The Great Brain at the Academy by John D. Fitzgerald, 164 pages

 Everyone knew that Tom Fitzgerald, alias The Great Brain, would get into trouble when he went off to school at the strict Catholic Academy for Boys in Salt Lake City. But no one--including Tom--knew just how much. His tongue got him into fifteen demerits worth of difficulty the very first day, but his great brain refused to be defeated as Tom set out to outwit the eighth grade, the superintendent, and finally the bishop of the state of Utah. Whether it's running an illegal candy store or earning a reputation as the fastest potato peeler in the world or introducing the newfangled sport of basketball at the academy, Tom's great brain never falters. And his money-making schemes rise to new heights--or depths--faced with the challenge of rigorous boarding-school life.

How McGruff and the Crying Indian Changed America: A History of the Iconic Ad Council Campaigns by Wendy Melillo, 226 pages

 How McGruff and the Crying Indian Changed America: A History of Iconic Ad Council Campaigns details how public service advertising campaigns became part of our national conversation and changed us as a society. The Ad Council began during World War II as a propaganda arm of President Roosevelt's administration to preserve its business interests. Happily for the ad industry, it was a double play: the government got top-notch work; the industry got an insider relationship that proved useful when warding off regulation. From Rosie the Riveter to Smokey Bear to McGruff the Crime Dog, How McGruff and the Crying Indian Changed America explores the issues and campaigns that have been paramount to the nation's collective memory and looks at challenges facing public service campaigns in the current media environment.

The Best of the Rejection Collection: 297 Cartoons That Were Too Dark, or Too Weird or Too Dirty For the New Yorker, 384 pages

 They’re back: the funniest cartoons you’ll never see in The New Yorker. Now in its second edition, The Best of the Rejection Collection has 20% new cartoons, new contributors, and a new introduction by the author—all now in a more compact trim size. But not everything’s changed—the new edition keeps 100% of the genius-without-restraint quality that caused Eustace Tilley to hold his nose and turn away when these cartoons were originally submitted.       

It doesn’t matter if the artist is Roz Chast or Ellis Rosen or Amy Hwang or David Sipress—even Matthew Diffee, the curator of this very collection, isn’t exempt. If the work in question is too weird, too dark, too naughty, too juvenile, or too outrageous, it will be rejected. Fortunately for us, Matthew Diffee rescued these cartoons from the circular file to share with the world, and what a treat it is. The setups are familiar—a couple in bed. A ventriloquist and his dummy. A few people stranded on a desert island. Doctor and patient in the examining room. But the jokes are anything but, with a twist so unexpected—sometimes shocking—you can’t help but laugh out loud.

Hundreds and hundreds of cartoons pour into The New Yorker cartoon office every week, and most are rejected. Only Matt Diffee has had the unflinching heroism to sort through these hilarious rejects. Lucky us!
 
• The Best of the Rejection Collection returns with 20% new material, celebrating the funniest cartoons you never saw in The New Yorker
• It’s the cream of the crap, from Roz Chast, Gahan Wilson, Sam Gross, Jack Zeigler, David Sipress, and more

Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright, 124 pages

 A few hours after nine-year-old Garnet Linden finds a silver thimble in the dried-up riverbed, the rains come and end the long drought on the farm. The rains bring safety for the crops and the livestock, and money for Garnet's father. Garnet can't help feeling that the thimble is a magic talisman, for the summer proves to be interesting and exciting in so many different ways.

There is the arrival of Eric, an orphan who becomes a member of the Linden family; the building of a new barn; and the county fair at which Garnet's carefully tended pig, Timmy, wins a blue ribbon. Every day brings adventure of some kind to Garnet and her best friend, Citronella. As far as Garnet is concerned, the thimble is responsible for each good thing that happens during this magic summer-- her thimble summer.

Unsolved Mysteries of World War II: From Nazi Ghost Trains and Toyoko Rose to the Day Los Angeles Was Attacked by Phantom Fighters by Michael Fitzgerald, 256 pages

 During World War II, many deeply mysterious events took place in the fog and chaos of conflict. These were classified, hushed up and kept from the public eye, and yet with the recent opening of secret archives, new light has been shed on these strange circumstances. This brilliant book fills you in on these unsolved cases, teasing fact from fiction.

