMERA PERSONA COMES TO LIFE ON THE PAGE, EMPLOYING INVESTIGATIVE KNOW-HOW AND COMEDIC TIMING IN EQUAL MEASURE TO SOLVE THE...  more

IN THIS CAPTIVATING, OFTEN HILARIOUS DEBUT MYSTERY, ONE OF THE GREAT COMEDIANS OF OUR TIME BLENDS FACT WITH FICTION, AS LAW & ORDER: SVU'S RICHARD BELZER'S OFF-CAMERA PERSONA COMES TO LIFE ON THE PAGE, EMPLOYING INVESTIGATIVE KNOW-HOW AND COMEDIC TIMING IN EQUAL MEASURE TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY SURROUNDING THE DISAPPEARANCE OF A TRUSTED FRIEND. When Richard Belzer meets Rudy Markovich, NYC medical examiner, for dinner in Brighton Beach, he has little reason to expect anything more than a friendly bull session. But in the next twenty-four hours Belzer finds himself in the middle of a vicious street brawl, splashed across the tabloid headlines as an out-of-control celeb, and fearing for the life of his good pal Rudy -- who police assume is sleeping at the bottom of the East River. As Belzer finds himself increasingly required to call upon the resources he taps to portray Detective Munch on NBC, he maintains his sense of humor and carries us along on a rollicking ride through the underworld of New York City. With Rudy kidnapped, or worse, it falls to The Belz to track him down and solve the riddle to the vanishing act. The lives of Detective Munch and Richard Belzer collide and mesh in I Am Not a Cop! as one of America's great comics and TV cops brings all of his talents to bear in book form and provides a triumph of the mystery genre.

Fresh from teh internets, here come LOLcats. www.icanhascheezburger.com was founded in January 2007 as a place to collect ?LOLcats??pictures of cats with funny captions. It has gone on to become a singular sensation, captivating millions and becoming one of the most visited blogs on the...  more

Fresh from teh internets, here come LOLcats. www.icanhascheezburger.com was founded in January 2007 as a place to collect ?LOLcats??pictures of cats with funny captions. It has gone on to become a singular sensation, captivating millions and becoming one of the most visited blogs on the internet. For the book, the founders of the site have selected 200 of their favorite LOLcats from their archive of nearly one million, all of which are guaranteed to make you laugh out loud or wonder WTF?

A compact visual guide to the royal heritage of Great Britain and Scotland. From the first Saxon king to Charles, Prince of Wales, Kings & Queens of England & Scotland conveys the drama and history of Britain's royal lineage. Private lives, public perceptions, and pageants are all gloriously...  more

A compact visual guide to the royal heritage of Great Britain and Scotland. From the first Saxon king to Charles, Prince of Wales, Kings & Queens of England & Scotland conveys the drama and history of Britain's royal lineage. Private lives, public perceptions, and pageants are all gloriously illustrated with portraits, family trees, and photographs of artifacts.

Discover outrageous joy in this modern classic. Chuck Swindoll shows how we can live in the present, say "no" to negativism, and realize that while no one's life is perfect, joy is always available. Applying scriptural truths in a practical way, Swindoll shows readers how to laugh again.

Pulsating with the heartbeat of the city that doesn't sleep, Lost Wings: The True Story of a Disgraced NYPD Cop is an all-points bulletin - a revelation of life as it is lived day-to-day by the men and women in blue whose firmly held territory is your neighborhood precinct. Former officer Chris...  more

Pulsating with the heartbeat of the city that doesn't sleep, Lost Wings: The True Story of a Disgraced NYPD Cop is an all-points bulletin - a revelation of life as it is lived day-to-day by the men and women in blue whose firmly held territory is your neighborhood precinct. Former officer Chris Ramos, who wanted only one thing - to earn and hold a job as a New York City police Officer - takes us along on his daily tour of duty: eight terror-soaked hours and thirty-five minutes in the "Alamo" war zone, where every second is ticked off in gunshots or the harsh discord of domestic violence. Then, on a seemingly ordinary night much like many others, agents of the Internal Affairs Bureau of the NYPD unexpectedly appear to inform him that he has failed a departmental drug test that he knows he should have passed, effectively ending a promising career and changing his life forever. Robbin Christopher Ramos pulls no punches, and after reading Lost Wings, you will never look at a city policeman in the same way again.

It's not easy being a doctor, especially when your wife has run off in search of excitement and you're fired from your practice for sticking up for your principles. Christopher Devon tries to make a new life and, after a bit of persuasion from his daughter, to meet a new woman. But how to find...  more

It's not easy being a doctor, especially when your wife has run off in search of excitement and you're fired from your practice for sticking up for your principles. Christopher Devon tries to make a new life and, after a bit of persuasion from his daughter, to meet a new woman. But how to find one? And how to placate a son who thinks you should never have split up in the first place? Dr. Devon is not the only man with woman trouble. Tiger Wilson has been married just a little too comfortably for 30 years, and Gary Flynn is a serial womanizer who refuses to settle down. But soon all three of their lives are turned upside down, and not just by women. This entertaining novel shows how reality can prove a fly in the ointment of living happily ever after.

This #1 Irish bestseller is a hilarious portrait of working-class Dublin life. "Mammy" is what Irish children call their mothers and The Mammy is Agnes Browne -- a widow struggling to raise seven children in a North Dublin neighborhood in the 1960s. Popular Irish comedian Brendan...  more

This #1 Irish bestseller is a hilarious portrait of working-class Dublin life. "Mammy" is what Irish children call their mothers and The Mammy is Agnes Browne -- a widow struggling to raise seven children in a North Dublin neighborhood in the 1960s. Popular Irish comedian Brendan O'Carroll chronicles the comic misadventures of this large and lively family with raw humor and great affection. Forced to be mother, father, and referee to her battling clan, the ever-resourceful Agnes Browne occasionally finds a spare moment to trade gossip and quips with her best pal Marion Monks (alias "The Kaiser") and even finds herself pursued by the amorous Frenchman who runs the local pizza parlor. Like the novels of Roddy Doyle, The Mammy features pitch-perfect dialogue, lightning wit, and a host of colorful characters. Earthy and exuberant, the novel brilliantly captures the brash energy and cheerful irreverence of working-class Irish life.

