Stick Fly

by Lydia R. Diamond    (Find this book)

How well do you know your family? Your social class? Your race? Sensitive "Spoon" LeVay and his brother "Flip" see their weekend at the family home on Martha's Vineyard as a perfect opportunity to introduce their girlfriends to their upper class African American parents. Instead they stumble into a domestic powder keg that exposes secrets of prejudice, hypocrisy and adultery. This fantastic new play comes from the pen of one of the country's most provocative new playwrights!

Bus Stop ( L.A. Theatre Works Audio Theatre Collections )

by William Inge    (Find this book)

Upon hitting Broadway in 1955 Bus Stop was an immediate commercial & critical success. During a winter storm a busload of weary travelers are forced to shack up at a roadside diner until morning. Inge was renowned for his in-depth character studies, Bus Stop is no exception and offers a warm play about the intersecting lives of eight ordinary people. A full-cast production featuring: Megan Anderson, Terrence Currier, Rachel Miner, Anson Mount, Kyle Prue, Lynnie Raybuck, Jefferson A. Russell, Gary Sloan.

Always Looking: Essays on Art

by John Updike    (Find this book)

The previously uncollected art writings of the prolific and award-winning novelist and critic Updike, who died in 2009, are compiled in this handsome volume. The essays explore works by artists including Monet, Klimt, Degas, Miro, Magritte; the major movements of Impressionism, Surrealism, Pop art, and Minimalism; and the habits and tastes of the collectors who shape our understanding of fine art's place in American culture. The reviews, most of which appeared in the New York Review of Books and the New Republic, continue the analytical approach employed in the celebrated collections Just Looking (1989) and Still Looking (2005) by unspooling like narrations of a museum ramble with Updike at your side. Through Updike's lens of novelistic psychology, some of the best-known biographies of 19th and 20th century art history take on a wholly original cast. Our guide is eternally curious; informal but well-informed; adept at describing color, line, or brushstroke without falling back on jargon or metaphor. Whether he's transported by a Monet landscape or thrown off-balance by Richard Serra's torqued elliptical sculptures, Updike is always honest about how he is personally affected by the artwork. As the final document of Updike's sensitive and passionate approach to art, this book reinforces the late writer's great lesson: that we should always be looking. Illus. Agent: The Wylie Agency. (Nov.) Copyright 2012 Reed Business Information. -- Publishers Weekly

Shadow Show: All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury

by Sam Weller    (Find this book)

"What do you imagine when you hear the name" . . . Bradbury?

You might see rockets to Mars. Or bizarre circuses where otherworldly acts whirl in the center ring. Perhaps you travel to a dystopian future, where books are set ablaze . . . or to an out-of-the-way sideshow, where animated illustrations crawl across human skin. Or maybe, suddenly, you're returned to a simpler time in small-town America, where summer perfumes the air and life is almost perfect . . . "almost."

Ray Bradbury--peerless storyteller, poet of the impossible, and one of America's most beloved authors--is a literary giant whose remarkable career has spanned seven decades. Now twenty-six of today's most diverse and celebrated authors offer new short works in honor of the master; stories of heart, intelligence, and dark wonder from a remarkable range of creative artists. -- Publisher Marketing

The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood

by David R Montgomery    (Find this book)

In Tibet, geologist David R. Montgomery heard a local story about a great flood that bore a striking similarity to Noah's Flood. Intrigued, Montgomery began investigating the world's flood stories and--drawing from historic works by theologians, natural philosophers, and scientists--discovered the counterintuitive role Noah's Flood played in the development of both geology and creationism. Steno, the grandfather of geology, even invoked the Flood in laying geology's founding principles based on his observations of northern Italian landscapes. Centuries later, the founders of modern creationism based their irrational view of a global flood on a perceptive critique of geology. With an explorer's eye and a refreshing approach to both faith and science, Montgomery takes readers on a journey across landscapes and cultures. In the process we discover the illusive nature of truth, whether viewed through the lens of science or religion, and how it changed through history and continues changing, even today. -- Publisher Marketing

In Search of the Good: A Life in Bioethics

by Daniel Callahan    (Find this book)

Daniel Callahan helped invent the field of bioethics more than forty years ago when he decided to use his training in philosophy to grapple with ethical problems in biology and medicine. Disenchanted with academic philosophy because of its analytical bent and distance from the concerns of real life, Callahan found the ethical issues raised by the rapid medical advances of the 1960s--which included the birth control pill, heart transplants, and new capacities to keep very sick people alive--to be philosophical questions with immediate real-world relevance. In this memoir, Callahan describes his part in the founding of bioethics and traces his thinking on critical issues including embryonic stem cell research, market-driven health care, and medical rationing. He identifies the major challenges facing bioethics today and ruminates on its future. Callahan writes about founding the Hastings Center--the first bioethics research institution--with the author and psychiatrist Willard Gaylin in 1969, and recounts the challenges of running a think tank while keeping up a prolific flow of influential books and articles. Editor of the famous liberal Catholic magazine "Commonweal" in the 1960s, Callahan describes his now-secular approach to issues of illness and mortality. He questions the idea of endless medical "progress" and interventionist end-of-life care that seems to blur the boundary between living and dying. It is the role of bioethics, he argues, to be a loyal dissenter in the onward march of medical progress. The most important challenge for bioethics now is to help rethink the very goals of medicine. -- Publisher Marketing

