Thanksgiving Closures

Happy Thanksgiving! All locations will be closed Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29. Regular hours resume on Saturday, November 30th.

We are always open 24/7 online! Browse eBook and audiobook titles on Libby. Find streaming movies, classic cinema, and educational videos that inspire on Kanopy. Check out our Kanopy Kids collection to find Sesame Street, read-along books, animated shorts, and more! 

List

Category
Audience
Tags

Powder Days

Heather Hansman

*A Boston Globe Bestseller!*

*An Outside Magazine Book Club Pick!*

*Winner of the International Ski Association's Ullr Book Award!*

"A sparkling account."--Wall Street Journal

An electrifying adventure into the rich history of skiing and the modern heart of ski-bum culture, from one of America's most preeminent ski journalists

The story of skiing is, in many ways, the story of America itself. Blossoming from the Tenth Mountain Division in World War II, the sport took hold across the country, driven by adventurers seeking the rush of freedom that only cold mountain air could provide. As skiing gained in popularity, mom-and-pop backcountry hills gave way to groomed trails and eventually the megaresorts of today. Along the way, the pioneers and diehards--the ski bums--remained the beating heart of the scene.

Veteran ski journalist and former ski bum Heather Hansman takes readers on an exhilarating journey into the hidden history of American skiing, offering a glimpse into an underexplored subculture from the perspective of a true insider. Hopping from Vermont to Colorado, Montana to West Virginia, Hansman profiles the people who have built their lives around a cold-weather obsession. Along the way she reckons with skiing's problematic elements and investigates how the sport is evolving in the face of the existential threat of climate change.

View Details >>

This Land of Snow

Anders Morley

2021 National Outdoor Book Award Winner in Journeys

A passionate skier since he was a child, Anders Morley dreamed of going on a significant adventure, something bold and of his own design. And so one year in his early thirties, he decided to strap on cross-country skis to travel across Canada in the winter alone.

This Land of Snow is about that journey and a man who must come to terms with what he has left behind, as well as how he wants to continue living after his trip is over. It is an honest, thoughtful, and humorous reckoning of an adventure filled with adrenalin and exuberance, as well as mistakes and danger. Along the way readers gain insight, both charming and fascinating, into Northern outdoor culture and modern-day wilderness living, the history of northern exploration and Nordic skiing, the right to roam movement, winter ecology, and more.

Throughout, Morley's clear, subtle, and self-deprecating voice speaks to a backwoods-genteel aesthetic that explores the dichotomy between wildness and refinement, language and personal story, journey and home.

View Details >>

Wintering

Katherine May

THE RUNAWAY NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 

“Katherine May opens up exactly what I and so many need to hear but haven't known how to name.” —Krista Tippett, On Being

“Every bit as beautiful and healing as the season itself. . . . This is truly a beautiful book.” —Elizabeth Gilbert  

"Proves that there is grace in letting go, stepping back and giving yourself time to repair in the dark...May is a clear-eyed observer and her language is steady, honest and accurate—capturing the sense, the beauty and the latent power of our resting landscapes." —Wall Street Journal

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age, this is an intimate, revelatory exploration of the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down.

Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered.

A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May's story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing arctic seas. 

Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear. A secular mystic, May forms a guiding philosophy for transforming the hardships that arise before the ushering in of a new season.

View Details >>

The Joy of Winter Hiking

Derek Dellinger

Your daily dose of nature doesn't have to retreat with the warm weather. The Joy of Winter Hiking is your ultimate guide to getting outdoors in the most underrated season. In fact, author Derek Dellinger believes you should be seeking outdoor adventure in colder months, not just in spite of snow and cloudy days, but because of these factors! From unmatched snow-capped views to the mental and physical health benefits of nature to precious wildlife sightings, the winter holds endless hiking opportunities.

Alongside stunning winter photography, Derek prepares readers to venture safely and securely into nature. There's advice on the gear you need to get going, the wildlife you might expect to find, understanding weather risks, and even the how-tos of cold-weather camping. Made for the winter sportsman, tree hugger, and avid hiker alike, this book is a thorough guide and breathtaking showcase of what's awaiting you on the trail.

View Details >>

The Return of the Light

Carolyn McVickar Edwards

The winter solstice, the day the "sun stands still," marks the longest night and the shortest day of the year, and it comes either on December 20th or 21st. Celebrations honoring the winter solstice as a moment of transition and renewal date back thousands of years and occur among many peoples on every continent. The Return of the Light makes an ideal companion for everyone who carries on this tradition, no matter what their faith. Storyteller Carolyn McVickar Edwards retells twelve traditional tales?from North America, China, Scandinavia, India, Africa, South America, Europe, and Polynesia?that honor this magical moment. These are stories that will renew our wonder of the miracle of rebirth and the power of transition from darkness into light.
 

View Details >>

How to Winter

Kari Leibowitz, PhD

A blend of mindset science, original research, and cultural insights for cultivating a positive “wintertime mindset,” to vanquish winter blues and find joy and comfort in dark times year-round.

Do you dread the end of Daylight Saving Time and grouch about the long, chilly season of gray skies and ice? Do you find yourself in a slump every January and February? What if there were a way to rethink this time of year? Psychologist and winter expert Kari Leibowitz’s galvanizing HOW TO WINTER uses mindset science to help readers embrace winter as a season to be enjoyed, not endured—and in turn, learn powerful lessons that can impact our mental wellbeing throughout the year.

Kari Leibowitz moved above the Arctic Circle – where the sun doesn’t rise for two months each winter –expecting to research the season’s negative effects on mental health, only to find that inhabitants actually looked forward to it with delight and enthusiasm. Leibowitz has since travelled to places on earth with some of the coldest, darkest, longest and most intense winters, and discovered the power of “wintertime mindset”— viewing the season as full of opportunity and wonder. Impactful strategies for cultivating this wintertime mindset can teach us not just about braving the gray, cold months of the year, but also the darker and more difficult seasons of life.

 

  • In Tromsø, Norway, people live in rhythm with nature, adapting to the months-long Polar Night by honoring seasonal fluctuations in energy, slowing down, and resting more.
  • On the Isle of Lewis, off the coast of Scotland, communal gatherings around roaring fires embrace darkness and provide connection during long nights.
  • In Yamagata, Japan, families sink into steaming onsen baths, banishing the chill of winter with healthful soaks that improve sleep and reduce risk of heart attack.


Inspired by cutting-edge psychological and behavioral science research as well as cultures worldwide that find warmth and joy in winter’s extremes, HOW TO WINTER provides readers with concrete tools for making winter wonderful wherever they live and harnessing the power of small mindset changes with big impact to help readers embrace every season of life.

View Details >>

ParentPreneurs

Jamie Ratner

"This fun tale is entertaining and inspiring in equal measure." Publishers Weekly

Come along for the ride, as Jamie and Brian Ratner show you how to build a successful business with your spouse.

When Jamie Ratner pitched her new idea for a family-friendly Groupon to her husband Brian on their drive to Pittsburgh for the Christmas holiday in their messy minivan, Brian's response shocked her. He said, "That's a great idea." For the rest of their holiday, while his parents watched their two young kids, they worked late into the night on a business plan and timeline to launch what soon would become CertifiKID. Jamie was an entrepreneur at heart but had no business background. Brian was a partner at a Washington, DC, law firm whose practice was litigation not corporate law. They had no free time. The timing to start a business was far from ideal. They did it anyway.

More than a decade later, in ParentPreneurs, Jamie and Brian tell their rollercoaster story of how they built a multi-million dollar company through thousands of deals with small and big businesses for the benefit of their million plus members; cut a deal with Kevin O'Leary (aka "Mr. Wonderful") on the ABC television show Shark Tank that was one of his biggest deals in 10 seasons; and navigated the Covid pandemic that sent their business to the edge of the cliff by making a risky pivot acquisition. They give an honest account from each of their own unique perspectives on the toll and rewards of mixing marriage and business at every stage. They provide tips and lessons for how to manage both, maintain work/life balance especially in this age of remote and flexible work, and accomplish your personal and professional goals.

This is a book for every entrepreneurial parent, whether you're in the game or just thinking about it. It is real and uplifting, and it will inspire you to rethink how you view your work and determine whether you can start or build something new that will bring you greater joy and fulfillment.

Jamie and Brian show how parents can be successful entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs can be successful parents and spouses. And so can you.

View Details >>

Cultures of Belonging

Alida Miranda-Wolff

Clear, actionable steps for you to build new values, experiences, and perspectives into your organizational culture, infusing it with the diversity, inclusion, and belonging employees need to feel accepted, be their best selves, and do their best work.

Bypass the faulty processes and communication styles that make change impossible in so many other organizations; access these practical tools and ideas for increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in your company.

Filled with actionable advice Alida Miranda-Wolff learned through her own struggles being an outsider in a work culture that did not value inclusion, and having since worked with over 60 organizations to prioritize DEI initiatives and all the value and richness it adds to the workplace, this roadmap helps leaders:

  • Learn why creating an environment where everyone feels belonging is the new barometer for employee engagement.
  • Develop an understanding of the key terms around DEI and why they matter.
  • Assess where your organization is today.
  • Define and take the small steps that build new muscle memory into an organizational culture.
  • Increase employee engagement, collaboration, innovation, communication, and sense of belonging.
  • Build confidence in how to solve future DEI-related challenges.
  • Get buy-in from colleagues (and even resisters) who can clearly see how to move forward and why.

Overcome any limiting work environment and build all new processes and communication priorities that allow your employees to be a part of something greater than themselves while your organization learns to value and embrace the unique experiences and perspective that each employee brings to the company.

View Details >>

How to Grow Your Small Business

Donald Miller

The Wall Street Journal Bestseller

For so many entrepreneurs, running a small business ended up looking different than they imagined. They're stressed, discouraged, and not confident in their plan for growth. In How to Grow Your Small Business, Donald Miller gives entrepreneurs a 6-step plan to grow their businesses so they produce dependable, predictable results.

Using the exact steps you'll learn in this book, Donald Miller grew his small business from four employees working out of a basement to a 15 million dollar operation, increasing revenue sixfold in just six years. As Miller grew his own business from the ground up, he realized nobody had put together a simple, step-by-step playbook for growing a business. That book didn't exist. Until now.

In this book, you'll learn the 6 steps to grow a successful small business and create a playbook to implement them- your Flight Plan. When you have a completed Flight Plan in hand, you can stop drowning in the details and spend more time doing the things you truly love- in your business and your life.

In How to Grow Your Small Business, you'll learn how to:

  • Cast a vision for your company that includes three economic priorities
  • Clarify your marketing message
  • Install a sales framework that makes your customers the hero
  • Optimize your product offering
  • Run a management and productivity playbook that aligns your entire team.
  • Use 5 checking accounts to manage your cash flow

If you're ready to experience freedom, flexibility, and growth for your business, How to Grow Your Small Business is the book you've been waiting for.

View Details >>

Be the Unicorn

William Vanderbloemen

"This book is one of the most worthwhile and immediately usable reads I have come across in a long time." -Kiplinger

Want to stand out from the crowd? We have studied 30,000 top leaders and have discovered the 12 habits they share that make them as rare as a unicorn. Learn these habits, and you'll be one of the best at whatever you do!

How do I stand out? How do I become irreplaceable? With a crowded workforce, an unstable job landscape, and the rise of AI, these questions are the ones that everyone either is or should be asking.

William Vanderbloemen has asked these questions over the past 15 years while running one of the world's top executive search firms. Through extensive research of over 30,000 top leaders and proprietary data, Vanderbloemen has identified the 12 habits that the best of the best have in common. Traits such as authenticity, responsiveness, agility, and the ability to problem solve, among others.

Each habit includes information on What We Know (the hard data behind why the habit is so transformative), What We've Seen (first-hand accounts by high-achieving professionals on how they live the habit), and What We Do (simple ways to build this habit into your daily routine). Be the Unicorn will help you:

  • Discover the top twelve soft skills the most successful leaders, the top 1%, have.
  • Understand how to develop these soft skills in your own life for better job success.
  • Learn how to apply soft skills to interpersonal relationships outside of work.
  • Understand how these soft skills can be applied in different work environments and job fields, especially with the rise of AI technology.
View Details >>

Trust and Inspire

Stephen M.R. Covey

From the bestselling author of The Speed of Trust, a revolutionary new way to lead, deemed “the defining leadership book in the 21st century” (Admiral William McRaven, author of Make Your Bed) that “every parent, teacher, and leader needs” (Esther Wojcicki, author of How to Raise Successful People).

We have a leadership crisis today, where even though our world has changed drastically, our leadership style has not. Most organizations, teams, schools, and families today still operate from a model of “command and control,” focusing on hierarchies and compliance from people. But because of the changing nature of the world, the workforce, work itself, and the choices we have for where and how to work and live, this way of leading is drastically outdated.

Stephen M.R. Covey has made it his life’s work to understand trust in leadership and organizations. In his newest and most transformative book, Trust and Inspire, he offers a simple yet bold solution: to shift from this “command and control” model to a leadership style of “trust and inspire.” People don’t want to be managed; they want to be led. Trust and Inspire is a new way of leading that starts with the belief that people are creative, collaborative, and full of potential. People with this kind of leader are inspired to become the best version of themselves and to produce their best work. In this “beautifully written page-turner” (Amy Edmondson, Harvard Business School professor), Covey offers the solution to the future of work: where a dispersed workforce will be the norm, necessitating trust and collaboration across time zones, cultures, personalities, generations, and technology.

Trust and Inspire calls for a radical shift in the way we lead in the 21st century, and Covey shows us how.

View Details >>

Leadershift

John C. Maxwell

Dive into a masterclass that reveals the shifts you should make over the course of you career to keep innovating, improving, and influencing others to the highest levels of success in today's unprecedented business climate.

Change is so rapid today that leaders must do more than stay the course to be successful. If they aren't nimble and ready to adapt, they won't survive. The key is to learn how to leadershift.

John C. Maxwell helps leaders gain the ability and willingness to make leadership changes that will positively enhance their organizational and personal growth. He does this by sharing the eleven shifts he made over the course of his long, successful leadership career.

In Leadershift, Maxwell shares some of the leadershifts including...

  • Adaptive Shift from Plan A to Option A,
  • the Production Shift from Ladder Climbing to Ladder Building,
  • the Influence Shift from Positional Authority to Moral Authority and more!

Leadershift gives specific guidance to readers about how to make these shifts in their own lives.

Each one requires them to change the way they think, act, and ultimately lead so they can be successful in a world that never remains the same.

To go forward, we need to move faster. And as leaders, we need to stay ahead, we need to see more than others, and we need to see before others.

View Details >>

How Leaders Learn

David Novak

The differentiating mindset and habits that help you turn insight into action.

When you put learning at the center of everything you do, you grow your career, your leadership, your relationships, and your joy and fulfillment in life. But even for people who are naturally curious and interested in solving problems, being an effective learner who can turn their learning into action takes insight and practice.

With infectious enthusiasm and optimism, David Novak shows you how to master active learning. A trailer-park kid who lived in twenty-three states before entering high school, Novak rapidly ascended the ranks at PepsiCo to become cofounder and CEO of one of the largest corporations in the world, the global restaurant icon Yum! Brands (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and the Habit Burger Grill). And he credits active learning with getting him there. This compilation of wisdom and practical habits from Novak's life and from some of the most successful leaders in the world--CEOs from many industries, military and political leaders, sports greats, experts, and coaches--is your active-learning practice manual. Chapter by chapter, Novak and his all-star roster of leaders share how they've climbed to the highest levels in their fields.

Through stories of wins and losses, missteps and miracle saves, challenges tackled, and problems solved, Novak shows you all the ways, big and small, that you can become an active learner. A leadership devotional for the modern age, How Leaders Learn will inspire you to reach new levels of success in your own life and work.

View Details >>

The Boldly Inclusive Leader

Minette Norman

To create cultures where diverse teams flourish, we need boldly inclusive leaders.