The Man Behind the Tin is a compilation of true short stories from Jim’s experiences with the New York City Police Department during the 1960’s and 1970’s.  

A delightful collection of humorous tales by Roger Pond. These are some stories from the author's syndicated column, The Back Forty. Pond's explanation of the book, "It happens to everyone sooner or later. You look in the mirror and realize you are too old for the Jaycees, too young...  more

A delightful collection of humorous tales by Roger Pond. These are some stories from the author's syndicated column, The Back Forty. Pond's explanation of the book, "It happens to everyone sooner or later. You look in the mirror and realize you are too old for the Jaycees, too young to retire, and too tired to go jogging. You still like to have fun, but often can't remember if you did. Most folks pass through this stage quickly and go on with normal, productive lives. But for others, something snaps: We quit our jobs, grow a beard, or start watching Martha Stewart on television. That's what happened to me. At the tender age of 39 I knew a beard is hard to keep clean -- and flower arranging is out of the question: so I quit my job and started writing a newspaper column."

Four stories of sisterhood—the bonds, the wars, the frustrations, the love—seasoned with hot Latin spice! Those "Wild Orihuela Girls," Dori and her sister Sela, intend to live up to their reputation—and more!—in order to give their snooty sister-in-law-to-be exactly...  more

Four stories of sisterhood—the bonds, the wars, the frustrations, the love—seasoned with hot Latin spice! Those "Wild Orihuela Girls," Dori and her sister Sela, intend to live up to their reputation—and more!—in order to give their snooty sister-in-law-to-be exactly what she deserves on her wedding day . . . Till Death Do Us Part by Mary Castillo Anita Suarez is only seeking comfort after losing her dream job and carefree lifestyle, but finds that her old-fashioned sister Susana has abandoned her family to run off to Sin City with a college hunk. Now it's up to Anita to bring Susu back to reality and keep the younger man's sexy big brother at bay . . . What Stays in Vegas by Berta Platas Michelle Saez is a total straight-arrow by day—but at night, she lives a shocking double life in leather as Madame Michelina. And her scandalous secret could very well derail her attorney sister Jennifer's bid for elected office . . . Whipped by Sofia Quintero Popular talk-radio queen Marisol Avila can't keep her mouth shut—and she's airing her sister Cristy's dirty laundry to millions of listeners nationwide. It's going to take more than Cristy's unwanted fifteen minutes of fame to repair this sisterly rift and re-connect siblings who are seriously . . . Diss-Connected by Lynda Sandoval

It didn't seem possible the largest city in the US could go bankrupt, but in 1975 that's exactly what happened-NYC went bust. In what was called The Layoff Period, younger officers were sent home, their careers on hold, while NYPD veterans went back to patrol the streets. Meanwhile, with the...  more

It didn't seem possible the largest city in the US could go bankrupt, but in 1975 that's exactly what happened-NYC went bust. In what was called The Layoff Period, younger officers were sent home, their careers on hold, while NYPD veterans went back to patrol the streets. Meanwhile, with the thin blue line stretched to the breaking point, life as usual went on in the Big Apple, and Lt. Jimmy Kavanaugh, 13th Precinct, Gramercy Park, Manhattan, saw it all. Here, with sardonic humor he recounts the mix of tragedies, miracles, life and death, the bizarre and the mundane of life in NYC.

The Noise of Infinite Longing is about a Puerto Rican family, its origins, its place in society, its illusions, and, finally, what happened when the family dispersed, its members moving in different directions. It is a story unlike any others about the passage of Puerto Ricans and other Latin...  more

The Noise of Infinite Longing is about a Puerto Rican family, its origins, its place in society, its illusions, and, finally, what happened when the family dispersed, its members moving in different directions. It is a story unlike any others about the passage of Puerto Ricans and other Latin Americans to countries not their own. But it is, in every sense, a universal story -- of personal and cultural roots that are too strong to be completely severed, and of the passionate and anguished search for what we call home. The book opens with the death of Luisita's mother, which brings together in one place, for the first time in almost ten years, all six of her children. Over four days of funeral arrangements, burial, and mourning, the family's and children's stories unfold, beginning with their parents' doomed romance set against the backdrop of upper-middle-class San Juan society and the traditions and class differences that ruled such a community. Out of a childhood of privilege and pain, one of Luisita's sisters joins the Sandinista government in Nicaragua; their brother hungers for the life of a rock-and-roll performer but ends up a teacher in the Bronx; Luisita becomes a writer and editor and travels the far regions of the world, always looking for a place to call her own. The siblings experience a journey of exile from the family's native land, and they must deal with the wrenching pull it has on them. With the perspective that the years afford us, the story draws an arc that begins with the conquest of Puerto Rico and fades into the present. The island itself is a character here, misunderstood and often neglected but intensely vivid, larger by far than its size and importance in the global arena. Characters in the family's past illuminate the island's history and shed light on its present. But, ultimately, this is a story of human struggle played out against the everyday joys and disappointments of life, and the myths and dreams that sustain us.

O YE JIGS & JULEPS is the collected essays of Virginia Cary Hudson, who by all available accounts wrote them when ten years old in 1904; discovered in an attic trunk, they were published in 1962 -- and the book became a surprise bestseller. Although it has fallen in and out of print over the...  more

O YE JIGS & JULEPS is the collected essays of Virginia Cary Hudson, who by all available accounts wrote them when ten years old in 1904; discovered in an attic trunk, they were published in 1962 -- and the book became a surprise bestseller. Although it has fallen in and out of print over the years, it has never been entirely forgotten and has met with the occasional reprint over the years. Most of Hudson's writings are focused, either directly or in a roundabout way, on her upbringing in the American Episcopal Church of her era. (When a relative describes the Episcopals as "stuck up" Hudson, with a child's talent for absolutes, takes the phrase literally.) At the same time, she does not stint the social foibles of her day, and her mix of innocence and savvy causes her mother to have one "Irish fit" after another, all of them described with remarkable pith. "And when my mother got home got home from Middleton on the trolley car," she writes, "she said plenty. And when I thought she said everything there was to say, she still had plenty left." Even though Virginia's writings encompass only ten essays and run to a mere fifty pages (including line drawings), she covers a lot of ground. Church Sacraments, especially Baptism, get the once over; she instructs us on how to behave in church and what to do when the Baptists next door sing too loud; she tells how to get your garden weeded by giving a party; and lectures on personal appearance, not to mention the Great Wall of China. Much of it is laugh-out-loud funny, all of it is charming, and although it is presently out of print again it is well worth seeking out.