Thornton Wilder: A Life

by Penelope Niven    (Find this book)

Art is confession; art is the secret told. . . . But art is not only the desire to tell one's secret; it is the desire to tell it and hide it at the same time. And the secret is nothing more than the whole drama of the inner life. --Thornton Wilder

Thornton Wilder: A Life, the first biography of the playwright and novelist since 1983, is also the first to be based on thousands of pages of letters, journals, manuscripts, and other documentary evidence of Wilder's life, work, and times. For more than a decade, biographer Penelope Niven has worked with unprecedented access to Wilder's papers, including his family's private journals and records, searching for the secrets that illuminate Wilder's public life and work, as well as the hidden inner self sometimes concealed and sometimes revealed in his art and in his papers.

Thornton Wilder was a multifaceted man: a teacher, novelist, playwright, lecturer, actor, musician, soldier, man of letters, outspoken citizen, and international public figure. He was also an enigmatic, intensely private man. He belonged to a close-knit, complicated family--two brilliant parents, four gifted siblings, and the specter of his twin brother lost at birth. His biography is also a compelling family saga, starring Thornton Wilder, with strong supporting roles played by his father, mother, brother, and sisters.

He was a gypsy, wandering the world, writing, he said, for and about everybody--a fact international audiences still embrace. The Bridge of San Luis Rey, The Eighth Day, and his other novels are still read in the United States and abroad. His plays, especially the iconic Our Town and the revolutionary Skin of Our Teeth, are still performed on stages around the globe.

Yet despite the international fame and visibility of Wilder the writer, far too little has been known or understood about Wilder the man--until now. Comprehensively researched and richly detailed, Thornton Wilder: A Life brings the private man center stage and sheds new light on his published and unpublished work. -- Publisher Marketing

The Chronicles of Downton Abbey: A New Era

by Jessica Fellowes    (Find this book)

The Great War has ended, but Downton Abbey is far from peaceful... "Americans can't get enough of 'Downton Abbey, '" said "The Boston Globe. "As Season 3 of the award-winning TV series opens, it is 1920 and Downton Abbey is waking up to a world changed forever by World War I. New characters arrive and new intrigues thrive as the old social order is challenged by new expectations.
In this new era, different family members abound (including Cora's American mother, played by Shirley MacLaine) and changed dynamics need to be resolved: Which branch of the family tree will Lord Grantham's first grandchild belong to? What will become of the servants, both old and new? "The Chronicles of Downton Abbey," carefully pieced together at the heart and hearth of the ancestral home of the Crawleys, takes us deeper into the story of every important member of the Downton estate.This lavish, entirely new book focuses on each character individually, examining their motivations, their actions, and the inspirations behind them. An evocative combination of story, history, and behind-the-scenes drama, it will bring fans even closer to the secret, beating heart of the house.  -- Publisher Marketing

Walking the Amazon: 860 Days. One Step at a Time.

by Ed Stafford    (Find this book)

As seen on "Discovery Channel" and for readers of Bill Bryson, Jon Krakauer, and David Grann, a riveting, adventurous account of one man's history-making journey along the entire length of the Amazon--and through the most bio-diverse habitat on Earth. Fans of "Turn Right at Machu Piccu" will revel in Ed Stafford's extraordinary prose and lush descriptions.
In April 2008, Ed Stafford set off to become the first man ever to walk the entire length of the Amazon. He started on the Pacific coast of Peru, crossed the Andes Mountain range to find the official source of the river. His journey lead on through parts of Colombia and right across Brazil; all while outwitting dangerous animals, machete wielding indigenous people as well as negotiating injuries, weather and his own fears and doubts. Yet, Stafford was undeterred. On his grueling 860-day, 4,000-plus mile journey, Stafford witnessed the devastation of deforestation firsthand, the pressure on tribes due to loss of habitats as well as nature in its true-raw form. Jaw-dropping from start to finish, "Walking the Amazon" is the unforgettable and gripping story of an unprecedented adventure.  -- Publisher Marketing

Reader's Digest Book of North American Birds: An Illustrated Guide to More Than 600 Species

by Reader's Digest    (Find this book)

More than any other kind of wildlife, birds have an almost magical hold on the human imagination. They are beautiful, vibrantly alive, and seen everywhere. They open our eyes to the world of nature and enrich our spirits with their color, their music, and their wondrous gift of flight. The BOOK OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS celebrates the hundreds of species that spend at least part of the year in the United States or Canada. It includes some 600 species in all and the 8 chapters are organized by type and habitat. Each page features a full-color painting, usually of a male in breeding plumage, since the male is more colorful than the female, accompanied by a brief narrative focusing on key aspects of the bird in the wild. At the bottom of each page is information for quick reference, with details on identification, habitat, nesting, and food. In addition, a drawing highlights a particular point of interest about the species, and a color-coded range map showing where it can be found. There is a Special Collection of more than 100 species that are rare or have limited ranges in North America and a Traveler's Guide arranged alphabetically by state and province, describing more than 350 prime locations for seeing America's birds at their best. Praise from Roger Tory Peterson highlights the back cover of this volume. The illustrations and paintings are from some of the most renowned wildlife artists in the field, such as H. Douglas Pratt, Ray Harris-Ching, and Albert Earl Gilbert. Fun to read, easy to use, informative, and lovely to look at--here is the perfect book for anyone who loves nature.

