Fictionwise: Excellence in eBooks: Secure Format eBooks Added This Week

Heretics by S. Andrew Swann

Brand new in the action-packed Apotheosis epic Adam, an AI creation of an alien race, prepares to launch a conquest that has been centuries in the making, and if he succeeds he will rule over all humankind-over all sentient life-forms-as a God.

The Seventh Heaven by Naguib Mahfouz

Egyptian Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz draws on his homeland's rich engagement with the afterlife-and his own near-death experience at the hands of a would-be assassin-in these newly translated, brilliantly mysterious stories of the supernatural. Among those who haunt these tales are the ghosts of Akhenaten, Woodrow Wilson, and Gamal Abd al-Nasser, who endure a strange system of earthly probation in the hope of gaining entry to the fabled Seventh Heaven; a teenager drawn into the secret, enchanted life he finds within his neighborhood's forbidden wood; an honest perfume seller accosted on a night out by angry skeletons; and Satan himself, who confesses that there is still, despite the flood of evil in our times, an honorable man in the land. As ingenious at capturing the surreal as he is at documenting the very real social landscape of modern Cairo, Mahfouz guides these restless spirits as they migrate from the shadowy realms of other worlds to the haunted precincts of our own. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Earth Strike by Ian Douglas

The first book in the epic saga of humankind's war of transcendence There is a milestone in the evolution of every sentient race, a Tech Singularity Event, when the species achieves transcendence through its technological advances. Now the creatures known as humans are near this momentous turning point. But an armed threat is approaching from deepest space, determined to prevent humankind from crossing over that boundary-by total annihilation if necessary. To the Sh'daar, the driving technologies of transcendent change are anathema and must be obliterated from the universe-along with those who would employ them. As their great warships destroy everything in their path en route to the Sol system, the human Confederation government falls into dangerous disarray. There is but one hope, and it rests with a rogue Navy Admiral, commander of the kilometer-long star carrier America, as he leads his courageous fighters deep into enemy space towards humankind's greatest conflict-and quite possibly its last.

Wild Hunt by Margaret Ronald

Genevieve Scelan thought she was done with magic. She was wrong. Sure, six weeks earlier Evie-bike messenger, supernatural tracker, and avid Red Sox fan-had been instrumental in bringing down the Fiana, the organization of magicians that had ruled Boston's undercurrent for hundreds of years. But now they were gone, Boston could breathe easy again, the Sox had a chance at the pennant, and Evie was ready to relax. Except it turns out that when you take down the guy on top, everyone assumes you're going to fill his spot, and now Evie finds herself at the center of a whole lot of unwelcome magical attention. On top of that, a new client needs her to call up a family ghost and ask about a stolen inheritance; Evie's friend Nate has a supernatural problem of his own; and a legendary pack of hounds has been terrorizing Boston's undercurrent. And try as Evie might to deny the legacy that runs through her blood, when the Hunt is called, the Hound must run . . .

Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #3: Paragon by John Jackson Miller

Don't miss Star Wars: Lost Tribe of The Sith: Paragon a FREE original e-book short story, the third in a series that reveals the untold story of the Fate of the Jedi's forgotten Sith castaways, their battle to survive, and their quest to re-conquer the galaxy! Paragon includes an exclusive excerpt from Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Backlash (Del Rey Hardcover, available March 9th) and offers a unique look into the backstory of events that have begun to unfold in the Fate of the Jedi series. Darkness VisibleThe ruthless cunning of the Sith Order has served the shipwrecked crew of the Omen well on the alien planet Kesh. Subjugating the superstitious Keshiri race by posing as its fabled overlords has ensured the Sith's survival?while they struggle in secret to return to the stars. But after fifteen years on their adopted world, some among the lost tribe have grown restless and fearful that assimilation will consume their Sith heritage. Now, as rival factions begin to appear, a shocking disaster throws into doubt the Sith's future on Kesh. In the distant city of Tetsubal, the entire native populace is suddenly wiped out by a grisly plague of unknown origin. With terrifying speed, more cities succumb to the mysterious contagion. Only the Sith remain unharmed?so far. And as Sith commander Yaru Korsin grapples with the looming loss of the paradise he rules and the race his people have come to depend upon, he must confront the dark possibility that the catastrophe may not be cruel fate but insidious sabotage.

Blackout by Connie Willis

In her first novel since 2002, Nebula and Hugo award-winning author Connie Willis returns with a stunning, enormously entertaining novel of time travel, war, and the deedsi��great and smalli��of ordinary people who shape history. In the hands of this acclaimed storyteller, the past and future collidei��and the result is at once intriguing, elusive, and frightening. Oxford in 2060 is a chaotic place. Scores of time-traveling historians are being sent into the past, to destinations including the American Civil War and the attack on the World Trade Center. Michael Davies is prepping to go to Pearl Harbor. Merope Ward is coping with a bunch of bratty 1940 evacuees and trying to talk her thesis adviser, Mr. Dunworthy, into letting her go to VE Day. Polly Churchilli��s next assignment will be as a shopgirl in the middle of Londoni��s Blitz. And seventeen-year-old Colin Templer, who has a major crush on Polly, is determined to go to the Crusades so that he can i��catch upi�� to her in age. But now the time-travel lab is suddenly canceling assignments for no apparent reason and switching around everyonei��s schedules. And when Michael, Merope, and Polly finally get to World War II, things just get worse. For there they face air raids, blackouts, unexploded bombs, dive-bombing Stukas, rationing, shrapnel, V-1s, and two of the most incorrigible children in all of historyi��to say nothing of a growing feeling that not only their assignments but the war and history itself are spiraling out of control. Because suddenly the once-reliable mechanisms of time travel are showing significant glitches, and our heroes are beginning to questiontheir most firmly held belief: that no historian can possibly change the past. From the people sheltering in the tube stations of London to the retired sailors who set off across the Channel to rescue the stranded British Army from Dunkirk, from shopgirls to ambulance drivers, from spies to hospital nurses to Shakespearean actors, Blackout reveals a side of World War II seldom seen before: a dangerous, desperate world in which there are no civilians and in which everybodyi��from the Queen down to the lowliest barmaidi��is determined to do their bit to help a beleaguered nation survive.

On the Beach by Nevil Shute

"The most shocking fiction I have read in years. What is shocking about it is both the idea and the sheer imaginative brilliance with which Mr. Shute brings it off." THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE They are the last generation, the innocent victims of an accidental war, living out their last days, making do with what they have, hoping for a miracle. As the deadly rain moves ever closer, the world as we know it winds toward an inevitable end.... From the Paperback edition.

Things We Didn't See Coming by Steven Amsterdam

Michael Williams, in Melbournei��s The Age, wrote of this award-winning, dazzling debut collection, i��By turns horrific and beautiful . . . Humanity at its most fractured and desolate . . . Often moving, frequently surprising, even blackly funny . . . Things We Didni��t See Coming is terrific.i�� This is just one of the many rave reviews that appeared on the Australian publication of these nine connected stories set in a not-too-distant dystopian future in a landscape at once utterly fantastic and disturbingly familiar. i�� Richly imagined, dark, and darkly comic, the stories follow the narrator over three decades as he tries to survive in a world that is becoming increasingly savage as cataclysmic events unfold one after another. In the first story, i��What We Know Nowi��i��set in the eve of the millennium, when the world as we know it is still recognizablei��we meet the then-nine-year-old narrator fleeing the city with his parents, just ahead of a Y2K breakdown. The remaining stories capture the strangei��sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes funnyi��circumstances he encounters in the no-longer-simple act of survival; trying to protect squatters against floods in a place where the rain never stops, being harassed (and possibly infected) by a man sick with a virulent flu, enduring a job interview with an unstable assessor who has access to all his thoughts, taking the gravely ill on adventure tours. But we see in each story that, despite the violence and brutality of his days, the narrator retains a hold on his essential humanityi��and humor. Things We Didni��t See Coming is haunting, restrained, and beautifully craftedi��a stunning debut. From the Hardcover edition.

A Dark Matter by Peter Straub

The incomparable master of horror and suspense returns with a powerful, brilliantly terrifying novel that redefines the genre in original and unexpected ways. The charismatic and cunning Spenser Mallon is a campus guru in the 1960s, attracting the devotion and demanding sexual favors of his young acolytes. After he invites his most fervent followers to attend a secret ritual in a local meadow, the only thing that remains is a gruesomely dismembered bodyi��and the shattered souls of all who were present. Years later, one man attempts to understand what happened to his wife and to his friends by writing a book about this horrible night, and iti��s through this process that they begin to examine the unspeakable events that have bound them in ways they cannot fathom, but that have haunted every one of them through their lives. As each of the old friends tries to come to grips with the darkness of the past, they find themselves face-to-face with the evil triggered so many years earlier. Unfolding through the individual stories of the fated groupi��s members, A Dark Matter is an electric, chilling, and unpredictable novel that will satisfy Peter Straub's many ardent fans, and win him legions more.

Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She? by Molly Ivins

Only Molly Ivins can write about redneck politics in her native Texas and the discreet charm of the Bushwazee and manage to be both brutally honest and unabashedly affectionate. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Sexually, I'm More of a Switzerland: More Personal Ads from the London Review of Books by David Rose

Straight from British shores, here is another dose of love, or the lack of it, from the pages of the London Review of Books. The editor of They Call Me Naughty Lola has cooked up yet another irresistible collection of brilliant, bawdy and often absurd personal ads from the world's funniest, and smartest, lonely-hearts column. These ads prove that even if you're lonely, you don't have to be boring, as advertisers in this book demand much more than long walks on the beach and candlelit dinners from their potential mates. Arranged by theme ('The Usual Hyperbole and a Whiff of Playful Narcissism'), and including footnotes to obscure references, Sexually, I'm More of a Switzerland promises to be 'a naughty treat' (Entertainment Weekly).