​Organizations have made public commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, yet their leaders rarely have the skills to lead inclusively. Leadership consultant and former Silicon Valley executive Minette Norman is committed to changing that by sharing some of the most important things she's discovered over the decades she spent in the corporate world, such as
- every human being needs to feel they belong,
- teams thrive when everyone feels safe enough to share their unique ideas and experiences,
- innovation is a group activity,
- empathy and compassion are leadership superpowers, and
- leaders set the tone by what they say, do, reward, and tolerate.
This is not a book about quick fixes or paying lip service to the hot topic of inclusion. This is for leaders who want to boldly transform the workplace and are willing to leave their comfort zones. As a leader, you will learn to maximize your team's potential and appreciate that inclusive leadership is an ongoing journey. As Minette shows, there is no flipping a switch or a neat, three-step formula. Inclusive leadership takes commitment and practice, but the rewards are enormous.

View Details >>

Shoe Dog

Phil Knight

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.

Young, searching, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed fifty dollars from his father and launched a company with one simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his Plymouth Valiant, Knight grossed eight thousand dollars that first year, 1963. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In this age of start-ups, Knight’s Nike is the gold standard, and its swoosh is more than a logo. A symbol of grace and greatness, it’s one of the few icons instantly recognized in every corner of the world.

But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always been a mystery. Now, in a memoir that’s surprising, humble, unfiltered, funny, and beautifully crafted, he tells his story at last. It all begins with a classic crossroads moment. Twenty-four years old, backpacking through Asia and Europe and Africa, wrestling with life’s Great Questions, Knight decides the unconventional path is the only one for him. Rather than work for a big corporation, he will create something all his own, something new, dynamic, different. Knight details the many terrifying risks he encountered along the way, the crushing setbacks, the ruthless competitors, the countless doubters and haters and hostile bankers—as well as his many thrilling triumphs and narrow escapes. Above all, he recalls the foundational relationships that formed the heart and soul of Nike, with his former track coach, the irascible and charismatic Bill Bowerman, and with his first employees, a ragtag group of misfits and savants who quickly became a band of swoosh-crazed brothers.

Together, harnessing the electrifying power of a bold vision and a shared belief in the redemptive, transformative power of sports, they created a brand, and a culture, that changed everything.

View Details >>

Leading Lightly

Jody Michael

A Conscious Approach to Leadership and Life

Leading lightly is about looking at what you do through a radical new lens. It's a way to powerfully transform your performance, make better decisions, gain greater self-awareness, and develop the capacity to manage your work and life with enduring ease and clarity. An alternative to the everyday stress, pace, challenges, and burdens that weigh you down, leading lightly shows you how to shift your mindset, live lighter, and optimize your effectiveness. Part leadership, part mental fitness, part health and wellness guide, Leading Lightly empowers you to work at your best and operate at your fullest potential.

Stress and difficulty don't have to be a given. Learning to lead lightly and live mindfully can profoundly change the trajectory of your day. This book is for anyone who finds themselves overloaded, frustrated, anxious, or exhausted by their life circumstances. It offers more than just tactical strategies for sustained optimal performance at work, but transcends that, helping you develop a conscious approach to all the facets of your life, so you're able to leverage the choices you have each day and take action that puts you in control of your experience. You'll not only be able to create better outcomes but also do this in a way that energizes and enlivens you.

​In Leading Lightly, author Jody Michael brings together 20+ years of her research and work as a psychotherapist, Master Certified Coach, and leadership expert to provide you with a practical, measurable, and proven process for developing your mental fitness. You'll increase your emotional intelligence, discover how to respond to situations with more agility, build stronger interpersonal relationships, and find that the ability to thrive in leadership and life is within your grasp. This book will show you how to think differently, feel lighter, and achieve personal and professional well-being. You'll notice the results immediately, and those around you will too.

View Details >>

Self-Made Boss: Advice, Hacks, and Lessons from Small Business Owners

Jackie Reses

From popular startup support company Square comes practical, proven advice to help you launch, manage, and grow your small business

Leaders of large businesses rely on boards and their managers for guidance, but entrepreneurs like you have few, if any, experienced advisors to count on.

Now, Self-Made Boss provides the community of advisors you need to help make the right decisions every time. Drawn from real-life stories directly from Square’s Seller’s Community, which is composed of millions of small businesses, the book shows you exactly what works and what doesn’t.

Told through the eyes of small business owners, Self-Made Boss is filled with rich, colorful examples, and valuable lessons. These are the lessons you learn only when you’re an entrepreneur. They include a second-generation ice cream shop owner on how to manage price increases; a NYC restaurant owner on how to hire and manage employees; a Black female roofer on how to break through in a male dominated industry; a dentist who is transitioning out of his business; and stylist who quit her corporate job to pursue her passion. These entrepreneurs share all the things you learn on the job and wish you knew before you started your business. The book provides answers to important questions on a wide variety of topics, including:

• Turning a personal passion or side hustle into a career
• Setting up your business for success
• Getting the word out and build loyalty
• Building the right team
• How to transition out of your business and much more

With Self-Made Boss you have everything you need to make life and business decisions with knowledge, insight, and confidence.





 

View Details >>

The Celebrity CEO

Ramon Ray

The Celebrity CEO is the complete guide to creating a strong personal brand. By developing your personal brand, you will set your business apart from your competitors and become known as the expert in your industry.

Written for entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to make a massive impact and build a loyal fan base, The Celebrity CEO is the source for celebrity status in business. Learn from the founder of Smart Hustle Media, Ramon Ray, the mind-set of a celebrity CEO and the tools to cultivate your tribe.

View Details >>

Never Ride a Rollercoaster Upside Down

Jeff Smulyan

"A nicely balanced personal and practical book of corporate reflections and hard-won business lessons." —Kirkus Reviews

What is it really like to be an entrepreneur? After nearly fifty years of building a successful media company, founder of American all-sports radio Jeff Smulyan shares with candor and humor just how many bitter failures come with each great victory along the way.


For founder and CEO of Emmis Communications Jeff Smulyan, the path to success has been anything but straightforward. When you’ve owned a Major League Baseball team, started America’s first all sports radio station, created the world’s two largest hip hop radio stations and managed everyone from David Letterman to Ken Griffey Jr. and Don Imus and even been nationalized by an ally of Vladimir Putin, you’ve seen the rollercoaster ride of an entrepreneur from every side.

Aspiring entrepreneurs, radio and media industry insiders, and avid sports fans alike will appreciate Smulyan’s honesty as he shares the countless lessons he’s learned from decades of entrepreneurship. Smulyan offers readers priceless insight into navigating the twists and turns of growing a business and teaches how to build a culture based on both trust and humor—the essential keys to surviving almost anything.

Never Ride a Rollercoaster Upside Down details Smulyan’s journey: from taking over his cousin’s failing country music radio station and founding his own company, to purchasing and then selling ownership of the Seattle Mariners and guiding his company through the Golden Age of Radio. Alongside his humorous, eventful, and dramatic stories, Smulyan presents valuable pointers and tips—for anyone else brave enough to try their own hand at starting a business.

The journey to booming business is a rollercoaster. Learn from someone who has experienced all the ups and downs—and knows that what’s most important is to hold on while keeping your sense of humor intact.

View Details >>

The Entrepreneur's Paradox

Curtis Morley

Conquer the 16 Pitfalls That Can Block Startup Company Success

"...shows prospective business men and women how to reach their goals while creating a launchpad for a business" ―Ryne Williams, Daily Herald

Wall Street Journal Best Seller
2021 International Book Awards finalist in Business: Small Business & Entrepreneurship
#1 Bestseller in Startups, Home-Based Entrepreneurship, Small-business Marketing, and Personal Success

Discover the 16 keys to success for entrepreneurs starting a small business.

What is the "Entrepreneur's Paradox"? Author Curtis Morley coined a term that identifies the 16 pitfalls that many entrepreneurs fall into. He calls it the "Entrepreneur's Paradox". Morley is an educator, thought leader, patent holder, and innovator. He is also a 5x Entrepreneur (achieving $5 in revenue for every dollar spent on marketing, advertising, sales, and any other growth expenses) who has actually produced 10x startup results. Morley explains that the exact qualities that aid an individual in founding a startup company (brilliance and expertise) are what prevent them from realizing expected success. What starts out as freedom and financial independence turns into grueling hours, stress, and bills, and ultimately failure. This is the paradox that is entrepreneurship.

Understanding the "Entrepreneur's Paradox" may be your key to success. Morley is here to show startup businesspersons how to achieve the golden rule of successful entrepreneurs--5x results. Put yourself on a defined pathway to business success by understanding the 16 pitfalls faced by all startups and conquer the Entrepreneur's Paradox.

Inside:

  • Learn how to promote entrepreneurship development
  • Sharpen your entrepreneurial skills
  • Grasp the keys to superior, "next-level growth"
  • And much more

 

Learned from books like The E-Myth Revisited, Traction, The One Thing, The 4-Hour Workweek, or Execution? Then The Entrepreneur's Paradox is a must read!

 

View Details >>

The Playful Entrepreneur

Mark Dodgson

A compelling account of how incorporating play into work can help us overcome the uncertainty and turbulence that surrounds work

How can we learn to deal with uncertainty at work? The answer, as Dodgson and Gann eloquently portray in this pathfinding book, is to learn from the adaptive behaviors of entrepreneurs. Play, the authors show, is a crucial component of this. It encourages exploration, experimentation, and curiosity while it also challenges established practices and orthodoxies. It facilitates change in people and organizations.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs and innovators, this book explains why we should incorporate play into work, what play looks like, and how to encourage playfulness in individuals and organizations. Dodgson and Gann identify four key behaviors that endorse, encourage, and guide play: grace, craft, fortitude, and ambition, and provide a blueprint for an alternative way of working that fosters resilience and encourages innovation and growth in difficult times.

 

View Details >>

Don't Start a Side Hustle!

Brian Page

You no longer have to (or should) exchange your time for money. You can create passive streams of income that make you money while you sleep. Brian Page knows it can happen because he's done it himself. This book is based on the lessons he learned along the way.

Brian will provide context on why it's possible to own your own time and then walk you through the process of how to pivot out of a traditional job, be prepared to make the change, create a plan for yourself and make it happen. You'll no longer be dependent on working hours or someone else or even the state of the world to exchange time for income. You'll adopt a new pivoting mindset, becoming an opportunity heat-seeking missile and aligning yourself with the present world.

Brian has been unemployed for years. While traveling the world and spending tons of time with his family, he's been building stream after stream of passive income, allowing him to own every moment of his life. Even through the 2008 market crisis and COVID-19, he has been able to build his passive income empire by creating, controlling, and owning assets that do the work for him.

This book includes detailed lessons that will teach you how to:

  • Determine your time value.
  • Choose and commit to a vehicle that suits your wealth-building goals.
  • Strengthen your focus by selecting only high-value activities.
  • Avoid the traps that hinder your progress.
  • Become time rich so that you can pursue your highest dreams and live an extraordinary life.

You no longer have to work your butt off and struggle to be successful; you just need assets that work for you.

View Details >>

App Kid

Michael Sayman

An inspiring and deeply personal coming of age memoir from one of Silicon Valley’s youngest entrepreneurs—a second-generation Latino immigrant who taught himself how to code as a thirteen-year-old and went on to claim his share of the American dream.

As his parents watched their restaurant business collapse in the wake of the Great Recession, Michael Sayman was googling “how to code.” Within a year, he had launched an iPhone app that was raking in thousands of dollars a month, enough to keep his family afloat—and in America.

Entirely self-taught, Sayman headed from high school straight into the professional world, and by the time he was seventeen, he was Facebook’s youngest employe ever, building new features that wowed its founder Mark Zuckerberg and are now being used by more than half a billion people every day. Sayman pushed Facebook to build its own version of Snapchat’s Stories and, as a result, engagement on the platform soared across all demographics. Millions of Gen Z and Millennials flocked to Facebook, and as teen engagement rose dramatically on Instagram and WhatsApp, Snapchat’s parent company suffered a billion-dollar loss in value. Three years later, Sayman jumped ship for Google.

App Kid is the galvanizing story of a young Latino, not yet old enough to drink, who excelled in the cutthroat world of Silicon Valley and went on to become an inspiration to thousands of kids everywhere by following his own surprising, extraordinary path. In this candid and uplifting memoir, Sayman shares the highs and lows, the successes and failures, of his remarkable journey. His book is essential and affirming reading for anyone marching to the beat of their own drum.

View Details >>

One Day I'll Work for Myself

Benjamin C. Waterhouse

"One day I'll work for myself." Perhaps you've heard some version of that phrase from friends, colleagues, family members--perhaps you've said it yourself. If so, you're not alone. The spirit of entrepreneurship runs deep in American culture and history, in the films we watch and the books we read, in our political rhetoric, and in the music piping through our speakers.

What makes the dream of self-employment so alluring, so pervasive in today's world? Benjamin C. Waterhouse offers a provocative argument: the modern cult of the hustle is a direct consequence of economic failures--bad jobs, stagnant wages, and inequality--since the 1970s. With original research, Waterhouse traces a new narrative history of business in America, populated with vivid characters--from the activists, academics, and work-from-home gurus who hailed business ownership as our economic salvation to the upstarts who took the plunge. We meet, among others, a consultant who quits his job and launches a wildly popular beer company, a department store saleswoman who founds a plus-size bra business on the Internet, and an Indian immigrant in Texas who flees the corporate world to open a motel. Some flourish; some squeak by. Some fail.

As Waterhouse shows, the go-it-alone movement that began in the 1970s laid the political and cultural groundwork for today's gig economy and its ethos: everyone should be their own boss. While some people find success in that world, countless others are left bouncing from gig to gig--exploited, underpaid, or conned by get-rich-quick scams. And our politics doesn't know how to respond.

Accessible, fast-paced, and eye-opening, One Day I'll Work for Myself offers a fresh, insightful cultural history of the U.S. economy from the perspective of the people within it, asking urgent questions about why we're clinging to old strategies for progress--and at what cost.

View Details >>

Buy Then Build

Walker Deibel

Entrepreneurs have a problem: startups. Almost all startups either fail or never truly reach a sustainable size. Despite the popularity of entrepreneurship, we haven't engineered a better way to start. ...Until now.What if you could skip the startup phase and generate profitable revenue on day one?In Buy Then Build, acquisition entrepreneur Walker Deibel shows you how to begin with a sustainable, profitable company and grow from there. You'll learn how to: ● Buy an existing company rather than starting from scratch● Use ownership as a path to financial independence● Spend a fraction of the time raising capital● Find great brokers, generate your own "deal flow," and see new listings early● Uncover the best opportunities and biggest risks of any company● Navigate the acquisition process● Become a successful acquisition entrepreneur● And moreBuy Then Build is your guide to outsmart the startup game, live the entrepreneurial lifestyle, and reap the financial rewards of ownership now.

View Details >>

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Ben Horowitz

Ben Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley's most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, offers essential advice on building and running a startup—practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems business school doesn’t cover, based on his popular ben’s blog.

While many people talk about how great it is to start a business, very few are honest about how difficult it is to run one. Ben Horowitz analyzes the problems that confront leaders every day, sharing the insights he’s gained developing, managing, selling, buying, investing in, and supervising technology companies. A lifelong rap fanatic, he amplifies business lessons with lyrics from his favorite songs, telling it straight about everything from firing friends to poaching competitors, cultivating and sustaining a CEO mentality to knowing the right time to cash in.

Filled with his trademark humor and straight talk, The Hard Thing About Hard Things is invaluable for veteran entrepreneurs as well as those aspiring to their own new ventures, drawing from Horowitz's personal and often humbling experiences.

View Details >>

Becoming Trader Joe

Joe Coulombe

Build an iconic shopping experience that your customers love--and a work environment that your employees love being a part of--using this blueprint from Trader Joe's visionary founder, Joe Coulombe.

Infuse your organization with a distinct personality and culture that draws customers in a way that simply competing on price cannot.

Joe Coulombe founded what would become Trader Joe's in the late 1960s and helped shape it into the beloved, quirky food chain it is today. Realizing early on that he could not compete and win by playing the same game his bigger competitors were playing, he decided to build a store for educated people of somewhat modest means. He brought in unusual products from around the world and promoted them in the Fearless Flyer, providing customers with background on how they were sourced and their nutritional value. He also gave the stores a tiki theme to reinforce the exotic trader ship concept with employees wearing Hawaiian shirts.