Facebook for Seniors Quicksteps

by Carole Matthews    (Find this book)

A full-color, visual guide to using Facebook--written "by" a senior, "for" seniors. "Facebook for Seniors QuickSteps" provides hands-on guidance to seniors who want to enjoy the social interaction offered by the world's most popular social network. The book addresses seniors in a voice that is their own--written by a senior talking to other seniors about how take advantage of the full spectrum of Facebook apps and tools while sharing only with your intended audience. Color screenshots with explanations show exactly what you'll see on your computer screen while you're doing a task. A new and fresh design makes your reading experience even more productive and fun, using a crisp and colorful interface.
"Facebook for Seniors QuickSteps"
Printed in full-color with larger type and new design features "Quick Quotes" share personal experiences and advice from other seniors Approaches specific tasks with steps you can duplicate easily: for example, "To create a photo album on Facebook..." or "To search for a long-lost friend on Facebook...." Step-by-step instructions on signing up for Facebook, choosing privacy settings, posting, friending, sending and receiving messages, sharing photos and video, using a mobile phone to get and post updates, and much more Covers the newest core features, such as the Timeline and revised security techniques. Reveals security techniques to use to avoid sharing data with unwanted third parties. Explains how to use apps such as games. Shows how to organize friends into lists and groups so that communications can be more easily tracked and managed. Explains how to create a special Facebook Page for your business and advertise to the greater Facebook audience.  --  Publisher Marketing

Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make This Country Work

by Jeanne Marie Laskas    (Find this book)

Five hundred feet underground, Jeanne Marie Laskas asked a coal miner named Smitty, "Do you think it's weird that people know so little about you?" He replied, "I don't think people know too much about the way the whole damn country works."
Hidden America intends to fix that. Like John McPhee and Susan Orlean, Laskas dives deep into her subjects and emerges with character-driven narratives that are gripping, funny, and revelatory. In Hidden America, the stories are about the people who make our lives run every day--and yet we barely think of them.
Laskas spent weeks in an Ohio coal mine and on an Alaskan oil rig; in a Maine migrant labor camp, a Texas beef ranch, the air traffic control tower at New York's LaGuardia Airport, a California landfill, an Arizona gun shop, the cab of a long-haul truck in Iowa, and the stadium of the Cincinnati Ben-Gals cheerleaders. Cheerleaders? Yes. They, too, are hidden America, and you will be amazed by what Laskas tells you about them: hidden no longer. -- Publisher Marketing

You Can Buy Happiness (and It's Cheap): How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life and How You Can Too

by Tammy Strobel    (Find this book)

This cheerful handbook offers the emotional and practical lessons. Strobel learned while radically downsizing her living space, disposing of most of her possessions, and simplifying her lifestyle. Through her RowdyKittens blog, Strobel and her husband have shared their transition from a generous two-bedroom apartment in 2004 to the TV-free, refrigerator-free, 128-square-foot house-on-wheels parked in a corner of a friend's Portland, Ore., yard. She makes a persuasive argument for simplification and is careful to offer advice not only to Small Living movement radicals but to anyone looking to right-size their life. Social relationships, she argues, should be both the core of personal satisfaction and a way to share resources. Additionally, Strobel urges budgeting for experiences rather than objects and finding ways to spend less time commuting and working just to pay for unnecessary goods. A list of micro-actions that anyone can do like the 100 Thing Challenge or the one in, one out rule is offered to aid in re-evaluating one's relationship with space and ownership. Although her personal choices may seem extreme, the environmental politics and magnitude of change Strobel asks of her reader is distinctly moderate, making this a practical book even for those who only want to live a little bit lighter. (Sept.) Copyright 2012 Reed Business Information. -- Publisher's Weekly

A Streetcar Named Desire [sound recording (unabridged audiobook)]

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By Tennessee Williams
"Caedmon is proud to release this archival full-cast recording of Tennessee Williams's "A Streetcar Named Desire" on cd for the first time!
Blanche DuBois arrives at her sister Stella's New Orleans apartment seeking refuge from a troubled past--but her ethereal spirit irks Stella's husband, the loutish Stanley Kowalski. Crudely, relentlessly, he unmasks the lies and delusions that sustain Blanche, until her frail hold on reality is shockingly severed.
This atmospheric recording of Tennessee Williams's powerful classic stars Rosemary Harris and James Farentino as Blanche and Stanley--roles they performed to acclaim in a smash revival at New York's Lincoln Center."  (Publisher Description)