Maybe Life's Just Not That Into You: When You feel Like the World's Voted You Off by Martha Bolton

A Self-Help Spoof for the Life Impaired Right here in this book store, you can find hundreds of them -- self-help books. They tell you how to improve your finances, lose weight, age gracefully, and influence people. But even after reading all those books, you're still a mess. It can only mean one thing: maybe life's just not that into you. Once you open you mind to this possibility, you can quit beating yourself up. It's all about attitude. It's about the find art of whining. It's about losing your shirt, but keeping your dignity. It's about being dull and boring, but making it work for you. It's about losing friends and influencing nobody. It's about just saying no to dieting because, well, let's be honest, carbs just taste good. A hilarious, good-natured spoof on more that fifty self-help books, this book will leave you feeling better about who you are and laughing your way to becoming the person God created you to be.

How to Be a Hollywood Star by Stephanie Williams

Confidential: For Stars' Eyes Only Worried that your air kisses lack panache? Afraid to go to a Lakers game lest you sit too close and annoy Jack Nicholson? Wondering why you don't have a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame? Relax! You hold in your hand the fabled How to Be a Hollywood Star, the top-secret guide to managing the details of your fabulous celebrity lifestyle. The ultimate primer for Tinseltown newbies, it's been passed down through generations of Hollywood's elite. And now you've got your very own copy. Baby, you have arrived. Useful tips include: Dating and romance for the rich and famous Daily diva affirmations Six surefire ways to spot a stalker Ten tasks stars should delegate to their assistants Negotiating the Cannes Film Festival How to sell out discreetly Choosing a Hollywood home, yacht, and car that suit your image Selecting the trendy religion that is right for you What to pack for rehab and how to hire a prison coach Whether you're already a huge star or just wish you were, this helpful, often hilarious manual explains the nuts and bolts of Hollywood stardom-from outrunning the paparazzi to mastering the art of the onscreen kiss. Taken from interviews with the stars, the members of their entourage, their nannies and personal assistants, and the countless employees who make the whole thing look effortless, here is your road map to navigating the top-secret world of the stars. From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Pirates! by Gideon Defoe

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists Not since Moby-Dick...No, not since Treasure Island...Actually, not since Jonah and the Whale has there been a sea saga to rival The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, featuring the greatest sea-faring hero of all time, the immortal Pirate Captain, who, although he lives for months at a time at sea, somehow manages to keep his beard silky and in good condition. Worried that his pirates are growing bored with a life of winking at pretty native ladies and trying to stick enough jellyfish together to make a bouncy castle, the Pirate Captain decides it's high time to spearhead an adventure. While searching for some major pirate booty, he mistakenly attacks the young Charles Darwin's Beagle and then leads his ragtag crew from the exotic Galapagos Islands to the fog-filled streets of Victorian London. There they encounter grisly murder, vanishing ladies, radioactive elephants, and the Holy Ghost himself. And that's not even the half of it. The Pirates! In an Adventure with Ahab Fresh from their mishaps with Charles Darwin and the evil Bishop of Oxford, the Pirates set sail in a bouncy new vessel-purchased on credit. In order to repay his debts, The Pirate Captain is determined to capture the enigmatic White Whale, hunted by the notoriously moody Ahab, who has promised a reward. Chaos ensues, featuring the lascivious Cutlass Liz, the world's most dangerous mosquito, an excerpt from the Pirate Captain's novel in progress (a bodice ripper, of course), whale ventriloquism, practical lessons in whale painting, a shanty-singing contest in a Las Vegas casino, and a dramatic climax in which the Pirate Captain's Prize Ham saves the day! Move over, Herman Melville. From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Ahab by Gideon Defoe

They're back!!! The Pirate Captain and his irascible crew of scoundrels return in their soggiest saga yet. Fresh from their mishaps with Charles Darwin and the evil Bishop of Oxford, the Pirates set sail in a bouncy new vessel--purchased on credit. In order to repay his debts, the Pirate Captain is determined to capture the enigmatic White Whale, hunted by the notoriously moody Ahab, who has promised a reward. Chaos ensues, featuring the lascivious Cutlass Liz, the world's most dangerous mosquito, an excerpt from the Pirate Captain's novel in progress (a bodice ripper, of course), whale ventriloquism, practical lessons in whale painting, a shanty-singing contest in a Las Vegas casino, and a dra-matic climax in which the Pirate Captain's prize ham saves the day! Move over, Herman Melville. From the Hardcover edition.

Pills for Cats: Finding Happiness Through Modern Pharmacology by Charles Kreloff

Depressed? Sleepless? Anxious? With pills, you can be a brand-new kitty. This is the tale of one very neurotic, anxious, depressed, unfocused, sleep-deprived cat who discovers the joys of medication.

Last Laughs: Cartoons About Aging, Retirement...and the Great Beyond by Mort Gerberg

At long last, here are cartoons about the truly important issues. Featuring twenty-six of The New Yorker's most talented cartoonists, Last Laughs is a provocative and exhilarating collection that will amuse, inspire, and occasionally unnerve everyone obsessed with the perennially compelling topics of old age, retirement, and, yes, death. Longtime New Yorker cartoonist Mort Gerberg has assembled an all-star cast of gifted and popular greats such as George Booth, Roz Chast, Leo Cullum, Frank Modell, and Jack Ziegler to join him in this exclusive collection confronting, illuminating, and celebrating the inevitabilities of life. Everything from cloning to cryogenics is tackled with humor and pathos. It turns out the Grim Reaper can be funny. Also included in this book are brief reflections from the contributors that give readers a glimpse into their unique personalities. These artists prove that they are just as funny with the written word as they are with the image. Last Laughs is a must-have for fans of literary cartoons and anyone interested in slightly off-kilter insights about life and death.

Barguments by Doug Hanks

If you could marry into any family, which would you choose? Who talks about sex more: men or women? Is it harder to be a pitcher or a running back? Name the best television theme song of all time. Who would win in a war: Texas or California? These are just a few of the entertaining, provocative, endlessly debate-worthy questions in Barguments. Spanning the full spectrum of life's crucial topics -- sports, television, food, music, sex, and, of course, drink -- Barguments is the perfect addition to anywhere friends, colleagues, or strangers gather with a little time and plenty of opinions to share.

Hold My Gold: A White Girl's Guide to the Hip-Hop World by Amanda McCall

Every night there is a white girl crying herself to sleep somewhere in America, listening to Ludacris and wishing she could be part of that gold-rimmed, Cristal-soaked hip-hop dream. Hope has arrived in the wise counsel given in Hold My Gold: A White Girl's Guide to the Hip-Hop World. From "Da Basix: Vocab, Grammar, and Translation" to "How to Be a Video Ho or "Just look Like One," authors McCall and Rizzo deliver a comprehensive education in hip-hop history, language, accessories, social etiquette, and more. Loaded with spot-on satire and hilarious tongue-in-cheek advice, Hold My Gold is required reading for bling-deficient white girls looking to conquer their hip-hop illiteracy.

This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson

Buried in info? Cross-eyed over technology? From the bottom of a pile of paper and discs, books, e-books, and scattered thumb drives comes a cry of hope: Make way for the librarians! They want to help. They're not selling a thing. And librarians know best how to beat a path through the googolplex sources of information available to us, writes Marilyn Johnson, whose previous book, The Dead Beat, breathed merry life into the obituary-writing profession. This Book Is Overdue! is a romp through the ranks of information professionals and a revelation for readers burned out on the cliches and stereotyping of librarians. Blunt and obscenely funny bloggers spill their stories in these pages, as do a tattooed, hard-partying children's librarian; a fresh-scrubbed Catholic couple who teach missionaries to use computers; a blue-haired radical who uses her smartphone to help guide street protestors; a plethora of voluptuous avatars and cybrarians; the quiet, law-abiding librarians gagged by the FBI; and a boxing archivist. These are just a few of the visionaries Johnson captures here, pragmatic idealists who fuse the tools of the digital age with their love for the written word and the enduring values of free speech, open access, and scout-badge-quality assistance to anyone in need. Those who predicted the death of libraries forgot to consider that in the automated maze of contemporary life, none of us-neither the experts nor the hopelessly baffled-can get along without human help. And not just any help-we need librarians, who won't charge us by the question or roll their eyes, no matter what we ask. Who are they? What do they know? And how quickly can they save us from being buried by the digital age?

World of Warcraft: Stormrage by Richard A. Knaak

When the world of Azeroth was young, the god-like titans brought order to it by reshaping its lands and seas. Throughout their great work, they followed a magnificent design for what they envisioned Azeroth would become. Although the titans departed Azeroth long ago, that design endures to this day. It is known as the Emerald Dream, a lush and savagely primal version of the...

WORLD OF WARCRAFT
Many are the mysteries surrounding the Emerald Dream and its reclusive guardians, the green dragonflight. In times past, druids have entered the Dream to monitor the ebb and flow of life on Azeroth in their never-ending quest to maintain the delicate balance of nature. However, not all dreams are pleasant ones. Recently the Emerald Nightmare, an area of corruption within the Emerald Dream, began growing in size, transforming the Dream into a realm of unimaginable horror. Green dragons have been unexpectedly caught up in the Nightmare, emerging from it with shattered minds and twisted bodies. Druids who have entered the darkening Dream lately have found it difficult -- sometimes even impossible -- to escape. Nor are these the Nightmare's only victims: more and more people are being affected. Even Malfurion Stormrage, first and foremost of the druids on Azeroth, may have fallen victim to this growing threat. As uncontrollable nightmares spread across the world, a desperate quest begins to find and free the archdruid. Soon nature's enemies will learn the true meaning of the name

STORMRAGE

A Girl's Guide to Guns and Monsters by Martin H. Greenberg

Brilliant, original sci-fi and fantasy stories featuring brave and bold heroines Thirteen urban and paranormal tales of strong women, armed with weapons they are not afraid to use, as well as fists and feet of fury, who face monsters and bad guys-and are not above rescuing men in the process.

