Are you getting the most for your money? 1,001 Things They Won?t Tell You offers the experts' knowledge on 100 industries and institutions that readers interact with daily, sometimes profoundly: financial planners, cable providers, car dealers, insurance agencies, caterers, contractors, real...  more

Are you getting the most for your money? 1,001 Things They Won?t Tell You offers the experts' knowledge on 100 industries and institutions that readers interact with daily, sometimes profoundly: financial planners, cable providers, car dealers, insurance agencies, caterers, contractors, real estate brokers, funeral directors, dentists, personal trainers, college prep counselors, casinos, florists, cruise lines, and more. Based on the popular and addictive "Ten Things They Won't Tell You? column in SmartMoney, The Wall Street Journal magazine, 1,001 Things They Won?t Tell You will make every reader a wiser, savvier consumer.The conceit is "what they won't tell you"?in each case, the top ten things industry insiders know that you need to know before making a decision. It covers veterinarians: #2. Vaccinating your pet may do more harm than good. Automobile leasing companies: #7. You call it an odometer; we call it a cash register. Tax preparers: #4. What are my qualifications? Well, I'm real good at Sudoku. Nursing homes: #1. We're careless about the drugs we give out. Cruise lines: #2. Our engines break down all the time. Gourmet grocers: #3. This bottled water is actually tap water. Lawyers: #4. You could win your lawsuit and still wind up with nothing. Plastic surgeons: #1. I trained a whole weekend to learn this procedure. The book outlines what you don't know, then arms you with insights, tips, and techniques to make sure you get the best in every area of your life.Health, education, insurance, finance, automobiles, goods and services, food and drink, free time?it's everything you literally need to know to save not only money, but also potential headache.

Ecstasy Awaits Would you like to experience erotic sex like never before? Go beyond pleasure to find true bliss? Connect with your lover to reach new levels of spiritual ecstasy? Enjoy all of this and more as you discover the depths of Tantric sex. With a daily practice averaging just...  more

Ecstasy Awaits Would you like to experience erotic sex like never before? Go beyond pleasure to find true bliss? Connect with your lover to reach new levels of spiritual ecstasy? Enjoy all of this and more as you discover the depths of Tantric sex. With a daily practice averaging just 20 minutes, 28 Days to Ecstasy offers the perfect way to fit Tantra into your busy life. Short on time or away from your partner? Try fifty quick exercises designed to keep your passion white-hot. Clear illustrations and numbered steps show you exactly how to perform each blissful lesson. As you move through each day of the plan, you'll learn many sexy techniques to thrill your lover: ·  Extend your lovemaking sessions to several hours by controlling your sexual energy ·  Explore new ways to deepen intimacy with Kama Sutra positions ·  Create multiple orgasms for you and your partner ·  Increase your sexual fitness with pleasure-enhancing toning exercises ·  Keep your bedroom hot with sexual role-play and fantasy games ·  Bring your lover to peaks of excitement with erotic massage . . . and enjoy the most intensely pleasurable sex you have ever experienced!

James Thicke is a man whose mysterious past runs as deep as his violent streak. He's channeled the intensity of his soul into twin passions-success as a screenwriter, and marriage to movie actress Regina Baptiste. In the midst of filming his latest script, starring Regina and leading man...  more

James Thicke is a man whose mysterious past runs as deep as his violent streak. He's channeled the intensity of his soul into twin passions-success as a screenwriter, and marriage to movie actress Regina Baptiste. In the midst of filming his latest script, starring Regina and leading man Johnny Bergs, James receives a video of his wife caught in the most compromising of situations. Hours later, the clip of the on-set infidelity has hit the Internet and gone viral in the blogosphere and across all channels of social media. James responds to the affront by savagely attacking Johnny Bergs, and the spectacle has both the paparazzi and the police amassing at the married couple's estate. James goes on the run, but only as far as the city of Downey, California. As James tries to protect Regina from Hollywood's underbelly, lust, blackmail, and revenge become his constant companions. Does an accidental affair spell permanent danger?

In her ruefully funny and wickedly perceptive debut novel, Alison Espach deftly dissects matters of the heart and captures the lives of children and adults as they come to terms with life, death, and love. At the center of this affluent suburban universe is Emily Vidal, a smart and snarky...  more

In her ruefully funny and wickedly perceptive debut novel, Alison Espach deftly dissects matters of the heart and captures the lives of children and adults as they come to terms with life, death, and love. At the center of this affluent suburban universe is Emily Vidal, a smart and snarky teenager, who gets involved in a suspect relationship with one of the adults after witnessing a suicide in her neighborhood. Among the cast of unforgettable characters is Emily’s father, whose fiftieth birthday party has the adults descending upon the Vidal’s patio; her mother, who has orchestrated the elaborate party even though she and her husband are getting a divorce; and an assortment of eccentric neighbors, high school teachers, and teenagers who teem with anxiety and sexuality and an unbridled desire to be noticed, and ultimately loved. An irresistible chronicle of a modern young woman’s struggle to grow up, The Adults lays bare?in perfect pitch?a world where an adult and a child can so dangerously be mistaken for the same exact thing.

You only hurt the ones you love. Logan Witherspoon recently discovered that his girlfriend of three years cheated on him. But things start to look up when a new student breezes through the halls of his small-town high school. Sage Hendricks befriends Logan at a time when he no longer trusts...  more

You only hurt the ones you love. Logan Witherspoon recently discovered that his girlfriend of three years cheated on him. But things start to look up when a new student breezes through the halls of his small-town high school. Sage Hendricks befriends Logan at a time when he no longer trusts or believes in people. Sage has been homeschooled for a number of years and her parents have forbidden her to date anyone, but she won’t tell Logan why. One day, Logan acts on his growing feelings for Sage. Moments later, he wishes he never had. Sage finally discloses her big secret: she’s actually a boy. Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at Sage and disowns her. But once Logan comes to terms with what happened, he reaches out to Sage in an attempt to understand her situation. But Logan has no idea how rocky the road back to friendship will be.

It all begins with a fantasy: the caseworker in her "signing paperwork" charcoal suit standing alongside beaming parents cradling their adopted newborn, set against a fluorescent-lit delivery-room backdrop. It's this blissful picture that keeps Chloe Pinter, director of the Chosen...  more

It all begins with a fantasy: the caseworker in her "signing paperwork" charcoal suit standing alongside beaming parents cradling their adopted newborn, set against a fluorescent-lit delivery-room backdrop. It's this blissful picture that keeps Chloe Pinter, director of the Chosen Child's domestic-adoption program, happy while juggling the high demands of her boss and the incessant needs of both adoptive and biological parents. But the very job that offers her refuge from her turbulent personal life and Portland's winter rains soon becomes a battleground involving three very different couples: the Novas, well-off college sweethearts who suffered fertility problems but are now expecting their own baby; the McAdoos, a wealthy husband and desperate wife for whom adoption is a last chance; and Jason and Penny, an impoverished couple who have nothing -- except the baby everyone wants. When a child goes missing, dreams dissolve into nightmares, and everyone is forced to examine what he or she really wants and where it all went wrong.

How do you know if love is real or just an illusion? When Mel Snow meets Toby Warring in a dusty roadside bar, she is instantly drawn to the brilliant magician who can pull roses from thin air and conjure castles out of desert sands. They marry two days later, and begin a life together in...  more

How do you know if love is real or just an illusion? When Mel Snow meets Toby Warring in a dusty roadside bar, she is instantly drawn to the brilliant magician who can pull roses from thin air and conjure castles out of desert sands. They marry two days later, and begin a life together in the shadow of Las Vegas, where Toby hopes to make it big. Mel knows that magicians are a dime a dozen, but Toby is different -- his magic is real. But as Toby's renown grows and Mel falls more and more in love with his wonderments, she starts to realize that Toby's powers are as unstable as they are dazzling. She learns that he once made his assistant disappear completely, and couldn't bring her back. And soon she begins to wonder if the love they share is genuine or merely a fantasy, conjured up by a lost magician looking to save himself from being alone. Ivy Pochoda's spellbinding and cinematic storytelling seamlessly fuses timeless magic to modern-day passion. Haunting and beautiful, The Art of Disappearing is an imaginative and captivating love story destined to enchant readers for years to come.