The Price [sound recording (unabridged audiobook)]: A Drama

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By Arthur Miller

" Arthur Miller's deeply moving drama reunites two long estranged middle-aged brothers. Nostalgia and recrimination erupt as they sell off an attic full of furniture, their last link to a family and a world that no longer exist. This 1968 classic is a wrenching saga of plaintive gestures and missed opportunities. A BBC Co-production."  (Publisher Marketing)

Best Ribs Ever: 100 Killer Recipes Including Baked Beans & Finger-Lickin' Sauces ( Barbecue! Bible Cookbooks )

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"Say it loud, say it proud: the "Best Ribs Ever." The perfect single-subject cookbook for every meat-loving griller, this book, formerly titled" Ribs, Ribs, Outrageous Ribs," and updated with a menu chapter's worth of new recipes, delivers a match made in BBQ heaven: 100 lip-smackingest, mouth-wateringest, crowd-pleasingest, fall-off-the-bone recipes for every kind of rib, from the diminutive, succulent baby back to that two-hands-needed Dinosaur beef rib."Best Ribs Ever "celebrates the ingredient that epitomizes barbecue and inspires passion, obsession, and almost primal lust in griller and eater alike. And there's no one better than Steven Raichlen, America's foremost and bestselling grilling author, to preside over the religion of the rib. Here's a bone-by-bone guide to choosing, buying, and handling ribs. Eight essential techniques for prepping and cooking. The six great live-fire methods, beginning with direct grilling to spit-roasting. Plus rubbing, saucing, mopping, resting, serving. And then the recipes: Lone Star Barrel Staves. Tandoori Ribs. Buccaneer Baby Backs with Rumbullion Barbecue Sauce. Thai Sweet Chili Ribs. Maui-Style Short Ribs. Grilled Lamb Ribs with Garlic and Mint. Cousin Dave's Chocolate Chipotle Ribs. Plus the sides--the beans, the slaws, the potatoes--and, new to this edition, menus, like: Grilled Corn Fritters with Maple Syrup followed by Oak-Grilled Country Style Ribs followed by Grilled Lemon Pie."  (Publisher Marketing)

Is That a Fish in Your Ear?: Translation and the Meaning of Everything

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" Using translation as his lens, Bellos shows how much there is to learn by exploring the ways we use translation, from the historical roots of written language to the stylistic choices of Ingmar Bergman, from the United Nations General Assembly to the significance of James Cameron's "Avatar."  (Publisher Marketing)

Women's Figures: An Illustrated Guide to the Economic Progress of Women in America (2012) (2ND ed.)

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"The myth that women make 78 cents on a man s dollar is a standard refrain in popular media and serves as a rationale for affirmative action for women. Unstated is that for women and men with the same job and work experience, the wage gap practically disappears. In Women s Figures, Manhattan Senior Fellow Diana Furchtgott-Roth shatters the myth of the wage gap. Women are continuing to gain ground relative to men, and in some cases, they have even reversed the gender gap. Rather than helping women, preferential policies undermine America s idea of meritocracy, and call into question the value of women s hard-earned achievements. "(From the American Enterprise Institute Press)  (Publisher's Marketing)

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

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"Through narrative that is alternately heartbreaking and funny, readers are drawn into a daughters complex yearning for her father. Apart from assigned stints dusting caskets at the family-owned "fun home," the relationship achieves its most intimate expression through the shared code of books."  (Publisher Description)

Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama

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"There was a danger inherent in the bestselling microscopically examined autobiography of Bechdelas Fun Home, namely that further work from this highly impressive artist could disappear so far down the rabbit hole of her own mind that readers might never find their way back out. Her first book since that masterful 2006 chronicle of her closeted fatheras suicide narrowly avoids that fate, but is all the stronger for risking it. This Jungian acomic dramaa finds Bechdel investigating the quiet combat of another relationship: that of her distant, critical mother and her own tangled, self-defeating psyche. Bechdelas art has the same tightly observed aura of her earlier work, but with a deepening and loosening of style. The story, which sketches more of the authoras professional and personal life outside of her family, is spiderwebbed with anxiety and self-consciousness (aI was plagued... with a tendency to edit my thoughts before they even took shapea). Thereas a doubling-back quality, mixed with therapeutic interludes that avoid self-indulgence and are studded with references to creative mentors like Virginia Woolf (another obsessive who yet took daring creative leaps), analyst Donald Winnicott, and Alice Miller. Though perhaps not quite as perfectly composed as Fun Home, this is a fiercely honest work about the field of combat that is family."  (Publishers Weekly)

10 Things Employers Want You to Learn in College: The Skills You Need to Succeed (Revised)

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"A handy, straightforward guide that teaches students how to acquire marketable job skills and real-world know-how before they graduate--revised and updated for today's economic and academic landscapes.
Award-winning college professor and adviser Bill Coplin lays down the essential skills students need to survive and succeed in today's job market, based on his extensive interviews with employers, recruiters, HR specialists, and employed college grads. Going beyond test scores and GPAs, Coplin teaches students how to maximize their college experience by focusing on ten crucial skill groups: Work Ethic, Physical Performance, Speaking, Writing, Teamwork, Influencing People, Research, Number Crunching, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving." 10 Things Employers Want You to Learn in College" gives students the tools they need to prepare during their undergraduate years to impress potential employers, land a higher-paying job, and start on the road to career security and satisfaction."  (Publisher Description)

Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010

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By Charles Murrary
" Despite the subtitle, Murray's book is actually about class in America, not race. By zeroing in on troubling trends in white America, he keeps the focus on the country's increasing polarization along class lines, onthe growing isolation of the well-off from the poor, with each group developing radically different cultures, perspectives, and expectations from the other's. Murray provides historical context, showing that, before the 1960s, Americans of all races and classes had similar perspectives and expectations. Using census data for 1960 and 2000, Murray, coauthor of The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life (1994), shows increasing segregation of a college-educated elite living in SuperZips from those with little education, eking out a living in poor neighborhoods. Murray also shows strong divergence in education, employment, marriage, crime, and other indicators. Beyond statistics, Murray offers sketches of life lived in the upper class and the lower class and argues for the need to focus on what has made the U.S. exceptional beyond its wealth and military power, the ideals that have held a highly diverse nation together: religion, marriage, industriousness, and morality. Writing from a libertarian perspective, Murray offers a hopeful long view of elites, who have enormous influence on economic and social policy, coming to understand the peril of their disconnection from the rest of America.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)"  (Booklist)

The Poesten Kill: Waterfalls to Waterworks in the Capital District

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"The Poesten Kill" has sustained Rensselaer County communities for generations. Native Americans first gained sustenance from the stream's waters and hunted and gathered on its shores. Its wild places, large waterfalls and natural springs served as healthful inspiration to artists and adventurers. And during the nineteenth century, urban industrialists tapped its power to provide employment opportunities for Irish, German, French and Italian immigrants. John Warren paints a vivid picture of the kill, highlighting the force and wonder that have stirred naturalists and entrepreneurs for centuries."   (Publisher Description)

True Believers; A Novel

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By Kurt Andersen

"Cofounder of "Spy", former editor in chief of "New York" magazine, and cocreator and host of the award-winning Public Radio program "Studio 360", Andersen knows his way around the zeitgeist; just take a look at his two novels, "Turn of the Century" (which drew comparisons to "Bonfire of the Vanities") and the "New York Times" best-selling "Heyday". Here he returns with another cultural study, this one featuring an eminent sixtyish judge who withdraws from consideration for a Supreme Court seat because of events in her youth. Revelations about those events will tell us as much about the country as they do about the judge. With a six-city tour, an NPR campaign, a custom Facebook page, early pitches to Goodreads and LibraryThing, book club outreach, and even a thriller platform (that says something); this will be big."  (Library Journal)

"A Rich Spot of Earth": Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello

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"Hatch (director, gardens & grounds, Monticello) offers a close look at all aspects of Thomas Jefferson's terraced vegetable garden at Monticello, both past and present. He divides the book into two parts. The first richly describes the garden's history in the context of Jefferson's worldview. To Jefferson, a garden had the potential to transform society. Monticello and Jefferson come alive as Hatch describes how Jefferson designed and managed the garden in which he cultivated over 330 varieties, including new plants like okra, sea kale, eggplants, and olive trees. Readers learn, for example, that Jefferson was successful at growing hops for brewing ale but continually failed at growing grapes for wine. Hatch also devotes a chapter to his own efforts to restore the garden. The second part of the book describes the origins and uses of Monticello vegetables, listed by common name, each with its own little narrative. Well documented and researched, the work also includes hundreds of color photographs and historical images. There is also an appendix listing sources for purchasing heirloom vegetables. VERDICT Foodies, garden geeks, and history enthusiasts will enjoy this well-written and visually appealing book."   (Library Journal)

Tartuffe ( L.A. Theatre Works Audio Theatre Collections )

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"This is an audio recording of a live stage performance of Pulitzer Prize winner Wilbur's celebrated translation of one of Molière's most popular plays, a 1664 social satire exposing hypocrisy in the Catholic Church. Timing proves to be the cornerstone of this successful production as Brian Bedford, John de Lancie, Martin Jarvis, Alex Kingston, and seven other talented actors keep a steady and believable rhythm throughout their performances, responding to one another with just the right comedic timing. A fantastic listen recommended for those who enjoy full-cast productions, audio dramas, and classic satire"  (Library Journal)

Death of a Salesman ( L.A. Theatre Works Audio Theatre Collections )

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"This L.A. Theatre Works full-cast production of Millers classic play about the crashing of the American Dream is an especially poignant listen during the current financial crisis. As the Loman familys aspirations come crashing down, patriarch Willy battles his ego and his slow decline into old age, while his two boys continue to fail as men. But with money dwindling, they must make one last attempt to find financial stability. Stacy Keach offers up an admirable rendition of Willy, for whom listeners will easily feel empathy as he swings from mood to mood. Keachs emotional range and energy dominates what is already an impressive production in terms of acting, sound effects, and sound clarity. Jane Kaczmarek provides a winning performance as Linda Loman, battling against the dominating and condescending males within the family. This audio drama proves so enjoyable that a second listening will definitely be necessary."  (Publishers WEekly)

Clybourne Park : A Play

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""Clybourne Park" spans two generations fifty years apart. In 1959, Russ and Bev are selling their desirable two-bedroom at a bargain price, unknowingly bringing the first black family into the neighborhood (borrowing a plot line from Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun") and creating ripples of discontent among the cozy white residents of Clybourne Park. In 2009, the same property is being bought by a young white couple, whose plan to raze the house and start again is met with equal disapproval by the black residents of the soon-to-be-gentrified area. Are the issues festering beneath the floorboards actually the same, fifty years on? Bruce Norris's excruciatingly funny and squirm-inducing satire explores the fault line between race and property."