State of Decay by James Knapp

Just because you're dead doesn't mean you're useless... A thrilling debut novel of a dystopian future populated by a new breed of zombie They call them revivors-technologically reanimated corpses-and away from the public eye they do humanity's dirtiest work. But FBI agent Nico Wachalowski has stumbled upon a conspiracy involving revivors being custom made to kill-and a startling truth about the existence of these undead slaves.

Deep In the Woods by Chris Marie Green

A brand new novel in the "dark, dramatic, and erotic" Vampire Babylon saga. With the female master of the London Underground in her hands, stuntwoman-turnedi��vampire hunter Dawn Madison must fight off her followers, a vicious pack of undead teenage girls who put the vamps Dawn had to deal with in Los Angeles to shame...

Jade Man's Skin by Daniel Fox

In this soaring epic, Daniel Fox weaves the ancient myths and legends of feudal China into a fantasy world of brutal war and brittle passion, immortal gods and mystical creatures. With the long-chained dragon now free and the rebelsi�� invasion smashed by her exultant fury, the balance of power has changed. Young emperor Chien Hua is no longer struggling for survival; now he is ambitious to strike back. As treacherous General Ping Wen whispers in the emperori��s ear, not even Chien Huai��s beloved concubine or his most trusted bodyguard can reason with him. Worse, prolonged exposure to magical jade is changing him radically: His increasingly godlike powers are making him dangerously rash. But with the dragon patrolling the skies above and the strait beneath, the emperori��s forces have no hope of launching a counterattacki��until a goddess moves to interfere. Yet neither the clash of armies nor the opposing wills of goddess and dragon can decide ultimate victory or defeat. The fate of the war lies in the blood-deep bonds between the dragon and the boy Han, her jailer and her liberatori��and in the prices both will pay for their freedom.

City of Night by Michelle West

Enter a "vivid and detailed universe"* and "a richly woven world."* -*Quill and Quire Demonic activity has escalated in both the Undercity and the mortal surface level city as the worshipers and servants of the Lord of the Hells strive to complete the rituals that will return their god to the mortal realm. As Rath joins with mages and the Twin Kings' agents to wage a secret battle against this nearly unstoppable foe, he gives Jewel Markess and her den of orphans the opportunity to escape the chaos by providing them with a note of introduction to the head of House Terafin, where Jewel will discover her destiny.

Shadows Past by Lorna Freeman

The bestselling Borderlands saga continues Rabbit is struggling to make sense of his new powers and his new position as King Jusson's heir when a man once scorned by his mother comes seeking retribution-and demands that Rabbit marry his daughter...

The Adamantine Palace by Stephen Deas

A "remarkable debut" (Locus) from the "new Dragon Lord in town" (Gareth Wilson, Falcata Times). The power of the Realms depends on its dragons. With their terrifying natures, they are ridden by the aristocracy and bred for hunting and war. But as dangerous political maneuverings threaten the complacency of the empire, a single dragon has gone missing. And even that one dragon-returned to its full intelligence and fury-could spell disaster for the Realms...

The God Catcher: Ed Greenwood Presents: Waterdeep by Erin M. Evans

Walk the line between magic and madness in Erin M. Evani��s passionate story about the dragons of the City of Splendors... Tennora would give anything to be a wizard. And Clytemorrenestrix, a strange woman with uncanny blue eyes, whose name means i��She Will Thunder in the Sky,i�� and who claims to be a dragon, promises to make her just thati��in return for aid in returning her to her true form. But soon after Tennora seals the deal, a bounty hunter presses a note into her hands claiming the dragon woman is actually a humani��a violent, criminally insane human who murders those who fail her. The God Catcher is gripping tale of identity, intrigue, and obsession set in the classic City of Splendors and presented by Forgotten Realmsi�� campaign setting creator and celebrated author Ed Greenwood. You doni��t want to miss out on this exciting glimpse into what the latest edition of the Realms has to offer. From the Paperback edition.

Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole enraptures again with this seductive tale of a fierce werewolf prince who will stop at nothing to protect the lovely archer he covets from afar. A DANGEROUS BEAUTY... Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her i�� and those she loves. AN UNCONTROLLABLE NEED... Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own. THAT LEAD TO A PLEASURE SO WICKED.... From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia's greatest weakness i�� her wanton desire for him.

Some Like it Kilted by Allie Mackay

A woman's heart needs a loving home-- Even if it's a little bit haunted. Mindy Menlove lives in a castle that was transported stone-by-stone from Scotland. But when her fiance dies in scandal and Mindy decides to sell the gloomy estate, her plans unravel. She must travel to the Hebrides, where she's confronted by the castle's original builder-who happens to be maddeningly irresistible and seven hundred years young. Bran of Barra was a legendary chieftain. Since then he's enjoyed his ghostly pleasures, until Mindy's appearance disrupts them. Now, if the roguish Bran doesn't change Mindy's mind about his bonny homeland-and himself-neither of them will ever find any peace.

Blood Magic by Eileen Wilks

A new World of Lupi novel from "a true master of her craft" (Eternal Night) Lily Yu and Lupi prince Rule Turner have a bigger problem than their families not accepting their impending human/werewolf mixed marriage. A powerful ancient nemesis of Lily's grandmother has come to San Diego to turn the city into a feeding ground.

Demon Possessed by Stacia Kane

Psychologist and psychic Megan Chase has grown remarkably comfortable hanging out with demons. The demon "family" she leads is happy, her solo practice is stabilizing, and she and her steamy demon lover, Greyson Dante, are closer than ever. But when the couple books a week at a luxury hotel to attend a meeting of demon leaders, some unanticipated problems appear. An FBI agent with an unhealthy interest in less-than-legitimate demon business practices shows up; the demon community is urging Megan to undergo the rite that will make her a real demon; and a slightly shady minister is holding one of his wildly popular "weekend exorcisms" just down the road. And oh, yes, someone with scary magical abilities is attempting to kill her. Then, just when it seems as if things couldn't possibly get any worse, a secret comes to light that could jeopardize Megan and Greyson's future i�� if Megan manages to live that long. With things heating up, it's becoming difficult for her to keep a cool head...

Real Vampires Hate Their Thighs by Gerry Bartlett

Glory St. Clair loves soaking up Hollywood's vampire nightlife with her sexy Scottish lover, Jeremiah. Especially when she meets a vampire/ diet guru who promises to give her the body she's wanted for centuries. One problem: his clan and Jeremiah's are ancient enemies. But Glory's not about to let a stupid family feud come between her and slender bliss. Yet, she can't help but wonder...how much is she willing to risk for her hips? And how much (and precisely what) is she willing to lose?

Secrets of Eden: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian

From the bestselling author of The Double Bind, Midwives, and Skeletons at the Feast comes a novel of shattered faith, intimate secrets, and the delicate nature of sacrifice. "There," says Alice Hayward to Reverend Stephen Drew, just after her baptism, and just before going home to the husband who will kill her that evening and then shoot himself. Drew, tortured by the cryptic finality of that short utterance, feels his faith in God slipping away and is saved from despair only by a meeting with Heather Laurent, the author of wildly successful, inspirational books about . . . angels.i�� Heather survived a childhood that culminated in her own parents' murder-suicide, so she identifies deeply with Alice's daughter, Katie, offering herself as a mentor to the girl and a shoulder for Stephen -- who flees the pulpit to be with Heather and see if there is anything to be salvaged from the spiritual wreckage around him. But then the State's Attorney begins to suspect that Alice's husband may not have killed himself. . .and finds out that Alice had secrets only her minister knew. Secrets of Eden is both a haunting literary thriller and a deeply evocative testament to the inner complexities that mark all of our lives.i�� Once again Chris Bohjalian has given us a riveting page-turner in which nothing is precisely what it seems.

Under My Skin: A Hannah Wolfe Mystery by Sarah Dunant

A decade before her dazzling breakthrough novel, The Birth of Venus, Silver Dagger Award-winning author Sarah Dunant won critical acclaim for her Hannah Wolfe crime novels. In Under My Skin, private investigator Hannah Wolfe's cushy new assignment takes her to the sumptuous Castle Dean health spa. While being plucked, crimped, steamed, and oiled, Hannah is ideally placed to probe some reported cases of sabotage ? fish in the Jacuzzi and steel nails in the massage heads. But spa owner Olivia Marchant has other problems besides sabotage. Someone is threatening her husband, Maurice, one of London's leading cosmetic surgeons and the man responsible for reconstructing many of the world's rich and famous. In a culture where no one wants to grow old and everyone seems to believe in the power of the knife, Hannah feels like an alien visitor. People will do anything in the name of beauty ? perhaps even commit murder.

The Proof is in the Pudding by Melinda Wells

A mouthwatering new Della Cools mystery-recipes included. Owner of a Santa Monica cooking school and cable cooking show star Della Carmichael is one of three judges for an A-list cook-off-but it's the celebrities who are getting knocked off.

Feenin: A Novel by Nane Quartay

Two powerful personalities are on a collision course in this rocket-fast debut novel about money and power. Tokus Stone is a man caught between what he knows and what he knows is right, between the fortune of crime on the one hand and the conviction of law on the other. Way Jalon, on the other side of the spectrum, rules the city with an iron fist, presiding over an empire of wealth and influence. Armed with a dangerous new secret, he vows to remake the fabric of society by his own standards -- and Tokus Stone will be his perfect gamble. This edge-of-your-seat novel traces the lives of a street hustler and an affluent businessman from their sharply contrasting paths to their final confrontation -- a confrontation only one of them will survive.

A Stitch in Crime by Betty Hechtman

Molly and her Tarzana Hookers must untangle a twisted yarn... Molly's been handed the reins for this year's creative retreat-an exhilarating weekend out on the Monterey Peninsula, complete with crochet classes. Unfortunately for one teacher, though, the breathtaking scenery is where she'll take her last breath. Now Molly will have to find a new instructor, and, if she can squeeze it in, solve this murder-with the help of her pals from the Tarzana Hookers.

The Diva Paints the Town by Krista Davis

Color this Domestic Diva puzzled-from the national bestselling author. When Sophie's neighbor-a reclusive professor-dies, his final wish is for the Domestic Diva to throw a dinner party in his honor, and he's planned everything down to the letter. But what no one planned for is the corpse of a student that Sophie finds in his house.