As with her two previous best-selling books, OUT TO PASTURE (BUT NOT OVER THE HILL) and OVER WHAT HILL? NOTES FROM THE PASTURE, author Effie Leland Wilder's third installment offers her loyal readers another testimony to living life to the fullest - no matter what your age. OLDER BUT WILDER...  more

As with her two previous best-selling books, OUT TO PASTURE (BUT NOT OVER THE HILL) and OVER WHAT HILL? NOTES FROM THE PASTURE, author Effie Leland Wilder's third installment offers her loyal readers another testimony to living life to the fullest - no matter what your age. OLDER BUT WILDER chronicles the further adventures of the irrepressible Hattie McNair. Although she's recovering from knee replacement surgery, that doesn't stop her from getting involved in a mystery, lending her hand to some money-making schemes, or meddling - good-naturedly, of course! - in her young friend Amanda's life. Hattie's descriptions of life at FairAcres Retirement Home are written with grace and humor. Through Hattie and her cohorts, Wilder gently pokes fun at growing older, while reflecting on the special wisdom gained from aging as well as its challenges and losses.

Effie Wilder's first three books left readers asking for more about the crew at FairAcres Retirement Home. Whether you're already acquainted with Hattie and her friends or are meeting them for the first time, you're sure to be charmed by these folks who have a lot of living to do. With...  more

Effie Wilder's first three books left readers asking for more about the crew at FairAcres Retirement Home. Whether you're already acquainted with Hattie and her friends or are meeting them for the first time, you're sure to be charmed by these folks who have a lot of living to do. With grace and humor, beloved novelist Effie Leland Wilder once again gently pokes fun at growing older, all the while reflecting of the special wisdom gained from aging, as well as on the challenges and losses that must be faced.

Youre a busy woman on the go. From the competing demands of work to the whining voices of kids in the back seat, your days are crammed full of stuff to do. Its in the in-between times (waiting for the kids at a soccer match, on the commute home, during a lunch break at work) that you have time...  more

Youre a busy woman on the go. From the competing demands of work to the whining voices of kids in the back seat, your days are crammed full of stuff to do. Its in the in-between times (waiting for the kids at a soccer match, on the commute home, during a lunch break at work) that you have time to center your thoughts back on the simple joys in life--the beauty of flowers in bloom, the exuberance of young toddlers at play, the excitement of kids coming home from school. The One Year Mini for Busy Women is there for you when you need.

The sometimes funny, sometimes bittersweet story of a retiree who is, despite age and her surroundings, devoted to living -- and loving every minute of it. Hattie McNair may be retired, but she certainly hasn't retired from life. In journals and letters to a friend, Hattie tells the...  more

The sometimes funny, sometimes bittersweet story of a retiree who is, despite age and her surroundings, devoted to living -- and loving every minute of it. Hattie McNair may be retired, but she certainly hasn't retired from life. In journals and letters to a friend, Hattie tells the stories of her fellow residents and of the immeasurable gifts and burdens of aging. Through the histories, hopes, and hijinks of Hattie's friends and foes, we come to know the FairAcres folks and to share their triumphs and losses. When they join forces to help an illiterate young handyman, Hattie and company change their lives as well as those of young Arthur Priest and his family.

Hattie McNair and her cohorts at the FairAcres Home are back! This time, romance is in bloom at FairAcres, as Hattie's friends Retta Gooding and Sidney Metcalf are drawn closer together while delivering Meals on Wheels. Hattie's writing career takes off and the FairAcres folks make new...  more

Hattie McNair and her cohorts at the FairAcres Home are back! This time, romance is in bloom at FairAcres, as Hattie's friends Retta Gooding and Sidney Metcalf are drawn closer together while delivering Meals on Wheels. Hattie's writing career takes off and the FairAcres folks make new friends, elderly Ben Stringfellow and his two young neighbors, Jamie and Jeffrey. Once again, different generations come together, and the results are entertaining and moving.

Cooper Lee and the Sunrise Bible Study Group have just volunteered for a local charity, Door-2-Door Dinners. Sure, some of the volunteers look more like Hell’s Angels than Good Samaritans, but the ragtag church group has taught Cooper not to judge a book by its cover. Besides, this gives...  more

Cooper Lee and the Sunrise Bible Study Group have just volunteered for a local charity, Door-2-Door Dinners. Sure, some of the volunteers look more like Hell’s Angels than Good Samaritans, but the ragtag church group has taught Cooper not to judge a book by its cover. Besides, this gives Cooper a chance to get out of the house -- which she shares with her parents -- and spend some quality time with her new love, Nathan. But things really start heating up for Cooper and Nathan when an elderly Door-2-Door recipient is murdered -- and the prime suspects are … the volunteers! Someone in the flock is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But the Lord works in miraculous ways -- and so do the sleuths of the Sunrise Bible Study Group …  

THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES chronicles the lives of several generations of Cuban women. The story focuses on Margarita, an exile in the United States, who struggles to come to terms with her divided identity, a past she has suppressed, and her failure to share her heritage with her children. The...  more

THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES chronicles the lives of several generations of Cuban women. The story focuses on Margarita, an exile in the United States, who struggles to come to terms with her divided identity, a past she has suppressed, and her failure to share her heritage with her children. The novel explores the ways in which culture and tradition have been preserved and passed down to Cuban Americans and portrays the cultural fragmentation and deep sense of loss that Cubans living in exile and their children (who may never have set foot on Cuban soil) continue to experience.

This joyous tribute to American quilts and quiltmakers -- part of the Running Press Miniature Editions series -- is filled with literary quotations and full-color photos of more than 20 antique American quilts.

Edna, the dotty bag lady who Fran Varady used to see living in a churchyard with only feral cats for company, has crossed her path again. Now Edna is staying in a hostel, spending her days roaming as before. But Fran begins to see a method to her madness and, even though no one will believe her,...  more

Edna, the dotty bag lady who Fran Varady used to see living in a churchyard with only feral cats for company, has crossed her path again. Now Edna is staying in a hostel, spending her days roaming as before. But Fran begins to see a method to her madness and, even though no one will believe her, she is certain Edna is being followed. Who could be interested in a harmless old lady? Determined to protect her from this hidden danger, Fran finds herself digging into Edna's previous life and an old love affair and family quarrel come to light. But by rattling the bones of the past, Fran has uncovered more than she bargained for...