In this way, Joe laid down a blueprint for other business owners to follow to build their own unique shopping experience that customers love, and a work environment that employees love being a part of.

In Becoming Trader Joe, Joe shares the lessons he learned by challenging the status quo and rethinking the way a business operates. He shows readers of all types:

  • How moving from a pure analytical approach to a more creative, problem-solving approach can drive innovation.
  • How finding an affluent niche of passionate customers can be a better strategy than competing on price and volume.
  • How questioning all aspects of the way you do business leads to powerful results.
  • How to build a business around your values and identity.
View Details >>

Buy Back Your Time

Dan Martell

Wall Street Journal Bestseller

Learn to conquer the one real hurdle to scaling your company and growing rich: Time


How you use your free time will make or break your success. The secret? It’s not about working harder or finding more time to do work. It’s about designing the freedom to engage in the high-value work that brings you energy and fulfillment. This is at the heart of the message that has made Dan Martell the world’s most popular SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) coach. Now, in his first book, Buy Back Your Time, he teaches entrepreneurs at every level how to scale their business, fast, while avoiding burnout. Trading money for time—that is, literally buying back free space in your calendar—will give you more financial success than you ever dreamed was possible.

With over two decades of experience as a serial entrepreneur and founder, Dan Martell will teach you the secrets to work less and play more while building an empire. He’ll dig into the practical steps that will allow you to start buying back time immediately, while also developing operating procedures and hiring practices that will ensure rapid and robust growth. And he will teach you how to invest in your newfound time wisely—at work and at home—so you keep building your empire while living your best life.

Buy Back Your Time is the definitive guide for entrepreneurs at every level on how to succeed in business while enjoying more freedom than you ever imagined.

View Details >>

Starting a Business 101

Michele Cagan

Become your own boss and make money your way with this helpful guide for hopeful business owners everywhere looking to begin the complicated process of starting a business.

Starting a business can be an overwhelming and difficult process. From creating a business plan and budget to hiring employees and paying taxes, there are a myriad of things that need to happen on a relatively quick timeline. In Starting a Business 101, you will learn everything you need to know to start a successful business and handle any obstacle that is thrown your way during the process.

View Details >>

10x Is Easier Than 2x

Dan Sullivan

Expanding upon one of his high-level foundational teachings: Strategic Coach co-founder Dan Sullivan explains why achieving 10X growth is easier than going for 2X growth.

Dan Sullivan, the world's leading coach for highly successful entrepreneurs, wants you to know that achieving 10X growth is exponentially easier than striving for 2X growth. Most find this idea confusing at first because simply imagining 10X growth causes them to think they need to do 10X more work to achieve it. However, being a 10X entrepreneur is nothing like what most people think.

10X is not the outcome; it's a counterintuitive process you can apply every time you want exponential growth in your life and business. To make 10X possible, you must focus on expanding what Dan defines as your four most important freedoms—time, money, relationship, and purpose. As your time becomes 10X more valuable, you increasingly multiply the money you earn both in terms of amount and profitable satisfaction. As money becomes a tool you can increasingly access with greater ease, you will engage with a growing number of other freedom-motivated individuals. As both your professional and personal life fills up with 10X more unique and collaborative relationships, you will realize that your most powerful purposes in all areas become 10X more lasting and positive for everyone involved. You will be impressed by what your life has become, and the meaning and impact you're having.

10X is fundamentally about quality vs quantity, and the quality of your freedoms determines the results you achieve.

View Details >>

Zero to One

Peter Thiel

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“This book delivers completely new and refreshing ideas on how to create value in the world.”—Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta

“Peter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how.”—Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla

The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things.

Thiel begins with the contrarian premise that we live in an age of technological stagnation, even if we’re too distracted by shiny mobile devices to notice. Information technology has improved rapidly, but there is no reason why progress should be limited to computers or Silicon Valley. Progress can be achieved in any industry or area of business. It comes from the most important skill that every leader must master: learning to think for yourself.

Doing what someone else already knows how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But when you do something new, you go from 0 to 1. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. Tomorrow’s champions will not win by competing ruthlessly in today’s marketplace. They will escape competition altogether, because their businesses will be unique.

Zero to One presents at once an optimistic view of the future of progress in America and a new way of thinking about innovation: it starts by learning to ask the questions that lead you to find value in unexpected places.
 

View Details >>

Know What Matters

Ron Shaich

A Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller

Ron Shaich, founder and former CEO of Panera Bread, shares the lessons he learned from a lifetime of asking what really matters and then making the transformations necessary to bring what really matters to life.

Shaich is a business visionary who has been part of building three iconic restaurant brands: Au Bon Pain, Panera Bread, and now Cava. Along the way, he developed "fast casual," a $100 billion-plus segment of the industry. Now he reveals what he learned about entrepreneurship, running large enterprises, business transformation, and life itself. He illustrates these lessons with his experiences turning a 400-square-foot cookie store into 2,400 restaurants with $5 billion in revenue, delivering annual investor returns of 25 percent over two decades, and outperforming both Starbucks and Chipotle. How did Shaich succeed repeatedly in such a notoriously tough industry? By discovering today what will matter tomorrow and never hesitating to undertake sweeping transformations in order to get the job done.

Shaich offers clear-headed lessons for the entire life cycle of an enterprise, from bootstrapping a startup to going public to managing large companies to selling a business. And the relevance of his message doesn't end in the boardroom. He challenges readers to grapple with how the business impacts life, sharing his own struggles and setbacks with as much candor as he describes his successes.

Telling yourself the truth, knowing what really matters, and getting it done is the path to creating and sustaining a meaningful life, a market-leading business, and even a healthier society. Shaich's reflections are sometimes practical ("Make smart bets"), sometimes philosophical ("Conduct an annual pre-mortem"), often challenging ("You don't own the business, the business owns you"), and always incisive ("You take the money, I'll take control."). Know What Matters is a powerful guide to building transformative businesses while leading a life you respect and leaving a positive impact on the world.

View Details >>

The $100 Startup

Chris Guillebeau

Lead a life of adventure, meaning and purpose—and earn a good living.
 
“Thoughtful, funny, and compulsively readable, this guide shows how ordinary people can build solid livings, with independence and purpose, on their own terms.”—Gretchen Rubin, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Happiness Project
 
Still in his early thirties, Chris Guillebeau completed a tour of every country on earth and yet he’s never held a “real job” or earned a regular paycheck. Rather, he has a special genius for turning ideas into income, and he uses what he earns both to support his life of adventure and to give back. 
 
Chris identified 1,500 individuals who have built businesses earning $50,000 or more from a modest investment (in many cases, $100 or less), and focused on the 50 most intriguing case studies. In nearly all cases, people with no special skills discovered aspects of their personal passions that could be monetized, and were able to restructure their lives in ways that gave them greater freedom and fulfillment.
 
Here, finally, distilled into one easy-to-use guide, are the most valuable lessons from those who’ve learned how to turn what they do into a gateway to self-fulfillment. It’s all about finding the intersection between your “expertise”—even if you don’t consider it such—and what other people will pay for.  You don’t need an MBA, a business plan or even employees. All you need is a product or service that springs from what you love to do anyway, people willing to pay, and a way to get paid.
 
Not content to talk in generalities, Chris tells you exactly how many dollars his group of unexpected entrepreneurs required to get their projects up and running; what these individuals did in the first weeks and months to generate significant cash; some of the key mistakes they made along the way, and the crucial insights that made the business stick. Among Chris’s key principles: If you’re good at one thing, you’re probably good at something else; never teach a man to fish—sell him the fish instead; and in the battle between planning and action, action wins.
 
In ancient times, people who were dissatisfied with their lives dreamed of finding magic lamps, buried treasure, or streets paved with gold. Today, we know that it’s up to us to change our lives. And the best part is, if we change our own life, we can help others change theirs. This remarkable book will start you on your way.

View Details >>

Build

Tony Fadell

**New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USAToday Bestseller for May 2022**

Tony Fadell led the teams that created the iPod, iPhone and Nest Learning Thermostat and learned enough in 30+ years in Silicon Valley about leadership, design, startups, Apple, Google, decision-making, mentorship, devastating failure and unbelievable success to fill an encyclopedia.

So that's what this book is. An advice encyclopedia. A mentor in a box.

Written for anyone who wants to grow at work--from young grads navigating their first jobs to CEOs deciding whether to sell their company--Build is full of personal stories, practical advice and fascinating insights into some of the most impactful products and people of the 20th century.

Each quick 5-20 page entry builds on the previous one, charting Tony's personal journey from a product designer to a leader, from a startup founder to an executive to a mentor. Tony uses examples that are instantly captivating, like the process of building the very first iPod and iPhone. Every chapter is designed to help readers with a problem they're facing right now--how to get funding for their startup, whether to quit their job or not, or just how to deal with the jerk in the next cubicle.

Tony forged his path to success alongside mentors like Steve Jobs and Bill Campbell, icons of Silicon Valley who succeeded time and time again. But Tony doesn't follow the Silicon Valley credo that you have to reinvent everything from scratch to make something great. His advice is unorthodox because it's old school. Because Tony's learned that human nature doesn't change. You don't have to reinvent how you lead and manage--just what you make.

And Tony's ready to help everyone make things worth making.

View Details >>

Million Dollar Weekend

Noah Kagan

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The founder and CEO of AppSumo.com, Noah Kagan, knows how to launch a seven-figure business in a single weekend—and he’s done it seven times. Million Dollar Weekend will show you how.


Now is the best time in history for entrepreneurship. More than ever, the world needs new businesses and it’s cheaper than ever to create them.

And, let’s be frank: most day jobs suck. People spend too much time doing too much work for too little money—and they know it. They want out.

But, if the barriers to starting a business are getting lower and lower, why is it SO HARD TO DO for SO MANY PEOPLE? Why are there so many wantrepreneurs playing at business on social media and so few entrepreneurs actually running them?

Ask yourself:

  • Do you want to work for yourself, or start a side-hustle, but it all feels too risky and unpredictable?
  • Have you spent time or money on things like websites and logos, but still have no customers?
  • Are you brainstorming endlessly and waiting for the perfect idea to strike?

All those Frequent Excuses are solvable. The plan is simple—so simple it can be completed in a single weekend, but so powerful that Kagan has used it to build seven businesses now worth more than $1 million:

  • Find your Creator’s Courage to overcome your fear and have fun!
  • Use the "Million Dollar Weekend" Process to get customers EXCITED to give you money.
  • Automate your business so it can grow while you sleep.

By Monday, you’ll have a market-tested, scalable business idea and you’ll be a entrepreneur on the path to seven figures. Million Dollar Weekend is the path to creating your dream life and attaining financial freedom. LFG.

 

 

View Details >>

Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat

Colin C. Campbell

2024 American Legacy Book Awards Winner in Entrepreneurship
2024 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Book Awards Silver Medalist in Business
2024 Independent Publisher Book Awards Bronze Medalist in Non-Fiction
2024 National Indie Book Awards Finalist in Business Entrepreneurship & Book Interior Design
2024 International Book Awards Winner in Best Interior Design and Best New Nonfiction
2024 Readers' Favorite Book Awards Honorable Mention in Business & Finance

"[...] a top-notch how-to for business owners."
Kirkus Starred Review

Unlock the Secrets of a Serial Entrepreneur and Launch a Successful Startup!

Get inside the minds of 30+ experts, authors, and seasoned entrepreneurs and learn from their hard-earned lessons. Discover the winning patterns of successful businesses and apply them to your own startup.

Build a competitive edge and protect your business with a proven formula to scale up, add zeros to your revenue and profits, and crush the competition. Avoid common pitfalls and master the art of hacking your way to growth.

Maximize your wealth by securing the right funding, navigating potential buyers, and cashing in big on an exit. With expert advice, you'll learn how to Start, Scale, Exit, and Repeat multiple companies.

Don't just dream of success, make it a reality. Get your hands on this ultimate guide to entrepreneurial success today!

View Details >>

The Year of Living Constitutionally

A.J. Jacobs

The New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically chronicles his hilarious adventures in attempting to follow the original meaning of the Constitution, as he searches for answers to one of the most pressing issues of our time: How should we interpret America’s foundational document?

“I don’t know how I learned so much while laughing so hard.”—Andy Borowitz

A.J. Jacobs learned the hard way that donning a tricorne hat and marching around Manhattan with a 1700s musket will earn you a lot of strange looks. In the wake of several controversial rulings by the Supreme Court and the on-going debate about how the Constitution should be interpreted, Jacobs set out to understand what it means to live by the Constitution.

In The Year of Living Constitutionally, A.J. Jacobs tries to get inside the minds of the Founding Fathers by living as closely as possible to the original meaning of the Constitution. He asserts his right to free speech by writing his opinions on parchment with a quill and handing them out to strangers in Times Square. He consents to quartering a soldier, as is his Third Amendment right. He turns his home into a traditional 1790s household by lighting candles instead of using electricity, boiling mutton, and—because women were not allowed to sign contracts— feebly attempting to take over his wife’s day job, which involves a lot of contract negotiations.

The book blends unforgettable adventures—delivering a handwritten petition to Congress, applying for a Letter of Marque to become a legal pirate for the government, and battling redcoats as part of a Revolutionary War reenactment group—with dozens of interviews from constitutional experts from both sides. Jacobs dives deep into originalism and living constitutionalism, the two rival ways of interpreting the document.

Much like he did with the Bible in The Year of Living Biblically, Jacobs provides a crash course on our Constitution as he experiences the benefits and perils of living like it’s the 1790s. He relishes, for instance, the slow thinking of the era, free from social media alerts. But also discovers the progress we’ve made since 1789 when married women couldn’t own property.

Now more than ever, Americans need to understand the meaning and value of the Constitution. As politicians and Supreme Court Justices wage a high-stakes battle over how literally we should interpret the Constitution, A.J. Jacobs provides an entertaining yet illuminating look into how this storied document fits into our democracy today.

View Details >>

The Bookshop

Evan Friss

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"A spirited defense of this important, odd and odds-defying American retail category." —The New York Times

"It is a delight to wander through the bookstores of American history in this warm, generous book."
—Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author and owner of Books Are Magic

An affectionate and engaging history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life, from department stores to indies, from highbrow dealers trading in first editions to sidewalk vendors, and from chains to special-interest community destinations


Bookstores have always been unlike any other kind of store, shaping readers and writers, and influencing our tastes, thoughts, and politics. They nurture local communities while creating new ones of their own. Bookshops are powerful spaces, but they are also endangered ones. In The Bookshop, we see the stakes: what has been, and what might be lost.

Evan Friss’s history of the bookshop draws on oral histories, archival collections, municipal records, diaries, letters, and interviews with leading booksellers to offer a fascinating look at this institution beloved by so many. The story begins with Benjamin Franklin’s first bookstore in Philadelphia and takes us to a range of booksellers including the Strand, Chicago’s Marshall Field & Company, the Gotham Book Mart, specialty stores like Oscar Wilde and Drum and Spear, sidewalk sellers of used books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon Books, and Parnassus. The Bookshop is also a history of the leading figures in American bookselling, often impassioned eccentrics, and a history of how books have been marketed and sold over the course of more than two centuries—including, for example, a 3,000-pound elephant who signed books at Marshall Field’s in 1944.

The Bookshop is a love letter to bookstores, a charming chronicle for anyone who cherishes these sanctuaries of literature, and essential reading to understand how these vital institutions have shaped American life—and why we still need them.

View Details >>

Gatherings

America's Test Kitchen

The cooks of America's Test Kitchen share how they entertain at home, with 140 recipes from simple to showstopping and airtight planning strategies

Toss out old rules of getting together and throw a dinner party so memorable and fuss-free that everyone will want to repeat it— even the host


It's time to get excited about entertaining again. The cooks of America's Test Kitchen are shaking up the notion of what a dinner party is all about, stepping away from the test kitchen to reveal their favorite ways to entertain friends and family and sharing an all-new collection of personal recipes. After all, professional cooks want to chill out when hosting at home, just like everyone else.