She was the thread that wove their tapestry together. With a group of women as diverse as the ladies from Brightwood Trace, you might not think them to be close. There's Julianne, a nurse with an unsettling psychic ability that allows her to literally feel what her patients feel, Andrea,...  more

She was the thread that wove their tapestry together. With a group of women as diverse as the ladies from Brightwood Trace, you might not think them to be close. There's Julianne, a nurse with an unsettling psychic ability that allows her to literally feel what her patients feel, Andrea, a strong fortress sheltering a faltering core, Ginger, a mother torn between being a stay-at-home mom or following her career aspirations, and Iona, the oldest, whose feisty, no-nonsense attitude disarms even toughest of the tough. Not exactly the ingredients for the most cohesive cocktail . . . Until you add Paisely, the liveliest and friendliest of the clan, who breathed life into them all. But when their glowing leader falls ill with cancer, it's up to these women to do what Paisely has done for them since the beginning: lift her up. Overcoming and accepting the inevitability of loss, the women draw closer than ever; finding together the strength to embrace and cherish their lives with acceptance, gratitude and most importantly, love. Finally living with the vigor that Paisely has shown them from the start, they are able to see their lives in a new light, while learning to say goodbye to the brightest star they've ever known. Over the course of just three months, these four women will undergo a magnificent transformation that leaves nobody unchanged.

Includes the bonus book "The Other Wife." Thelma and Louise they're not. First of all, Hilary and Rosemary Delaney are not friends -- worse, they're mother and daughter. Hilary's a wayward thirty-something running from a marriage proposal, and Rosemary's her...  more

Includes the bonus book "The Other Wife." Thelma and Louise they're not. First of all, Hilary and Rosemary Delaney are not friends -- worse, they're mother and daughter. Hilary's a wayward thirty-something running from a marriage proposal, and Rosemary's her disapproving mother, a retired lawyer who can't drive and won't fly. So they're driving together across country. In a cherry-red Mustang. With a potbellied pig named Reginald, and a life-size cutout of Rosemary's late husband. Should be a fun trip. As the miles tick by, Hilary ponders why the word "marriage" has her so terrified and finds she's got a lot to learn -- about her mother, love and life in general. Together, Hilary and Rosemary will discover what's around the bend -- if they don't drive each other crazy, or drive off a cliff first.

7 DAYS TO INCREASED WEALTH, BETTER RELATIONSHIPS, AND A LIFE YOU LOVE. In this book, you'll learn exactly how to attract everything you've ever wanted in life. You'll receive easy-to-follow instruction on how to improve all the important areas of your life including: - Money - Relationships...  more

7 DAYS TO INCREASED WEALTH, BETTER RELATIONSHIPS, AND A LIFE YOU LOVE. In this book, you'll learn exactly how to attract everything you've ever wanted in life. You'll receive easy-to-follow instruction on how to improve all the important areas of your life including: - Money - Relationships - Health - Career - Business Will it be hard work? Up until now, it may have been. But not any longer. Within this book you will discover the secret to having it all. Then you'll learn how easy it really is and wonder why you didn't improve your life long ago. The Law of Attraction isn't just theory. It's backed by modern science as well as every major religion in the world, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Now you can use the unlimited power of the Law of Attraction to make a difference in your life. Take everything one day at a time.literally. This book has been organized into five, 7-day plans, with each plan concentrating on a specific life concern. Simply read one passage per day and incorporate the teachings into your life. Then just sit back and allow your dreams to happen. That's it!

We already rely on science to tell us what to eat, when to exercise, and how long to sleep. Why not use science to help us improve our relationships? In this revolutionary book, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Amir Levine and Rachel Heller scientifically explain why why some people seem...  more

We already rely on science to tell us what to eat, when to exercise, and how long to sleep. Why not use science to help us improve our relationships? In this revolutionary book, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Amir Levine and Rachel Heller scientifically explain why why some people seem to navigate relationships effortlessly, while others struggle.  Discover how an understanding of adult attachment -- the most advanced relationship science in existence today -- can help us find and sustain love. Pioneered by psychologist John Bowlby in the 1950s, the field of attachment posits that each of us behaves in relationships in one of three distinct ways:  Anxious people are often preoccupied with their relationships and tend to worry about their partner's ability to love them back Avoidant people equate intimacy with a loss of independence and constantly try to minimize closeness. Secure people feel comfortable with intimacy and are usually warm and loving. Attached guides readers in determining what attachment style they and their mate (or potential mate) follow, offering a road map for building stronger, more fulfilling connections with the people they love.

In this sequel to The Bad Dog's Diary, with three dogs causing mayhem in the household and Blake's owner's baby on the way, human-canine relations are at an all-time low. As if domestic strife is not enough, the neighborhood troop of trusty canine friends also find themselves with a new...  more

In this sequel to The Bad Dog's Diary, with three dogs causing mayhem in the household and Blake's owner's baby on the way, human-canine relations are at an all-time low. As if domestic strife is not enough, the neighborhood troop of trusty canine friends also find themselves with a new challenge in the shape of a damsel in distress—the blind dog Lolly is in need of rescue from her abusive owner. It's times like these that turn an ordinary dog with a strong steak of disobedience and a love of scooting into a Wonder Dog. Full of more wonderfully cheeky humor, Blake's newest adventures will delight fans of the first book, and dog lovers everywhere.

'I wish I could get a seat on the tube... I hadn't eaten that entire bag of Maltesers... I could meet a man whose hobbies include washing up and monogamy...' Heather Hamilton is always wishing for things. Not just big stuff - like world peace or for a date with Brad Pitt - but...  more

'I wish I could get a seat on the tube... I hadn't eaten that entire bag of Maltesers... I could meet a man whose hobbies include washing up and monogamy...' Heather Hamilton is always wishing for things. Not just big stuff - like world peace or for a date with Brad Pitt - but little, everyday wishes, made without thinking. With her luck, she knows they'll never come true... Until one day she buys some heather from a gypsy. Suddenly the bad hair days stop; a handsome American answers her ad for a housemate; and she starts seeing James - The Perfect Man who sends her flowers, excels in the bedroom, and isn't afraid to say 'I love you'... But are these wishes-come-true a blessing or a curse? And is there such a thing as too much foreplay?

When soft-spoken Tatiana turns eighteen, she begins to experience unusual changes. Suddenly, she can read minds, sense emotions and move at a speed that far surpasses anything she's known before. When her physical features begin to change as well, she begins to doubt her humanity. Having no clue...  more

When soft-spoken Tatiana turns eighteen, she begins to experience unusual changes. Suddenly, she can read minds, sense emotions and move at a speed that far surpasses anything she's known before. When her physical features begin to change as well, she begins to doubt her humanity. Having no clue where to turn, Tatiana tries desperately to keep her new abilities a secret. But her best friend and brother, Isaac, sees past her illusions and together they explore the significance of her differences and search out the meaning behind them. Amidst tragedy, unimaginable transformations and an unexpected friendship, Tatiana has to learn to reveal the girl hidden behind her illusions and what it means to face the world in order to preserve not only the forest but her very existence.

The loyalty, affection, and exploits of dogs have inspired a rich body of short fiction, and this anthology contains 23 of the best short stories about canine companions. Writers—including Booth Tarkington, Jack London, Arthur Miller, Ivan Turgenev, Bobbie Ann Mason, Madison Smartt Bell,...  more

The loyalty, affection, and exploits of dogs have inspired a rich body of short fiction, and this anthology contains 23 of the best short stories about canine companions. Writers—including Booth Tarkington, Jack London, Arthur Miller, Ivan Turgenev, Bobbie Ann Mason, Madison Smartt Bell, and Richard Russo—reveal a love for dogs and the special bond humans have with their beloved pets. Stories for every breed of dog lover are included, with pieces featuring bull terriers, collies, greyhounds, setters, dobermans, hounds, and springer spaniels—plus a number of lovable mixed breeds.

THE BEST OF ME is the heart-rending story of two small-town former high school sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks. Now middle-aged, they've taken wildly divergent paths, but neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever...  more

THE BEST OF ME is the heart-rending story of two small-town former high school sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks. Now middle-aged, they've taken wildly divergent paths, but neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever altered their world. When they are both called back to their hometown for the funeral of the mentor who once gave them shelter, they will be forced to confront the choices each has made, and ask whether love can truly rewrite the past.

