Home The Final Frontier: A Close to Home Collection by John McPherson, 128 pages

 These characters' eyes bug out--and whose wouldn't! In the world that's Close to Home, amazing things usually happen. Like the Zalcon Pest Control man who finds beaver dams in his client's bathtub. "That explains the missing legs to your coffee table," the expert says. Or the surprised couple who watches as a bus unloads in their front yard with a banner blazing "The Relatives of Ed & Sue Vosburg Totally Unannounced Tour."

In this Close to Home collection, Home: The Final Frontier, cartoonist John McPherson draws a side of life that's way out there, revealing his bizarre take on wild and wacky situations that just might happen in a parallel universe. His quirky style alone makes fans double over, but McPherson's sly observations keep them laughing long afterwards.

You Can't Fight Crazy by Darby Conley, 128 pages

  This new Get Fuzzy collection is perfect for fans of the comic strip and a hilarious, if not-so-gentle, introduction for new fans.

 The daily comic strip Get Fuzzy is cartoonist Darby Conley's wry portrait of single life with pets. The gang is back to endure the trials and tribulations typical of any family . . . more or less.

 At the center of the mischief is Rob Wilco, a single, mild-mannered ad executive and the guardian of Bucky and Satchel. Bucky is a temperamental cat who clearly wears the pants in their eccentric household, while Satchel is a gentle, sensitive pooch who struggles to remain neutral, almost guaranteeing he'll wind up on the receiving end of whatever trouble Bucky has cooked up.

Clean Up on Aisle Stupid by Darby Conley, 128 pages

 Welcome to the quirky - and always eccentric - household of human Rob Wilco. While his existence as an ad executive would be bland under normal circumstances, one mangy, temperamental cat and one docile dog make it anything but. In this Get Fuzzy collection, the ever-popular pairing of mischievous Bucky Katt and tolerant pooch Satchel return to comically define the separation between animal instinct and human nature.

Betty and Veronica Double Digest #105, 226 pages

 

Is Sex Necessary? by James Thurber and E. B. White, 191 pages

 A humourous look at Sex, from Frigidity in Men, to six day bicycle racing as a sex substitute, and the Classic what should children tell their parents?.

How My World Turns by Eileen Fulton & Brett Bolton, 285 pages

 Eileen Fulton played Lisa on "As the World Turns" for decades. This is her story.

Tales From the Tent: Jessie's Journey Continues by Jess Smith, 225 pages

 In Tales from the Tent, Jess Smith—Scottish traveller, hawker, gypsy, 'gan-about' and storyteller—continues the unforgettable story of her life on the road. Unable to adjust to settled life working in a factory after leaving school, she finds herself drawn once again to the wild countryside of Scotland. Having grown up on the road in an old blue bus with her parents and seven sisters, Jessie now joins her family in caravans, stopping to rest in campsites and lay-bys as they follow work around the country—berry-picking, hay-stacking, ragging, fortune-telling and hawking. Making the most of their freedom, Jessie and her family continue the traditional way of life that is disappearing before their eyes, wandering the roads and byways, sharing tales and living on the edge of 'acceptable' society. Intertwined with the story of Jessie's loveable but infuriating family, incorrigible friends, first loves and first losses are her 'tales from the tent', a collection of folklore from the traveller's world, tales of romance, mythical beasts, dreams, ghostly apparitions and strange encounters.

The Fuzzy Bunch by Darby Conley, 128 pages

 Get Fuzzy is THE strip for pet lovers who know that if their own cats and dogs could talk, they would speak Buckyese and Satchelese.House cats are known to be aloof, but “cat-titude” reaches new heights in Get Fuzzy, the bitingly hilarious comic strip from cartoonist Darby Conley. Get Fuzzy is a wry portrait of single life, with pets. At the center of this warm and fuzzy romp is Rob Wilco, a single, mild-mannered ad executive and guardian of anthropomorphic scamps Bucky and Satchel. Bucky is a temperamental cat who clearly wears the pants in this eccentric household. Satchel is a gentle pooch who tries to remain neutral, but frequently ends up on the receiving end of Bucky's mischief. Together, this unlikely trio endures all the trials and tribulations of a typical family... more or less.

Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World by Dan Koeppel, 281 pages

In this fascinating and surprising exploration of the banana’s history, cultural significance, and endangered future, award-winning journalist Dan Koeppel gives readers plenty of food for thought. Fast-paced and highly entertaining, Banana takes us from jungle to supermarket, from corporate boardrooms to kitchen tables around the world. We begin in the Garden of Eden—examining scholars’ belief that Eve’s “apple” was actually a banana— and travel to early-twentieth-century Central America, where aptly named “banana republics” rose and fell over the crop, while the companies now known as Chiquita and Dole conquered the marketplace. Koeppel then chronicles the banana’s path to the present, ultimately—and most alarmingly—taking us to banana plantations across the globe that are being destroyed by a fast-moving blight, with no cure in sight—and to the high-tech labs where new bananas are literally being built in test tubes, in a race to save the world’s most beloved fruit.

The Emigrants by Vilhelm Moberg, 366 pages

 Considered one of Sweden's greatest 20th-century writers, Vilhelm Moberg created Karl Oskar and Kristina Nilsson to portray the joys and tragedies of daily life for early Swedish pioneers in America. His consistently faithful depiction of these humble people's lives is a major strength of the Emigrant Novels.

Moberg's extensive research in the papers of Swedish emigrants in archival collections, including the Minnesota Historical Society, enabled him to incorporate many details of pioneer life. First published between 1949 and 1959 in Swedish, these four books were considered a single work by Moberg, who intended that they be read as documentary novels. These editions contain introductions written by Roger McKnight, Gustavus Adolphus College, and restore Moberg's bibliography not included in earlier English editions.

Book 1 introduces Karl Oskar and Kristina Nilsson, their three young children, and eleven others who make up a resolute party of Swedes fleeing the poverty, religious persecution, and social oppression of Sm�land in 1850.

The Birth of Canis by Darby Conley, 128 pages

 Bucky, Satchel, and Rob are back for more madness and mayhem. And the world couldn't be happier! Darby Conley's previous titles include two New York Times best-sellers. Bucky Katt is a rather obstinate Siamese who constantly battles his "owner" Rob for control of their home. Satchel Pooch, the Labrador-Shar-pei mix who's sweet and lovable, makes a nice lackey for Bucky. Bucky knows he's smarter than everyone else; it's just a matter of convincing the rest of the world. Satchel always tries to do the right thing but very often ends up the brunt of Bucky's antics. Rob Wilco is a bachelor trying to regain household domesticity. Together, this seemingly typical threesome gets into some less-than-typical but hilarious situations. There's never a dull moment at the Wilco residence.

Bite Me by Shelly Laurenston, 385 pages

 Livy Kowalski has no time for idiots. When you shapeshift into a honey badger, getting through life’s irritants is a finely honed skill. Until she gets stuck housing her nutso cousin and dealing with her dad’s untimely and unexplained demise.

That’s where Vic Barinov comes in—or his house does. Vic can’t step outside without coming back to find Livy devouring his honey stash and getting the TV remote sticky. It gets his animal instincts all riled up. But he’ll have to woo her at high speed: all hell is breaking loose, and Livy is leading the charge… 

The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert, 352 pages

 Cherry Neita is thirty, flirty, and done with men. As far as she can tell, they’re overrated, overpaid, and underperforming – in every area of life. But a girl has needs, and the smoking-hot stranger she just met at the office seems like the perfect one-night stand…

Prince Ruben of Helgmøre is reckless, dominant, and famously filthy. The outcast royal is rebuilding his reputation – all for a good cause – but he can’t resist a pretty face. And bossy whirlwind Cherry’s got the face, the body, and the attitude to make Ruben’s convictions crumble. Even better, when she propositions him, she has no idea who he really is.

But when paparazzi catch the pair, erm, kissing in an alleyway, Ruben’s anonymity disappears faster than Cherry’s knickers. Now the press is in uproar, the palace is outraged, and Ruben’s reputation is back in the gutter. There’s only one way to turn this disaster around – and it involves Cherry, some big fat lies, and a flashy diamond ring. On her left hand.

Unfortunately, Cherry isn’t pleased with Ruben’s ‘fake engagement’ scheme… and neither is the king.

Freak Babylon: An Illustrated History of Teratology & Freakshows by Jack Hunter, 175 pages

 FREAK BABYLON is a sometimes startling, sometimes disturbing documentary of the history of one of mankind's most fascinating sciences - teratology - and its dubious cultural correlative, the Freakshow, from ancient times to the present day. The book features over 200 rare and intriguing photos of human anomalies and covers the areas of scientific research, sideshows, cinema and body modification. By tracing the history of teratology - the classification of human anomalies - and looking at some famous case histories such as the Elephant Man and Johnny Eck, FREAK BABYLON shows how medical research and exploitation are often interlinked - and poses the question whether new sciences of cloning and genetic engineering are taking us back to the "dark days" of man-made freaks. Bonus features include: "The Elephant Man" by Sir Frederick Treves. Long out-of-print, this is the true account which inspired David Lynch's film of the same name. "Dissection of a Symelian Monster" by R C Benington. A classic illustrated account of an autopsy on a real-life human anomaly, from 1891 medical journals. An in-depth illustrated review of the controversial 1932 horror film Freaks, directed by Tod Browning. Tod Robbins' classic short story "Spurs," which inspired Browning's Freaks.