  • Be Casual (but Fancy): Grill expert Morgan Bolling transforms a grill-smoked pork butt into the star of a giant nacho spread. Avid gardener Jack Bishop showcases late-summer produce in a whole new light for a simple pasta and salad dinner. Matthew Fairman urges everyone to dig in with their hands to his Viet-Cajun shrimp boil.

 

 

  • Get Playful: Stephanie Pixley's dumpling dinner easily morphs into a make-your-own-dumpling party. Amanda Luchtel's vegan-optional hot dog spread features smoked carrot dogs and loads of festive toppings. Mark Huxoll's hearty Oktoberfest is a blast any time of year.
  • Go All Out: Joe Gitter pays homage to his heritage with a proper British picnic. Leah Colins does the same with her South Philly Nonna's Sunday porchetta abbondanza. Steve Dunn has a swooningly romantic dinner that starts with cocktails and smoked salmon kettle chip "blini" and ends with a make-ahead Napoleon that looks right out of a pastry shop.
  • Up Your Game: Cooks share all their pro tips, too, including game plans to achieve each menu and advice on shopping, make ahead, setup, and serving—all the logistical info for a fun, hitch-free gathering.
  • Mazimize Quality Fun Time: Discover the cooks' favorite store-bought hacks for pulling together pre-dinner nibbles (and desserts), for planning drink selection and quantities, and for responding creatively when asked, "What can I bring?"
View Details >>

Food Gifts

America's Test Kitchen

Your all-occasion guide to homemade food gifts that look as fabulous as they taste—from a food stylist and best-selling author of the Boards cookbook!

Includes 150+ recipes, hundreds of packaging ideas, and inside tips for making beautiful food gift baskets for housewarmings, birthdays, holidays, and more.


There’s no more meaningful way to connect with others than to give a personalized food basket or homemade gift! Elle Simone Scott—food stylist, ATK cast member, and author of the best-selling Boards cookbook—expands the boundaries of what food gifts are (endlessly customizable!) and when they can be given (literally, anytime!).

Gifts for every occasion: Celebrate weddings, new babies, holidays, and more with gorgeous food gift baskets! Or give an unforgettably unique housewarming gift.
From simple to spectacular: Give a bottle of Fruits of the Forest Liqueur—or up the ante with a complete cocktail party food basket packed with homemade goodies!
Spin one item many ways: Make a big batch of granola for gifting, or divide the recipe into thirds and flavor them different ways.
Big-batch gifts: Find crowd-pleasing gift ideas for school and work events, or holiday gatherings!
Playful DIY meal kits: For people who like to cook, there’s DIY Pancake Mix, Turkish Bride Soup in a Jar, or Mushroom Risotto in a Jar.
Helping-hand gifts: Comfort someone with a fully cooked meal that’s ready to be popped into the freezer or oven.

You’ll also learn Elle’s favorite ideas for keeping food gifts fresh and packaging items cost-effectively yet creatively using edible garnishes, thrifted tableware, canning jars, and more. You’ll never again resort to an expensive, impersonal store-bought food gift basket!

View Details >>

Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude

Ross Gay

Winner, 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award, poetry category
Winner, 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Prize

Finalist, 2015 National Book Award, poetry category
Finalist, 2015 NAACP Image Awards, poetry category


Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude is a sustained meditation on that which goes away—loved ones, the seasons, the earth as we know it—that tries to find solace in the processes of the garden and the orchard. That is, this is a book that studies the wisdom of the garden and orchard, those places where all—death, sorrow, loss—is converted into what might, with patience, nourish us.

View Details >>

Witchcraft

Marion Gibson

A “thought-provoking and timely” (The Times, London) global history of witch trials across Europe, Africa, and the Americas, told through thirteen distinct trials that illuminate a pattern of demonization and conspiratorial thinking that has profoundly shaped human history.

This “inventive and compelling” (Times Literary Supplement) work of social history travels through thirteen witch trials across history, some famous—like the Salem witch trials—and some lesser-known: on Vardø island, Norway, in the 1620s, where an indigenous Sami woman was accused of murder; in France in 1731, during the country’s last witch trial, where a young woman was pitted against her confessor and cult leader; in Lesotho in 1948, where British colonial authorities executed local leaders. Exploring how witchcraft was feared, then decriminalized, and then reimagined as gendered persecution, Witchcraft takes on the intersections between gender and power, indigenous spirituality and colonial rule, political conspiracy and individual resistance.

Offering a striking, dramatic journey unspooling over centuries and across continents, Witchcraft is a “well-rounded insight into some of the strangest and cruelest moments in history” (Buzz Magazine), giving voice to those who have been silenced by history.

View Details >>

Food to Die for

Amy Bruni

Discover tantalizing recipes, spine-tingling stories, and historic photos from the most notoriously haunted locations across America in this fun and fascinating cookbook. Paranormal investigator and Kindred Spirits co-host Amy Bruni leads you through eerie hotels, haunted homes, hellish hospitals, and spooky ghost towns, giving you stories and a recipe from each place.

Whether you're in the mood for Lizzie Borden's meatloaf or want to serve up spooky prison stories along with sugar cookies from Alcatraz, Food to Die For is your guide to ghoulish gastronomy.

One of America's favorite ghost hunters, Amy Bruni takes you to mysterious hotels, eerie ghost towns, and possessed pubs in this delightfully sinister collection of stories and recipes. Each of the nearly 60 locations in Food to Die For includes:

  • Vintage photographs and charmingly creepy stories rooted in history
  • A noteworthy recipe associated with the people or place
  • Full-color, captivating, and hauntingly styled food photos to inspire a killer kitchen experience

Enjoy creepy recipes like:

  • Southern Fried Chicken from the Missouri State Penitentiary
  • Sheboygan Asylum Caesar Salad
  • Cornbread inspired by the Villisca Axe Murder House
  • Absinthe Frappé from the Old Absinthe House
  • Ernest Hemingway's Bloody Mary from Hemingway Home & Museum
  • Vegetable Soup from Waverly Hills Sanatorium

 

This terrifyingly tasty cookbook will bewitch anyone who:

  • Has a taste for the paranormal and a hunger to try new foods
  • Loves history, travel, and culinary curiosities
  • Enjoys entertaining guests in unique and memorable ways
  • Would get goosebumps making a recipe written 300 years ago

 

History buffs, thrill-seekers, and foodies will all get shivers seeing the past come to life with every enchanted recipe and delicious tale from Food to Die For.

View Details >>

The Football 100

The Athletic

A masterful ode to America's game--and an unforgettable portrait of its greatest legends written by America's best sportswriters.

It is a question that has bedeviled football fans for generations: Who's the best? Of the more than 25,000 men who have suited up during the NFL's century of existence, which ones stood head and shoulders above all others?

At The Athletic, home to the best newsroom in sports, this question would become a labor of love for dozens of the best football writers on the planet, including Mike Sando and Dan Pompei. Over the course of 100 riveting profiles based on many hundreds of interviews with players, coaches, broadcasters, and others, this is a penetrating look at the greatest players to ever don cleats and pads, as well as a view from the trenches of the harsh realities of a brutal game. 100 photographs throughout the text offer testament to both the glory and the physical toll of football.

Among them:

Walter Payton, who once played with a 104-degree fever--and broke the single game rushing record with 275 yards

Jim Otto, the legendary offensive lineman who paid the ultimate price, suffering 35 concussions and undergoing a total of 74 surgeries

Johnny Unitas, who began his career playing quarterback, safety, and punter in a semi-pro league for $6 a game

Brett Favre whose very first NFL pass was a pick-six, and Tom Brady, whose very first college pass was also a pick-six

Bronco Nagurski, who had a size 22 neck, and moonlighted as a professional wrestler--during football season

Grambling State, the tiny historically Black university that produced three of the greatest players of the 1960's

The equipment manager who would order 4 different sizes of thigh pad: "Small, Medium, Large, and Earl Campbell"

Chuck Bednarik, who once tore his bicep muscle from the bone, fastened it back in place with athletic tape, and returned to the game--an exhibition game

Where are these legends as well as today's stars--Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Julio Jones, Aaron Donald, and others--ranked? You'll find out here, among players from 1920 to the present day, from the Patriots in the east to the 49ers in the west, featuring names like "Night Train," "Iron Mike" "Bulldog," and "Crazylegs," The Football 100 shares stunning new stories you've never heard before, and resurrects the legacies of unfairly forgotten greats. Deeply reported, beautifully written, and sure to spark heated debate among football fans of all stripes, this book sets a new standard for writing about the game.

View Details >>

The Boys of Riverside

Thomas Fuller

The incredible story of an all-deaf high school football team's triumphant climb from underdog to undefeated, their inspirational brotherhood, a fascinating portrait of deafness in America, and the indefatigable head coach who spearheaded the team, by New York Times reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief, Thomas Fuller.

"The Boys of Riverside is another example of how anyone can achieve their dreams, making what appears impossible, possible." --Marlee Matlin, Academy Award winner


In November 2021, an obscure email from the California Department of Education landed in New York Times reporter, Thomas Fuller's, inbox. The football team at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, a state-run school with only 168 high school students, was having an undefeated season. After years of covering wildfires, war, pandemic, and mass shootings, Fuller was captivated by the story about this deaf football team. It was uplifting. During the pandemic's gloom, it was a happy story. It was a sports story but not an ordinary one, built on the chemistry between a group of underestimated boys and their superhero advocate coach, Keith Adams, a deaf former athlete himself. The team, and Adams, tackled the many stereotypes and seemed to be succeeding. Fuller packed his bags and drove seven hours to the Riverside campus just in time to see them trounce their opponent in the second game of the playoffs.

The Boys of Riverside looks back at the historic 2021 and 2022 seasons in which the California School for the Deaf chased history, following the personal journeys of Keith Adams (their dynamic deaf head coach), a student who spent the majority of the season sleeping in his father's car parked in the Target lot, a fiercely committed player who literally played through a broken leg in order not to miss a crucial game, and myriad heart-wrenching and uplifting stories of the players who had found common purpose. Through their eyes, Fuller reveals a portrait of high school athletics, and deafness in America.

View Details >>

Why We Love Football

Joe Posnanski

A Kirkus Reviews Most Anticipated Book of the Fall

A moving celebration of the history of American football from the New York Times bestselling author of Why We Love Baseball

After his bestselling home run books Why We Love Baseball and The Baseball 100, Joe Posnanski turns from the national pastime to the number one sport in America. Why We Love Football is Posnanski’s newest must-have deep dive into the archives and legends of the sport, and the result is a rousing tale of the 100 greatest moments in football lore.

This is the best kind of sports writing. Entertaining, enlightening, heartbreaking, hilarious, and always fascinating, these stories of the sport offer a panoramic look across its history. From hidden gems and classic tales to famous moments told from previously unheard perspectives, this book is the football book for even its most ardent fans.

From Patrick Mahomes's magic to the Ice Bowl, from Doug Flutie's Hail Mary pass to a plethora of football "miracles," Why We Love Football is an unforgettable, conversational masterpiece you won’t ever want to end, and a can't-miss take on football from one of the greatest sportswriters of our time.

 

View Details >>

My Broken Language

Quiara Alegría Hudes

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK • The Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright and co-writer of In the Heights tells her lyrical story of coming of age against the backdrop of an ailing Philadelphia barrio, with her sprawling Puerto Rican family as a collective muse.

LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: NPR, New York Public Library, BookPage, and BookRiot • “Quiara Alegría Hudes is in her own league. Her sentences will take your breath away. How lucky we are to have her telling our stories.”—Lin-Manuel Miranda, award-winning creator of Hamilton and In the Heights
 
Quiara Alegría Hudes was the sharp-eyed girl on the stairs while her family danced their defiance in a tight North Philly kitchen. She was awed by her mother and aunts and cousins, but haunted by the unspoken, untold stories of the barrio—even as she tried to find her own voice in the sea of language around her, written and spoken, English and Spanish, bodies and books, Western art and sacred altars. Her family became her private pantheon, a gathering circle of powerful orisha-like women with tragic real-world wounds, and she vowed to tell their stories—but first she’d have to get off the stairs and join the dance. She’d have to find her language.

Weaving together Hudes’s love of music with the songs of her family, the lessons of North Philly with those of Yale, this is a multimythic dive into home, memory, and belonging—narrated by an obsessed girl who fought to become an artist so she could capture the world she loved in all its wild and delicate beauty.

View Details >>

The Migrant Chef

Laura Tillman

Born in rural Mexico, Eduardo "Lalo" García Guzmán and his family left for the United States when he was a child, picking fruits and vegetables on the migrant route from Florida to Michigan. He worked in Atlanta restaurants as a teenager before being convicted of a robbery, incarcerated, and eventually deported. Lalo landed in Mexico City as a new generation of chefs was questioning the hierarchies that had historically privileged European cuisine in elite spaces. At his acclaimed restaurant, Máximo Bistrot, he began to craft food that narrated his memories and hopes.

Mexico City-based journalist Laura Tillman spent five years immersively reporting on Lalo's story: from Máximo's kitchen to the onion fields of Vidalia, Georgia, to Dubai's first high-end Mexican restaurant, to Lalo's hometown of San José de las Pilas. What emerges is a moving portrait of Lalo's struggle to find authenticity in an industry built on the very inequalities that drove his family to leave their home, and of the artistic process as Lalo calls on the experiences of his life to create transcendent cuisine. The Migrant Chef offers an unforgettable window into a family's border-eclipsing dreams, Mexico's culinary heritage, and the making of a chef.

View Details >>

My Side of the River

Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez

A New York Times Editor's Pick
A People Magazine Best Book to Read in February
A Goodreads Most Anticipated Book of 2024


My Side of the River is both fierce and poetic. It brilliantly reframes border writing while embracing nature and familial history. There are moments one sees greatness appear. This is one of those moments.” —Luis Alberto Urrea, New York Times bestselling author of Good Night, Irene

Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez reveals her experience as the U.S. born daughter of immigrants and what happened when, at fifteen, her parents were forced back to Mexico in this captivating and tender memoir.

Born to Mexican immigrants south of the Rillito River in Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth had the world at her fingertips. She was preparing to enter her freshman year of high school as the number one student when suddenly, her own country took away the most important right a child has: the right to have a family.

When her parents’ visas expired and they were forced to return to Mexico, Elizabeth was left responsible for her younger brother, as well as her education. Determined to break the cycle of being a “statistic,” she knew that even though her parents couldn’t stay, there was no way she could let go of the opportunities the U.S. could provide. Armed with only her passport and sheer teenage determination, Elizabeth became what her school would eventually describe as an unaccompanied homeless youth, one of thousands of underage victims affected by family separation due to broken immigration laws.

For fans of Educated by Tara Westover and The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande, My Side of the River explores separation, generational trauma, and the toll of the American dream. It’s also, at its core, a love story between a brother and a sister who, no matter the cost, is determined to make the pursuit of her brother’s dreams easier than it was for her.

View Details >>

Dogland

Tommy Tomlinson

“Delightful.” —Town & Country “Extraordinary...Tomlinson’s book is a gem.” —Star Tribune (Minneapolis) “Moving...Really broke me.” —The Washington Post “This book wants to lick your face. Let it.” —Kirkus Reviews

Pulitzer Prize finalist Tommy Tomlinson explores the bond between dogs and their people in this irresistibly appealing, inside account of the Westminster Dog Show that follows one dog on his quest to become a champion.

Tommy Tomlinson was watching a dog show on television a few years ago when he had a sudden thought: Are those dogs happy? How about pet dogs—are they happy? Those questions sparked a quest to venture inside the dog-show world, in search of a deeper understanding of the longtime relationship between dogs and humans, and here, in Dogland he shares his surprising, entertaining, and moving adventures.

Spending three years on the road, Tomlinson goes behind the scenes at more than one hundred competitions across the country, from Midwestern fairgrounds to Madison Square Garden. Along the way he is licked, sniffed, and rubbed up against by dogs of nearly every size, shape, and breed. Like a real-life version of the classic mockumentary Best in Show, Dogland follows one champion show dog—a Samoyed named Striker—as well as his handler, Laura King, and his devoted entourage of breeders and owners as he competes in the 2022 Westminster Dog Show.