The struggle to perform well is universal: each one of us faces fatigue, limited resources, and imperfect abilities in whatever we do. But nowhere is this drive to do better more important than in medicine, where lives are on the line with every decision. In his new book, Atul Gawande explores...  more

The struggle to perform well is universal: each one of us faces fatigue, limited resources, and imperfect abilities in whatever we do. But nowhere is this drive to do better more important than in medicine, where lives are on the line with every decision. In his new book, Atul Gawande explores how doctors strive to close the gap between best intentions and best performance in the face of obstacles that sometimes seem insurmountable. Gawandes gripping stories of diligence, ingenuity, and what it means to do right by people take us to battlefield surgical tents in Iraq, to labor and delivery rooms in Boston, to a polio outbreak in India, and to malpractice courtrooms around the country. He discusses the ethical dilemmas of doctors participation in lethal injections, examines the influence of money on modern medicine, and recounts the astoundingly contentious history of hand washing. And as in all his writing, Gawande gives us an inside look at his own life as a practicing surgeon, offering a searingly honest firsthand account of work in a field where mistakes are both unavoidable and unthinkable. At once unflinching and compassionate, Better is an exhilarating journey narrated by arguably the best nonfiction doctor-writer around (Salon). Gawandes investigation into medical professionals and how they progress from merely good to great provides rare insight into the elements of success, illuminating every area of human endeavor.

Drs. David and Jan Stoop are a dynamic, loving husband-and-wife team of 48 years who have discovered seven key ingredients necessary to create a deeper, stronger marriage. The practical advice has been shaped from the Stoops' experience of more than 20,000 hours of counseling couples. With...  more

Drs. David and Jan Stoop are a dynamic, loving husband-and-wife team of 48 years who have discovered seven key ingredients necessary to create a deeper, stronger marriage. The practical advice has been shaped from the Stoops' experience of more than 20,000 hours of counseling couples. With statements like ?great couples speak the truth in love? to ?the more couples give each other the better the relationship becomes,? the Stoops highlight their seven secrets with real life lessons from couples who were facing their own challenges to set this book apart from other relationship advice books.

What happens when happily ever after…isn’t? Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave,...  more

What happens when happily ever after…isn’t? Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah. And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom. Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

From Monique Truong, the bestselling and award-winning author of The Book of Salt, comes a brilliant, mesmerizing, beautifully written novel about a young woman’s search for identity and family, as she uncovers the secrets of her past and of history. Growing up in the small town of Boiling...  more

From Monique Truong, the bestselling and award-winning author of The Book of Salt, comes a brilliant, mesmerizing, beautifully written novel about a young woman’s search for identity and family, as she uncovers the secrets of her past and of history. Growing up in the small town of Boiling Springs, North Carolina, in the 70’s and 80’s, Linda believes that she is profoundly different from everyone else, including the members of her own family. “What I know about you, little girl, would break you in two” are the cruel, mysterious last words that Linda’s grandmother ever says to her.Now in her thirties, Linda looks back at her past when she navigated her way through life with the help of her great-uncle Harper, who loves her and loves to dance, and her best friend Kelly, with whom Linda exchanges almost daily letters. The truth about my family was that we disappointed one another. When I heard the word “disappoint,” I tasted toast, slightly burnt. For as long as she can remember, Linda has experienced a secret sense?she can “taste” words, which have the power to disrupt, dismay, or delight. She falls for names and what they evoke: Canned peaches. Dill. Orange sherbet. Parsnip (to her great regret). But with crushes comes awareness. As with all bodies, Linda’s is a mystery to her, in this and in other ways. Even as Linda makes her way north to Yale and New York City, she still does not know the truth about her past. Then, when a personal tragedy compels Linda to return to Boiling Springs, she gets to know a mother she never knew and uncovers a startling story of a life, a family. Revelation is when God tells us the truth. Confession is when we tell it to him.This astonishing novel questions many assumptions?about what it means to be a family and to be a friend, to be foreign and to be familiar, to be connected and to be disconnected?from others and from the past, our bodies, our histories, and ourselves.

In this moving new novel by critically acclaimed author Susan Meissner, readers will once again delight in the masterful storytelling that resulted in the author’s A Window to the World (2005) being named among the top ten Christian novels of the year by Booklist Magazine. Left standing at...  more

In this moving new novel by critically acclaimed author Susan Meissner, readers will once again delight in the masterful storytelling that resulted in the author’s A Window to the World (2005) being named among the top ten Christian novels of the year by Booklist Magazine. Left standing at the altar, Daisy Murien, a wounded but hopeful romantic, opens a secondhand wedding dress boutique, hoping to soothe her broken heart while giving doomed wedding dresses a second chance at love. Her predictable days take a sharp turn, though, when the retired Episcopal priest who blesses the tiny, blue satin heart she sews into each dress falls ill. When the priest’s brooding and recently divorced son arrives with plans to take his ailing father away, a contest of wills begins between two stubborn—and hurting—souls. While fighting to keep Father Laurent close by, Daisy finally begins to understand why she has routinely convinced potential buyers not to buy the one gown that started her business—her own: She doesn’t want to give up on the dream of a fairytale romance. This compelling story is about the magnificence of unconditional love and God’s impeccable timing in bringing it about. “Susan Meissner’s strength is making characters so real, you root for them as you welcome them into your life.” —Mary E. DeMuth, author of Wishing on Dandelions and Watching the Tree Limbs

"Engaging. Teases out the cause and effect of seven [cognition] traps with witty stories of famous blunders to teach the basis of good judgment. Like all good historians he's hoping we can avoid making the same mistake twice." O, The Oprah Magazine For anyone whose best-laid...  more

"Engaging. Teases out the cause and effect of seven [cognition] traps with witty stories of famous blunders to teach the basis of good judgment. Like all good historians he's hoping we can avoid making the same mistake twice." O, The Oprah Magazine For anyone whose best-laid plans have been foiled by faulty thinking, Blunder reveals how understanding seven simple traps--Exposure Anxiety, Causefusion, Flat View, Cure-Allism, Infomania, Mirror Imaging, Static Cling--can make us all less apt to err in our daily lives.

Madison Mandelbaum is on top of the world. She’s got a loving — though totally neurotic — family, two fabulous girlfriends, and best of all, she’s head-over-heels in love with Colin Darcy, an investigative reporter for NBC, a distant relation to the Queen, and–most...  more

Madison Mandelbaum is on top of the world. She’s got a loving — though totally neurotic — family, two fabulous girlfriends, and best of all, she’s head-over-heels in love with Colin Darcy, an investigative reporter for NBC, a distant relation to the Queen, and–most importantly–Maddie’s fiancé. Be careful what you wish for her mother’s always fond of saying, but with Colin on her arm, Maddie is certain that everything will finally go right. With one week to go before the wedding, Maddie receives an anonymous email that suggests that her fiancé may not be the man she thinks he is. Is this someone’s idea of a pre-wedding joke? Yet as sinister phone calls, text messages, and disturbing clues turn up, all linking Colin to the murder of a sexy callgirl, Maddie realizes that she must get to the bottom of this. Fast. As the clock counts down towards what was to be the ceremony of her dreams, Maddie’s life is turned into a wild race to find the truth. Between frantic dress fittings, entertaining future in-laws, and putting on a brave face, she and her best friends are propelled into an undercover investigation that plunges them into a seedy underworld of anonymous sex and backroom politics. As her search brings her ever closer to the knowledge she desperately seeks, Maddie finds her heart being tested in ways she’s never dreamed. Determined to take back her life, she discovers just how far someone in love will go to cover up the truth. And along the way, she stumbles upon a shocking secret she never saw coming.

The human-canine bond: a relationship steeped in love with equal parts mutual respect, trust, and regard In this groundbreaking book, professional dog trainer Victoria Schade reveals that a successful relationship between you and your dog isn't about establishing yourself as the pack...  more

The human-canine bond: a relationship steeped in love with equal parts mutual respect, trust, and regard In this groundbreaking book, professional dog trainer Victoria Schade reveals that a successful relationship between you and your dog isn't about establishing yourself as the pack leader, but about building a meaningful bond. She explains how this bond forms the core of your entire relationship; if it's lacking, it's the primary source of any frustration you may be having with your dog. First, you'll take a quiz to help you gauge your current relationship with your dog. Next, you'll learn the building blocks for creating a positive, mutually rewarding bond-from granting privileges to being unpredictable to offering ample praise and playtime. You'll discover how a bonded dog: Listens to obedience cues Wants you in her sightlines, even in intriguing environments Doesn't escape through open doorways Understands and follows your house rules Wants to be close to you and work with you Truly trusts and respects you Whether you share your heart and home with a puppy, an adolescent, or a senior dog, it's never too early or too late to build a bond to last a lifetime-and this book shows you how.