Olivia Greyson is the proud owner of The Gingerbread House -- a quaint shop that specializes in all things cookie -- and her best friend, Maddie, is her sidekick, baking up scrumptious treats for their cookie-themed parties. But now they must take a break from baking and find a killer, or else...  more

Olivia Greyson is the proud owner of The Gingerbread House -- a quaint shop that specializes in all things cookie -- and her best friend, Maddie, is her sidekick, baking up scrumptious treats for their cookie-themed parties. But now they must take a break from baking and find a killer, or else their reputation -- and quite possibly their lives -- will be battered for good. 

When two beloved primary school teachers, Miss Dorothy and Miss Agnes, decide to retire, the townspeople are aflutter, musing about the teachers’ replacements and seeking an appropriate farewell gift.

A heartwarming tale of an unlikely friendship amid love, loss, and lingerie In the basement of her Brooklyn apartment, Sima Goldner welcomes women of all shapes and sizes with warmth, acceptance -- and a bra that gives them the support and lift they need. But Sima, regretfully childless at...  more

A heartwarming tale of an unlikely friendship amid love, loss, and lingerie In the basement of her Brooklyn apartment, Sima Goldner welcomes women of all shapes and sizes with warmth, acceptance -- and a bra that gives them the support and lift they need. But Sima, regretfully childless at sixty, and harboring a secret that has embittered her marriage, can't seem to do the same for herself. Then Timna, a young Israeli with enviable cleavage, arrives in search of a demi-cup and stays on to become the shop's seamstress. As they laugh, gossip, and sell lingerie, Sima finds herself awakening to hope and the possibility of happiness in this beguiling story of New York's underground sisterhood, and one woman's second chance.

Simon & Schuster's Guide to Gems and Precious Stones provides both the connoisseur and the casual collector with a compact, easy-to-use volume describing more than 100 rare varieties of minerals whose beauty and mystery have possessed our imaginations from time immemorial. More than 450...  more

Simon & Schuster's Guide to Gems and Precious Stones provides both the connoisseur and the casual collector with a compact, easy-to-use volume describing more than 100 rare varieties of minerals whose beauty and mystery have possessed our imaginations from time immemorial. More than 450 brilliant photographs accompany profiles of each gem, covering such aspects as appearance, physical properties -- density, hardness, refraction -- occurrence, and how to judge quality and value. Additional sections describe the process of cutting gemstones and the techniques professional gemologists use to evaluate a stone's weight and optical properties. Detailed and comprehensive, this book is essential for anyone interested in the study of gems and precious stones.

 A hilarious collection of stories about growing up as preacher's kids! — The authors prove that a good sense of humor helps put everything in better perspective-including that wonderful institution called the Church.  You will laugh until you cry as you read this...  more

 A hilarious collection of stories about growing up as preacher's kids! — The authors prove that a good sense of humor helps put everything in better perspective-including that wonderful institution called the Church.  You will laugh until you cry as you read this "tell-all" about growing up in the church from two guys who witnessed it all from the very front row. Stories that will have you rolling in the aisles include:

Cooper Lee can repair a copy machine—but can she repair her life? That’s one of the many Big Questions that lead this newly single Richmond girl to Sunrise Bible Study at the Hope Street Church. Cooper hasn’t attended church in ages, but after getting dumped by her...  more

Cooper Lee can repair a copy machine—but can she repair her life? That’s one of the many Big Questions that lead this newly single Richmond girl to Sunrise Bible Study at the Hope Street Church. Cooper hasn’t attended church in ages, but after getting dumped by her long-time boyfriend—and moving in with her family—she could use some new friends, and a new outlook on life. Happily, the members of the Bible group are anything but cookie-cutter, which suits Cooper just fine. There’s a blind folk artist, a playboy meteorologist, an investment banker with a sweet tooth, an ambitious realtor, and a cute shy web designer who just might be “the one” for Cooper. But the member of Hope Street Church who invited Cooper to join this motley crew—an office worker who got her wedding ring stuck in a copier—is something else altogether: She’s dead and her husband is suspected of murder! The Sunrise gang jumps into action, vowing to solve this unholy mess—with God’s guidance—and Cooper’s snooping… Includes heavenly recipes from Mrs. Lee’s kitchen!  

BattlefieldsandBlessings.comStories of Faith and Courage From Cops on the Street is a 365-day devotional book in the Battlefields and Blessings series. Stories one for each day of the year come from members of the law enforcement community who have sensed God s presence in some event relating to...  more

BattlefieldsandBlessings.comStories of Faith and Courage From Cops on the Street is a 365-day devotional book in the Battlefields and Blessings series. Stories one for each day of the year come from members of the law enforcement community who have sensed God s presence in some event relating to their work. The contributors represent every phase of law enforcement work and demonstrate that something happened relating in their particular stories that simply cannot be attributed to anything other than God s hand.

The superhuman visitor from Krypton burst from the minds of two Cleveland teenagers in the summer of 1933. Five years later, after surviving seventeen separate rejection slips, America's mightiest comic-strip hero was placed on the cover of Action Comics. The first twenty-five years of...  more

The superhuman visitor from Krypton burst from the minds of two Cleveland teenagers in the summer of 1933. Five years later, after surviving seventeen separate rejection slips, America's mightiest comic-strip hero was placed on the cover of Action Comics. The first twenty-five years of Action Comics covers are strikingly reproduced in this tiny volume. A look at the Action covers is a quick look at the history of Superman and his adventures. There we meet all his friends and foes...Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Supergirl. We watch him evolve from the patriotic Nazi-fighter of the '40s to the powerful crimefighter of Metropolis. It was on these covers that the blue tights, red cape and famous S insignia developed into an emblem recognizable the world over. These remarkable covers continue to attract a lot of attention; a copy of Action Comics # 1 sold for $82,500 in 1992.