The Jane Austen Guide to Happily Ever After

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"Kantor reveals how the examples of such Jane Austen heroines as Elizabeth Bennett, Elinor Dashwood, and Anne Elliot can help women navigate the modern-day minefields of dating, love, relationships, and sex."

Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms: The Story of the Animals and Plants That Time Has Left Behind

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"Award-winning paleontologist Fortey, a longtime Fellow of the Royal Society formerly associated with London's Natural History Museum, is one of those rare and wonderful science writers who can make even fossils come alive. That's not just a cliché; remember "Trilobite"? Here, Fortey travels far and wide to show us the organisms and ecosystems (like the horseshoe crabs of the title) that did not get wiped out as evolution moved things along. Essential for the science-minded and delightful for the rest."  (Library Journal)

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 (Anniversary) (40TH ed.)

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"Forty years after its original publication, "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 "remains a cornerstone of American political journalism and one of the bestselling campaign books of all time. Hunter S. Thompson's searing account of the battle for the 1972 presidency--from the Democratic primaries to the eventual showdown between George McGovern and Richard Nixon--is infused with the characteristic wit, intensity, and emotional engagement that made Thompson "the flamboyant apostle and avatar of gonzo journalism" ("The New York Times"). Hilarious, terrifying, insightful, and compulsively readable, "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 "is an epic political adventure that captures the feel of the American democratic process better than any other book ever writte"

Alger Hiss: Why He Chose Treason

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"The definitive biography of infamous Soviet spy Alger Hiss by a former U.S. Intelligence analyst who confirms both Hiss' guilt and how deeply the Soviets had infiltrated the government." 

The Kissing Sailor: The Mystery Behind the Photo That Ended World War II

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"It's an iconic image, a sailor kissing a nurse in New York City's Times Square. Photographed on August 14, 1945, by legendary photojournalist Alfred Eisenstaedt and published in Life, it captures a historic moment, the end of WWII. It's a safe bet that most of the book's potential readers have seen the photograph, but who are the people in it? That's the mystery Verria and Galdorisi attempt to solve in this fascinating piece of detective work. Over the years, there have been numerous theories, and numerous people have come forward saying they are the sailor or the nurse. Verria and Galdorisi offer what they hope is undeniable proof of the unnamed couple's true identities. They make a persuasive case, assessing the validity of some of the claimants' stories, using various investigative techniques, including some very clever photographic comparisons, to zoom in on two specific persons who seem to fit the bill. Ultimately, you either accept the authors' conclusions or you don't, but you can't deny that the book provides an intriguing and unique perspective on one of the twentieth century's most memorable moments"  (Booklist)

Island Practice: Cobblestone Rash, Underground Tom, and Other Adventures of a Nantucket Doctor

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"Belluck's (health & science reporter, "New York Times") account of Tim Lepore--the only full-time surgeon in Nantucket, MA, who also plays many other roles--begins by describing boatloads of local characters. Though this device feels a bit disorienting, it mirrors Lepore's highly unpredictable life. Grim descriptions of serious medical trauma follow, but Belluck renders Lepore's humour, compassion, and pragmatism in such a way that infuses the narrative with balance and humanity. For readers who have never been to Nantucket, Belluck's writing may dissuade them from making the trip, what with the tick diseases and sporting injuries--fish-hook through the eyeball, anyone? On the other hand, her descriptions of life in the close-knit community will make readers feel as if they've summered on Nantucket for years, all under the watchful medical eye of Lepore. VERDICT This is a riveting portrait of a dynamic, headstrong physician. Medical nonfiction fans will find much to enjoy. Lepore may remind readers of Dr. Paul Farmer."  (Library Journal)

Selecting a President ( Fundamentals of American Government )

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"Clift (contributing editor, "Newsweek") and Spieler (political writer, Voterpunch.org) present the first offering in a new series on how American government works, aimed primarily at high school seniors and college freshmen. The authors concisely and objectively explain the basic structure of America's electoral system and skillfully use anecdotes from past campaigns to explore how the process has changed from the election of George Washington to that of Barack Obama. The entire chain of events from primaries to election and taking office is covered, but the authors do not get overly technical. The book does a great job of bringing election history to life through stories and examples (e.g., the down-to-the-last-ballot Bush-Gore race of 2004 and the 2008 Democratic primary race), rather than sticking with a textbook formula found in more advanced academic tomes such as Nelson W. Polsby and others' "Presidential Elections: Strategies and Structures of American Politics". VERDICT In our hot election year, this one is valuable for both high school students and adults looking for a simple explanation of the often complicated election process. Its focus makes it most appealing for current collections.-" (Booklist)