Still another novel about adolescent angst? Well, the protagonist is indeed going on thirteen and, with some justification, he is seriously stressed, but there this wonderful story diverges from the stereotype. Rampant hormones, peer pressure, romance -- all take a backseat as Guy Ritter...  more

Still another novel about adolescent angst? Well, the protagonist is indeed going on thirteen and, with some justification, he is seriously stressed, but there this wonderful story diverges from the stereotype. Rampant hormones, peer pressure, romance -- all take a backseat as Guy Ritter wrestles with the challenge of attracting the attention of parents preoccupied with the demands of his autistic brother. And then there is the wolf, condemned to euthanasia unless Guy can find a way to spring him from a pen. Adolescents will love this book, but there is much here for adult readers as well, including a short treatise on genetics and a graphic evocation of the consequences of a fast-food diet. All of the characters in this story are interesting and believable: Guy's mother, driven to distraction by the needs of her autistic son; his father, the geneticist, preoccupied with his experiments with wolves; a most unorthodox psychiatrist patiently seeking a breakthrough with a stubbornly unresponsive patient. And the most fascinating of all, Austin, who, at the age of five cannot speak but can take apart and re-assemble any electronic gadget, including the lock on a wolf's cage. Bonnie Rozanski has obviously done extensive research on genetics and on autism, and the novel offers a short treatise on each, but the enlightenment in no way detracts from the fast-moving plot and the engaging insights into the minds of pubescent boys. This novel will appeal to readers from twelve to ... well, whenever, if ever, the need to learn and to enjoy ceases.

They say you never forget your first love...and it's true. Eighteen years ago when he was still a boy, Harry made a decision that drove him from the place—and the girl—he loved. Somehow in the ensuing years, he made a new life for himself and found a semblance of peace. Yet the...  more

They say you never forget your first love...and it's true. Eighteen years ago when he was still a boy, Harry made a decision that drove him from the place—and the girl—he loved. Somehow in the ensuing years, he made a new life for himself and found a semblance of peace. Yet the memories of his past and of the warm, carefree girl with the laughing eyes have haunted his every waking moment. The years were not kind to sweet and pretty Judy Roberts. Forsaken at a tender age, cruelly disowned by her family, she has had to make difficult decisions in order to survive—guarding a shameful secret and damned by an unfairly earned reputation: “born bad.” Now Harry is coming home. There is grave danger and painful truths here, but he needs to make things right no matter what the cost. More than that, Harry needs to be forgiven—and he can only pray that he's not too late.

This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn...  more

This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance. When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right. This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world. From the Hardcover edition.

April 2012

Cora Sledge is horrified when her children, who doubt her ability to take care of herself, plot to remove her from her home. So what if her house is a shambles? Who cares when she last changed her clothes? If an eighty-two-year-old widow wants to live on junk food, pills, and cigarettes,...  more

Cora Sledge is horrified when her children, who doubt her ability to take care of herself, plot to remove her from her home. So what if her house is a shambles? Who cares when she last changed her clothes? If an eighty-two-year-old widow wants to live on junk food, pills, and cigarettes, hasn’t she earned the right? When her kids force her into The Palisades, an assisted living facility, Cora takes to her bed, planning to die as soon as possible. But life isn’t finished with her yet, not by a long shot. Deciding that truth is the best revenge, Cora begins to write a tell-all journal that reveals once and for all the secret she has guarded since she was a young woman. In entries that are profane, profound, and gossipy, she chronicles her childhood in rural Missouri, her shotgun wedding, and the terrible event that changed the course of her life. Intermingled with her reminiscences is an account of the day-to-day dramas at The Palisades?her budding romance with a suave new resident, feuds with her tablemates, her rollicking camaraderie with the man who oversees her health care, and the sinister cloud of suspicion that descends as a series of petty crimes sets everyone on edge. The story builds to a powerful climax as Cora’s revelations about her past mesh with the unraveling intrigue in the present. Cora is by turns outrageous, irreverent, and wickedly funny. Despite a life with more than its share of disappointment and struggle, she refuses to go gently into her twilight years, remaining intensely curious, disinclined to play it safe, and willing to start over. Breaking Out of Bedlam captures the loneliness and secrets that lurk within families, the hardscrabble reality facing women with limited resources, and the resilience of a woman who survives, despite all the odds, through an unlikely combination of passion, humor, and faith.  

When Katie Kitrell is shipped off to boarding school by her distant father and overbearing mother, it doesn?t take her long to become part of the It Crowd. She?s smart, she?s cute, and she?s an Olympic-bound swimmer who has a first class ticket to any Ivy League school of her choice. But what...  more

When Katie Kitrell is shipped off to boarding school by her distant father and overbearing mother, it doesn?t take her long to become part of the It Crowd. She?s smart, she?s cute, and she?s an Olympic-bound swimmer who has a first class ticket to any Ivy League school of her choice. But what her new friends, roommate, and boyfriend don?t know is that Katie is swimming away from her past, and from her schizophrenic older brother, Will, who won?t let her go. And when he does the unthinkable, it?s all Katie can do to keep her head above water.

Jenny Harris always expected that she’d fall in love, get married, and have a baby–in that order. Now, very pregnant and not quite married, she actually doesn’t mind that she and her live-in fiance, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned;...  more

Jenny Harris always expected that she’d fall in love, get married, and have a baby–in that order. Now, very pregnant and not quite married, she actually doesn’t mind that she and her live-in fiance, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned; she’s happy to have so much to look forward to. But Dean -- whom Jenny loves enough to overlook his bad facial hair, his smoking habit, and his total commitment to a cheesy cover band -- is acting distant, and not in a pre-wedding-jitters kind of way. The night he runs out for cigarettes and just doesn’t come back, he demotes himself from future husband to sperm donor. And the very next day, Jenny goes into labor. In the months that follow, Jenny plunges into a life she never anticipated: single motherhood. At least with the sleep deprivation, sore boobs, and fits of crying (both hers and the baby’s), there’s not much time to dwell on her broken heart. And things start looking up. She learns how to do everything one-handed, makes friends in a mommy group, and even manages to give dating tips to her sweet, clueless father -- who’s trying to court her sassy mother again, fifteen years after their divorce. She also gets to know a handsome, helpful neighbor -- with a knack for soothing babies -- who invites her out dancing. But Dean is never far from Jenny’s thoughts or, it turns out, her doorstep, and in the end Jenny must choose between the old life she thought she wanted and the new life she’s been lucky to find.  

Shy Keenan was not meant to survive her childhood. Her mother beat her so severely that she was deaf and nearly blind by her first day in school. Her stepsister thought nothing of pouring boiling water over her, and virtually every day she was raped by her stepfather. At agre 10 she was sold to...  more

Shy Keenan was not meant to survive her childhood. Her mother beat her so severely that she was deaf and nearly blind by her first day in school. Her stepsister thought nothing of pouring boiling water over her, and virtually every day she was raped by her stepfather. At agre 10 she was sold to a gang of dockworkers, viciously attacked, and left for dead in a field with a fractured skull. Today, Shy is an internationally respected advocate in the fight for justice for victims of child sexual abuse. Six years ago, her testimony secured the imprisonment of her stepfather and his associates for a catalogue of crimes against children. This success was achieved only after a journey through extensive psychiatric care, prison, and near-suicide. Shy’s experiences expose the extreme wickedness of which some are capable, but also tell a story of hope, strength, and courage.

Positive. Negative. It's how you look at it. . . . Someone shoves a photo negative into Rowan's hands. She is distracted but, frankly, she has larger problems to worry about. Her brother is dead. Her father has left. Her mother won't get out of bed. She has to take care...  more

Positive. Negative. It's how you look at it. . . . Someone shoves a photo negative into Rowan's hands. She is distracted but, frankly, she has larger problems to worry about. Her brother is dead. Her father has left. Her mother won't get out of bed. She has to take care of her younger sister. And keep it all together . . . But Rowan is curious about the mysterious boy and the negative. Who is he? Why did he give it to her? The mystery only deepens when the photo is developed and the inconceivable appears. Everything is about to change for Rowan. . . . Finally, something positive is in her life. Award-winning author Jenny Valentine delivers a powerful and life-affirming story of grief, friendship, and healing that will resonate long after the last page.