Avenging Angels by Mary Stanton

The series that's "a breath of fresh air for fans of paranormal cozy mysteries" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) Law school hasn't prepared Bree to appeal cases for the dead. After inheriting her great-uncle's haunted law firm, she must now represent ex-banker O'Rourke, who supposedly killed himself after losing a fortune. But with a merry widow and evidence mounting, it's beginning to look like murder. So Bree and her team of angels begin to investigate. But Bree soon discovers that someone would rather see her deceased than debriefed.

If Books Could Kill [Bibliophile Series #2] by Kate Carlisle

Murder is easy-on paper. Book restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is attending the world- renowned Book Fair when her ex Kyle shows up with a bombshell. He has an original copy of a scandalous text that could change history-and humiliate the beloved British monarchy. When Kyle turns up dead, the police are convinced Brooklyn's the culprit. But with an entire convention of suspects, Brooklyn's conducting her own investigation to find out if the motive for murder was a 200-year-old secret-or something much more personal.

How to Host a Killer Party by Penny Warner

Don't let murder crash your party. Presley Parker was just happy to get her party planning business off the ground. Now she's gotten the gig of the year, planning Mayor Davin Green's sumptuous "surprise" wedding for his socialite fiancee, to be held on Alcatraz. But when the bride is found floating in the bay and the original party planner is found murdered, Presley becomes the prime suspect. If the attractive crime scene cleaner, Brad Matthews, doesn't help her tidy her reputation, she'll be exchanging her formal wear for prison stripes...

Town In a Blueberry Jam by B.B. Haywood

First in the fabulous new Candy Holliday Murder mystery series. In the seaside village of Cape Willington, Maine, Candy Holliday has an idyllic life tending to the Blueberry Acres farm she runs with her father. But, when an aging playboy and the newly crowned Blueberry Queen are killed, Candy investigates to clear the name of a local handyman. And as she sorts through the town's juicy secrets, things start to get sticky indeed...

The Greatest Player Who Never Lived by J. Michael Veron

When Charley Hunter goes to work as a summer intern at a prestigious Atlanta law firm, he has no idea that his passion for golf will come into play on the job. Stumbling onto a yellowed file containing correspondence between Beau Stedman, an astonishingly talented teenage golfer, and the legendary Bobby Jones (once a partner at the firm), Hunter finds himself embroiled in a decades-old murder case-and searching for an invisible champion who won nearly all his matches with the masters. As Hunter unravels the facts of Stedman's case, his hunger for the truth is matched only by his deepening reverence for the game, one that leads him to a heart-stopping courtroom showdown between golf's most powerful association and a family torn apart by buried secrets. From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village under the Sea: Poems by Mark Haddon

From the phenomenally bestselling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time comes Mark Haddon�s first collection of poems. That Mark Haddon�s first book after The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is a book of poetry may surprise his many fans; that it is also one of such virtuosity and range will not. The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea reveals a poet of great versatility and formal talent. All the gifts so admired in Haddon�s prose are in strong evidence here � the humanity, the dark humour, and the uncanny ventriloquism � but Haddon is also a writer of considerable seriousness, lyric power, and surreal invention. This book will consolidate his reputation as one of the most imaginative writers in contemporary literature.

The Folding Knife by K. J. Parker

Basso the Magnificent. Basso the Great. Basso the Wise. The First Citizen of the Vesani Republic is an extraordinary man. He is ruthless, cunning, and above all, lucky. He brings wealth, power and prestige to his people. But with power comes unwanted attention, and Basso must defend his nation and himself from threats foreign and domestic. In a lifetime of crucial decisions, he's only ever made one mistake. One mistake, though, can be enough.

The Ice Beneath You: A Novel by Christian Bauman

Just as The Things They Carried and Catch-22 spoke to their generations with truth and dark humor, this brilliant first novel defines the experience of war for its era. Benjamin Jones, twenty-three, discharged after an army tour in Somalia, heads cross-country on a Greyhound, seeking refuge on the West Coast. He has left behind his best friend, Trevor, and Liz Ross, a female soldier with whom Jones has fallen in love. But Jones has also left behind a tragedy -- a horrible, split-second action made in Somalia -- that Trevor, Jones, and the army have implicitly agreed to forget. Alone on the streets of San Francisco, and then north on the Washington coast, Jones finds that an uneducated ex-soldier is qualified only as a peep show fantasy object or as a hired hand to a bottom-feeding smuggler and pornographer. Recurring visions of his life as a soldier gradually reveal the full truth -- and agony -- of his experience, and a reunion with Liz and a violent confrontation with Trevor bring the young soldier's journey to a wrenching conclusion -- but one not without hope. At equal turns tense, brutal, and poetic, The Ice Beneath You is a soldier's story for a time when there weren't supposed to be any more soldiers' stories.

Director's Cut by Arthur Japin

A tale of consuming love and artistic creationi��based on a true storyi��that reimagines the last romance of the legendary filmmaker Federico Fellini. In Directori��s Cut we enter the mind of Snaporaz, the lion of Italian cinema, as he slips into a coma in his final days. Having always drawn inspiration from the world of his dreams, he welcomes the chance to take account of his life, and in particular his most recent love affair, with a beautiful but perilously highstrung actress called Gala. He tells the story: Lured by the glamour of Rome, Gala and her boyfriend Maxim, an actor as well, are hoping to be discovered when they manage the impossible: entri��e to the studio of the great master. Almost at once and despite an age difference of four decades, a mutual enthrallment develops between Snaporaz and Gala, leaving Maxim an anxious observer of Galai��s physical and spiritual destruction, as she falls down a rabbit hole of self-delusion that will lead her both to prostitution and self-cloistering in an abandoned church. Snaporazi��s intoxicatingly baroquei��Felliniesquei��account of the affair slyly challenges us again and again to ask what is dream and what is reality, and to conclude that the difference is irrelevant when such a genius immerses himself in his most natural element: the imagination.

Dream of the Blue Room by Michelle Richmond

Jenny and Amanda Ruth were best friends in a small Alabama town until eighteen-years-old Amanda Ruth was murdered. Now, fourteen years later, Jenny has traveled with her husband to China to scatter Amanda Ruthi��s ashes and finally fulfill her friendi��s dream of visiting her Chinese fatheri��s homeland. Iti��s also, Jenny hopes, an opportunity to repair her own troubled marriage. But as she journeys through a foreign landscape, the guilty secrets of Jennyi��s past rise up and her life will be inexorably altered. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Fog (i��Highly recommended [for fans of] authors like Jodi Picoult and Jacquelyn Mitchardi�� i��Library Journal, starred review) and No One You Know (i��Luminous . . . will keep you thinking long after the last page has been turnedi��i��Family Circle), Michelle Richmondi��s stunning novel captivates with its depiction of the powerful intimacies of marriage, friendship, and family that shape our paths and the bonds of home that buoy usi��wherever home may be.

Rachel's Garden [Pleasant Valley Series #2] by Marta Perry

The next in a series of Amish-set novels in which a woman's close- knit community helps her through challenging times. It has been almost a year since the Amish community of Pleasant Valley lost Ezra Brand to tragedy. Now his wife Rachel struggles to raise their three children and run their farm. Rachel's friends and family have come forward to help. But all of their constant advice, however well intentioned, puts undue pressure on Rachel. And when Gideon Zook, Ezra's best friend, asks her permission to build the greenhouse Ezra had always promised her, she finds his presence too painful a reminder of losing her husband. As spring turns to summer, and Rachel puts her heart into growing the plants that have always brought her joy, can she discover the courage to embrace new beginnings?

An Ambulance Is on the Way: Stories of Men in Trouble by Jonathan Wilson

National Jewish Book Award finalist Jonathan Wilson's uproariously funny stories showcase the neuroses of suburban men as they ruminate, self-medicate, and acclimate to the rhythms of middle age. From the slacker husband who spends his day running household errands, chatting up the local soccer moms, and drinking most of the wine he was instructed to buy for his wife's women's-group meeting, to the man who calls an old girlfriend while waiting for the verdict from his cardiologist, to the good Jewish son who is torn between the caustic wit of his very Jewish mother and the fertility urges of his very not-Jewish girlfriend, each of these stories is touched by Wilson's affection for male foibles. Taken together, they give us a nuanced picture of men in hot water-with women, their teenage kids, and their own consciences. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Uptown: A Novel by Virginia DeBerry

ENTER THE WORLD OF UPTOWN Uptown . . . where money rules Uptown . . . where ambition trumps tradition Uptown . . . where politics come before everything Uptown . . . where a family's secrets will bring them together--or down After twenty years away, Avery Lyons returns to New York when her mother and uncle suffer a serious car accident. The tragedy brings the family together, but Avery is not happy about the impromptu reunion. She no longer recognizes the Harlem of her childhood, but the same old family dynamics and secrets are all too familiar . . . Heir to a real estate empire, Dwight is willing to do anything to realize his aging and demanding father's dream: Dixon Plaza, a luxury high-rise development on Central Park North that will change the face of Harlem forever. There's only one thing in his way: his cousin Avery has inherited a share of the property. She's more than willing to sell until a reporter uncovers the truth behind the rumored shady dealings . . . In Uptown a prominent Harlem family is strained to the breaking point by the high-stakes world of the Manhattan real estate industry, and one woman searches for her identity and the will to forgive. Steamy, provocative, and sexy, Uptown is a turbulent and triumphant read.