Striker’s whole career has been leading up to this moment. As Tomlinson writes, picking a top show dog is like drafting an NFL quarterback when they’re still in elementary school. Now Striker has made it to the Super Bowl. Tomlinson takes us on the long road to glory, bringing the dog-show circuit to life as teams scramble from town to town in search of championship ribbons. (Striker and his crew travel in a custom-built RV named after Betty White.)

Tomlinson’s limitless curiosity about people and dogs reaches far beyond the show tents and into the ordinary lives of dogs. We hear from experts who have discovered new insights into how dogs and humans formed their bond—and how that bond has changed over the centuries. We discover the fascinating origins of different dog breeds, learn about the elaborate breed standards that determine an ideal show dog, and consider the health issues that can arise in purebred dogs. We also meet dog lovers who applaud every dog, regardless of breed, simply for being themselves, such as WeRateDogs, the social media phenomenon with millions of followers, all for posts celebrating the day-to-day goofiness in most dog owners’ lives.

“A big ol’ slobbering smooch of optimism, laughter, and happiness” (Joe Posnanski) Dogland takes us on a rollicking tour through the rituals, tricks, and wonders of the dog-show world—and reveals what matters most for the happiness of dogs and dog lovers everywhere.

View Details >>

Freshwater Aquariums For Dummies

Madelaine Francis Heleine

Give your underwater pets the best aquatic life ever!

Aquarium fish are one of the most popular pets in America, with close to 150 million fish owned in nearly 13 million households. They seem like easy pets to care for, but there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to keeping your freshwater friends healthy and happy!

Inside, you’ll find basic information to start your own freshwater aquarium, purchase and maintain healthy fish and plants, and find tips and tricks on how to introduce new fish and systems into your aquatic family.

  • Understand the best aquarium set-up practices
  • Build the luxury tanks of your dreams
  • Maintain a thriving aquatic environment
  • Discover many different ways to expand your hobby

Perfect for beginner hobbyists and longtime aquarium enthusiasts alike, Freshwater Aquariums For Dummies makes it easier than ever to set up and take care of a freshwater aquarium—and the fish within it.

View Details >>

Turtles & Tortoises For Dummies

Liz Palika

Your fun guide to selecting, caring, and loving your turtle or tortoise!

Coexisting with a turtle or tortoise may not be a warm and fuzzy experience, but it definitely has its rewards. And with more than 250 species to choose from, you’re bound to find one that’s right for you. Looks-wise, they can range from very plain and unadorned to a brightly colored and embellished with every manner of crest, crown, spike, and dewlap. As for personality, you’d be amazed at how very different they can be, ranging from shy and withdrawn, to outgoing and friendly, to outright aggressive. And when it comes to longevity, well, let’s just say that when you commit to a turtle or tortoise, you’re in it for the long haul. For example, the standard American box turtle can live more than 125 years, a leopard tortoise has a life span of up to 100 years, and an aldabran tortoise can live to be more than 200 years old!

This fun guide will help you choose the perfect turtle or tortoise for your lifestyle and give it the care it needs to thrive. Turtle and tortoise expert Liz Palika provides cl ear, step-by-step instructions on how to:

  • Select the appropriate turtle or tortoise
  • Provide a suitable environment for your new pal
  • Care for a variety of chelonian (turtle and tortoise) species
  • Supply you pet with a satisfying and healthy diet
  • Create an indoor or outdoor home
  • Understand your turtle’s or tortoise’s special needs

Generously illustrated with line drawings and high-quality photographs, Turtles & Tortoises For Dummies covers all the bases. Topics covered include:

  • Deciding whether a turtle or tortoise is right for you
  • Choosing between a turtle and tortoise
  • Who’s Who of turtles and tortoises—a complete guide to dozens of species, where they’re from, what they’re like, and how they are as pets
  • Creating a safe and healthy environment for your pet
  • Recognizing and treating common health problems and finding a good veterinarian to help you care for your chelonian

Turtles & Tortoises For Dummies is your fun guide to selecting, caring for, and sharing your life with a chelonian.


P.S. If you think this book seems familiar, you’re probably right. The Dummies team updated the cover and design to give the book a fresh feel, but the content is the same as the previous release of Turtles and Tortoises For Dummies (9780764553134). The book you see here shouldn’t be considered a new or updated product. But if you’re in the mood to learn something new, check out some of our other books. We’re always writing about new topics!

View Details >>

Saltwater Aquariums For Dummies

Gregory Skomal

Dive into the wonderful world of saltwater fish

Setting up and keeping a healthy, thriving saltwater aquarium—and the gorgeous creatures that live within it—takes a lot more know-how than you might realize. Fortunately, this friendly and informative guide is here to make having a slice of the salty life in your own home easier than ever!

This fully updated edition of Saltwater Aquariums For Dummies explains in plain English how to care for a variety of marine fish and invertebrates, upkeep a tank, feed your saltwater friends, and stay informed of the latest technology in luxury tanks!

  • Understand aquarium set up best practices
  • Maintain a thriving aquatic environment
  • Build the luxury saltwater tank of your dreams
  • Be inspired by a full-color insert

Whether you’re looking for basic information on how to set-up, start, and maintain a saltwater aquarium or already own one and want to whet your appetite with the latest tips, tricks, and design ideas, this book covers the gamut!

View Details >>

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

Elisabeth Tova Bailey

In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, Elisabeth Tova Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her encounter with a Neohelix albolabris—a common woodland snail.

While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence on her nightstand. As a result, she discovers the solace and sense of wonder that this mysterious creature brings and comes to a greater understanding of her own place in the world.

Intrigued by the snail’s molluscan anatomy, cryptic defenses, clear decision making, hydraulic locomotion, and courtship activities, Bailey becomes an astute and amused observer, offering a candid and engaging look into the curious life of this underappreciated small animal.

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a remarkable journey of survival and resilience, showing us how a small part of the natural world can illuminate our own human existence, while providing an appreciation of what it means to be fully alive.

View Details >>

Ferrets For Dummies

Kim Schilling

Everything you need to know about your playful new pet

Thinking of getting a ferret? It’s not unusual—millions of people worldwide keep ferrets as pets, and they’ve been domesticated for around 2,500 years! While they’re quiet for a lot of the day (catching up on important beauty sleep), when they’re awake, they’re lively, affectionate, and curious—and require lots of quality interaction with their humans. And that’s why a happy ferret is a well-trained one, whose owner knows everything there is to know about its needs!

Ferrets For Dummies, 3rd Edition is here to make sure you become just that kind of owner, fully equipped to give your little friend the best possible home. It’s packed with practical information on feeding, housing, health, medical care, and much more. You’ll also find the latest on diet, dental hygiene, common ailments, and how to build an enjoyable and engaging environment for your smart, energetic new pet. There’s even a section on how to get to know your ferret properly (spotting those little mood swings) and how to introduce it to play well with friends and family.

  • Make sure a ferret’s the pet for you
  • Ferret-proof your home
  • Keep a clean house
  • Find the right vet

Whether you have a jill (female), a hob (male), or a full “business” of ferrets (several), Ferrets For Dummies helps you ferret out whatever you need to know—and ensure that your fuzzy new pal is a healthy, happy member of the household.

 

View Details >>

When Harry Met Minnie

Martha Teichner

*An Instant New York Times Bestseller!*

A memoir of love and loss, of being in the right place at the right time, and of the mysterious ways a beloved pet can bring people together, from CBS Sunday Morning News correspondent and multi-Emmy-Award-winning Martha Teichner.

There are true fairy tales. Stories that exist because impossible-to-explain coincidences change everything. Except in real life, not all of them have conventional, happily-ever-after endings. When Harry Met Minnie is that kind of fairy tale, with the vibrant, romantic New York City backdrop of its namesake, the movie When Harry Met Sally, and the bittersweet wisdom of Tuesdays with Morrie.

There’s a special camaraderie among early-morning dog walkers. Gathering at dog runs in the park, or strolling through the farmer's market at Union Square before the bustling crowd appears, fellow pet owners become familiar–as do the personalities of their beloved animals. In this special space and time, a chance encounter with an old acquaintance changed Martha Teichner’s world. As fate would have it, her friend knew someone who was dying of cancer, from exposure to toxins after 9/11, and desperate to find a home for her dog, Harry. He was a Bull Terrier—the same breed as Martha’s dear Minnie. Would Martha consider giving Harry a safe, loving new home?

In short order, boy dog meets girl dog, the fairy tale part of this story. But there is so much more to this book. After Martha agrees to meet Harry and his owner Carol, what begins as a transaction involving a dog becomes a deep and meaningful friendship between two women with complicated lives and a love of Bull Terriers in common. Through the heartbreak and grief of Carol’s illness, the bond that develops changed Martha’s life, Carol’s life, Minnie’s life, Harry’s life. As it changed Carol’s death as well.

In this rich and touching narrative, Martha considers the ways our stories are shaped by the people we meet, and the profound love we can find by opening our hearts to unexpected encounters.

View Details >>

Saving Simon

Jon Katz

In this heartfelt, thoughtful, and inspiring memoir, New York Times bestselling author Jon Katz tells the story of his beloved rescue donkey, Simon, and the wondrous ways that animals make us wiser and kinder people.

In the spring of 2011, Jon Katz received a phone call that would challenge every idea he ever had about mercy and compassion. An animal control officer had found a neglected donkey on a farm in upstate New York, and she hoped that Jon and his wife, Maria, would be willing to adopt him. Jon wasn't planning to add another animal to his home on Bedlam Farm, certainly not a very sick donkey. But the moment he saw the wrenching sight of Simon, he felt a powerful connection. Simon touched something very deep inside of him. Jon and Maria decided to take him in.

Simon's recovery was far from easy. Weak and malnourished, he needed near constant care, but Jon was determined to help him heal. As Simon's health improved, Jon would feed him by hand, read to him, take him on walks, even confide in him like an old and trusted friend. Then, miraculously, as if in reciprocation, Simon began to reveal to Jon the true meaning of compassion, the ways in which it can transform our lives and inspire us to take great risks.

This radically different perspective on kindness and empathy led Jon to a troubled border collie from Ireland in need of a home, a blind pony who had lived outside in a pasture for fifteen years, and a new farm for him and Maria. In the great tradition of heroes--from Don Quixote to Shrek--who faced the world in the company of their donkeys, Jon came to understand compassion and mercy in a new light, learning to open up "not just to Simon, not just to animals, but to the human experience. To love, to risk, to friendship."

With grace, warmth, and keen emotional insight, Saving Simon plumbs the depths of the bonds we form with our animals, and the rewards of "living a more compassionate, considered, and meaningful life."

Praise for Saving Simon

"Heartwarming . . . a touching tale."--USA Today

"Highly recommended . . . an enjoyable and thoughtful work."--Library Journal (starred review)

"[Saving Simon] handles the emotional highs and lows of living with animals with empathy and thoughtfulness, forcing readers to re-examine their own meanings of compassion and mercy."--Kirkus Reviews

"The message of this true story will linger with the reader long after the book has been placed on the shelf."--Bookreporter

"[An] uplifting and insightful memoir . . . Katz's fans and animal lovers of all kinds will no doubt be delighted by Simon's heartwarming story."--Publishers Weekly

Praise for Jon Katz

"With wisdom and grace, Katz unlocks the canine soul and the complicated wonders that lie within and offers powerful insights to anyone who has ever struggled with, and loved, a troubled animal."--John Grogan, author of Marley & Me

"Katz's world--of animals and humans and their combined generosity of spirit--is a place you're glad you've been."--The Boston Globe

"From Toto to Marley, our canine friends are a sure bet in the literary biz. But no one seems to speak their language like Jon Katz."--San Antonio Express-News

View Details >>

The Animals Among Us

John Bradshaw

The bestselling author of Dog Sense and Cat Sense explains why living with animals has always been a fundamental aspect of being human

Pets have never been more popular. Over half of American households share their home with either a cat or a dog, and many contain both. This is a huge change from only a century ago, when the majority of domestic cats and dogs were working animals, keeping rodents at bay, guarding property, herding sheep. Nowadays, most are valued solely for the companionship they provide. As mankind becomes progressively more urban and detached from nature, we seem to be clinging to the animals that served us well in the past.

In The Animals Among Us, anthrozoologist John Bradshaw argues that pet-keeping is nothing less than an intrinsic part of human nature. An affinity for animals drove our evolution and now, without animals around us, we risk losing an essential part of ourselves.
 

View Details >>

All Creatures Great and Small

James Herriot

The classic multimillion copy bestseller

Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.

For over forty years, generations of readers have thrilled to Herriot's marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.

In All Creatures Great and Small, we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult, such as one to an old man in the village whose very ill dog is his only friend and companion, some are lighthearted and fun, such as Herriot's periodic visits to the overfed and pampered Pekinese Tricki Woo who throws parties and has his own stationery, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening, such as Herriot's recollections of poor farmers who will scrape their meager earnings together to be able to get proper care for their working animals. From seeing to his patients in the depths of winter on the remotest homesteads to dealing with uncooperative owners and critically ill animals, Herriot discovers the wondrous variety and never-ending challenges of veterinary practice as his humor, compassion, and love of the animal world shine forth.

James Herriot's memoirs have sold 80 million copies worldwide, and continue to delight and entertain readers of all ages.

View Details >>

Parrots For Dummies

Nikki Moustaki

Repeat after me: Parrots aren’t just for pirates!

While parrots have a historical reputation for being a pirate's best friend, in the modern-day U.S.—where birds are the nation’s third most popular household pet-thousands of landlubbers are in on the act! And that’s not surprising—parrots are as affectionate, friendly, and fun to be with as a dog or cat. They are also relatively low-maintenance, with no rude 5 a.m. awakenings with demands for food or punishing walks.

Renowned avian care and behavior consultant Nikki Moustaki is your friendly guide to the colorful world of this intelligent and chatty pet. In this book, you'll be introduced to the vibrant diversity of the parrot world, which covers a wide variety of Psittacidae family members, including macaws, cockatiels, and parakeets. You'll also learn the best ways to choose, care for, and love your resplendently feathered companion.

  • Pick your perfect parrot
  • Devour the latest on nutrition
  • Tame and train
  • Make the perfect home

Whether you're just setting out in the parrot world or are a seasoned voyager on the parrot-y seas, this 2nd edition of Parrots For Dummies has something for you and your pet—and will repay the hard-won pirate gold you spent on it a thousand times over!

View Details >>

Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish

David Alderton

The most complete owner's manual for keeping all types of freshwater and saltwater fish in indoor tropical and coldwater aquariums and outdoor ponds.

Choose the right fish for any water temperature--tropical or coldwater--and for all types of environments, including indoor aquariums or outdoor ponds. Know the difference between keeping saltwater fish and freshwater fish, including differences in aquarium setups, and feeding and caring for your pet fish. Learn to tell whether your fish are healthy and find out everything you need to breed them successfully. The Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish contains a huge photographic color reference directory of more than 800 of the most popular fish, not only showing you what they look like, but also giving you key information you need, such as how big they will grow, whether they integrate with different fish, what food they eat, and what water type and temperature they prefer.

View Details >>

Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits, 5th Edition

Bob Bennett

The fifth edition of this best-selling handbook features the same detailed approach that has made it the trusted source for raising healthy, productive rabbits — plus a total redesign with color photos and graphics. Whether you’re interested in raising rabbits for show, meat, fur, or as pets, this comprehensive guide offers expert advice on breed selection, housing, feeding, humane handling, and more. In addition, author Bob Bennett includes the most up-to-date information on preventive health care, treating diseases, marketing, and showing.

View Details >>

The Horse Encyclopedia

Elwyn Hartley Edwards

A stunning celebration of the equine world. 
This definitive visual guide to horses and ponies includes a list of over 150 different breeds and types, including all those recognized by national horse societies. This stunning volume is the perfect reference guide for horse lovers of all ages!

Inside the pages of this horse encyclopedia, you’ll find:

   • A comprehensive horse compendium.
   • Expert care advice on keeping, feeding, grooming and caring for horses.
   • Panels on famous breeds, or individual horses, owners, riders or breeders.

Everything about horses!

From tiny ponies to heavy draft horses and speedy thoroughbreds, horses are among the most influential animals in human history. The Horse Encyclopedia explores the evolution and anatomy of the horse and its place in history, art and culture.  