Buckley's Story is the story of how one small cat changed the author's life in ways she never could have imagined. In this warm-hearted memoir, Ingrid King shares the story of Buckley, a joyful, enthusiastic and affectionate tortoiseshell cat she meets while managing a veterinary hospital. When...  more

Buckley's Story is the story of how one small cat changed the author's life in ways she never could have imagined. In this warm-hearted memoir, Ingrid King shares the story of Buckley, a joyful, enthusiastic and affectionate tortoiseshell cat she meets while managing a veterinary hospital. When Ingrid leaves her job at the veterinary hospital to start her own business, Buckley comes home to live with her and Amber, another tortoiseshell cat who had adopted the author several years earlier. Buckley is diagnosed with heart disease after only two years of living with Ingrid, and caring for Buckley through her illness only deepens the bond between cat and human. Interspersed with well-researched information about cat health in general, and heart disease in particular, the author describes the challenges and rewards of managing illness in a feline companion, and ultimately helping her through the final transition. Ingrid shares both the day-to-day joys of living with a special cat as well as the profound grief that comes with losing a beloved animal companion. Buckley's Story is a celebration of the soul connection between animals and humans, a connection that is eternal and transcends the physical dimension.

I do know things really began to spin out of control after my first sex dream. It all started with a dream. Nothing exceptional, just a typical fantasy about a boy, the kind of dream that most teen girls experience. But Pattyn Von Stratten is not like most teen girls. Raised in a religious --...  more

I do know things really began to spin out of control after my first sex dream. It all started with a dream. Nothing exceptional, just a typical fantasy about a boy, the kind of dream that most teen girls experience. But Pattyn Von Stratten is not like most teen girls. Raised in a religious -- yet abusive -- family, a simple dream may not be exactly a sin, but it could be the first step toward hell and eternal damnation. This dream is a first step for Pattyn. But is it to hell or to a better life? For the first time Pattyn starts asking questions. Questions seemingly without answers -- about God, a woman's role, sex, love -- mostly love. What is it? Where is it? Will she ever experience it? Is she deserving of it? It's with a real boy that Pattyn gets into real trouble. After Pattyn's father catches her in a compromising position, events spiral out of control until Pattyn ends up suspended from school and sent to live with an aunt she doesn't know. Pattyn is supposed to find salvation and redemption during her exile to the wilds of rural Nevada. Yet what she finds instead is love and acceptance. And for the first time she feels worthy of both -- until she realizes her old demons will not let her go. Pattyn begins down a path that will lead her to a hell -- a hell that may not be the one she learned about in sacrament meetings, but it is hell all the same. In this riveting and masterful novel told in verse, Ellen Hopkins takes readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride. From the highs of true love to the lows of abuse, Pattyn's story will have readers engrossed until the very last word.

Hard-shelled, career-minded Greta is the newest and least likely member of a sustainable foods cooperative house in Madison, Wisconsin. Shortly after she joins Karin and Hal in their stately residence near campus, the husband Greta left appears on their porch, drunk, and the reason for her...  more

Hard-shelled, career-minded Greta is the newest and least likely member of a sustainable foods cooperative house in Madison, Wisconsin. Shortly after she joins Karin and Hal in their stately residence near campus, the husband Greta left appears on their porch, drunk, and the reason for her sudden appearance becomes clear. Yet the house members already have plenty to occupy them: a series of summer blackouts has unearthed a disquietude lurking just under the surface for each of the three residents. Gas is dwindling, electricity is unreliable, and the natural world around them is in upheaval. The uneasiness of the environ ment mirrors that of Greta, Hal, and Karin as they each make efforts to resolve their own personal crises. With subtle attunement to the hovering uncertainty affecting each of her characters, Wildgen crafts a story both terrifying and beautiful.

Even the faintest whiff of lemon sells clenaing products. Negative messages from politicians win votes. Product placement in films rarely works. Many multi-million pound advertising campaigns are a complete waste of time. These are just a few of the findings of Martin Lindstrom's...  more

Even the faintest whiff of lemon sells clenaing products. Negative messages from politicians win votes. Product placement in films rarely works. Many multi-million pound advertising campaigns are a complete waste of time. These are just a few of the findings of Martin Lindstrom's groundbreaking study of what really makes consumers tick. Convinced that there is a gulf between what we believe influences us and what actually does, he set up a highly ambitious research project that employed the very latest in brain-scanning technology and called on the services of some 2000 volunteers. Buyology shares the fruits of this research, revealing for the first time what actually goes on inside our heads when we see an advertisement, hear a marketing slogan, taste two rival brands of drink, or watch a programme sponsored by a major company. The conclusions are both startling and groundbreaking, showing the extent to which we deceive ourselves when we think we are making considered decisions, and revealing factors as varied as childhood memories, religious belief, even our sense of smell, that come together to influence our decisions and shape our tastes.

When Kate's family purchases a hotel in the Pacific Northwest, she enters a world that is wholly unknown to her. She never has any privacy because of the constant flow of guests. And as the hotel owner's daughter, she struggles to make friends.  Then she meets Caleb, a strange...  more

When Kate's family purchases a hotel in the Pacific Northwest, she enters a world that is wholly unknown to her. She never has any privacy because of the constant flow of guests. And as the hotel owner's daughter, she struggles to make friends.  Then she meets Caleb, a strange combination of working-class, Hawaiian culture, and Christian bad boy. He talks about love in an all new way that she finds so alluring. But the two have nothing in common. He rarely smiles, rides a motorcycle with a rough crowd from town, and worst of all, he totally ignores Kate. But Kate has something that he needs and she resolves to prove to him that what she has doesn't define who she is.

From this funny, wise, and fresh new voice comes a collection of eight stories about adoption and birth, parents and childrenThe Real True Story is a powerful, poignant collection of thematically interwoven stories about relationships between parents and children, especially mothers and...  more

From this funny, wise, and fresh new voice comes a collection of eight stories about adoption and birth, parents and childrenThe Real True Story is a powerful, poignant collection of thematically interwoven stories about relationships between parents and children, especially mothers and daughters. Each story explores the complex and often volatile terrain of adoption and birth. We meet young adopted women who yearn for the sense of family that blood ties bring, and mothers who struggle with the decision to give their babies up. A grown woman who was adopted tries to imagine her birth mother's life, a young girl is abducted by her father and shares a series of strange adventures with him, a teenage mother plans to give up her newborn, a pregnant wife considers abortion. Edgy, urban, bold and vibrant, The Real True Story marks the emergence of a young writer who understands the human heart and the secret lives of ordinary people.

What girl doesn’t want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn’t just surrounded by hot guys, though -- she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that’s just fine. As...  more

What girl doesn’t want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn’t just surrounded by hot guys, though -- she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that’s just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there’s a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team…and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

Nine years ago, Molly Tanner witnessed a young girl?s abduction in the busy city of Philadelphia, shifting her occasional clairvoyance into overdrive. Two days later, the girl?s body was found, and Molly?s life fell apart. Consumed by guilt for not acting upon her visions, and on the brink of...  more

Nine years ago, Molly Tanner witnessed a young girl?s abduction in the busy city of Philadelphia, shifting her occasional clairvoyance into overdrive. Two days later, the girl?s body was found, and Molly?s life fell apart. Consumed by guilt for not acting upon her visions, and on the brink of losing her family, Molly escaped the torturous reminders in the city, fleeing to the safety of the close-knit rural community of Boyds, Maryland. Molly?s life is back on track, her son has begun college, and she and her husband have finally rekindled their relationship. Their fresh start is shattered when a seven-year-old girl disappears from a local park near Molly?s home. Unable to turn her back on another child and troubled by memories of the past, Molly sets out to find her, jeopardizing the marriage she?d fought so hard to hold together. While unearthing clues and struggling to decipher her visions, Molly discovers another side of Boyds, where the residents--and the land itself--hold potentially lethal secrets, and exposes another side of her husband, one that threatens to tear them apart.

It is the summer of 1958, and life in the small Texas community of Graham Camp should be simple and carefree. But not for twelve-year-old Sammie Tucker. Sammie has plenty of questions about her mother's "nerve" problems. About shock treatments. About whether her mother loves...  more

It is the summer of 1958, and life in the small Texas community of Graham Camp should be simple and carefree. But not for twelve-year-old Sammie Tucker. Sammie has plenty of questions about her mother's "nerve" problems. About shock treatments. About whether her mother loves her. When her mother commits suicide and a not-so-favorite aunt arrives, Sammie has to choose who to trust with her deepest fears: Her best friend who has an opinion about everything, the mysterious kid from California whose own troubles plague him, or her round-faced neighbor with gentle advice and strong shoulders to cry on. Then there's the elderly widower who seems nice but has his own dark past. Trusting is one thing, but accepting the truth may be the hardest thing Sammie has ever done.