Something Is Out There by Richard Bausch

From the prizewinning novelist and world-renowned short-story writer, the author of 2008i��s universally acclaimed novel Peace (i��A brilliant one-act drama depicting the futility and moral complexity of combati�� i��The New York Times), eleven indelible new tales that showcase the electrifying artistry of a master. A husband confronts the power of youth and the inexorable truths of old age. A son sits by his motheri��s bedside determined to give her what she needs in her final days, even though doing so means breaking his own heart. A brief adulterous tryst illuminates the fragility of our most intimate relations. A young man returns in the face of crisis to the parents he once rejected. A divorced young woman dealing with slowly increasing despair develops an obsesion about a note that fell from the pocket of a man who came to eat in the cafi�� where she works. A wife whose husband has been shot must weather a terrible snowstorm with her two sons, as well as a storm of doubt about the extent of his involvement in a crime. Richard Bauschi��s stories contend with transfixing themes: marital and familial estrangement, ways of trespass, the intractable mysteries and frights of daily life in these times, the uncertainty of knowledge and truth, the gulfs between friends and lovers, the frailty of even the most abiding lovei��while underlining throughout the persistence of love, the obdurate forces that connect us. His consummate skill, penetrating wit, and unfailing emotional generosity are on glorious display in this fine new collection.

One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

"Divakaruni is a brilliant storyteller; she illuminates the world with her artistry; and shakes the reader with her love." --Junot Diaz Late afternoon sun sneaks through the windows of a passport and visa office in an unnamed American city. Most customers and even most office workers have come and gone, but nine people remain. A punky teenager with an unexpected gift. An upper-class Caucasian couple whose relationship is disintegrating. A young Muslim-American man struggling with the fallout of 9/11. A graduate student haunted by a question about love. An African-American ex-soldier searching for redemption. A Chinese grandmother with a secret past. And two visa office workers on the verge of an adulterous affair.When an earthquake rips through the afternoon lull, trapping these nine characters together, their focus first jolts to their collective struggle to survive. There's little food. The office begins to flood. Then, at a moment when the psychological and emotional stress seems nearly too much for them to bear, the young graduate student suggests that each tell a personal tale, "one amazing thing" from their lives, which they have never told anyone before. And as their surprising stories of romance, marriage, family, political upheaval, and self-discovery unfold against the urgency of their life-or-death circumstances, the novel proves the transcendent power of stories and the meaningfulness of human expression itself. From Chitra Divakaruni, author of such finely wrought, bestselling novels as Sister of My Heart, The Palace of Illusions, and The Mistress of Spices, comes her most compelling and transporting story to date. One Amazing Thing is a passionate creation about survival--and about the reasons to survive.

Trouble by Patrick Somerville

A VINTAGE ORIGINAL In this hilarious and wildly inventive debut, including a title story that was nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Patrick Somerville charts the dangerous territories of adolescence and adulthood for the American male. In "Puberty," Brandon takes the matter of his reticent hormones into his own hands. In "English Cousin," Terry's enigmatic relative arrives, looking to learn about love, stateside. And in "The Future, the Future, the Future," Dan's carefully planned life falters when he sees his wife kissing her boss. Trouble explodes with wicked humor, exuberant braininess, and unforgettable style. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Belly: A Novel by Lisa Selin Davis

BELLY marks the arrival of a talented young writer whose assured debut has the perfect blend of humor and poignancy.- Lisa Selin Davis gives us an engaging story of fatherhood, daughters and family ties that will undoubtedly have wide appeal.

The Cape Ann: A Novel by Faith Sullivan

Lark Erhardt, the six-year-old narrator of The Cape Ann, and her fiercely independent mother dream of owning their own house; they have their hearts set on the Cape Ann, chosen from a house catalog. But when Larkandrsquo;s fatherandrsquo;s gambling threatens the down payment her mother has worked so hard to save, Larkandrsquo;s mother takes matters into her own indomitable hands. A disarmingly involving portrait of a family struggling to stay together through the Great Depression, The Cape Ann is an unforgettable story of life from a childandrsquo;s-eye view.and#160; From the Trade Paperback edition.

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

andquot;A harrowing, exciting, and in the end very satisfying war romance.andquot; HARPER'S A TOWN LIKE ALICE tells of a young woman who miraculously survived a Japanese andquot;death marchandquot; in World War II, and of an Australian soldier, also a prisoner of war, who offered to help her--even at the cost of his life.... From the Paperback edition.

The Wives of Henry Oades: A Novel by Johanna Moran

When Henry Oades accepts an accountancy post in New Zealand, his wife, Margaret, and their children follow him to exotic Wellington. But while Henry is an adventurer, Margaret is not. Their new home is rougher and more rustic than they expectedandmdash;and a single night of tragedy shatters the family when the native Maori stage an uprising, kidnapping Margaret and her children. and#160;and#160;and#160; For months, Henry scours the surrounding wilderness, until all hope is lost and his wife and children are presumed dead. Grief-stricken, he books passage to California. There he marries Nancy Foreland, a young widow with a new baby, and it seems theyandrsquo;ve both found happiness in the midst of their mourningandmdash;until Henryandrsquo;s first wife and children show up, alive and having finally escaped captivity. and#160;and#160;and#160; Narrated primarily by the two wives, and based on a real-life legal case, The Wives of Henry Oades is the riveting story of what happens when Henry, Margaret, and Nancy face persecution for bigamy. Exploring the intricacies of marriage, the construction of family, the changing world of the late 1800s, and the strength of two remarkable women, Johanna Moran turns this unusual familyandrsquo;s story into an unforgettable page-turning drama. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Letter to My Daughter by George Bishop

Dear Elizabeth, Iti��s early morning and Ii��m sitting here wondering where you are, hoping youi��re all right. A fight, ended by a slap, sends Elizabeth out the door of her Baton Rouge home on the eve of her fifteenth birthday. Her mother, Laura, is left to fret and worryi��and remember. Wracked with guilt as she awaits Lizi��s return, Laura begins a letter to her daughter, hoping to convey i��everything Ii��ve always meant to tell you but never have.i�� In her painfully candid confession, Laura shares memories of her own troubled adolescence in rural Louisiana, growing up in an intensely conservative household. She recounts her relationship with a boy she loved despite her parentsi�� disapproval, the fateful events that led to her being sent away to a strict Catholic boarding school, the personal tragedy brought upon her by the Vietnam War, and, finally, the meaning of the enigmatic tattoo below her right hip. Absorbing and affirming, George Bishopi��s magnificent debut brilliantly captures a sense of time and place with a distinct and inviting voice. Letter to My Daughter is a heartwrenching novel of mothers, daughters, and the lessons we all learn when we come of age.

The American Girl by Monika Fagerholm

In 1969, a young girl makes a trip from Coney Island to the swampy coastland on the rural outskirts of Helsinki, Finland. There, her death will immediately become part of local mythology, furnishing boys and girls with fodder for endless romantic imaginings. Everyone who lives near the swamp dreams about Eddie de Wire, the lost American girl. . . . For both Sandra and Doris, two lonely, dreaming girls abandoned in different ways by their parents, this myth will propel them into their coming-of-age through mischievous role-playing games of love and death, in search of hidden secrets, the mysteries of the swamp, and the truth behind Eddiei��s death. The girls construct their own world, their own language, and their own rules. But playing adult games has adult consequences, and what begins as two girls just striking matches leads to an inferno that threatens to consume them and tear their friendship apart. Crime mystery and gothic saga, social study and chronicle of the late sixties and early seventies, a portrait of the psyche of young girls on the cusp of sexual awakening, The American Girl is a bewitching glimpse of the human capacity for survival and for self-inflicted wounds. Fagerholm is a modern-day heir to the William Faulkner heritage of family tragedy, with a highly musical and literary prose style that is rich with wit and literary allusions. The American Girl will teach you the meaning of trust as you give yourself entirely to the original storytelling style of Monika Fagerholm.

The Gin Closet by Leslie Jamison

Urgent and auspicious debut novel told in the voices of a young woman and her alcoholic aunt.

Bulletproof Mascara: A Novel by Bethany Maines

A debut novel about a young women who gets a job at aandnbsp;cosmetics company,andnbsp;only to find out that itandnbsp;doubles asandnbsp;a top-secret all women espionage agency.

The Greatest Course That Never Was by J. Michael Veron

When Charley Hunter first discovered the astonishing golfing prodigy Beau Stedman in The Greatest Player Who Never Lived, he broke the biggest story in golf history. But now, just as Charley is settling down into his budding legal career at a prestigious Atlanta law firm, strange notes clipped to obituaries start to arrive. Curious as to their origin, he tracks down the sender-an old caddie from Augusta National named Moonlight McIntrye-and Charley finds himself drawn into another tangled mystery surrounding a hidden golf course. Driven by his passion for the game and a hunger for the truth, Charley dives into the most riveting, high-stakes mystery yet, another terrific golf story that will entice and delight fans and newcomers alike. Join Charley and Moonlight in their search for The Greatest Course That Never Was. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Trouble in Mind by Lucie Brock-Broido

With Trouble in Mind, her long-awaited third collection, Lucie Brock-Broido has written her most exceptional poems to date. There is a new clarity to her work, a disquieting transparency, even in the midst of the wild thickets of language for which she is known. A poet "at the border of her own allegory," Brock-Broido searches for a lexicon adequate to the extremities of experience-a quest that is as capricious as it is uncompromising. In the process, she reveals, unsparingly, things as they are. In "Pamphlet on Ravening" she recalls, "I was a hunger artist once, as well. / My bones had shone. / I had had rapture on my side." The book is laced with sequences: haunted, odd self-portraits; a succession of poems provoked by discarded titles by Wallace Stevens; an intermittent series of fractured and beguiling lyrics that she variously refers to as fragments, leaflets, and apologues. Trouble in Mind is a book that astonishes us afresh at the agility and the uncanny will of language, which Brock-Broido is not afraid to follow where it may lead her: "That the name of bliss is only in the diminishing / (As far as possible) of pain. That I had quit / The quiet velvet cult of it, / Yet trouble came." Even trouble, in Brock-Broido's idiom, becomes something resplendent. From the Hardcover edition.