'I am Sylvia Honeyeater; I think myself born around 1196, and this is the story of my life.' From master storyteller Bryce Courtenay comes the colourful epic of Sylvia. Late twelfth-century Europe is torn by religious intolerance. Sylvia, with a singing voice that can literally charm...  more

'I am Sylvia Honeyeater; I think myself born around 1196, and this is the story of my life.' From master storyteller Bryce Courtenay comes the colourful epic of Sylvia. Late twelfth-century Europe is torn by religious intolerance. Sylvia, with a singing voice that can literally charm the birds out of the trees, and an acute and questioning mind that refuses to accept unreasoned beliefs, embarks on a pilgrimage. She joins the Children's Crusade, bound for the Holy Land. From a bawdy life as an entertainer in a whorehouse to an austere and frequently cruel existence in a convent, she fights to be true to her destiny. And her mysterious birthmark causes much confusion: can this peasant maid indeed be a chosen messenger? Sylvia is a tale of adversity, of adventure and crusades, and of a beautiful and gifted woman.  

This book is a bundle of tales from the hinterlands of America, each one collected from Pond's Back Forty column, syndicated to newspapers around the country. In School Reform the author recalls the days when nobody mentioned school reform, but reform school was an everyday topic. In Ra-a-alph...  more

This book is a bundle of tales from the hinterlands of America, each one collected from Pond's Back Forty column, syndicated to newspapers around the country. In School Reform the author recalls the days when nobody mentioned school reform, but reform school was an everyday topic. In Ra-a-alph Pond describes the dreaded fish feeding syndrom - when everyone on the boat seems to be named "Ra-a-alph," and those who aren't sick are busy giving advise. "Look at the horizon." "Don't look down." "Eat a good breakfast." "Don't eat breakfast." "Go to bed early." "Stay up all night." This book is fun reading for anyone with a love of the outdoors or a taste for the country.

"She wasn’t even five feet tall, weighed 90 pounds, wrote poetry, and died young, riddled with bullets and with a machine gun in her lap." The infamous Bonnie Parker, immortalized in the movie Bonnie and Clyde, is only one of a select group of 20 women killers whose stories are told in...  more

"She wasn’t even five feet tall, weighed 90 pounds, wrote poetry, and died young, riddled with bullets and with a machine gun in her lap." The infamous Bonnie Parker, immortalized in the movie Bonnie and Clyde, is only one of a select group of 20 women killers whose stories are told in Tender Murderers. Others include Charlotte Corday, of Marat-Sade fame; Belle Starr, the "Petticoat Terror of the Plains"; and Phoolan Devi, India’s "bandit queen," who died as she lived. Trina Robbins, award-winning author and cartoonist, even includes a section on "Women Who Missed," such as Valerie Solanas, founder of the Society for Cutting Up Men and attempted assassin of Andy Warhol, and Amy Fisher, the "Long Island Lolita." From murderous moms and molls to plucky pirates and Appalachian ax-handlers, Tender Murderers is a rogue's gallery of fascinating female killers. Photographs are included.

Explores the English style in 28 gardens in the care of the National Trust. The text looks at gardens such as those at Ham House, Hidcote Manor, Mottisfort Abbey and King Henry's hunting lodge.

For an African-Amercan, the police department seemed to be an enemy; something to be feared not embraced. Brown?s decision to join the ranks of New York?s finest would be one of the toughest decisions he would ever have to make, a decision he would have to live with for the rest of his life. ...  more

For an African-Amercan, the police department seemed to be an enemy; something to be feared not embraced. Brown?s decision to join the ranks of New York?s finest would be one of the toughest decisions he would ever have to make, a decision he would have to live with for the rest of his life. Tunnel Vision is an experience filled with excitement, chills and the unexpected. A journey on the subway of New York thru the eyes of a retired NYC Transit Police Officer. Never again will the everyday routine of commuting on the underground rails be taken for granted. The visions seen and now revealed will make even the most hardened veteran traveler of the subway look at the concrete and cold steel in a different manner. The visions that will be shared can only be seen in the underground beast that is the subway of New York. Come see if: ?You got tunnel vision or what!?

Constance's mother systematically abused her daughter, both physically and emotionally, throughout her childhood. Regularly beaten and starved, the girl was so desperate she took herself off to Social Services and tried to get taken into care. When that failed, she swallowed bleach...  more

Constance's mother systematically abused her daughter, both physically and emotionally, throughout her childhood. Regularly beaten and starved, the girl was so desperate she took herself off to Social Services and tried to get taken into care. When that failed, she swallowed bleach 'because it kills all known germs and my mother always told me I was a germ'. When Constance was thirteen, her mother simply moved out, leaving her daughter to fend for herself: there was no gas, no electricity and no food. But somehow Constance found the courage to survive her terrible start in life. This is her heartrending - and ultimately triumphant - story, now with fourteen extra chapters detailing the trial.

"All the men I did get to know, every single man of them, has filled me with but one desire: to lift my hand and bring it smashing down on his face. But because I am a woman I have never had the courage to lift my hand. And because I am a prostitute, I hid my fear under layers of...  more

"All the men I did get to know, every single man of them, has filled me with but one desire: to lift my hand and bring it smashing down on his face. But because I am a woman I have never had the courage to lift my hand. And because I am a prostitute, I hid my fear under layers of make-up." --Excerpt This is a new edition of the best-selling novel with a specially commissioned new Foreword by Miriam Cooke.

Each year, for the past seventeen years, Otto Penzler, owner of the legendary Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, has commissioned an original story by a leading mystery writer. The requirements were that it be a mystery/ crime/suspense story, that it be set during the Christmas season, and...  more

Each year, for the past seventeen years, Otto Penzler, owner of the legendary Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, has commissioned an original story by a leading mystery writer. The requirements were that it be a mystery/ crime/suspense story, that it be set during the Christmas season, and that at least some of the action must take place in The Mysterious Bookshop. These stories were then produced as pamphlets, 1,000 copies, and given to customers of the bookstore as a Christmas present. Now, all of these stories have been collected in one volume -- Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop. Some of the tales are humorous, others suspenseful, and still others mystifying. This charming one-of-a-kind collection is a perfect Christmas gift, appropriate for all ages and tastes. Stories include: * Give till it hurts by Donald E. Westlake * Schemes and variations by George Baxt * The theft of the rusty bookmark by Edward D. Hoch * Murder for dummies by Ron Goulart * As dark as Christmas gets by Lawrence Block * The holiday fairy by Jeremiah Healy * I saw Mommy killing Santa Claus by Ed McBain * The grift of the Magi by S. J. Rozan * My object all sublime by Anne Perry * Christmas spirit by Michael Malone * The lesson of the season by Thomas H. Cook * Yule be sorry by Lisa Michelle Atkinson * The long winter's nap by Rupert Holmes * Cold reading by Charles Ardai * The killer Christian by Andrew Klavan * The 74th tale by Jonathan Santlofer * What's in a name? by Mary Higgins Clark