Curious Mements by Hendrik Neubauer, 719 pages

 Curious Moments provides a public stage for private individuals from the first half of the 20th century. The press photographer tracks down the ideas and inventions, desires and fantasies, vision and illusions of earlier generation. Here, the reader will certainly find old friends or distant relatives.

The Arrivals by Meg Mitchell Moore, 324 pages

 Two empty nesters living a quiet life have their lives changed overnight as each of their children returns home to recover under the guidance of their parents in this story of relationships and familial connections.

It's early summer when Ginny and William's peaceful life in Vermont comes to an abrupt halt.

First, their daughter Lillian arrives, with her two children in tow, to escape her crumbling marriage. Next, their son Stephen and his pregnant wife Jane show up for a weekend visit, which extends indefinitely when Jane ends up on bed rest. When their youngest daughter Rachel appears, fleeing her difficult life in New York, Ginny and William find themselves consumed again by the chaos of parenthood -- only this time around, their children are facing adult problems.

By summer's end, the family gains new ideas of loyalty and responsibility, exposing the challenges of surviving the modern family -- and the old adage, once a parent, always a parent, has never rung so true.

The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhak, 367 pages

 Brunhild was a Spanish princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet—in the 6th-century Merovingian Empire, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport—these two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms for decades, changing the face of Europe.

The two queens commanded armies and negotiated with kings and popes. They formed coalitions and broke them, mothered children and lost them. They fought a years-long civil war—against each other. With ingenuity and skill, they battled to stay alive in the game of statecraft, and in the process laid the foundations of what would one day be Charlemagne’s empire. Yet after Brunhild and Fredegund’s deaths—one gentle, the other horrific—their stories were rewritten, their names consigned to slander and legend.

In The Dark Queens, award-winning writer Shelley Puhak sets the record straight. She resurrects two very real women in all their complexity, painting a richly detailed portrait of an unfamiliar time and striking at the roots of some of our culture’s stubbornest myths about female power. The Dark Queens offers proof that the relationships between women can transform the world.

Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters, 381 pages

 Convinced that the tomb of the little-known king Tutankhamon lies somewhere in the Valley of the Kings, eminent Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson and his intrepid wife, Amelia Peabody, seem to have hit a wall. Having been banned forever from the East Valley, Emerson, against Amelia's advice, has tried desperately to persuade Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter to relinquish their digging rights. But Emerson's trickery has backfired, and his insistent interest in the site has made his rivals all the more determined to keep the Emerson clan away.

Powerless to intervene but determined to stay close to the unattainable tomb, the family returns to Luxor and prepares to continue their dig in the less promising West Valley—and to watch from the sidelines as Carter and Carnarvon "discover" the greatest Egyptian treasure of all time: King Tut's tomb. But before their own excavation can get underway, Emerson and his son, Ramses, find themselves lured into a trap by a strange group of villains ominously demanding "Where is he?" Driven by distress—and, of course, Amelia's insatiable curiosity—the Emersons embark on a quest to uncover who "he" is and why "he" must be found, only to discover that the answer is uncomfortably close to home. Now Amelia must find a way to protect her family—and perhaps even her would-be nemesis—from the sinister forces that will stop at nothing to succeed in the nefarious plot that threatens the peace of the entire region.

The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told edited by Tom McCarthy, 274 pages