New Cardiff by Charles Webb

As a discerning reader of nineteenth-century American fiction, Englishman Colin Ware is familiar with the tradition of transcending disastrous love affairs by booking the next ocean liner to Europe. Now that he has experienced the pain and humiliation of heartache firsthand, he decides to try this cure in reverse. New Cardiff, Vermont, may be an infinitesimal blot on the rural American landscape, but to Colin it's the ideal place to mend his broken heart. The townsfolk are a quirky, endearing lot, and they welcome the migrating artist into their fold. Colin does his part by capturing his adopted countrymen and women in charcoal and ink. He even discovers love again -- with Mandy, an attendant at the Shining Shores nursing home. When Colin's ex arrives to woo him back to her and his native land, he has to choose between his new love and the woman he's known for years. With its pitch-perfect dialogue, New Cardiff takes readers on the exhilarating cross-cultural odyssey of a man hurtling headlong into life.

Union Atlantic by Adam Haslett

The eagerly anticipated debut novel from the author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist You Are Not a Stranger Here: a deeply affecting portrait of the modern gilded age, the first decade of the twenty-first century. At the heart of Union Atlantic lies a test of wills between a young banker, Doug Fanning, and a retired schoolteacher, Charlotte Graves, whose two dogs have begun to speak to her. When Doug builds an ostentatious mansion on land that Charlotte's grandfather donated to the town of Finden, Massachusetts, she determines to oust him in court. As a senior manager of Union Atlantic bank, a major financial conglomerate, Doug is embroiled in the company's struggle to remain afloat. It is Charlotte's brother, Henry Graves, the president of the New York Federal Reserve, who must keep a watchful eye on Union Atlantic and the entire financial system. Drawn into Doug and Charlotte's intensifying conflict is Nate Fuller, a troubled high-school senior who unwittingly stirs powerful emotions in each of them. Irresistibly complex, imaginative, and witty, Union Atlantic is a singular work of fiction that is sure to be read and reread long after it causes a sensation this spring.

Pirates by Linda Lael Miller

New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller writes the kind of high-spirited, totally absorbing novels that captivate us right to the last line. Known for her fast-paced stories and delightful Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy blend of wit and sexual tension, she creates characters who "walk right off the pages and into your heart" (Rendezvous). Now Linda Lael Miller sweeps readers away -- and through time itself -- when a thoroughly modern woman encounters a dangerous, dashing eighteenth-century buccaneer. The result is a sensuous, joyous, utterly heartwarming tale of love.... Phoebe Turlow needs to get out of Seattle and forget about the man she just divorced, her dwindling finances, and the lonely nights that stretch ahead of her. But she can't foresee what awaits her on Paradise Island.... Duncan Rourke is known to historians as "the pirate patriot." He's been dead for two centuries -- or at least he's supposed to be, until Phoebe Turlow steps out of a van, into a run-down island hotel, and into his world. Neither Phoebe nor her pirate can envision the glorious adventure that is about to unfold. They understand only that they have found each other, and a grand passion, across the chasm of time...and they fear only the moment when it may vanish. Passionate, emotional, and completely entrancing, Pirates will steal your heart.

Single Mom: A Novel by Omar Tyree

Omar Tyree's compelling novel in which three men grappling with fatherhood and face-off with one striking, independent single mother.

Sweet St. Louis: AN Urban Love Story by Omar Tyree

Bestselling author Omar Tyree's seductive, insightful novel exploring the age-old question: how do people fall in lovei��and stay in love?

Strangers in the Night by Linda Howard

Feel the thrill of unexpected passion between strangers in the night in this New York Times bestselling collection from Linda Howard.

Ladies Prefer Rogues by Janet Chapman
Four Novellas of Time-Travel Passion

Nauti Deceptions by Lora Leigh
The new book in the New York Times bestselling series from a major star in hot, hot romance. Caitlyn "Rogue" Walker left her life in Boston to become a teacher in a small Kentucky town. But her dream was shattered when she was framed in a sex scandal. Refusing to be run out of town, Caitlyn shed the identity she had and became Rogue. Sheriff Zeke Mayes knows there's more to her than meets the eye, though what meets the eye is pretty smoking. He's prepared for a long struggle getting Rogue to drop her defenses-and give in to desire. But soon Zeke will become embroiled in a deadly game that sweeps Rogue up in its wake. And when everything seems to be a matter of life and death, there is no reason to hold back...

The Marriage Ring by Cathy Maxwell
The woman who will one day wear Richard Lynsted's ring will be genteel, dainty, and well-bred. This eliminates Grace MacEachin on all three counts. A hellion of the first order, the alluring, infuriating woman would be nothing more than a passing temptation to an upstanding gentleman like Richard-if it weren't for the fact that she's trying to blackmail his father! Or, as Grace sees it, trying to get justice-and maybe just the slightest hint of revenge on the family that tore her life asunder when she was just a girl. And as for Lynsted, well, the stuffy, humorless man wouldn't suffer for time spent in company more exciting than that of his company ledgers. Only when Richard gets Grace alone, she discovers he may know a thing or two about excitement after all . . .

The Stanforth Secrets by Jo Beverley
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Wedding, a classic Regency romance back in print and in trade paperback for the first time. Though the widowed Chloe Stanforth loves her house by the sea, a series of puzzling incidents has left her unsettled and anxious to find a new home. Her situation is complicated by the arrival of her husband's cousin, for whom she has long harbored a deep and guilty attraction. Back from the war, Justin Delamere hopes he can finally woo Chloe, until he suspects her guilty of treason-and murder. Can he trust the woman he's always desired, and can Chloe surrender her most private secrets to the man who controls her freedom and now her heart?

Her Last Chance by Michele Albert
A WOMAN WHO'S AS TOUGH AS IT GETS Compelled to leave the Dallas police force after killing a convicted rapist in a dark alley, tough and sexy Claudia Cruz becomes an operative with Avalon, a clandestine organization of mercenaries who recover stolen art. But her new career choice pits her against the darkly intense FBI agent Vincent DeLuca, who is determined that this time, Avalon is not going to beat out the Feds. A MAN WHO'S HER MATCH AND MORE While Claudia seethes about this irritating man who gives as good as he gets, Vincent is discovering there's a fine line between love and hate. And though Claudia is willing to use their crazy-hot attraction to achieve her goals, she never intended they'd end up in bed together. She's always lived on the edge and flirted with danger...but this time the worst danger may be to her heart.

Back in Black by Lori Foster
Never before published from the New York Times bestselling author Gillian is a PR expert hired to smooth out the rough edges on hot- headed sports club president Drew Black. He's rough, raw and ready for any challenge Gillian throws his way. But which one's going to end up on top?

Country Wives by Rebecca Shaw
Welcome back to Barleybridge, the picture-postcard English village where everybody knows their neighbors . . . Kate Howard is still working as the receptionist at the Barleybridge Veterinary Hospital, but now she is determined to attend veterinary college. Things are running smoothly, both at work and in Kate's life, especially now that Scott Spencer, the handsome Australian vet who stole Kate's heart, has left town. But Scott's replacement, Daniel Brown, is quickly making enemies of the staff and clients alike with his abrupt style and unreasonable demands. When Dan causes the loss of an important client, the wives connected to the practice determine that something must be done to stop him. For her part, Kate secretly appreciates Dan's no-nonsense approach, despite everyone else's ongoing annoyance. When Kate is faced with a devastating tragedy, Dan reveals a sad secret of his own and helps her through her crisis. But what will the rest of the town think of their newfound friendship? Delightfully warm, engaging, and filled with the simple joys of small-town English life, Country Wives will inspire readers to return to Barleybridge again and again. From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Wife's Tale: A Novel by Lori Lansens
On the eve of their Silver Anniversary, Mary Gooch is waiting for her husband Jimmy--still every inch the handsome star athlete he was in high school--to come home. As night turns to day, it becomes frighteningly clear to Mary that he is gone. Through the years, disappointment and worry have brought Mary's life to a standstill, and she has let her universe shrink to the well-worn path from the bedroom to the refrigerator. But her husband's disappearance startles her out of her inertia, and she begins a desperate search. For the first time in her life, she boards a plane and flies across the country to find her lost husband. So used to hiding from the world, Mary finds that in the bright sun and broad vistas of California, she is forced to look up from the pavement. And what she finds fills her with inner strength she's never felt before. Through it all, Mary not only finds kindred spirits, but reunites with a more intimate stranger no longer sequestered by fear and habit: herself.

Secrets of a Scandalous Bride by Sophia Nash
Her first secret: She is not a widow. Elizabeth Ashburton has never even married, and at this rate, she never will. But pretending to be a bereaved young wife was the only way she could escape her horrid fate-being forced to marry the man who destroyed her father. Her second secret: She is not a prim young lady. Her third secret: She's willing to risk all. Elizabeth knows she is playing a dangerous game, for her dreaded suitor will not give her up without a fight. Now she needs Rowland more than ever-to rescue her from a life of desperation, to drive her wild with desire, and to make her his scandalous bride.

In My Sister's House: A Novel by Donald Welch
Skylar and Storm Morrison may be gorgeous twin sisters, but they are as different as night and day. Skylar is savvy and book-smart; Storm is shrewd and street-smart. But a twist of fate lands Storm in jail, where she must trade her Fendi bags and Prada boots for an orange jumpsuit and laceless white sneakers. Meanwhile Skylar makes a name for herself by transforming the restaurant that once belonged to the twinsi�� late father, Dutch, into Legends, Philadelphiai��s hottest new nightclub. i��i��i�� Now, newly released from prison, Storm has some serious living to do. And shei��s ready to take control of whati��s rightfully hersi��a share of Legendsi��with the help of some of Phillyi��s most notorious thugs. But moving back into the real world will prove much harder than Storm ever imagined. And as Skylar and Storm negotiate their new relationship, both women will feel the pull of Dutch, a figure so powerful he can keep his girls in line years after his death. In the end, the sisters will have to face their shared, tumultuous pasti��and a future thati��s both uncertain and wide open. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Dirtier Than Ever: A Novel by Vickie M. Stringer
Following the phenomenal success of Essence bestsellers Dirty Red and Still Dirty, Vickie M. Stringer takes readers on another bumpy ride in Dirtier Than Ever with Red, Bacon, and Q -- the crazy love-hate triangle who makes the series a favorite among urban fiction fans. Q wished that Bacon had killed Red when he had the chance. Red knew that Q's career as a hustler was over and he was counting on starting a new legit business with the money he had made. He had once believed her when she promised that the money didn't mean a thing and she would give it all up to be with him. Bacon returns from prison and suddenly Q is left for dead. With Q out of the picture, Bacon now has Red to himself. His sights are set on being the top hustler with Red by his side. He believes Red has fi nally changed when she reveals the truth about her past. But all comes to a head when the snooping detective, Thomas, suspects Red's involvement in Q's getting shot and the murder of Zeke, Q's best friend. With two murders, a tumultuous love affair, and money on her mind, Red must make a decision...does she turn over a new leaf or revisit her dirty ways of old? Gritty, steamy, and intense, Stringer delivers another page-turning caper about a hustler in high heels who is Dirtier Than Ever.