"We're just going to." Helen Brown had no intention of adopting a pet when she brought her sons, Sam and Rob, to visit a friend's new kittens. But the runt of the litter was irresistible, with her overlarge ears and dainty chin. When Cleo was delivered weeks later, she had...  more

"We're just going to." Helen Brown had no intention of adopting a pet when she brought her sons, Sam and Rob, to visit a friend's new kittens. But the runt of the litter was irresistible, with her overlarge ears and dainty chin. When Cleo was delivered weeks later, she had no way of knowing that her new family had just been hit by a tragedy. Helen was sure she couldn't keep her-until she saw something she thought had vanished from the earth forever: her son's smile The reckless, rambunctious kitten stayed. Through happiness and heartbreak, changes and new beginnings, Cleo turned out to be the unlikely glue the affectionately held Helen's family together. Rich in wisdom, wit, heart, and healing, here is the story of a cat with an extraordinary gift for knowing just where she was needed the most.

Once in nine lives,something extraordinary happens...The last thing Gwen Cooper wanted was another cat. She already had two, not to mention a phenomenally underpaying job and a recently broken heart. Then Gwen?s veterinarian called with a story about a three-week-old eyeless kitten who?d been...  more

Once in nine lives,something extraordinary happens...The last thing Gwen Cooper wanted was another cat. She already had two, not to mention a phenomenally underpaying job and a recently broken heart. Then Gwen?s veterinarian called with a story about a three-week-old eyeless kitten who?d been abandoned. It was love at first sight.Everyone warned that Homer would always be an ?underachiever,? never as playful or independent as other cats. But the kitten nobody believed in quickly grew into a three-pound dynamo, a tiny daredevil with a giant heart who eagerly made friends with every human who crossed his path. Homer scaled seven-foot bookcases with ease and leapt five feet into the air to catch flies in mid-buzz. He survived being trapped alone for days after 9/11 in an apartment near the World Trade Center, and even saved Gwen?s life when he chased off an intruder who broke into their home in the middle of the night. But it was Homer?s unswerving loyalty, his infinite capacity for love, and his joy in the face of all obstacles that inspired Gwen daily and transformed her life. And by the time she met the man she would marry, she realized Homer had taught her the most important lesson of all: Love isn?t something you see with your eyes. Homer?s Odyssey is the once-in-a-lifetime story of an extraordinary cat and his human companion. It celebrates the refusal to accept limits?on love, ability, or hope against overwhelming odds. By turns jubilant and moving, it?s a memoir for anybody who?s ever fallen completely and helplessly in love with a pet.From the Hardcover edition.

Tanizaki's masterpiece is the story of four sisters, and the declining fortunes of a traditional Japanese family. It is a loving and nostalgic recreation of the sumptuous, intricate upper-class life of Osaka immediately before World War Two. With surgical precision, Tanizaki lays bare the...  more

Tanizaki's masterpiece is the story of four sisters, and the declining fortunes of a traditional Japanese family. It is a loving and nostalgic recreation of the sumptuous, intricate upper-class life of Osaka immediately before World War Two. With surgical precision, Tanizaki lays bare the sinews of pride, and brings a vanished era to vibrant life.

Profiles and photographs of famous lawmen and outlaws from 1850-1900. Profiles include Butch Cassidy, Kid Curry, Laura Bullion, Tom Horn, Jack Davis, John Beidler, William Preston Longley, Joaquin Murietta, Cattle Kate, Cole Younger, John Wesley Hardin, Wild Bill Hickok, Isaac C. Parker, Belle...  more

Profiles and photographs of famous lawmen and outlaws from 1850-1900. Profiles include Butch Cassidy, Kid Curry, Laura Bullion, Tom Horn, Jack Davis, John Beidler, William Preston Longley, Joaquin Murietta, Cattle Kate, Cole Younger, John Wesley Hardin, Wild Bill Hickok, Isaac C. Parker, Belle Starr, Jesse James, "Black Jack" Ketchum, Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, Black Bart, Tiburcio Vasquez, Wyatt Earp, Bob Dalton, Christian Madsen, Bill Doolin, Bill Tilghman, and "Heck" Thomas.

Joyce Fielding walked out one afternoon into the streets of Oxford and just disappeared. And now, Kate Ivory has been hired to find her. Joyce is a respectable widow in her sixties and there is nothing at first glance to explain her disappearance, so Kate consults her own mother, the...  more

Joyce Fielding walked out one afternoon into the streets of Oxford and just disappeared. And now, Kate Ivory has been hired to find her. Joyce is a respectable widow in her sixties and there is nothing at first glance to explain her disappearance, so Kate consults her own mother, the irrepressible Roz, to help solve the puzzle. It isn't long before Kate, following Joyce's trail, discovers a dead body. The police may think that Joyce is a murderer and Kate an interfering amateur, but Kate realises that Joyce has unwittingly walked into danger, and that the hunt for the missing grandmother is a race against time...