 Guilty as charged. If reading true crime is a guilty pleasure, this collection of stunning heists and unspeakable murders from the front pages of history will leave no doubt about the verdict. Three unsuspecting men's lives cut short at the hands of their lovers in Gangland Chicago, a mysterious and murderous trapper chased across unforgiving Arctic mountains in sub-zero temperatures, a notorious band of outlaws' ill-fated bank robbery, a little-known but starkly detailed look at Lizzie Borden's handiwork with her famous ax, a body in a trunk and a suspect halfway across the world thinking he's pulled it off are among the enticing and unsettling tales in this arresting collection. Here are stories sure to intrigue and shock readers and put them on the edges of their seats. That's the point after all, and The Greatest Crime Stories Ever Told will not disappoint. From a first-person account of the infamous Lufthansa robbery that netted millions, to the beguiling society bank robber so confident he broke into the same New York City bank twice to pull off the biggest haul in history, to the mysterious and brutal murders of a quiet farm family in a close-knit but suspicious community that offered an unusual number of suspects, The Greatest Crime Stories Ever Told is a fascinating and darkly enticing contribution to the wildly popular true crime genre. Here are not only the suspects, obvious or not, but the detectives who wanted them in prison and were willing to put their own lives at risk to do so. Did the perpetrators get away with their perfidies? Did the rule of law prevail in the end? Were the right people caught and prosecuted? Readers will have to decide for themselves.

A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan, 880 pages

 The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Elayne, Aviendha, and Mat come ever closer to the bowl ter'angreal that may reverse the world's endless heat wave and restore natural weather. Egwene begins to gather all manner of women who can channel--Sea Folk, Windfinders, Wise Ones, and some surprising others. And above all, Rand faces the dread Forsaken Sammael, in the shadows of Shadar Logoth, where the blood-hungry mist, Mashadar, waits for prey.

Caramel Pecan Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke, 419 pages

 Embracing a sweet escape from her usual routine at The Cookie Jar, Hannah gets asked for her help in baking pastries at the local inn for a flashy fishing competition with big prizes and even bigger names. But the fun stops when she spots a runway boat on the water and, on board, the lifeless body of the event’s renowned celebrity spokesperson…

Famed TV show host Sonny Bowman wasn’t humble about his ability to reel in winning catches, and no one knew that better than his tragically overworked sidekick, Joey. Did Joey finally take bloody revenge on his pompous boss—or was Sonny killed by a jealous contestant?

With goodies to bake and a mess of fresh challenges mixed into her personal life, it’s either sink or swim as Hannah joins forces with her sister, Andrea, to catch a clever culprit before another unsuspecting victim goes belly up…

Herland and Related Writings by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 270 pages

 Herland is the account of a female utopia that has been called 'a woman's answer to H.G Wells'. Three explorers stumble on a community of women living in the Amazon rainforest, in a land without class divisions, war, greed, lust or hatred.

The Rescuers by Margery Sharp, 149 pages

MISS BIANCA IS A WHITE MOUSE OF GREAT BEAUTY and supreme self-confidence, who, courtesy of her excellent young friend, the ambassador’s son, resides luxuriously in a porcelain pagoda painted with violets, primroses, and lilies of the valley. Miss Bianca would seem to be a pampered creature, and not, you would suppose, the mouse to dispatch on an especially challenging and extraordinarily perilous mission. However, it is precisely Miss Bianca that the Prisoners’ Aid Society picks for the job of rescuing a Norwegian poet imprisoned in the legendarily dreadful Black Castle (we all know, don’t we, that mice are the friends of prisoners, tending to their needs in dungeons and oubliettes everywhere). Miss Bianca, after all, is a poet too, and in any case she is due to travel any day now by diplomatic pouch to Norway. There Miss Bianca will be able to enlist one Nils, known to be the bravest mouse in the land, in a desperate and daring endeavor that will take them, along with their trusty companion Bernard, across turbulent seas and over the paws and under the maws of cats into one of the darkest places known to man or mouse. It will take everything they’ve got and a good deal more to escape
with their own lives, not to mention the poet.

Never Fall For Your Fiancee by Virginia Heath, 338 pages

 The last thing Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, ever wants is a wife. Unfortunately for him, his mother is determined to find him one, even from across the other side of the ocean. So, Hugh invents a fake fiancée to keep his mother’s matchmaking ways at bay. But when Hugh learns his interfering mother is on a ship bound for England, he realizes his complicated, convoluted but convenient ruse is about to implode. Until he collides with a beautiful woman, who might just be the miracle he needs.

Minerva Merriwell has had to struggle to support herself and her two younger sisters ever since their feckless father abandoned them. Work as a woodcut engraver is few and far between, and the Merriwell sisters are nearly penniless. So, when Hugh asks Minerva to pose as his fiancée while his mother is visiting, she knows that while the scheme sounds ludicrous, the offer is too good to pass up.

Once Minerva and her sisters arrive at Hugh's estate, of course, nothing goes according to his meticulous plan. As hilarity and miscommunication ensue, while everyone tries to keep their tangled stories straight, Hugh and Minerva’s fake engagement starts to turn into a real romance. But can they trust each other, when their relationship started with a lie?