Full of sass, soul, and the type of empowering wisdom no woman should live without , Choosing ME before WE is like a heart-to-heart with your closest girlfriend. And best of all, you'll discover that your closest girlfriend is your own truest self, inside you, always ready to offer...  more

Full of sass, soul, and the type of empowering wisdom no woman should live without , Choosing ME before WE is like a heart-to-heart with your closest girlfriend. And best of all, you'll discover that your closest girlfriend is your own truest self, inside you, always ready to offer wise, loving advice and councel about what is best for you. Designed to challenge and guide women to create the relationships they want instead of the ones they often found themselves stuck in, this book is packed with:      stimulating questions to uncover what's true for you, daring you to get downright real about yourself and your relationships      powerful techiques to change old habits that sabotage your dreams      real-life experiences shared by the author, her friends and her clients. Author CHRISTINE ARYLO, who almost married the wrong guy for all the wrong reasons, speaks to women of all ages, whether they're seeking a relationship, evaluating a less-than-fulfilling one, rebounding from a bad breakup, or working through issues with a partner, Choosing ME before WE teaches women to stop settling, to get real about the kind of partner they're looking for, and start exploring and creating what they truly want in themselves and their relationships.

Don't close your eyes. Except when the truth is too dark to bear.Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.And a curse.When a teenage girl...  more

Don't close your eyes. Except when the truth is too dark to bear.Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.And a curse.When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case -- but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother -- who has supernatural gifts of his own -- becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

A few seconds ago, I wanted to die. Now I know the reality is I just don’t want to live. I never have from the moment I started falling, twenty-one and a half years ago. I’m alive. Shit.Jeff Randall originally wrote his memoir by hand, the ink spattering on the page whenever he was writing...  more

A few seconds ago, I wanted to die. Now I know the reality is I just don’t want to live. I never have from the moment I started falling, twenty-one and a half years ago. I’m alive. Shit.Jeff Randall originally wrote his memoir by hand, the ink spattering on the page whenever he was writing about something painful and looping beautifully whenever he was recalling happier moments. He wrote it in a matter of weeks and delivered it to his estranged wife in an attempt to explain the demons that had haunted him for so long and that had been responsible for destroying their relationship. Love Hurts is the powerful true story of a boy whose tormented childhood was characterized by violence and isolation. He was raised in a fragmented, chaotic family, in a world where debt and poverty were the norm. From a young age, he yearned to escape but was sucked into an ever-decreasing spiral of bad choices and self-loathing. This brutally honest book charts the life of a boy who just wanted to be loved but when love eventually came he was too damaged to recognise it. Only by confronting the nightmare of his childhood and coming to terms with his past has he been able to stop his downward spiral.

Four-year-old Lisa's world turned upside down when her step-father moved in. Most of the time he was just violent but then he started making her do things she knew were wrong. Soon he was visiting her at night. Lisa begged her mother for help but she just shrugged, telling Lisa he would have his...  more

Four-year-old Lisa's world turned upside down when her step-father moved in. Most of the time he was just violent but then he started making her do things she knew were wrong. Soon he was visiting her at night. Lisa begged her mother for help but she just shrugged, telling Lisa he would have his way. It was the greatest betrayal of all. Four-year-old Lisa's world turned upside down when her step-father moved in. Most of the time he was just violent but then he started making her do things she knew were wrong. Soon he was visiting her at night. Lisa begged her mother for help but she just shrugged, telling Lisa he would have his way. It was the greatest betrayal of all.

Maggie Stovall is trapped inside a person she's spent years carefully crafting. Now the truth about who she is-and what she's done-is bursting to the surface and sending Maggie into a spiral of despair. Will Maggie walk away from her ten-year marriage and her responsibility as a foster mother in...  more

Maggie Stovall is trapped inside a person she's spent years carefully crafting. Now the truth about who she is-and what she's done-is bursting to the surface and sending Maggie into a spiral of despair. Will Maggie walk away from her ten-year marriage and her responsibility as a foster mother in her desperate desire to escape the mantle of depression that is cloaking her? Or will she allow God to take her to a place of ultimate honesty-before it's too late? When Joy Came to Stay is the heart-wrenching story of one woman's escape from the shadows of clinical depression. Bestselling author Karen Kingsbury offers this moving tale of the quest for a simple, transparent life lived in the sunlight of God's favor and forgiveness.

After suffering the loss of his mother and separation from his sister and the girl he loved, Jordan Riley fills the holes in his soul with anger. But Faith Evans begins to disassemble the walls around Jordan 's heart, and he realizes there's something very familiar about her...

Jenny Lee covered her first year of marriage in the painfully real and funny book I Do. I Did. Now What?! Now it's time for her to write about the real love of her life: Wendell. Her dog.*Do you talk about your dog non-stop? *Do you suspect your dog is a genius? *Do you name each of your dog's...  more

Jenny Lee covered her first year of marriage in the painfully real and funny book I Do. I Did. Now What?! Now it's time for her to write about the real love of her life: Wendell. Her dog.*Do you talk about your dog non-stop? *Do you suspect your dog is a genius? *Do you name each of your dog's toys?*Does your dog get more heavy petting than your spouse? *Do all holidays revolve around your dog? If any of these scenarios sound familiar, you probably have a healthy admiration for your dog. But if all of the scenarios in What Wendell Wants sound familiar, well, it's obvious that your appreciation of your pooch has truly crossed the line into true love--dysfunctional, sure, but who cares?! Jenny Lee knows this obsession inside and out, and her advice is not to fight it: there's simply no cure. Instead, she offers hysterical accounts of her own experiences--from fretting over her dog's haircut to getting his portrait painted a la Picasso to trying desperately to impress the Bed & Biscuit dog kennel--to give all kindred dog-loving spirits out there some consolation that they're not alone.

How can you ?hear between the lines? to detect a lie? When is intuition the best guide to making important decisions? What are the tell-tale signs of romantic attraction? Jo-Ellan Dimitrius?America?s leading behavioral expert?shows us how to spot the critical clues to a person?s integrity, work...  more

How can you ?hear between the lines? to detect a lie? When is intuition the best guide to making important decisions? What are the tell-tale signs of romantic attraction? Jo-Ellan Dimitrius?America?s leading behavioral expert?shows us how to spot the critical clues to a person?s integrity, work habits, and sexual interests, and to interpret these signs with accuracy and precision. In this phenomenal guide?now revised and updated?Dimitrius shows us how to read a person like a book. By decoding the hidden messages in appearance, tone of voice, facial expression, and personal habit, she applies the secrets of her extraordinary courtroom success to the everyday situations we all face at work, at home, and in relationships. New material includes:? How to read people in the age of terror: what to watch for during air travel and trips abroad, and vital information regarding student behaviors in the Columbine High School and Virginia Tech shootings? What to look for on the Internet: how to decipher behavioral patterns found in and altered by e-mail, text and instant messaging, and on sites like MySpace? Facts on body language and health: how chronic illnesses such as Asperger syndrome and Parkinson?s disease influence the way people are perceived, and essential tips on how to counter these misperceptions? Fascinating new case studies: how body-reading techniques impacted jury selection and verdicts in major trial battles, including the Enron caseWhether your focus is friendship or marriage, career or family, romance or professional success, Reading People gives you the skills you need to make sound, swift decisions and reap the benefits of razor-sharp insight. Praise for Readnig People: ?Your eyes will be opened as mine have been by these tips from America?s leading people-readers.??Chris Matthews?[A] valuable guide . . . practical, good advice for discerningly ?reading? others and becoming more aware of the myriad of nonverbal messages one conveys.??Kirkus Reviews

When her daughter Blair was born, Vicki Glembocki experienced the first blast of maternal bliss that she assumed would carry her through the next nine months of sleepless nights and all the challenges that come with a new baby. So why was the transition into motherhood so hard? Because no one...  more

When her daughter Blair was born, Vicki Glembocki experienced the first blast of maternal bliss that she assumed would carry her through the next nine months of sleepless nights and all the challenges that come with a new baby. So why was the transition into motherhood so hard? Because no one told her the real deal about what lay ahead. Finally, one mother gives the unvarnished truth about those first months, from the worry over whether you?re bonding, to the suspicion that you?re the only woman on earth who lacks the ?maternal gene.? Funny and brutally honest, Glembocki lets new moms know they?re not alone and reassures them that when someone coos, ?Aren?t you just loving every minute?? it?s perfectly normal to think: ?No, actually, I?m not!? And you and your child will still turn out just fine.