Born in a rough-and-tumble neighborhood of Dublin, John F. Timoney moved to New York with his family in 1961. Not long after graduating from high school in the Bronx, he entered the New York City Police Department, quickly rising through the ranks to become the youngest four-star chief in the...  more

Born in a rough-and-tumble neighborhood of Dublin, John F. Timoney moved to New York with his family in 1961. Not long after graduating from high school in the Bronx, he entered the New York City Police Department, quickly rising through the ranks to become the youngest four-star chief in the history of that department. Timoney and the rest of the command assembled under Police Commissioner Bill Bratton implemented a number of radical strategies, protocols, and management systems, including CompStat, that led to historic declines in nearly every category of crime. In 1998, Mayor Ed Rendell of Philadelphia hired Timoney as police commissioner to tackle the city's seemingly intractable violent crime rate. Philadelphia became the great laboratory experiment: Could the systems and policies employed in New York work elsewhere? Under Timoney's leadership, crime declined in every major category, especially homicide. A similar decrease not only in crime but also in corruption marked Timoney's tenure in his next position as police chief of Miami, a post he held from 2003 to January 2010.Beat Cop to Top Cop: A Tale of Three Cities documents Timoney's rise, from his days as a tough street cop in the South Bronx to his role as police chief of Miami. This fast-moving narrative by the man Esquire magazine named "America's Top Cop" offers a blueprint for crime prevention through first-person accounts from the street, detailing how big-city chiefs and their teams can tame even the most unruly cities.Policy makers and academicians have long embraced the view that the police could do little to affect crime in the long term. John Timoney has devoted his career to dispelling this notion. Beat Cop to Top Cop tells us how.

Available in Black Bonded Leather. THE APOLOGETICS STUDY BIBLE WILL HELP TODAY’S CHRISTIAN BETTER UNDERSTAND, defend and proclaim their beliefs in this age of increasing moral and spiritual relativism. More than one-hundred key questions and articles placed throughout the volume about...  more

Available in Black Bonded Leather. THE APOLOGETICS STUDY BIBLE WILL HELP TODAY’S CHRISTIAN BETTER UNDERSTAND, defend and proclaim their beliefs in this age of increasing moral and spiritual relativism. More than one-hundred key questions and articles placed throughout the volume about faith and science prompt a rewarding study experience at every reading. Highlights of this new thinking person’s edition of God’s Word include the full text of the popular Holman CSB® translation, an introduction to each Bible book focusing on its inherent elements of apologetics, and profiles of historic Christian apologists from Justin Martyr to C.S. Lewis. Also featured are valuable contributions from a who’s-who of modern apologists such as Chuck Colson, Norm Geisler, Hank Hanegraaff, Josh McDowell, Albert Mohler, Ravi Zacharias, and many more.• The best apologetics thinkers of our day in one resource• The study Bible for customers asking the really hard questions about their faith• No other study Bible has the depth of resources that address the hard questions of faith and life• Serious help for Christians of all types• Tears down the obstacles to unbelief• Shows why the Bible is trustworthy• Allows Christians to dig into false teachings to see why they’re false• Will strengthen the church and give confidence to those who share their faith• Will better equip church leaders THE BEST APOLOGETICS THINKERS OF OUR DAY IN ONE RESOURCE (90+ CHRISTIAN APOLOGISTS):- Ted Cabal- Lee Strobel- Chuck Colson- Paul Copan- Norm Geisler- Hank Hanegraaff- Josh McDowell- Albert Mohler- J.P. Moreland- Ravi Zacharias- and many more Features MORE THAN 100 FEATURED ARTICLES IN CATEGORIES SUCH AS• Ethics• Interpreting the Bible in Light of Science• The Impact of Archaeology and History on Our Understanding the Bible• The Bible in Light of Theology• Christian Faith and Non-Christian Belief Systems• Christian Faith and Philosophy• Featured study notes that explain alleged “problem” passages in the Bible• 50 sidebars (Twisted Scripture) focusing on Bible passages misused by cults• Index of special articles for quick and easy access• Book introductions with special emphasis on anything of an apologetics nature• Profiles of key Christian apologists - Anselm - Athanasius - Augustine - Joseph Butler - C.S. Lewis - Irenaeus - Justin Martyr - Origen - William Paley - Blaise Pascal• End of verse Scripture references• Presentation page• Plan of Salvation• Two-column Bible text setting• Topical subheads• Translation footnotes• Holman CSB® bullet notes• Introduction to the Holman CSB®

I tell of a time, a place, and a way of life long gone. For many years I have had the urge to describe that treasure trove, lest it vanish forever. So, partly in response to the basic human instinct to share feelings and experiences, and partly for the sheer joy and excitement of it all, I...  more

I tell of a time, a place, and a way of life long gone. For many years I have had the urge to describe that treasure trove, lest it vanish forever. So, partly in response to the basic human instinct to share feelings and experiences, and partly for the sheer joy and excitement of it all, I report on my early life. It was quite a romp.So begins Mildred Kalish’s story of growing up on her grandparents’ Iowa farm during the depths of the Great Depression. With her father banished from the household for mysterious transgressions, five-year-old Mildred and her family could easily have been overwhelmed by the challenge of simply trying to survive. This, however, is not a tale of suffering.Kalish counts herself among the lucky of that era. She had caring grandparents who possessed—and valiantly tried to impose—all the pioneer virtues of their forebears, teachers who inspired and befriended her, and a barnyard full of animals ready to be tamed and loved. She and her siblings and their cousins from the farm across the way played as hard as they worked, running barefoot through the fields, as free and wild as they dared.Filled with recipes and how-tos for everything from catching and skinning a rabbit to preparing homemade skin and hair beautifiers, apple cream pie, and the world’s best head cheese (start by scrubbing the head of the pig until it is pink and clean), Little Heathens portrays a world of hardship and hard work tempered by simple rewards. There was the unsurpassed flavor of tender new dandelion greens harvested as soon as the snow melted; the taste of crystal clear marble-sized balls of honey robbed from a bumblebee nest; the sweet smell from the body of a lamb sleeping on sun-warmed grass; and the magical quality of oat shocking under the light of a full harvest moon.Little Heathens offers a loving but realistic portrait of a “hearty-handshake Methodist” family that gave its members a remarkable legacy of kinship, kindness, and remembered pleasures. Recounted in a luminous narrative filled with tenderness and humor, Kalish’s memoir of her childhood shows how the right stuff can make even the bleakest of times seem like “quite a romp.”

A fascinating and sometimes humorous glimpse into the lives of 150 19th-century American women who refused to whittle themselves down to the Victorian model of proper womanhood. 50 black-and-white photos.