Something About You by Julie James
There's something about Julie James... Staying overnight in a luxury hotel, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde overhears a high-profile murder involving a U.S. Senator. Special Agent Jack Pallas is assigned to the investigation-the same Jack Pallas who still blames her for nearly ruining his career three years ago. Now the pair will have to put their rocky past behind them, focus on the case at hand-and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension.

The Adultery Club by Tess Stimson
Nicholas Lyon is the perfect husband-a handsome divorce attorney who dotes on his wife and family. Sara Kaplan is the perfect seductress-a vivacious young lawyer tired of being single. And Malinche Lyon is the perfect wife-a still-beautiful cookbook writer and mother to three darling daughters. Now, in this smart, wickedly sexy novel, Nick, Sara, and Malinche are all about to join...The Adultery Club Suddenly Nicholas-a man totally in love with his wife-is fantasizing about Sara. Sara is toying with Nick. And Malinche is facing temptations of her own. While appetites are whetted and sated from London to the English countryside, what began as instant animal attraction is spinning wildly out of control, turning lives upside down-and hearts inside out. And now one heretofore happily married man and two very different women are about to discover the difference between fulfilling your wildest desires-and getting your just deserts. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Promise Me Tonight: A Western Novel by Sara Lindsey
Isabella is determined to marry James... Isabella Weston has loved James Sheffield for as long as she can remember. Her come-out ball seems the perfect chance to make him see her in a new light. James is determined never to marry... James is stunned to find that the impish girl he once knew has blossomed into a sensual goddess. And if he remember his lessons correctly, goddesses always spell trouble for mortal men. A compromise is clearly necessary... When Izzie kisses James, her artless ardor turns to a masterful seduction that drives him mad with desire. But, no stranger to heartbreak, James is determined never to love, and thus never to lose. Can Isabella convince him that a life without love might be the biggest loss of all?

Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger
From the day Cobb and Mary meet kayaking on Maine's Allagash River and fall deeply in love, the two approach life with the same sense of adventure they use to conquer the river's treacherous rapids. But rivers do not let go so easily...and neither does their love. So when Mary's life takes the cruelest turn, she vows to face those rough waters on her own terms and asks Cobb to promise, when the time comes, to help her return to their beloved river for one final journey. Set against the rugged wilderness of Maine, the exotic islands of Indonesia, the sweeping panoramas of Yellowstone National Park, and the tranquil villages of rural New England, Eternal on the Water is at once heartbreaking and uplifting i�� a timeless, beautifully rendered story of true love's power.

Life as I Know It by Melanie Rose
What if you had the chance to live someone elsei��s life? Full of heart and soul, here is a captivating novel about the choices we make for family and lovei��and how sometimes a total stranger is the person we really need to be. Jessica Taylor is walking her dog in the rain when she meets the man of her dreamsi��only to be struck by lightning moments later. When she wakes up in the hospital, the doctors insist shei��s someone else: Lauren Richardson, wife and mother of four. Laureni��s husband wants nothing more than for life to get back to normali��complete with a well-organized house and very properly behaved children. But Laureni��s kids haveni��t been allowed to have much fun, and one of them has special needs. Can Jessica embrace this family of strangers and become the wife and mother they need? As she struggles to find her way in this new lifei��and the way back to her old lifei��she reconnects with Laureni��s estranged sister and discovers a secret that could rip the family apart. Now, torn between Laureni��s responsibilities to her family and Jessicai��s chance at love, one woman is about to find out whether the road not taken leads to happinessi��or to heartbreak.

Manless in Montclair by Amy Holman Edelman
Being short with big boobs means living life off-balance. Isabel knows this all too well; at ve-feet-nothing with a tendency to tip over in heels, she's struggled for twenty-ve years to make clothes, careers, and boyfriends t. Enter Michael. Divorced father, recovering alcoholic, and fteen years her senior-he was the last guy she thought would make the cut. But when he proposed over a pastrami sandwich in a New York City deli on the anniversary of their rst date, Isabel knew, improbably, that he was the one. Fifteen mostly happy years and two kids later, Isabel walks into her living room to discover her husband dead on the floor, leaving her a widow at forty-one. At Michael's funeral, a guest solemnly informs her that the ofcial mourning period for a Jewish widow is thirty days. At that moment, Isabel can't imagine a time when she will stop grieving. Not helping the process is this: as a single mom living in the very married suburbs, for the rst time in fteen years Isabel once again just doesn't t in. It takes her younger daughter's request for a new daddy to set Isabel on a journey through online dating, shifty matchmakers, and painfully orchestrated singles dinners. But after endless dates and a story on page three of the Daily News, Isabel begins to realize that another man may not be the answer and, surprisingly, that's when things begin to change for the better. . . . From the Hardcover edition.

Dreams of Gold by Maynard F. Thomson
Maggie Campbell and Clay Bartlett are America's best pairs skaters and its best hope for bringing home Olympic gold. On the ice, they move as one. Off the ice, their relationship is just as intimate. But their dreams of gold and of "happily ever after" come to an abrupt halt when a car accident ends Clay's career. Emotionally devastated, Maggie makes a controversial decision: to rebuild her career as a singles skater. To hone her skills, Maggie leaves Clay and flies to Japan to train with her original coach. The old sensei teaches her troubled student that a great skater needs more than daring triple jumps: she must truly become one with the music. It is a lesson Maggie will carry with her to the Olympic rink where, in a stunningly dramatic finale, she will learn what ultimately mattersi��in art, life, and in love.

The Pawprints of History: Dogs in the Course of Human Events by Stanley Coren
Over the course of three decades, noted psychologist and renowned dog expert Stanley Coren has amassed a truly remarkable collection of stories, some of which he has shared with characteristic charm in his celebrated previous books. Now, in The Pawprints of History, the stories themselves are the focus and readers have the undiluted pleasure of sharing in Coren's unique trove. A lighthearted romp through the ages with a special eye out for man's best friend, Coren's vignettes of dogs in the great dramas of human history are a delight. As history's great figures strut across the stage, Coren guides us from the wings, lovingly picking out the canine cameos and giving every dog of distinction its day. He vividly depicts the dogs who have played a significant role in the lives of many historical figures, and shows how their relationships with their people have directly influenced the course of world events. In this unparalleled chronicle, we see how Florence Nightingale's chance encounter with a wounded dog changed her life by leading her to the vocation of nursing. We learn why Dr. Freud's Chow Chow attended all of his therapy sessions and how the life of the Fifth Dalai Lama was saved by a dog who shared his bed. We see the obsessive love of King Charles II, who gave his spaniels hereditary titles of nobility so that they might go with him into the House of Lords. From canines who accompanied the rulers of ancient Egypt to those belonging to the presidents of the United States, dogs have been companions as well as political symbols and instruments of public relations -- including Calvin Coolidge's collie Prudence Prim, who had a cheerful collection of fancy hats, and Bill Clinton's chocolate Lab, Buddy, who made timely appearances to help his master through photo ops. Even when the four-footed witnesses are not the decisive characters, it is gratifying to know that, for instance, in the thick of the Battle of Germantown, George Washington called a cease-fire solely to return General Howe's beloved fox terrier, who had wandered out of Howe's tent and across enemy lines. When the Earl of Wilshire's springer spaniel nipped the Pope's toe, he may not have precipitated the English Reformation, but he certainly didn't help matters. From war to art, across the spectrum of human endeavor and achievement, there often stands, not only at his side but leading the way, man's beloved "best friend." In this definitive collection of canine greatness, bursting with tales of famous figures and their four-legged catalysts of every breed and possible disposition, from lapdogs to four-legged warriors, from sleuthing hounds to sedentary pugs, Coren convincingly documents that wherever are found the footprints of history, there too one will find the pawprints.

The Rice Diet Cookbook: 150 Easy, Everyday Recipes and Inspirational Success Stories from the Rice Diet Program Community by Kitty Gurkin Rosati
LOSE UP TO TWENTY POUNDS IN ONE MONTH EATING WHOLESOME, DELICIOUS, EASY-TO-PREPARE FOOD FROM THE RICE DIET COOKBOOK! After the success of the New York Times bestselling The Rice Diet Solution, the Rice Diet Program's message boards were bombarded with pleas and suggestions for more Rice Diet-friendly recipes. The result is this collection of healthy whole-food dishes, which includes personal favorites from the Rice Diet kitchen as well as from successful dieters who want to share their weight-loss tips with everyone who intends to lose weight and live a healthier life. Based on one of the world's most famous weight-loss programs, The Rice Diet Cookbook contains 150 new recipes -- all simple and easy to shop for, prepare, and cook. By ambitiously limiting sodium-rich ingredients and relying on complex carbohydrates as the main source of nutrition, the recipes in this book can help women lose nineteen to twenty pounds and men lose twenty-eight to thirty pounds -- in one month! For breakfast, try Gooey Apple Oatmeal, the Elvis Special, or French Toast Sticks. In the mood for a light lunch? Mix up a Basil-Mint Quinoa Salad and pair it with a Refried Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Lettuce Wrap. When the urge to snack hits you, munch on some Zesty Sweet Potato Chips or Barley Pesto Dip on Eilene's Pita Bread. And at dinnertime, how about Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with Angela's Spinach with Sun-dried Tomato and Ilene's Mashed Cauliflower? Or make a meal out of Chicken and Spinach Salad with some Cannellini Bean Salad on the side. Don't forget dessert: Ricers have found amazing ways to satisfy their cravings! There's Chocolate-Banana Cream Custard, Rhubarb-Dried Cherry Crumble, Samba's Gingered Pear Cake, or the super simple and truly delicious Toasted Ginger Papaya. In addition to recipes, The Rice Diet Cookbook is also full of incredible feedback from people who have achieved major weight loss on the Rice Diet. Their inspirational stories will motivate you to live a healthier life the Rice Diet way. The Rice Diet Cookbook is a truly encouraging, supportive book that will help you make living a wholesome lifestyle both simple and sustainable.