The Way of the Happy Woman playfully prescribes how to honor each season of the year with wholesome foods, yoga, meditation, and reflections. When we listen to and follow our biorhythms, health and happiness follow. After introductory chapters that explore women?s health and lifestyle needs,...  more

The Way of the Happy Woman playfully prescribes how to honor each season of the year with wholesome foods, yoga, meditation, and reflections. When we listen to and follow our biorhythms, health and happiness follow. After introductory chapters that explore women?s health and lifestyle needs, the book provides specific information and suggestions for each season of the year. Each of these sections includes clear and specific ways to nurture your body, soothe your soul, and invigorate your mind. Yoga teacher and retreat leader Sara Avant Stover presents suggestions for yoga sequences, meditations, affirmations, journaling exercises, and healthy meals and recipes for each season. This thorough and engaging book reveals that the key to a woman?s health and happiness resides in the ancient, and nearly forgotten, knowledge of how to live in accordance with daily, seasonal, and yearly rhythms. Women need this wisdom now more than ever. Natural nurturers, women instinctually care for others and think that paying too much attention to their own needs is “selfish.? Over time this approach to life can take a heavy toll, leaving women depleted and defeated and not knowing why. But it doesn?t have to be this way. It is possible — and even easy — for women to take their health and happiness into their own hands, simply by remembering who we truly are. Women don?t have to stop helping others to fulfill their own needs and desires. Women are deeply intuitive and intimately connected to the rhythms and cycles of nature, and The Way of the Happy Woman will help them reconnect to that aspect of their body and mind. From now on, rather than letting seasons be a picturesque backdrop to day-to-day routines, they become the portal to each woman?s evolution. Each season offers tremendous opportunities for self-discovery and healing, as well as for letting go and leaving behind those patterns that no longer serve you. Springtime is a time of renewal and discovery; summer, celebration and creativity; autumn, harvesting and reorganizing, and winter, deep rest and contemplation. On a larger scale, each season represents a stage in our own creative process, or in our entire life journey. In the spring we are born, in the summer we come into our full fruition, in autumn we take stock and assess after our rapid growth, and in the winter we rest and dissolve back into our the stillness of seedlings. Readers will learn to prepare ceremonious and simple healthful foods according to ayurvedic wisdom for spring, summer, fall, and winter. These recipes will help align the body with nature?s rhythms for optimum energy, rest, and radiant health. Yoga postures and contemplations will further help to synchronize readers? inner and outer worlds. Women are ready for a powerful shift, a shift toward self-nurture and an empowered, happy life. The Way of the Happy Woman is an owner?s manual for the radiant mind, body, and spirit every woman craves.

The bestselling author of Labor Day returns with a spellbinding novel about friendship, family secrets, and the strange twists of fate that shape our lives The Good Daughters They were born on the same day, in the same small New Hampshire hospital, into families that could hardly have been...  more

The bestselling author of Labor Day returns with a spellbinding novel about friendship, family secrets, and the strange twists of fate that shape our lives The Good Daughters They were born on the same day, in the same small New Hampshire hospital, into families that could hardly have been less alike. Ruth Plank is an artist and a romantic with a rich, passionate, imaginative life. The last of five girls born to a gentle, caring farmer and his stolid wife, she yearns to soar beyond the confines of the land that has been her family's birthright for generations. Dana Dickerson is a scientist and realist whose faith is firmly planted in the natural world. Raised by a pair of capricious drifters who waste their lives on failed dreams, she longs for stability and rootedness. Different in nearly every way, Ruth and Dana share a need to make sense of who they are and to find their places in a world in which neither has ever truly felt she belonged. They also share a love for Dana's wild and beautiful older brother, Ray, who will leave an indelible mark on both their hearts. Told in the alternating voices of Ruth and Dana, The Good Daughters follows these "birthday sisters" as they make their way from the 1950s to the present. Master storyteller Joyce Maynard chronicles the unlikely ways the two women's lives parallel and intersect—from childhood and adolescence to first loves, first sex, marriage, and parenthood; from the deaths of parents to divorce, the loss of home, and the loss of a beloved partner—until past secrets and forgotten memories unexpectedly come to light, forcing them to reevaluate themselves and each other. Moving from rural New Hampshire to a remote island in British Columbia to the '70s Boston art-school scene, The Good Daughters is an unforgettable story about the ties of home and family, the devastating force of love, the healing power of forgiveness, and the desire to know who we are.

In this practical and entertaining guide, the top veterinarians and animal experts in the country offer more than 1,000 effective tips for treating common pet problems, such as: allergies, bad breath, ear mites, fleas, itchy skin, paw problems, teething pain, weepy eyes, and wounds. But, much...  more

In this practical and entertaining guide, the top veterinarians and animal experts in the country offer more than 1,000 effective tips for treating common pet problems, such as: allergies, bad breath, ear mites, fleas, itchy skin, paw problems, teething pain, weepy eyes, and wounds. But, much more than a guide to the physical and emotional problems of pets, The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Dogs and Cats also provides solutions to some of the toughest behavior problems, letting pet owners know when it is necessary to visit the vet--and what they can do until they get there. Since the health needs of dogs and cats are often entirely different, there are also specific tips for both cats and dogs, along with more than 75 easy-to-follow illustrations. Having this ultimate do-it-yourself pet-care book is like having a veterinarian on call 24 hours a day.

The fascinating stories behind more than a thousand best-loved songs from the last 50 years are explored in this entertaining collection. Intriguing background and biographical information on each song and its artist — from Elvis and Fatboy Slim to Leonard Cohen and Pulp — is...  more

The fascinating stories behind more than a thousand best-loved songs from the last 50 years are explored in this entertaining collection. Intriguing background and biographical information on each song and its artist — from Elvis and Fatboy Slim to Leonard Cohen and Pulp — is included alongside more than 400 rare, full-color photographs of the musicians. Keeping in line with the way that iPods and other portable mp3 players have changed the way people listen to music — with personalized playlists and mixes just a few clicks away — this collection places more emphasis on specific songs than entire albums. The eclectic mix of profiled songs are randomly ordered, similar to a playlist, widening listeners' horizons while educating them on a variety of styles and artists.

In a mad-dash world filled with long to-do lists and too many commitments, it's easy for one to lose perspective of what matters most-even with the most important person in one's life.

The bestselling author of Getting in Touch with Your Inner Bitch offers her snappy advice to the most challenging arena for women-the bedroom. She shows very clearly why that integral, powerful part of you-your Inner Bitch-is essential in love. And even more so in lust. Looking for romance?...  more

The bestselling author of Getting in Touch with Your Inner Bitch offers her snappy advice to the most challenging arena for women-the bedroom. She shows very clearly why that integral, powerful part of you-your Inner Bitch-is essential in love. And even more so in lust. Looking for romance? Looking for a date? Looking for a relationship? You will be more successful and men will like you better if you liberate that part of you that knows what you really care about and want. Here?s what you?ll learn:? Why it?s essential to introduce your Inner Bitch on the first date? What to do with men who seem afraid of your Inner Bitch? How to make sure your Inner Bitch is guiding you and you?re not just being bitchy? Why men fall head over heels in love with bitchesPut an end to Toxic Niceness! No more two-week wonders, no more romantic cul-de-sacs! Your Inner Bitch knows how to get you the man you want and how to get him hopelessly enamored with you.

A Handbook For An Organized LifeIf you've ever wished for a class in Coping 101, or a guide to living more efficiently and with less stress, this book is for you!  Over 100 sensible checklists offer quick tips and expert advice to make your life easier at work, at home, and through all...  more

A Handbook For An Organized LifeIf you've ever wished for a class in Coping 101, or a guide to living more efficiently and with less stress, this book is for you!  Over 100 sensible checklists offer quick tips and expert advice to make your life easier at work, at home, and through all of life's ups and downs.Arranged by subject, from Personal Safety to Home Maintenance to Social Life, these lists will help you know what to ask, what to do, and what to have on hand in any situation.  What to do when your wallet is stolen  How to stock a bar  Questions to ask when hiring a contractor  What to keep in your medicine cabinet  Frequently overlooked tax deductions  How to be friends with your computer  The best and worse places to hide valuables  What to keep in a safe deposit box  Six steps of bare minimum housework  How to organize your file cabinet  How to cure your dying houseplants  Tips for writing an effective complaint letter  Tipping: who and how much  A countdown to moving day

Tap into the vast knowledge of industry professionals and start living smarter! Did you know that you may be able to deflect late charges on your credit card? Or that you can often ignore the oil change sticker on your car? This extraordinary resource brings you over 1,700 pieces of practical...  more

Tap into the vast knowledge of industry professionals and start living smarter! Did you know that you may be able to deflect late charges on your credit card? Or that you can often ignore the oil change sticker on your car? This extraordinary resource brings you over 1,700 pieces of practical advice, tips, and solutions for smarter living in every aspect of your life. Discover shocking trade secrets that "they" dont want you to know: the facts on "best before" dates, $80-an-hour repair scams, and more. Youll discover a wealth of "forbidden" secrets from doctors, lawyers, mechanics, travel agents, and more, and stay one step ahead of the rest!