In this powerful, exquisitely crafted book, Kyoko Mori delves into her dual heritage with a rare honesty that is both graceful and stirring. From her unhappy childhood in Japan, weighted by a troubled family and a constricting culture, to the American Midwest, where she found herself free to...  more

In this powerful, exquisitely crafted book, Kyoko Mori delves into her dual heritage with a rare honesty that is both graceful and stirring. From her unhappy childhood in Japan, weighted by a troubled family and a constricting culture, to the American Midwest, where she found herself free to speak as a strong-minded independent woman, though still an outsider, Mori explores the different codes of silence, deference, and expression that govern Japanese and American women's lives: the ties that bind us to family and the lies that keep us apart; the rituals of mourning that give us the courage to accept death; the images of the body that make sex seem foreign to Japanese women and second nature to Americans. In the sensitive hands of this compelling writer, one woman's life becomes the mirror of two profoundly different societies.

For Those Who Loved The QuiltGrace had few regrets about her life or her world. A pinch of this, a dash of that, love and laughter in good measure, a few tears to soften her vision when what she saw was too much to bear. And she loved life like she loved her God rich in depth and full of...  more

For Those Who Loved The QuiltGrace had few regrets about her life or her world. A pinch of this, a dash of that, love and laughter in good measure, a few tears to soften her vision when what she saw was too much to bear. And she loved life like she loved her God rich in depth and full of flavor.Leslie's entire life had been spent building up the size of her world. Bigger office, bigger salary, bigger car. She had fought tooth and nail to gain power and status, and both were now hers.Without warning the elderly woman and the busy young professional find themselves recuperating from surgery in the same hospital room. Their very different worlds have converged and been reduced to a space measuring ten by twelve. But it is here that, just as unexpectedly, a great expansion of spirit awaits. Together they journey to a gift a new understanding and awareness of the true beauty and purpose of life.

A surefire guarantee for the headaches and stomach upsets of the late twentieth century, The Lemon Jelly Cake carries readers back to kinder, gentler times in a small town at the turn of the century. Evoking a forgotten America of lush lawns, bountiful summer picnics, and shady front porches,...  more

A surefire guarantee for the headaches and stomach upsets of the late twentieth century, The Lemon Jelly Cake carries readers back to kinder, gentler times in a small town at the turn of the century. Evoking a forgotten America of lush lawns, bountiful summer picnics, and shady front porches, the tale is set when the day's toughest decision might have been what to serve for dinner or which suit or dress to wear. In this new Prairie State Books edition, an introduction by longtime Millikin University faculty member and Findlay resident Dan Guillory situates the book and its charming tale firmly in the Central Illinois of 1900. Helene and her best friend, Gracie, enjoy the delights of growing up in a small town in Illinois in the early 1900s. Helene's Mother is known throughout the community for her Lemon Jelly Cake, which she regularly makes for church socials and whenever special company comes. When a certain lawyer from another town begins to come to dinner fairly often and the Lemon Jelly Cake becomes his favorite, Helene observes events through the innocent eyes of a carefree child.

An entertaining collection from the author's syndicated column, The Back Forty. It's all here: the sheep killed by statistics, how to load pigs without getting dirty, reviving a drunken fly, and other stories gleaned from the years of hard living and soft barnlots that lead to such a volume....  more

An entertaining collection from the author's syndicated column, The Back Forty. It's all here: the sheep killed by statistics, how to load pigs without getting dirty, reviving a drunken fly, and other stories gleaned from the years of hard living and soft barnlots that lead to such a volume. This book is fun reading, even if you haven't felt that hot breath from the back seat.

Claire is a young, struggling New Yorker whose understanding of life is enriched after a group of older and wiser Latina women bring her into a close-knit circle: their Upper West Side tertulia. Once a month, they come together for a Sunday afternoon of revelry, at which delicious food and...  more

Claire is a young, struggling New Yorker whose understanding of life is enriched after a group of older and wiser Latina women bring her into a close-knit circle: their Upper West Side tertulia. Once a month, they come together for a Sunday afternoon of revelry, at which delicious food and strong opinions are served up in equal measure.  Through their recollections and counsel, Claire comes to know the colorful, exotic, and sometimes contradictory attitudes that through a prism more poetic and worldly. Humorous and bittersweet, The Sunday Tertulia brings to life cherished Latin traditions and celebrates women's wisdom and spirituality.

"I was born in a harem in 1940 in Fez, Morocco..." So begins Fatima Mernissi in this exotic and rich narrative of a childhood behind the iron gates of a domestic harem. In 'Dreams of Trespass,' Mernissi weaves her own memories with the dreams and memories of the women who...  more

"I was born in a harem in 1940 in Fez, Morocco..." So begins Fatima Mernissi in this exotic and rich narrative of a childhood behind the iron gates of a domestic harem. In 'Dreams of Trespass,' Mernissi weaves her own memories with the dreams and memories of the women who surrounded her in the courtyard of her youth--women who, deprived of access to the world outside, recreated it from sheer imagination. 'Dreams of Trespass' is the provocative story of a girl confronting the mysteries of time and place, gender and sex in the recent Muslim world. Fatima Merissi is a sociologist at University Mohammed V in Rabat, Morocco. She is the author of 'Islam and Democracy,' 'The Veil and the Male Elite,' and 'Beyond the Veil,' among other books. Utne Reader named her one of its 100 visionaries in 1995. "Wonderful and enchanting. . .Mernissi brings this vanished world to life." --The New York Times Book Review "A remarkable book. . .its good humor is unwavering; it tempers judgmentalism with understanding; and it provides a vivid portrait of a world that most Westerners can scarcely comprehend." -- The Washington Post Book World "[Mernissi] creates a necklace of tales as delightful as Scheherazade's." -- Elle Table of Contents: 1. My Harem Frontiers 1 2. Scheherazade, the King, and the Words 12 3. The French Harem 20 4. Yasmina's First Co-Wife 28 5. Chama and the Caliph 38 6. Tamou's Horse 48 7. The Harem Within 56 8. Aquatic Dishwashing 66 9. Moonlit Nights of Laughter 74 10. The Men's Salon 82 11. World War II. View from the Courtyard 92 12. Asmahan, the Singing Princess 102 13. The Harem Goes to the Movies 112 14. Egyptian Feminists Visit the Terrace 124 15. Princess Budur's Fate 136 16. The Forbidden Terrace 144 17. Mina, the Rootless 156 18. American Cigarettes 174 19. Mustaches and Breasts 188 20. The Silent Dream of Wings and Flights 202 21. Skin Politics: Eggs, Dates, and Other Beauty Secrets 218 22. Henna, Clay, and Men's Stares 230