Near a Thousand Tables: A History of Food by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
In Near a Thousand Tables, acclaimed food historian Felipe Ferni��ndez-Armesto tells the fascinating story of food as cultural as well as culinary history ? a window on the history of mankind. In this "appetizingly provocative" (Los Angeles Times) book, he guides readers through the eight great revolutions in the world history of food: the origins of cooking, which set humankind on a course apart from other species; the ritualization of eating, which brought magic and meaning into people's relationship with what they ate; the inception of herding and the invention of agriculture, perhaps the two greatest revolutions of all; the rise of inequality, which led to the development of haute cuisine; the long-range trade in food which, practically alone, broke down cultural barriers; the ecological exchanges, which revolutionized the global distribution of plants and livestock; and, finally, the industrialization and globalization of mass-produced food. From prehistoric snail "herding" to Roman banquets to Big Macs to genetically modified tomatoes, Near a Thousand Tables is a full-course meal of extraordinary narrative, brilliant insight, and fascinating explorations that will satisfy the hungriest of readers.

Literary Occasions by V.S. Naipaul
Nobel laureate V. S. Naipaul brings his signature gifts of observation, his ferocious impatience with received truths, and his masterfully condensed prose to these eleven essays on reading, writing, and identity-which have been brought together for the first time. Here the subject is Naipaul's literary evolution: the books that delighted him as a child; the books he wrote as a young man; the omnipresent predicament of trying to master an essentially metropolitan, imperial art form as an Asian colonial from a New World plantation island. He assesses Joseph Conrad, the writer most frequently cited as his forebear, and, in his celebrated Nobel Lecture, "Two Worlds," traces the full arc of his own career. Literary Occasions is an indispensable addition to the Naipaul oeuvre, penetrating, elegant, and affecting. From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Future of Ice by Gretel Ehrlich
This book was written out of Gretel Ehrlich's love for winter-for remote and cold places, for the ways winter frees our imagination and invigorates our feet, mind, and soul-and also out of the fear that our "democracy of gratification" has irreparably altered the climate. Over the course of a year, Ehrlich experiences firsthand the myriad expressions of cold, giving us marvelous histories of wind, water, snow, and ice, of ocean currents and weather cycles. From Tierra del Fuego in the south to Spitsbergen, east of Greenland, at the very top of the world, she explores how our very consciousness is animated and enlivened by the archaic rhythms and erupting oscillations of weather. We share Ehrlich's experience of the thrills of cold, but also her questions: What will happen to us if we are "deseasoned"? If winter ends, will we survive? From the Trade Paperback edition.

Written in Water: Messages of Hope for Earth's Most Precious Resource by Irena Salina
Written in Water: A Message for the Future comprises a collection of essays authored by heroes and leaders in the field of water solutions and innovationsand#151;a broad range of people from varied disciplines who have contributed their hearts and minds to bringing awareness to and conserving Earth's freshwater supply. In their own words, authors tell of such tragedies as water slavery, drought, or contamination, as well as their own professional struggles and successes in pursuit of freshwater solutions. Contributors include: Alexandra Cousteau, social environmental advocate and granddaughter of legendary marine scientist Jacques Cousteau; Peter Gleick, environmental visionary and winner of a 2003 MacArthur "genius grant"; Bill McKibben, bestselling author and winner of a Guggenheim fellowship; Sylvia Earle, oceanographer and Time magazine's first "hero for the planet"; and Christine Todd Whitman, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, along with more than a dozen other notable people. These visionaries' stories touch, surprise, and amaze as they help us see the essential role played by water in our world, our lives, and our future. These are all people who are thinking far beyond the realm of self; they are devoted to creating a better world for all of us.

It's a Dog's World: The Savvy Guide to Four-Legged Living by Wendy Diamond
Letandrsquo;s face it, fellow dog lover: Your pets are like your children (with fur). Pets bring endless joy to our lives: When weandrsquo;re down, they lift our spirits. When theyandrsquo;re sick, weandrsquo;re sick at heart. We let them have the run of the house and sleep on our bedsandmdash;but the unconditional love and loyalty they give back is so wonderful that we want them to have the best of everything.and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; Now Wendy Diamond, pet-lifestyle expert and avid animal rescue advocate, has written a sassy yet practical guide to help you and your four-legged family member live a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life together. Written with her beloved Maltese, Lucky, Itandrsquo;s a Dogandrsquo;s World shows dog moms and dog dads how to get their precious pooches from shaggy to chic and offers savvy breed-specific advice on a variety of topics you may never have considered for your pet, including: and#160; andbull; pupperciseandmdash;keep Fido fit with fun puppy exercises, from the traditional to the more modern (andldquo;doga,andrdquo; anyone?), that are tailored for each breedandrsquo;s unique needsand#160; andbull; doggie diet tipsandmdash;the lowdown on the dog chow that packs the biggest nutritional punch, the trick on organic treats, foods to avoid, and such yummy (in your dogandrsquo;s opinion) recipes as doggie meatloaf andbull; home, sweet dog homeandmdash;smart choices for flooring and furniture, avoiding hidden household hazards,and#160; litter training, and a few tools that keep everyday pet messes to a minimum andbull; travel tipsandmdash;including the ideal dog carriers, paw-blic transportation, the most accommodating airlines, hotel petiquette, and the best destinations andbull; paw-ty with your poochandmdash;having fun with other furry friends at Mutt Makeoversand#174; and bark mitzvahs, plus hosting your own Yappy Hourand#174; with signature puptails (to benefit your local Humane Society) andbull; choosing Mr. (or Ms.) Ruffandmdash;finding a dog well suited to you and your family, from spunky sporting dogs to hypoallergenic hounds andbull; here comes the groomandmdash;bathing secrets, pawdicures, and dental health andbull; fashion senseandmdash;keep it classy and comfortable, from fetching couture trends and snazzy doggie bags to casual dog-park wear for you and your pooch andbull; and of course the pet lifestyle is about much more than just designer doggie dudsandmdash;learn what you need to know about helping other dogs in need through fostering, donating, or adopting and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160; Complete with andldquo;Dear Luckyandrdquo; letters from other dogs and tips for humans from the doggie perspective, this fun and entertaining guide is for anyone whose life has blissfully gone to the dogs. and#160; From the Hardcover edition.

Within Reason by Donald Calne
It has long been a central conviction of western humanistic thought that reason is the most godlike of human traits, and that it makes us unique among animals. Yet if reason directs what we do, why is human behavior so often violent, irrational and disastrous? In Within Reason, leading neurologist Donald B. Calne investigates the phenomenon of rationality from an astonishingly wide array of scientific, sociological, and philosophical perspectives--and shows that although reason evolved as a crucial tool for human survival, it is an aspect of mind and brain which has no inherent moral or spiritual qualities and one whose relationship to our thoughts and actions may not be as central as we want to believe. Learned, lucid, and always illuminating, Within Reason brings together the latest developments in the science of mind with some of the most enduring questions of Western thought. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Unfaithful Angels: How Social Work Has Abandoned its Mission by Harry Specht
In this provocative examination of the fall of the profession of social work from its original mission to aid and serve the underprivileged, Harry Specht and Mark Courtney show how America's excessive trust in individualistic solutions to social problems have led to the abandonment of the poor in this country. A large proportion of all certified social workers today have left the social services to enter private practice, thereby turning to the middle class - those who can afford psychotherapy - and away from the poor. As Specht and Courtney persuasively demonstrate, if social work continues to drift in this direction there is good reason to expect that the profession will be entirely engulfed by psychotherapy within the next twenty years, leaving a huge gap in the provision of social services traditionally filled by social workers. The authors examine the waste of public funds this trend occasions, as social workers educated with public money abandon community service in increasing numbers.

The Routes of Man: How Roads Are Changing the World and the Way We Live Today by Ted Conover
From the Pulitzer Prize finalist and National Book Critics Circle Awardi��winning author of Newjack, an absorbing book about roads and their power to change the world. Roads bind our worldi��metaphorically and literallyi��transforming landscapes and the lives of the people who inhabit them. Roads have unparalleled power to impact communities, unite worlds and sunder them, and reveal the hopes and fears of those who travel them. With his marvelous eye for detail and his contagious enthusiasm, Ted Conover explores six of these key byways worldwide. In Peru, he traces the journey of a load of rare mahogany over the Andes to its origin, an untracked part of the Amazon basin soon to be traversed by a new east-west route across South America. In East Africa, he visits truckers whose travels have been linked to the worldwide spread of AIDS. In the West Bank, he monitors highway checkpoints with Israeli soldiers and then passes through them with Palestinians, witnessing the injustices and danger borne by both sides. He shuffles down a frozen riverbed with teenagers escaping their Himalayan valley to see how a new road will affect the now-isolated Indian region of Ladakh. From the passenger seat of a new Hyundai piling up the miles, he describes the exuberant upsurge in car culture as highways proliferate across China. And from inside an ambulance, he offers an apocalyptic but precise vision of Lagos, Nigeria, where congestion and chaos on freeways signal the rise of the global megacity. A spirited, urgent book that reveals the costs and benefits of being connectedi��how, from ancient Rome to the present, roads have played a crucial role in humanlife, advancing civilization even as they set it back.