Gorgeous photography of horse breeds worldwide is accompanied by knowledgeable text describing the origins, history and characteristics of a definitive list of horses and ponies. This animal encyclopedia also includes expert advice on horse care, including feeding and grooming and horse health.

Love animals? Try our other animal encyclopedias!

The Horse Encyclopedia explores all you need to know about horses and ponies in one dazzling volume — a must-have for any equine enthusiast! Other Definitive Visual Guide series titles include the Dog Encyclopedia and Cat Encyclopedia, stunning celebrations of your favorite pets!

 

View Details >>

Why Peacocks?

Sean Flynn

An acclaimed journalist seeks to understand the mysterious allure of peacocks—and in the process discovers unexpected and valuable life lessons.

2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence Longlist Selection

When Sean Flynn’s neighbor in North Carolina texted “Any chance you guys want a peacock? No kidding!” he stared bewilderedly at his phone. He had never considered whether he wanted a peacock. But as an award-winning magazine writer, this kind of mystery intrigued him. So he, his wife, and their two young sons became the owners of not one but three charming yet fickle birds: Carl, Ethel, and Mr. Pickle.

In Why Peacocks?, Flynn chronicles his hilarious and heartwarming first year as a peacock owner, from struggling to build a pen to assisting the local bird doctor in surgery to triumphantly watching a peahen lay her first egg. He also examines the history of peacocks, from their appearance in the Garden of Eden to their befuddling Charles Darwin to their bewitching the likes of Flannery O’Connor and Martha Stewart. And fueled by a reporter’s curiosity, he travels across the globe to learn more about the birds firsthand, with stops including a Scottish castle where peacocks have resided for centuries, a southern California community tormented by a serial killer of peacocks, and a Kansas City airport hotel hosting an annual gathering of true peafowl aficionados.

At turns comically absurd and deeply poignant, Why Peacocks? blends lively, insightful memoir and illuminating science journalism to answer the title’s question. More than that, it offers surprising lessons about love, grief, fatherhood, and family.

View Details >>

The Backyard Chicken Keeper's Bible

Jessica Ford

The Backyard Chicken Keeper's Bible is an exhaustively researched, clearly written, and profusely full-color illustrated book and the essential volume on backyard chicken keeping.

Chickens are many things: a source of meat and eggs, amusing images in pop culture, lovable pets, and a source of comfort at the end of a hard day. Whether you're considering joining the growing flock of backyard chicken keepers or simply inspired by leafing through images of gorgeous hens and roosters, this book is a must. A majority of the 150 most-populated US cities allow backyard chickens, and during the pandemic, the backyard chicken trend surged. Online searches for chick supplies were off the charts, with local hatcheries recording a 500 percent increase in demand, as people look to reduce environmental impact, improve food traceability, connect with nature, or simply relish the pure joy of chicken company.

Environmental and homestead writers Jessica Ford, Rachel Federman, and Sonya Patel Ellis pack this book with everything you need to fully embrace a new chicken-keeping lifestyle. A sumptuous aesthetic is paired with practical tips on identifying backyard breeds and supporting good chicken health, ranging from basic brooding to common ailments. Learn what the best backyard breed is for you and the equipment needed to start your own home flock. Discover the soft cuddliness of a Bantam Silkie, the superb egg-sitting skills of a Plymouth Rock, the best method for constructing a chicken run, and how to keep your chickens happy and thriving--all in this beautiful, illustrated gift book.

View Details >>

How to Speak Chicken

Melissa Caughey

Best-selling author Melissa Caughey knows that backyard chickens are like any favorite pet — fun to spend time with and fascinating to observe. Her hours among the flock have resulted in this quirky, irresistible guide packed with firsthand insights into how chickens communicate and interact, use their senses to understand the world around them, and establish pecking order and roles within the flock. Combining her up-close observations with scientific findings and interviews with other chicken enthusiasts, Caughey answers unexpected questions such as Do chickens have names for each other? How do their eyes work? and How do chickens learn?

Foreword INDIES Silver Award Winner

View Details >>

The Cat's Meow

Jonathan B. Losos

The past, present, and future of the world's most popular and beloved pet, from a leading evolutionary biologist and great cat lover.

"Engaging and wide-ranging ... The Cat's Meow is a readable and informed exploration of the wildcat that lurks within Fluffy." —The Washington Post


The domestic cat—your cat—has, from its evolutionary origins in Africa, been transformed in comparatively little time into one of the most successful and diverse species on the planet. Jonathan Losos, writing as both a scientist and a cat lover, explores how researchers today are unraveling the secrets of the cat, past and present, using all the tools of modern technology, from GPS tracking (you’d be amazed where those backyard cats roam) and genomics (what is your so-called Siamese cat . . . really?) to forensic archaeology. In addition to solving the mysteries of your cat's past, it gives us a cat's-eye view of today's habitats, including meeting wild cousins around the world whose habits your sweet house cat sometimes eerily parallels.

Do lions and tigers meow? If not, why not? Why does my cat leave a dead mouse at my feet (or on my pillow)? Is a pet ocelot a bad idea? When and why did the cat make its real leap off the African plain? What’s with all those cats in Egyptian hieroglyphics? In a genial voice, casually deciphering complex science and history with many examples from his own research and multi-cat household, Losos explores how selection, both natural and artificial, over the last several millennia has shaped the contemporary cat, with new breeds vastly different in anatomy and behavior from their ancestral stock. Yet the cat, ever a predator, still seems only one paw out of the wild, and readily reverts to its feral ways as it occupies new lands around the world.

Humans are transforming cats, and they in turn are transforming the world around them. This charming and intelligent book suggests what the future may hold for both Felis catus and Homo sapiens.

View Details >>

How to Raise the Perfect Dog

Adam Spivey

The ultimate no-bullsh*t guide to raising and training your puppy in the first year, with straight-talking advice from the trainer behind social media sensation Southend Dog Training

The first twelve months or so of a dog’s life are the hardest work, but Southend Dog Training founder Adam Spivey can help. In this handy guide to your puppy’s first year, he teaches you everything you need to know to understand your dog and help you both thrive. He shares essential guidance on:

• The top five dog breeds for a first-time owner and what to know about temperament 
• What to buy (and not buy) to prepare your home for a puppy
• Crate training, puppy potty training, and bedtime routines
• Basic training and leash walking
• Socialization, puppy separation anxiety, and more!
 
Adam says:

My simple, straight-talking approach takes all the nonsense out of dog training and puts your dog at the center of everything you do. You’ll hear me say again and again that I like to train the dog that’s in front of me, not follow a set of rules or guidelines that might not even apply to your puppy, and that’s what you’ll find here. Because for me, the dog always comes first.

View Details >>

The Hidden Language of Cats

Sarah Brown, PhD

Descended from shy, solitary North African wild cats, domestic cats set up homes with devoted owners all over the world by learning how to talk to us. This book translates—in case you missed anything.

A renowned cat behavior scientist of over thirty years, Dr. Sarah Brown has been at the forefront of research in the field, discovering how cats use tail signals to interact with each other and their owners. Now, she reveals the previously unexplored secrets of cat communication in a book that is both scientifically grounded and utterly delightful.

Each chapter dives into a different form of communication, including vocalizations, tail signals, scents, rubbing, and ear movements. The iconic meow, for example, is rarely used between adult cats—cleverly mimicking the cries of a human infant, the meow is a feline invention for conversing with people. Through observing the behavior of two cat colonies in rural England, readers will also have the opportunity to glimpse into the lives of some of the cats behind Dr. Brown's science.

Can we understand what cats’ meows and other signals mean? How do cats actually perceive us? And how can we use this information to inform how we talk back to our feline friends? Referencing historical records, exploring modern scientific studies of cat-human communication, and including simple, elegant line drawings, The Hidden Language of Cats is perfect for any cat lover who wants to learn more about their companion.

View Details >>

Good Grief

E. B. Bartels

An unexpected, poignant, and personal account of loving and losing pets, exploring the singular bonds we have with our companion animals, and how to grieve them once they've passed.

E.B. Bartels has had a lot of pets--dogs, birds, fish, tortoises. As varied a bunch as they are, they've taught her one universal truth: to own a pet is to love a pet, and to own a pet is also--with rare exception--to lose that pet in time.

But while we have codified traditions to mark the passing of our fellow humans, most cultures don't have the same for pets. Bartels takes us from Massachusetts to Japan, from ancient Egypt to the modern era, in search of the good pet death. We meet veterinarians, archaeologists, ministers, and more, offering an idiosyncratic, inspiring array of rituals--from the traditional (scattering ashes, commissioning a portrait), to the grand (funereal processions, mausoleums), to the unexpected (taxidermy, cloning). The central lesson: there is no best practice when it comes to mourning your pet, except to care for them in death as you did in life, and find the space to participate in their end as fully as you can.

Punctuated by wry, bighearted accounts of Bartels's own pets and their deaths, Good Grief is a cathartic companion through loving and losing our animal family.

View Details >>

The Dog Encyclopedia

DK

This complete catalog of all things canine is essential reading for dog lovers everywhere. 

From Beethoven to Toto, dogs have a special relationship with humans and are forever known as man’s best friend.

 The enduring loyalty and companionship of our four-legged friends is celebrated throughout The Dog Encyclopedia

Starting with their history, evolution, and anatomy, this beautiful book puts on a show of dogs in art and advertising, sport and service, and religion and culture. Famous dogs in fiction line up alongside heroic helpers. More than 400 dog breeds are introduced, from primitive dogs and working dogs to companion dogs and scent hounds. Each and every breed includes stunning photographs and fact-packed profiles detailing individual character, compatible owner traits, and breed-specific advice.

If you’re bringing home a new pet, this guide comes crammed with top tips for a balanced diet, exercise, grooming, and training, as well as a health section on continuing care, identifying illness, and veterinary visits.

This perfect pooch package is an indispensable owner's guide and an invaluable reference for budding dog whisperers.

View Details >>

The Cat Encyclopedia

DK Publishing, Inc

Are you a feline fanatic? Could you tell the difference between a Housecat and an Ojos Azules? Do you want to know how to keep your kitty happy and healthy?

The Cat Encyclopedia is a cat compendium with all the facts about cats and kittens. It's packed with beautifully photographed profiles of different breeds, from the Maine Coon to the Khao Manee, and includes information on caring for your own cat. This book explores the cat's place in cultures and includes famous cats in art and literature.

In this encyclopedia, you will find:

-A breed catalog outlining all the cat breeds such as Shorthairs, Exotic Shorthair, Khao Manee, Korat, Chinese Li Hua, Asian (Burmilla, Smoke, Self, Tortie, Tabby) and more.

-How to care for your cat, including how to Prepare for arrival, essential equipment, vet check-ups, food and feeding, Grooming and hygiene, and training your cat.

-Facts, images, labeled diagrams, and more about cats!

This book also offers information on the science and history of house cats. Find out how cats were domesticated and developed into separate breeds, and see their prominence in art, literature, and superstition. A chapter on feline biology focuses on the anatomy of cats - including the nervous system, digestion, and muscles - and also features detailed descriptions of cat senses and coat patterns.

With help on cat care - from preparing for your cat's arrival and essential equipment to healthcare and training - The Cat Encyclopedia is the perfect guide for cat lovers.

View Details >>

Funny Farm

Laurie Zaleski

An inspiring and moving memoir of the author's turbulent life with 600 rescue animals.

Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie’s dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a 15-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey. She was planning to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues—horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs—when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother's dream her own. In 2001, she established the Funny Farm Animal Rescue outside Mays Landing, New Jersey. Today, she carries on Annie’s mission to save abused and neglected animals.

Funny Farm is Laurie’s story: of promises kept, dreams fulfilled, and animals lost and found. It’s the story of Annie McNulty, who fled a nightmarish marriage with few skills, no money and no resources, dragging three kids behind her, and accumulating hundreds of cast-off animals on the way. And lastly, it's the story of the brave, incredible, and adorable animals that were rescued. Although there are some sad parts (as life always is), there are lots of laughs.

View Details >>

The Forever Dog

Rodney Habib

#1 New York Times Bestseller

In this pathbreaking guide, two of the world's most popular and trusted pet care advocates reveal new science to teach us how to delay aging and provide a long, happy, healthy life for our canine companions.

Like their human counterparts, dogs have been getting sicker and dying prematurely over the past few decades. Why? Scientists are beginning to understand that the chronic diseases afflicting humans--cancer, obesity, diabetes, organ degeneration, and autoimmune disorders--also beset canines. As a result, our beloved companions are vexed with preventable health problems throughout much of their lives and suffer shorter life spans. Because our pets can't make health and lifestyle decisions for themselves, it's up to pet parents to make smart, science-backed choices for lasting vitality and health.

 

 

The Forever Dog gives us the practical, proven tools to protect our loyal four-legged companions. Rodney Habib and Karen Becker, DVM, globetrotted (pre-pandemic) to galvanize the best wisdom from top geneticists, microbiologists, and longevity researchers; they also interviewed people whose dogs have lived into their 20s and even 30s. The result is this unprecedented and comprehensive guide, filled with surprising information, invaluable advice, and inspiring stories about dogs and the people who love them.

The Forever Dog prescriptive plan focuses on diet and nutrition, movement, environmental exposures, and stress reduction, and can be tailored to the genetic predisposition of particular breeds or mixes. The authors discuss various types of food--including what the commercial manufacturers don't want us to know--and offer recipes, easy solutions, and tips for making sure our dogs obtain the nutrients they need. Habib and Dr. Becker also explore how external factors we often don't think about can greatly affect a dog's overall health and wellbeing, from everyday insults to the body and its physiology, to the role our own lifestyles and our vets' choices play. Indeed, the health equation works both ways and can travel "up the leash."

Medical breakthroughs have expanded our choices for canine health--if you know what they are. This definitive dog-care guide empowers us with the knowledge we need to make wise choices, and to keep our dogs healthy and happy for years to come.

View Details >>

George: A Magpie Memoir

Frieda Hughes

“Poignant and funny…a passionate book about unconditional love and commitment.” —The Washington Post * “Captivating.” —Associated Press * “Rich with imagery…It’s impossible not to be smitten.” —Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

From poet and painter Frieda Hughes, an intimate, charming, and humorous memoir recounting her experience rescuing and raising an abandoned baby magpie in the Welsh countryside.

When Frieda Hughes moved to a ramshackle estate in the wilds of Wales, she was expecting to take on a few projects: planting a garden, painting, writing her poetry column for The Times (London), and possibly even breathing new life into her ailing marriage. But instead, she found herself rescuing a baby magpie, the sole survivor of a nest destroyed in a storm—and embarking on an obsession that would change the course of her life.

As the magpie, George, grows from a shrieking scrap of feathers and bones into an intelligent, unruly companion, Frieda finds herself captivated—and apprehensive of what will happen when the time comes to finally set him free.

With irresistible humor and heart, Frieda invites us along on her unlikely journey toward joy and connection in the wake of sadness and loss; a journey that began with saving a tiny wild creature and ended with her being saved in return.

View Details >>

Arthur

Mikael Lindnord

The epic true story of an extreme athlete, a stray dog, and how they found each other--now a major motion picture from Lionsgate starring Mark Walhberg and Simu Liu.

"A miraculous tale."--Washington Post

"Like all great tales, this one had an intriguing start: a small good deed with enormous consequences for the dog and his rescuers, the basis for a heroic and heartwarming story."--Forbes

When you're racing 435 miles through the jungles and mountains of South America, the last thing you need is a stray dog tagging along. But that's exactly what happened to Mikael Lindnord, captain of a Swedish adventure racing team, when he threw a scruffy but dignified mongrel a meatball one afternoon.

When the team left the next day, the dog followed. Try as they might, they couldn't lose him--and soon Mikael realized that he didn't want to. Crossing rivers, battling illness and injury, and struggling through some of the toughest terrain on the planet, the team and the dog walked, kayaked, cycled, and climbed together toward the finish line, where Mikael decided he would save the dog, now named Arthur, and bring him back to his family in Sweden, whatever it took. Illustrated with candid photographs, Arthur provides a testament to the amazing bond between dogs and people.