The Tea Party: A Brief History

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" Some 40 to 45 percent of Republican primary voters are Tea Party members seeking to direct the course of this year's presidential election. Yet the group that has been at the center of politics since 2009 is still not clearly defined in terms of objectives and message. Is it more concerned about shrinking the government or prodding the nation toward more conservative social values? The Tea Party has clearly pushed the political agendas of both major parties to the right, but will it have an enduring effect on American politics? Formisano offers a historical perspective, comparing the Tea Party to similar populist movements, both progressive and reactionary, of the past, from the original Boston Tea Party to the People's Party of the 1890s, from the Progressive Party of the 1920s to the Dixiecrats of the 1940s and, more recently, the parties of George Wallace and Ross Perot. He examines the conditions that gave birth to the Tea Party and whether it is genuinely grassroots or directed by corporate interests and billionaires. A helpful primer on a movement that is changing the American political landscape."  (Publishers Weekly)

Where Did the Jobs Go--And How Do We Get Them Back?: Your Guided Tour to America's Employment Crisis

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"An evenhanded discussion and study guide on unemployment. Bittle and Johnson draw on solid statistical sources including the National Association of Manufacturers, trade-union organizations, the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute and the Economic Policy Institute, and they also rely on expertise from, among others, Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman of Princeton, Nouriel Roubini of NYU's Stern School and Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. The authors provide a scrupulous analysis of the many problems caused by the unemployment crisis, as well as possible solutions. Bittle and Johnson rightly place a great deal of responsibility on the backs of readers: "If you've been reading along carefully, you probably have your own checklist of criteria for judging what's likely to hurt or help on jobs." Just in case, though, they provide a list of "considerations [they] think are vital." The authors encourage readers to review past mistakes and successes in order to be better prepared to assimilate what is to come. In that vein, they provide a useful historical discussion of the 1930s Depression and FDR's WPA program, as well as estimates of the financial costs of possible solutions and the ramifications for other sectors of American society. Joblessness affects consumer spending, government programs and citizens' ability to purchase homes, write the authors. Fortunately they provide a helpful series of options to ensure that "the greatest number of people have the greatest possible chance to get ahead." The authors intended to "help voters sift through the political rhetoric" to better understand and face the unemployment crisis. Mission accomplished."(Kirkus)

The Great Northern Express: A Writer's Journey Home

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" An acclaimed novelist's cross-country, "Great American Book Tour," woven with quaint recollections of teaching in northern Vermont as well as enthusiasm for trout fishing. Following radiation treatment for cancer, the then-65-year-old Mosher (Walking to Gatlinburg, 2010, etc.) embarked on a road trip inspired by a childhood promise that also coincided with the publication of a new novel. Forays in cities included stops at notable independent bookshops, from Prairie Lights to Powell's; near-escapes with wildlife; anecdotal encounters with Oliver Sacks as well as Harry Potter fans; musings on landscapes; and conversations with locals characterized by humorous, occasionally larger-than-life traits. In three sections ("Faith," "Hope" and "Love"), Mosher threads the uncertainty of his pre-novelist days with the foibles of now being an accomplished yet realistic, humble author. Rather than presenting a linear career story, he refreshingly alternates chapters between past and present. With equal aplomb, Mosher also looks back at challenges such as moving a piano, raucous motel patrons, rest-stop brawlers, limited audiences that included only the staff that organized the event and being mistaken for homeless. He also skillfully highlights memories that emphasize neighborly relationships. Chapters on Vermont are noteworthy for the recurrent theme of discovering simpler pleasures and searching for stories amid colorful lives. Fleeting conversations with imaginary characters may strike some readers as overly whimsical, and the digressive story about an inheritance is distracting. Still, Mosher provides a genial reminder that adventures are possible at any age. One man's appreciation for curious experiences, portrayed with self-effacing wit; best suited for fans of the author's work."  (Kirkus)

Who Gets What: Fair Compensation After Tragedy and Financial Upheaval

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"Agent Orange, the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, the Virginia Tech massacre, the 2008 financial crisis, and the Deep Horizon gulf oil spill: each was a disaster in its own right. What they had in common was their aftermath--each required compensation for lives lost, bodies maimed, livelihoods wrecked, economies and ecosystems upended. In each instance, an objective third party had to step up and dole out allocated funds: in each instance, Presidents, Attorneys General, and other public officials have asked Kenneth R. Feinberg to get the job done.
In "Who Gets What?," Feinberg reveals the deep thought that must go into each decision, not to mention the most important question that arises after a tragedy: why compensate at all? The result is a remarkably accessible discussion of the practical and philosophical problems of using money as a way to address wrongs and reflect individual worth."  (Publisher Description)

American Cancer Society Complete Guide to Family Caregiving: The Essential Guide to Cancer Caregiving at Home (Second Edition)

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"Help for the helpers. Definitive guidebook from the cancer experts is tailored to educate caregivers in managing daily life, emergency situations, and maintaining one's own health and quality of life."