Behind our stress and clutter is an infinitely spacious place one might call ?stillness? or ?joy.? This is our natural state of being, but we usually do not experience it because we are caught in a web of material possessions, desires, and fears. Why has our clutter become like another member...  more

Behind our stress and clutter is an infinitely spacious place one might call ?stillness? or ?joy.? This is our natural state of being, but we usually do not experience it because we are caught in a web of material possessions, desires, and fears. Why has our clutter become like another member of the family that we feed, house, and lug around? Your Spacious Self: Clear Your Clutter and Discover Who You Are shows us that it?s not our stuff, but the holding on to it that creates a force field of ?stuck-ness? that clouds our perceptions and paralyzes our lives. Clutter is not just the junk spilling out of the closet. It is any thing or thought that prevents us from experiencing who we truly are. Clearing is not a tedious exercise of throwing away, but a gentle journey of softening our grip and letting go! Radical in its message and elegant in its simplicity, Your Spacious Self offers a new model of clearing that combines the ancient wisdom of space clearing with the modern practicality of clutter clearing. It teaches us that clearing is not just something we do, but also a powerful way to be?one small step, drawer, or moment at a time.

Remember jello shots of days of yore? They're all grown up, and are sporting a sophisticated new look! "Jelly Shots" are classic cocktails reinvented as sassy, gelatin shots--perfect, jewel-like squares, sans cup, which any adult would be proud to serve at their next dinner party.From...  more

Remember jello shots of days of yore? They're all grown up, and are sporting a sophisticated new look! "Jelly Shots" are classic cocktails reinvented as sassy, gelatin shots--perfect, jewel-like squares, sans cup, which any adult would be proud to serve at their next dinner party.From Cosmopolitans, Tequila Sunrises, and Mojitos to Gimlets and Chocolate Martinis, Jelly Shot Test Kitchen is a guide to making gelatin versions of favorite libations. Armed with only a saucepan, a cake pan, and a sharp knife (and ingredients!), readers can be well on their way to a gorgeous batch of Jelly Shots.

On April 20, 1999, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, two seniors at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, walked into their school and shot to death twelve students and one teacher, and wounded many others. It was the worst single act of murder at a school in U.S. history. Few people knew...  more

On April 20, 1999, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, two seniors at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, walked into their school and shot to death twelve students and one teacher, and wounded many others. It was the worst single act of murder at a school in U.S. history. Few people knew Dylan Klebold or Eric Harris better than Brooks Brown. Brown and Klebold were best friends in grade school, and years later, at Columbine, Brown was privy to some of Harris and Klebold’s darkest fantasies and most troubling revelations After the shootings, Brown was even accused by the police of having been in on the massacre—simply because he had been friends with the killers. Now, for the first time, Brown, with journalist Rob Merritt, gets to tell his full version of the story. He describes the warning signs that were missed or ignored, and the evidence that was kept hidden from the public after the murders. He takes on those who say that rock music or video games caused Klebold and Harris to kill their classmates and explores what it might have been that pushed these two young men, from supposedly stable families, to harbor such violent and apocalyptic dreams. Shocking as well as inspirational and insightful, No Easy Answers is an authentic wake-up call for all the psychologists, authorities, parents, and law enforcement personnel who have attempted to understand the murders at Columbine High School. As the title suggests, the book offers no easy answers, but instead presents the unvarnished facts about growing up as an alienated teenager in America today.

Actors aren’t the only ones trying to make it in Hollywood ... At twenty-three, Ruth Saunders left her childhood home in Massachusetts and headed west with her seventy-year-old grandma in tow, hoping to make it as a screenwriter. Six years later, she hits the jackpot when she gets The...  more

Actors aren’t the only ones trying to make it in Hollywood ... At twenty-three, Ruth Saunders left her childhood home in Massachusetts and headed west with her seventy-year-old grandma in tow, hoping to make it as a screenwriter. Six years later, she hits the jackpot when she gets The Call: the sitcom she wrote, The Next Best Thing, has gotten the green light, and Ruthie’s going to be the showrunner. But her dreams of Hollywood happiness are threatened by demanding actors, number-crunching executives, an unrequited crush on her boss, and her grandmother’s impending nuptials. Set against the fascinating backdrop of Los Angeles show business culture, with an insider’s ear for writer’s room showdowns and an eye for bad backstage behavior and set politics, Jennifer Weiner’s new novel is a rollicking ride on the Hollywood roller coaster, a heartfelt story about what it’s like for a young woman to love, and lose, in the land where dreams come true.

When a car crash during a blizzard leaves a woman stranded in the New England countryside with no memory, she’s taken in by Vincent, a banker whose adorable six-year-old daughter, Jadie, has cystic fibrosis and hasn’t spoken since her sister died and her mother disappeared two years...  more

When a car crash during a blizzard leaves a woman stranded in the New England countryside with no memory, she’s taken in by Vincent, a banker whose adorable six-year-old daughter, Jadie, has cystic fibrosis and hasn’t spoken since her sister died and her mother disappeared two years ago. But when this stranger arrives, calling herself Kate, Jadie suddenly begins speaking again -- claiming that she can talk to her sister’s ghost and that Kate is an angel sent to help them. As Kate struggles with startling flashbacks to a past life that doesn’t seem to be her own, powerful questions arise: What happened to Jadie’s mother? What secrets is Vincent hiding? Why has Jadie been silent for so long? Finding Home is an involving and heartfelt drama about a stranger helping a complicated family to heal -- and how the most unexpected moments in life are the ones that lead us home. 

Tillie Harris's life is in disarray -- her husband is away on business, the boxes in her new home aren't unpacked, and the telephone isn't even connected yet. Though she's not due for another month, sudden labor pains force Tillie to reach out to her estranged father for help, a...  more

Tillie Harris's life is in disarray -- her husband is away on business, the boxes in her new home aren't unpacked, and the telephone isn't even connected yet. Though she's not due for another month, sudden labor pains force Tillie to reach out to her estranged father for help, a choice that means facing the painful memories she's been running from since she was a little girl. An extraordinary debut from a talented new voice, Up from the Blue untangles the year in Tillie's life that changed everything: 1975, the year her mother disappeared.

When David Dow took his first capital case, he supported the death penalty. He changed his position as the men on death row became real people to him, and as he came to witness the profound injustices they endured: from coerced confessions to disconcertingly incompetent lawyers; from racist...  more

When David Dow took his first capital case, he supported the death penalty. He changed his position as the men on death row became real people to him, and as he came to witness the profound injustices they endured: from coerced confessions to disconcertingly incompetent lawyers; from racist juries and backward judges to a highly arbitrary death penalty system.It is these concrete accounts of the people Dow has known and represented that prove the death penalty is consistently unjust, and it's precisely this fundamental?and lethal?injustice, Dow argues, that should compel us to abandon the system altogether."An honorably dispassionate and logical broadside against a shameful practice."?Kirkus Reviews"Dow reveals the dirty little secret of American death-penalty litigation: procedure trumps innocence . . . [His book] is insightful and full of the kinds of revelations that may lead readers to reconsider their stand on the death penalty."?Steve Mills, Chicago Tribune"Dow's book leaves all else behind. It is powerful, direct, informative, and told in compelling human terms. He makes us see that the issue is not sentiment or retribution or even innocence. It is justice."?Anthony Lewis, Pulitzer Prize?winning former columnist for the New York Times David R. Dow is professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center and an internationally recognized figure in the fight against the death penalty. He is the founder and director of the Texas Innocence Network and has represented more than thirty death row inmates. Regularly quoted in publications like the New York Times and the Washington Post, Dow lives in Houston, Texas.