 

View Details >>

Running with Sherman

Christopher McDougall

From the bestselling author of Born to Run, a heartwarming story about training a rescue donkey to run one of the most challenging races in America, and, in the process, discovering the life-changing power of the human-animal connection.

"A delight, full of heart and hijinks and humor." —John Grogan, author of Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog


When Christopher McDougall decided to adopt a donkey in dire straits, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. But with the help of his neighbors, Chris came up with a crazy idea. Burro racing, a unique type of competition in which humans and donkeys run side by side over mountains and through streams, would be exactly the challenge Sherman and Chris needed. In the course of Sherman’s training, Chris would enlist Amish running clubs, high-spirited goats, the service animal community, and two Sarah Palin–loving long-distance female truckers. Sherman’s heartwarming story of overcoming all odds to run one of the most unbelievable races in America shows the healing power of movement and the strength of the human-animal connection.

Look for Christopher McDougall's new book, Born to Run 2, coming in December!

View Details >>

Puppy Brain

Kerry Nichols

* NATIONAL BESTSELLER*

How do you raise a happy, healthy, and emotionally resilient dog? Full of actionable guidance, Puppy Brain will show you how to create a harmonious, fulfilling relationship with your pet, from Kerry Nichols, founder of Nicholberry Goldens.

Do you want to learn how to help your dog feel safe? Do you dream of owning a dog who enjoys meeting new people and exploring new places? Kerry Nichols, founder of Nicholberry Goldens, brings readers into the whelping box and onto the frontlines of a puppy’s developmental journey with her trademark clarity and wit.

With guidance about everything from crate training to spaying and neutering, Puppy Brain distills the latest insights and breakthroughs from canine research into practical, actionable, evidence-based guidance.

Through years of research into brain development and the use of intentional rearing protocols that focus on honoring a puppy’s choices and needs, Kerry has developed an approach that results in a harmonious, fulfilling relationship with our dogs rather than one steeped in rote obedience. Puppy Brain will reshape the way you think about your dog and show you how to meet your dog’s most basic needs.

With irresistible photos, clear guidance, and engaging humor, Puppy Brain reveals the best training practices based on how your dog’s mind works. As her hundreds of thousands of followers can attest, Kerry’s guidance will help you raise dogs who are confident, loving, and happy. The perfect gift for dog lovers and psychology enthusiasts alike, Puppy Brain is the definitive resource for anyone looking to raise their puppy with respect and love.

View Details >>

What Cats Want

Dr. Yuki Hattori

From the top feline doctor in Japan comes a fun, practical, adorably illustrated “cat-to-human” translation guide to decoding your cat's feelings.

What makes cats climb into tiny spaces? Why do they sleep that much? And, most of all, how can we give them a good life?

Dr. Yuki Hattori is Japan's leading cat doctor, and to him cats are the most beautiful animals in the world. His advice comes with little illustrations showing exactly what to look for as a cat owner - including charts showing how to interpret their different meows, the direction of their whiskers and the way their tail is pointing!

Cats may seem low-maintenance but thoughtfulness about where you put their water, how warm or cool they like to be, what name to choose and how to groom them properly will make a life-changing difference. With understanding, affection and respect, your cat will be more healthy and contented - and you'll feel happier too.

An invaluable new guide filled with creative tips and darling illustrations, What Cats Want provides a much-desired glimpse into the minds of our most mysterious pets.

View Details >>

Dog Smart

Jennifer S. Holland

This cutting-edge science narrative, chock-full of heartwarming case studies, is one woman's quest to learn the true meaning of dog intelligence.

This delightful narrative takes readers on a powerful search to unlock the secrets of dog cognition, based on evidence from trainers, owners, behaviorists, and the animals themselves. With in-depth reporting and more than a few personal adventures, bestselling author Jennifer S. Holland digs into what intelligence really means.

Readers will meet a pack of genius dogs embodying all types of smarts. Holland heads into the field with a cadaver dog and his trainer to learn about "nose intelligence." To unpack emotional intelligence, she examines how dogs help people dealing with trauma. To investigate task learning ability, she seeks agility trainers, TV-dog trainers, and a man whose dog has learned to hang glide--one step at a time. She interviews police-dog trainers (volunteering to be attacked by a bite dog in the name of science), service-dog trainers, and trainers who rehabilitate "bad" dogs. And she gets to know breeds that are considered especially intelligent--border collies, cattle dogs, and German shepherds--to discover whether they are truly "smarter" or just more willing to do as they're told.

In between field experiences, Holland spends time with the dogs she knows best while pondering the lessons the animals teach us about ourselves. And she poses entrancing philosophical questions: How do we define intelligence in another being? Where do "instinct" and "intelligence" meet and diverge? Can we be more "dog smart" in our own lives?

Both surprising and heartwarming, this book is one woman's quest to understand what it means to be smart--and how dogs got that way.

View Details >>

Alfie and Me

Carl Safina

When ecologist Carl Safina and his wife, Patricia, took in a near-death baby owl, they expected that, like other wild orphans they'd rescued, she'd be a temporary presence. But Alfie's feathers were not growing correctly, requiring prolonged care. As Alfie grew and gained strength, she became a part of the family, joining a menagerie of dogs and chickens and making a home for herself in the backyard. Carl and Patricia began to realize that the healing was mutual; Alfie had been braided into their world, and was now pulling them into hers.

Alfie & Me is the story of the remarkable impact this little owl would have on their lives. The continuing bond of trust following her freedom--and her raising of her own wild brood--coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a year in which Carl and Patricia were forced to spend time at home without the normal obligations of work and travel. Witnessing all the fine details of their feathered friend's life offered Carl and Patricia a view of existence from Alfie's perspective.

One can travel the world and go nowhere; one can be stuck keeping the faith at home and discover a new world. Safina's relationship with an owl made him want to better understand how people have viewed humanity's relationship with nature across cultures and throughout history. Interwoven with Safina's keen observations, insight, and reflections, Alfie & Me is a work of profound beauties and magical timing harbored within one upended year.

View Details >>

Catland

Kathryn Hughes

How cat mania exploded in the early twentieth century, transforming cats from pests into beloved pets.

In 1900, Britain and America were in the grip of a cat craze. An animal that had for centuries been seen as a household servant or urban nuisance had now become an object of pride and deep affection. From presidential and royal families who imported exotic breeds to working-class men competing for cash prizes for the fattest tabby, people became enthralled to the once-humble cat. Multiple industries sprang up to feed this new obsession, selling everything from veterinary services to leather bootees via dedicated cat magazines. Cats themselves were now traded for increasingly large sums of money, bolstered by elaborate pedigrees that claimed noble ancestry and promised aesthetic distinction.

In Catland, Kathryn Hughes chronicles the cat craze of the early twentieth century through the life and career of Louis Wain. Wain's anthropomorphic drawings of cats in top hats falling in love, sipping champagne, golfing, driving cars, and piloting planes are some of the most instantly recognizable images from the era. His round-faced fluffy characters established the prototype for the modern cat, which cat "fanciers" were busily trying to achieve using their newfound knowledge of the latest scientific breeding techniques. Despite being a household name, Wain endured multiple bankruptcies and mental breakdowns, spending his last fifteen years in an asylum, drawing abstract and multicolored felines. But it was his ubiquitous anthropomorphic cats that helped usher the formerly reviled creatures into homes across Europe.

Beautifully illustrated and based on new archival findings about Wain's life, the wider cat fancy, and the media frenzy it created, Catland chronicles the fascinating history of how the modern cat emerged.

View Details >>

The Horse

Timothy C. Winegard

A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read Book

From New York Times bestselling author of The Mosquito, the incredible story of how the horse shaped human history

 
Timothy C. Winegard’s The Horse is an epic history unlike any other. Its story begins more than 5,500 years ago on the windswept grasslands of the Eurasian Steppe; when one human tamed one horse, an unbreakable bond was forged and the future of humanity was instantly rewritten, placing the reins of destiny firmly in human hands.

Since that pivotal day, the horse has carried the history of civilizations on its powerful back. For millennia it was the primary mode of transportation, an essential farming machine, a steadfast companion, and a formidable weapon of war. Possessing a unique combination of size, speed, strength, and stamina, the horse dominated every facet of human life and shaped the very scope of human ambition. And we still live among its galloping shadows.

Horses revolutionized the way we hunted, traded, traveled, farmed, fought, worshipped, and interacted. They fundamentally reshaped the human genome and the world’s linguistic map. They determined international borders, molded cultures, fueled economies, and built global superpowers. They decided the destinies of conquerors and empires. And they were vectors of lethal disease and contributed to lifesaving medical innovations. Horses even inspired architecture, invention, furniture, and fashion. From the thundering cavalry charges of Alexander the Great to the streets of New York during the Great Manure Crisis of 1894 and beyond, horses have shaped both the grand arc of history and our everyday lives.

Driven by fascinating revelations and fast-paced storytelling, The Horse is a riveting narrative of this noble animal’s unrivaled and enduring reign across human history. To know the horse is to understand the world.

View Details >>

My Beloved Monster

Caleb Carr

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"The most brilliant feline portrait in literary history." -People Magazine (Book of the Week)

The #1 bestselling author of The Alienist tells the extraordinary story of Masha, a half-wild rescue cat who fought off a bear, tackled Caleb like a linebacker--and bonded with him as tightly as any cat and human possibly can.

"Dares us to take a journey into love and pain . . . My Beloved Monster is a love story and a requiem." -Wall Street Journal

"Excellent...Worth the emotional investment, and the tissues you will need by the end, to spend time with a writer and cat duo as extraordinary as Masha and Carr." --Washington Post Book World

Caleb Carr has had special relationships with cats since he was a young boy in a turbulent household, famously peopled by the founding members of the Beat Generation, where his steadiest companions were the adopted cats that lived with him both in the city and the country. As an adult, he has had many close feline companions, with relationships that have outlasted most of his human ones. But only after building a three-story home in rural, upstate New York did he enter into the most extraordinary of all of his cat pairings: Masha, a Siberian Forest cat who had been abandoned as a kitten, and was languishing in a shelter when Caleb met her. She had hissed and fought off all previous carers and potential adopters, but somehow, she chose Caleb as her savior.

For the seventeen years that followed, Caleb and Masha were inseparable. Masha ruled the house and the extensive, dangerous surrounding fields and forests. When she was hurt, only Caleb could help her. When he suffered long-standing physical ailments, Masha knew what to do. Caleb's life-long study of the literature of cat behavior, and his years of experience with previous cats, helped him decode much of Masha's inner life. But their bond went far beyond academic studies and experience. The story of Caleb and Masha is an inspiring and life-affirming relationship for readers of all backgrounds and interests--a love story like no other.


 

View Details >>

Pets and the City

Dr. Amy Attas

One of Washington Post’s 5 “Feel-Good Books” of Summer 2024

New York City’s premier “house call veterinarian” takes you into the exclusive penthouses and four-star hotel rooms of the wealthiest New Yorkers and shows that, when it comes to their pets, they are just as neurotic as any of us.


When a pet is sick, people—even the rich and famous—are at their most authentic and vulnerable. They could have a Monet on the wall and an Oscar on the shelf, but if their cat gets a cold, all they want to talk about are snotty noses and sneezing fits. That’s when they call premier in-home veterinarian Dr. Amy Attas.

In Pets and the City, Dr. Amy shares all the funny, heartbreaking, and life-affirming experiences she’s faced throughout her thirty-year career treating the cats and dogs of New Yorkers from Park Avenue to the projects. Some of her stories are about celebs, like the time she saw a famous singer naked (no, her rash was not the same as her puppy’s). Others are about remarkable animals, like the skilled service dog who, after his exam was finished, left the room and returned with a checkbook in his mouth. Every tale in this rollicking, informative, and fun memoir affirms a key truth about animal, and human, nature: Our pets love us because their hearts are pure; we love them because they’re freaking adorable. On some level, we know that by caring for them, we are the best version of ourselves. In short: Our pets make us better people.

View Details >>

The Forever Dog Life

Rodney Habib

In this beautifully illustrated guide, the authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Forever Dog show how to create a thriving, sustainable lifestyle and environment to help your dog live a longer, happier, and healthier life

In The Forever Dog, Rodney Habib and Dr. Karen Becker explained that your dog's longevity starts with proper nourishment. In The Forever Dog Life, they offer simple ways you can help your dog live longer and better from the inside-out and outside-in, including easy-to-follow tools, recipes, and tips.

Learn to prepare healthy, homemade meals your dog will love, with more than 120 nutritionally packed recipes for delicious food bowls, fresh food toppers that supercharge any type of pet food, and nourishing broths and stews that entice the pickiest of eaters. And don't forget DIY training treats, cookies, jerkies, and chews. Accompanying the recipes are science-rich tips for the best ingredients, food hacks, and tools to use in the kitchen.

But food is only one aspect of a dog's good health. The Forever Dog Life teaches you how to make your home as healthy as possible, with practical instructions for creating your own non-toxic DIY cleaners, natural disinfectants, and lawn care solutions that can easily replace hazardous chemical-based products that negatively impact our pet's health. Also included are all-natural recipes for body care, including shampoos and conditioners, skin rinses, oral and ear care, and chemical-free flea and tick solutions. Habib and Becker make it easy to incorporate their science-backed tips into your home, so your dog (and cat!) can live a long, happy, and healthy life.

Filled with wonderful stories and fantastic canines, The Forever Dog Life makes the world a safer, healthier, and happier place for animals. Backed by science and filled with photographs and four-color instructions, it is the ultimate handbook to help your dogs and cats live their best life.

View Details >>

The Way of the Hermit

Ken Smith

Subconsciously, I pressed myself into the loch's banks as that summer inched forward. We'd got off to a rocky beginning, but I started to see Treig in a different way. There was something about this land that told me just to hold on a while longer. It might've been just a whisper at the time, but I knew it was definitely worth heeding. I just knew that was it. This was the place.

Seventy-four-year-old Ken Smith has spent the past four decades in the Scottish Highlands. His home is a log cabin nestled near Loch Treig, known as "the lonely loch," where he lives off the land. He fishes for his supper, chops his own wood and even brews his own tipple. He is, in the truest sense of the word, a hermit.

From his working-class origins in Derbyshire, Ken always sensed that there was more ot life than an empty nine to five. Then one day in 1974, an attack from a group of drunken men left him for dead. Determined to change his prospects, Ken quit his job and spent his formative years traveling in the Yukon. It was here, in the vast wilderness of northwestern Canada, that he honed his survival skills and grew closer to nature. Returning to Britain, he continued his nomadic lifestyle, wandering north and living in huts until he finally reached Loch Treig. Ken decided to lay his roots amongst the dense woodland and Highland air, and has lived there ever since.

In The Way of the Hermit, Ken shares the remarkable story of his lfe for the very first time. Told with humor and compassion, his unique insights allow us to glimpse the awe and wonder of a life lived in nature and offer wisdom on how each of us can escape the pressures and stresses of modern life.

View Details >>

You Deserve Good Gelato

Kacie Rose

In this refreshingly honest take on navigating a new life abroad. Social media star Kacie Rose offers a funny, joyful, and searingly honest account of the highs and lows of living abroad and traveling the world.

Kacie decided to leave her life as a pro dancer in New York City and move to Italy in 2021, covering everything from travel fails and homesickness to the joy of culture shocks.

In this travel book, you will find:

-Personal essays that tell Kacie's story that will empower you to challenge yourself

-A candid outlook on life as an expat, discussing important concepts like homesickness, embracing new cultures and cultural stereotypes

-A helpful and funny guide that will encourage you to travel abroad and remind you that you are stronger and more capable than you think.

Kacie reflects on the pure terror of driving on Italian roads, the trials of speaking a new language, and the genuine beauty of a slower pace of life, all with humor and heart. By sharing her personal stories of life under the Tuscan sun, Kacie explains how travel is a privilege, why cultural differences are the coolest things in the world, and how there's a positive you can take away from literally any situation. Travel meets narrative in this book about Kacie Rose's experiences living in a new country.