100 Questions & Answers about Prostate Cancer

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" Questions & Answers About Prostate Cancer Provides Authoritative And Practical Answers To The Most Common Questions Asked By Patients And Their Loved Ones. Providing Both Doctor And Patient Perspectives, This Easy-To-Read Book Is A Comprehensive Guide To The Basics Of Prostate Cancer, Risk Factors And Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment, Survivorship, And Life After Diagnosis. Written By Dr. Pamela Ellsworth, A Prominent Urologist And Best-Selling Author, Questions & Answers About Prostate Cancer Is An Invaluable Resource For Anyone Interested In Learning What To Expect After Being Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer."

The Everything Guide to Foraging: Identifying, Harvesting, and Cooking Nature's Wild Fruits and Vegetables

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"If you're searching for the freshest fruits and vegetables to add to your diet, you don't have to look any further than your own backyard! With dozens of detailed illustrations, color photos, and more than 150 tasty recipes, this guide is your ultimate one-stop reference for identifying and harvesting the wild fruits and vegetables that grow in fields, forests, and even on your own lawn. Inside you'll find:

• In-depth descriptions of edible plants, including their likely locations
• Easy and delicious recipes for your wild harvest
• A primer on careful foraging techniques and conservation ethics
• Essential information on poisonous look-alikes

From clover and cattails to milkweed and mustard, this book will teach you how to collect and prepare some of the most common--and delicious--feral plants in America. And, more than just a way to a fantastic meal, this book will guide you to both a newfound confidence in your own abilities, as well as a greater appreciation of the natural world."

Vegan Holiday Kitchen: More Than 200 Delicious, Festive Recipes for Special Occasions

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"This exciting, inviting cookbook by veteran author Atlas brilliantly fills the biggest gap in the vegan repertoire with more than 200 delectable recipes for every festive occasion. The author, one of the most respected names in vegetarian and vegan cooking, addresses everything from Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas--to celebratory brunches, lunches, dinners, potlucks, and buffets."

Good Housekeeping Simple Vegan!: Delicious Meat-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes Every Family Will Love

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"Whether you're embracing a vegan lifestyle, adding a few vegan dishes to your meal plan, or cooking for a guest, this book is your road map to delicious vegan food! From Pumpkin Waffles to Polenta with Spicy Eggplant Sauce to Deep Chocolate Cupcakes (and even Mac and Cheese!), this tasty collection offers 100 irresistible recipes the whole family will love-all triple-tested by the Good Housekeeping test kitchens."

Vegan Junk Food: 225 Sinful Snacks That Are Good for the Soul

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"Did you know that Fruit Loops, Baked Lay's Potato Chips, and Cracker Jacks are vegan? Going vegan doesn't mean you have to only eat broccoli and tofu. It doesn't mean you have to eat "healthy" all the time. Most importantly, it doesn't mean you have to give up on eating just for fun. Everyone likes to pig out every now and then and vegans crave salt, sugar, and comfort food just like the rest of us. "Vegan Junk Food" provides 225 delicious recipes like: Barbecue "Chicken" Pizza; Chocolate Raspberry Muffins; Vegan Whoopie Pies; Hawaiian Rum Cake; "Bacon" Wrapped Water Chestnuts; and Jalapeno Poppers. With 2 inserts of full-colour photos, "Vegan Junk Food" will have readers hungry for more!"

Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon

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"What would happen if you asked eighteen top writers who don't normally write about Sherlock Holmes, to write about Sherlock Holmes? What if you wrote to them, saying: "In 19th century England, a new kind of hero--a consulting detective--blossomed in the mind of an underemployed doctor and ignited the world's imagination. In the thirteen decades since "A Study in Scarlet "first appeared, countless variations on that theme have been played, from Mary Russell to Greg House, from 'Basil of Baker Street' to the new BBC Holmes-in-the-Internet-age.""We suspect that you have in the back of your mind a story that plays a variation on the Holmes theme...."" "And what if these great writers read that proposal and decided that yes, they did have that kind of tale in the back of their minds? The result is "A Study in Sherlock, Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon," with stories by Alan Bradley, Tony Broadbent, Jan Burke, Lionel Chetwynd, Lee Child, Colin Cotterill, Neil Gaiman, Laura Lippman, Gayle Lynds and John Sheldon, Phillip and Jerry Margolin, Margaret Maron, Thomas Perry, S. J. Rozan, Dana Stabenow, Charles Todd, and Jacqueline Winspear."

Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency

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"A comprehensive oral history of Johnson's presidency is presented in the words of the president and some of his closest associates, offering insight into his perspectives on the sweeping changes affecting his time."

Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars

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"From Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ingrassia comes an American cultural history that explores how cars have both propelled and reflected the national experience--from the Model T to the Prius."

Women from the Ankle Down: The Story of Shoes and How They Define Us

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"Part social history, part fashion record, part pop-culture celebration, "Women from the Ankle Down" seeks to explain women's fascination with shoes, as it unfolds the story of shoes in the twentieth century."