View Details >>

A Walk in the Park

Kevin Fedarko

Two friends, zero preparation, one dream. From the author of the beloved bestseller The Emerald Mile, a rollicking and poignant account of an epic 750-mile odyssey, on foot, through the heart of America’s most magnificent national park and the grandest wilderness on earth.

A few years after quitting his job to follow an ill-advised dream of becoming a guide on the Colorado River, Kevin Fedarko was approached by his best friend, the National Geographic photographer Pete McBride, with a vision as bold as it was harebrained. Together, they would embark on an end-to-end traverse of the Grand Canyon, a journey that, McBride promised, would be “a walk in the park.” Against his better judgment, Fedarko agreed to the scheme, unaware that the small cluster of experts who had completed the crossing billed it as “the toughest hike in the world.”

The ensuing ordeal, which lasted more than a year, revealed a place that was deeper, richer, and far more complex than anything the two men had imagined—and came within a hair’s breadth of killing them both. They struggled to make their way through the all but impenetrable reaches of its truest wilderness, a vertical labyrinth of thousand-foot cliffs and crumbling ledges where water is measured out by the teaspoon and every step is fraught with peril—and where, even today, there is still no trail along the length of the country’s best-known and most iconic park.

Along the way, veteran long-distance hikers ushered them into secret pockets, invisible to the millions of tourists gathered on the rim, where only a handful of humans have ever laid eyes. Members of the canyon’s eleven Native American tribes brought them face-to-face with layers of history that forced them to reconsider myths at the center of our national parks—and exposed them to the impinging threats of commercial tourism. Even Fedarko’s dying father, who had first pointed him toward the canyon more than forty years earlier but had never set foot there himself, opened him to a new way of seeing the landscape.

And always, there was the great gorge itself: austere and unforgiving but suffused with magic, drenched in wonder, and redeemed by its own transcendent beauty.

A Walk in the Park is a singular portrait of a sublime place, and a deeply moving plea for the preservation of America’s greatest natural treasure.

View Details >>

The Last Ride of the Pony Express

Will Grant

USA Today Bestseller!

Selected by the Smithsonian as Best Travel Books of the Year

"Spellbinding" (Douglas Preston) and "completely fascinating" (Elizabeth Letts), cowboy and journalist Will Grant takes us on an epic and authentic horseback journey into the modern West on an adventure of a lifetime. The Last Ride of the Pony Express boldly illuminates both our mythic fascination with the Pony Express, and how its spirit continues to this day. ​


The Pony Express was a fast-horse frontier mail service that spanned the American West-- the high, dry, and undeniably lonesome part of North America. While in operation during the 1860s, it carried letter mail on a blistering ten-day schedule between Missouri and San Francisco, running through a vast and mostly uninhabited wilderness. It covered a massive distance--akin to running horses between Madrid and Moscow-- and to this day, the Pony Express is irrefutably the greatest display of American horsemanship to ever color the pages of a history book.

Though the Pony Express has enjoyed a lot of traction over the years, among the authors that have attempted to encapsulate it, none have ever ridden it themselves. While most scholars would look for answers inside a library, Will Grant looks for his between the ears of a horse. Inspired by the likes of Mark Twain, Sir Richard Burton, and Horace Greeley, all of whom traveled throughout the developing West, Will Grant returned to his roots: he would ride the trail himself with his two horses, Chicken Fry and Badger, from one end to the other.

Will Grant captures the spirit of the West in a way that few writers have. Along with rich encounters with the ranchers, farmers, historians, and businessmen who populate the trail, his exploits on horseback offer an intimate portrait of how the West has evolved from the rough and tumble 19th century to the present, and it's written with such intimacy that you'll feel as though you're riding right alongside of him. The result is an extraordinary portrait of the treacherous and, at times, thrilling landscape of the known and unknown American West, and the people who populate it.

The Last Ride of the Pony Express is a tale of adventure by a horseman who defies most modern conveniences, and is an unforgettable narrative that will forever change how you see the West, the Pony Express, and America as a whole.

View Details >>

Alexandria

Islam Issa

An original, authoritative, and lively cultural history of the first modern city, from pre-Homeric times to the present day.

Islam Issa’s father had always told him about their city's magnificence, and as he looked at the new library in Alexandria it finally hit home. This is no ordinary library. And Alexandria is no ordinary city.

Combining rigorous research with myth and folklore, Alexandria is an authoritative history of a city that has shaped our modern world. Soon after being founded by Alexander the Great, Alexandria became the crucible of cultural exchange between East and West for millennia and the undisputed global capital of knowledge. It was at the forefront of human progress, but it also witnessed brutal natural disasters, plagues, crusades and violence.

Major empires fought over Alexandria, from the Greeks and Romans to the Arabs, Ottomans, French, and British. Key figures shaped the city from its eponymous founder to Aristotle, Cleopatra, Saint Mark the Evangelist, Napoleon Bonaparte and many others, each putting their own stamp on its identity and its fortunes. And millions of people have lived in this bustling seaport on the Mediterranean. From its humble origins to its dizzy heights and its latest incarnation, Islam Issa tells us the rich and gripping story of a city that changed the world.

View Details >>

Brave the Wild River

Melissa L. Sevigny

In the summer of 1938, botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter set off to run the Colorado River, accompanied by an ambitious and entrepreneurial expedition leader, a zoologist, and two amateur boatmen. With its churning waters and treacherous boulders, the Colorado was famed as the most dangerous river in the world. Journalists and veteran river runners boldly proclaimed that the motley crew would never make it out alive. But for Clover and Jotter, the expedition held a tantalizing appeal: no one had yet surveyed the plant life of the Grand Canyon, and they were determined to be the first.

Through the vibrant letters and diaries of the two women, science journalist Melissa L. Sevigny traces their daring forty-three-day journey down the river, during which they meticulously cataloged the thorny plants that thrived in the Grand Canyon's secret nooks and crannies. Along the way, they chased a runaway boat, ran the river's most fearsome rapids, and turned the harshest critic of female river runners into an ally. Clover and Jotter's plant list, including four new cactus species, would one day become vital for efforts to protect and restore the river ecosystem.

Brave the Wild River is a spellbinding adventure of two women who risked their lives to make an unprecedented botanical survey of a defining landscape in the American West, at a time when human influences had begun to change it forever.

View Details >>

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Mary Wollstonecraft

Writing in an age when the call for the rights of man had brought revolution to America and France, Mary Wollstonecraft produced her own declaration of female independence in 1792. Passionate and forthright, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman attacked the prevailing view of docile, decorative femininity, and instead laid out the principles of emancipation: an equal education for girls and boys, an end to prejudice, and for women to become defined by their profession, not their partner. Mary Wollstonecraft's work was received with a mixture of admiration and outrage - Walpole called her 'a hyena in petticoats' - yet it established her as the mother of modern feminism.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

View Details >>

My Name Is Barbra

Barbra Streisand

The long-awaited memoir by the superstar of stage, screen, recordings, and television
Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in the history of popular music. She has been nominated for a Grammy 46 times, and with Yentl she became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture. In My Name Is Barbra, she tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career, from growing up in Brooklyn to her first star-making appearances in New York nightclubs to her breakout performance in Funny Girl on stage and winning the Oscar for that performance on film. Then came a long string of successes in every medium in the years that followed. The book is, like Barbra herself, frank, funny, opinionated, and charming. She recounts her early struggles to become an actress, eventually turning to singing to earn a living; the recording of some of her acclaimed albums; the years of effort involved in making Yentl; her direction of The Prince of Tides; her friendships with figures ranging from Marlon Brando to Madeleine Albright; her political advocacy; and the fulfillment she’s found in her marriage to James Brolin.
 
No entertainer’s memoir has been more anticipated than Barbra Streisand’s, and this engrossing and delightful book will be eagerly welcomed by her millions of fans.

 

View Details >>

The Pirate's Wife

Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos

The dramatic and deliciously swashbuckling story of Sarah Kidd, the wife of the famous pirate Captain Kidd, charting her transformation from New York socialite to international outlaw during the Golden Age of Piracy

Captain Kidd was one of the most notorious pirates to ever prowl the seas. But few know that Kidd had an accomplice, a behind-the-scenes player who enabled his plundering and helped him outpace his enemies.

That accomplice was his wife, Sarah Kidd, a well-to-do woman whose extraordinary life is a lesson in reinvention and resourcefulness. Twice widowed by twenty-one and operating within the strictures of polite society in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century New York, Sarah secretly aided and abetted her husband, fighting alongside him against his accusers. More remarkable still was that Sarah not only survived the tragedy wrought by her infamous husband's deeds, but went on to live a successful and productive life as one of New York's most prominent citizens.

Marshaling in newly discovered primary-source documents from archives in London, New York and Boston, historian and journalist Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos reconstructs the extraordinary life of Sarah Kidd, uncovering a rare example of the kind of life that pirate wives lived during the Golden Age of Piracy. A compelling tale of love, treasure, motherhood and survival, this landmark work of narrative nonfiction weaves together the personal and the epic in a sweeping historical story of romance and adventure.

View Details >>

Code Name Blue Wren

Jim Popkin

The incredible true story of Ana Montes, the most damaging female spy in US history, drawing upon never-before-seen material and to be published upon her release from prison, for readers of Agent Sonya and A Woman of No Importance.

Just days after the 9-11 attacks, a senior Pentagon analyst eased her red Toyota Echo into traffic and headed to work. She never saw the undercover cars tracking her every turn. As she settled into her cubicle on the 6th floor of the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, FBI Agents and twitchy DIA officers were hiding in nearby offices. For this was the day that Ana Montes--the US Intelligence Community superstar who had just won a prestigious fellowship at the CIA--was to be arrested and publicly exposed as a secret agent for Cuba.

Like spies Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen before her, Ana Montes blindsided her colleagues with brazen acts of treason. For nearly 17 years, Montes succeeded in two high-stress jobs. By day, she was one of the government's top Cuba experts, a buttoned-down GS-14 with shockingly easy access to classified documents. By night, she was on the clock for Fidel Castro, listening to coded messages over shortwave radio, passing US secrets to handlers in local restaurants, and slipping into Havana wearing a wig.

Montes didn't just deceive her country. Her betrayal was intensely personal. Her mercurial father was a former US Army Colonel. Her brother and sister-in-law were FBI Special Agents. And her only sister, Lucy, also worked her entire career for the Bureau. The highlight of her distinguished 31 years as a Miami-based language specialist: Helping the FBI flush Cuban spies out of the United States. Little did Lucy or her family know that the greatest Cuban spy of all was sitting right next to them at Thanksgivings, baptisms, and weddings.

In Code Name Blue Wren, investigative journalist Jim Popkin weaves the tale of two sisters who chose two very different paths, plus the unsung heroes who had to fight to bring Ana to justice. With exclusive access to a "Secret" CIA behavioral profile of Ana, family memoirs, and Ana's incriminating letters from prison, Popkin reveals the making of a traitor--a woman labelled "one of the most damaging spies in U.S. history" by America's top counter-intelligence official.

After more than two decades in federal prison, Montes will be freed in January 2023. Code Name Blue Wren is a thrilling detective tale, an insider's look at the clandestine world of espionage, and an intimate exploration of the dark side of betrayal.

View Details >>

Femina

Janina Ramirez

THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 CUNDIL HISTORY PRIZE
A "Next Big Idea Book Club" Must Read?

A groundbreaking reappraisal of medieval femininity, revealing why women have been written out of history and why it matters

The Middle Ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, saints and kings; a patriarchal society that oppressed and excluded women. But when we dig a little deeper into the truth, we can see that the "Dark" Ages were anything but.

Oxford and BBC historian Janina Ramirez has uncovered countless influential women's names struck out of historical records, with the word FEMINA annotated beside them. As gatekeepers of the past ordered books to be burned, artworks to be destroyed, and new versions of myths, legends and historical documents to be produced, our view of history has been manipulated.

Only now, through a careful examination of the artifacts, writings and possessions they left behind, are the influential and multifaceted lives of women emerging. Femina goes beyond the official records to uncover the true impact of women, such as:

  • Jadwiga, the only female king in Europe
  • Margery Kempe, who exploited her image and story to ensure her notoriety
  • Loftus Princess, whose existence gives us clues about the beginnings of Christianity in England

 

 


In Femina, Ramirez invites us to see the medieval world with fresh eyes and discover why these remarkable women were removed from our collective memories.

 

 

View Details >>

Pure Wit

Francesca Peacock

A biography of the remarkable—and in her time scandalous—seventeenth-century writer Margaret Cavendish, who pioneered the science fiction novel.

"My ambition is not only to be Empress, but Authoress of a whole world."—Margaret Cavendish

Margaret Cavendish, then Lucas, was born in 1623 to an aristocratic family. In 1644, as England descended into civil war, she joined the court of the formidable Queen Henrietta Maria at Oxford. With the rest of the court she went into self-imposed exile in France. Her family's wealth and lands were forfeited by Parliament. It was in France that she met her partner, William Cavendish, Marquess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a marriage that made her the Duchess of Newcastle and would remain at the heart of both her life and career.

Margaret was a passionate writer. She wrote extensively on gender, science, philosophy, and published under her own name at a time when women simply did not do so. Her greatest work was The Blazing World, published in 1666, a utopian proto-novel that is thought to be one of the earliest works of science fiction that brought together Margaret's talents in poetry, philosophy, and science.

Yet hers is a legacy that has long divided opinion, and history has largely forgotten her, an undeserved fate for a brilliant, courageous proto-feminist. In Pure Wit, Francesca Peacock remedies this omission and shines a spotlight on the fascinating, pioneering, yet often complex and controversial life, of the multi-faceted Margaret Cavendish.

View Details >>

The Watchmaker's Daughter

Larry Loftis

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

New York Times bestselling author and master of nonfiction spy thrillers Larry Loftis writes the first major biography of Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch watchmaker who saved the lives of hundreds of Jews during WWII--at the cost of losing her family and being sent to a concentration camp, only to survive, forgive her captors, and live the rest of her life as a Christian missionary.

The Watchmaker's Daughter is one of the greatest stories of World War II that readers haven't heard: the remarkable and inspiring life story of Corrie ten Boom--a groundbreaking, female Dutch watchmaker, whose family unselfishly transformed their house into a hiding place straight out of a spy novel to shelter Jews and refugees from the Nazis during Gestapo raids. Even though the Nazis knew what the ten Booms were up to, they were never able to find those sheltered within the house when they raided it.

Corrie stopped at nothing to face down the evils of her time and overcame unbelievable obstacles and odds. She persevered despite the loss of most of her family and relied on her faith to survive the horrors of a notorious concentration camp. But even more remarkable than her heroism and survival was Corrie's attitude when she was released. Miraculously, she was able to eschew bitterness and embrace forgiveness as she ministered to people in need around the globe. Corrie's ability to forgive is just one of the myriad lessons that her life story holds for readers today.

Reminiscent of Schindler's List and featuring a journey of faith and forgiveness not unlike Unbroken, The Watchmaker's Daughter is destined to become a classic work of World War II nonfiction.

View Details >>

Wild Girls

Tiya Miles

Harriet Tubman, forced to labor outdoors on a Maryland plantation, learned from the land a terrain for escape. Louisa May Alcott ran wild, eluding gendered expectations in New England. The Indigenous women's basketball team from Fort Shaw, Montana, recaptured a sense of pride in physical prowess as they trounced the white teams of the 1904 World's Fair. Celebrating women like these who acted on their confidence outdoors, Wild Girls brings new context to misunderstood icons like Sacagawea and Pocahontas, and to underappreciated figures like Native American activist writer Zitkála-Sá, also known as Gertrude Bonnin, farmworkers' champion Dolores Huerta, and labor and Civil Rights organizer Grace Lee Boggs.

This beautiful, meditative work of history puts girls of all races--and the landscapes they loved--at center stage and reveals the impact of the outdoors on women's independence, resourcefulness, and vision. For these trailblazing women of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, navigating the woods, following the stars, playing sports, and taking to the streets in peaceful protest were not only joyful pursuits, but also techniques to resist assimilation, racism, and sexism. Lyrically written and full of archival discoveries, Wild Girls evokes landscapes as richly as the girls who roamed in them--and argues for equal access to outdoor spaces for young women of every race and class today.

View Details >>