Topics include:
• The lost treasure of the Amber Room - a masterpiece made from 5,900 kg of amber which was supposedly spirited away to a secret location and never uncovered since.
• The Man Who Never Was - a corpse dressed in military uniform, fitted out with fake documents who was deliberately allowed to fall into Nazi hands. His real identity is still disputed.
• The murder of socialite and possible spy, Jane Horney. Her body was never discovered, and many believed she swapped identities with her friend and lookalike before her disappearance.

Within these pages the reader will also discover the secrets of the Nazi Ghost Trains; the 17 British soldiers at Auschwitz; and 'the curse of Timur's Tomb'. These intriguing and often chilling conspiracies and subterfuges will leave you stunned.

Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright, 256 pages

 Summer has a magic all its own.

When Portia sets out for a visit with her cousin Julian, she expects fun and adventure, but of the usual kind: exploring in the woods near Julian's house, collecting stones and bugs, playing games throughout the long, lazy days.

But this summer is different.

On their first day exploring, Portia and Julian discover an enormous boulder with a mysterious message, a swamp choked with reeds and quicksand, and on the far side of the swamp...a ghost town.

Once upon a time the swamp was a splendid lake, and the fallen houses along its shore an elegant resort community. But though the lake is long gone and the resort faded away, the houses still hold a secret life: two people who have never left Gone-Away...and who can tell the story of what happened there.

The Angel Makers: Arsenic, A Midwife, and Modern History's Most Astonishing Murder Ring by Patti McCracken, 316 page

 The Angel Makers is a true-crime story like no other--a 1920s midwife who may have been the century's most prolific killer leading a murder ring of women responsible for the deaths of at least 160 men.

The horror occurred in a rustic farming enclave in modern-day Hungary. To look at the unlikely lineup of murderesses--village wives, mothers, and daughters--was to come to the shocking realization that this could have happened anywhere, and to anyone. At the center of it all was a sharp-minded village midwife, a "smiling Buddha" known as Auntie Suzy, who distilled arsenic from flypaper and distributed it to the women of Nagyrév. "Why are you bothering with him?" Auntie Suzy would ask, as she produced an arsenic-filled vial from her apron pocket. In the beginning, a great many used the deadly solution to finally be free of cruel and abusive spouses.

But as the number of dead bodies grew without consequence, the killers grew bolder. With each vial of poison emptied, a new reason surfaced to drain yet another. Some women disposed of sickly relatives. Some used arsenic as "inheritance powder" to secure land and houses. For more than fifteen years, the unlikely murderers aided death unfettered and tended to it as if it were simply another chore--spooning doses of arsenic into soup and wine, stirring it into coffee and brandy. By the time their crimes were discovered, hundreds were feared dead.

Anonymous notes brought the crimes to light in 1929. As a skillful prosecutor hungry for justice ran the investigation, newsmen from around the world--including the New York Times--poured in to cover the dramatic events as they unfolded.

The Angel Makers captures in expertly researched detail the entirety of this harrowing story, from the early murders to the final hanging--the story of one of the most sensational and astonishing murder rings in all of modern history.

Magic and the Modern Girl by Mindy Klasky, 411 pages

 Men come and go, but magic is forever…right?

Wrong. After a few months of letting witchcraft slide, Jane Madison discovers that not using her powers has her rapidly losing them. Meanwhile, her warder is avoiding her, her familiar has moved out, her mother is abandoning her again and her grandmother is…getting married? With her world turned topsy-turvy, Jane is at her wits' end trying to set things right. Staking everything on a last-ditch spell that backfires spectacularly, Jane is left full of questions. Will her powers return? Will she find true love? Will she talk her grandmother out of orange and silver bridesmaids' dresses?

What magic does the future hold for this modern girl?

Tales to Keep You Up at Night by Dan Poblocki, 272 pages

 Amelia is cleaning out her grandmother's attic when she stumbles across a book: Tales to Keep You Up at Night. But when she goes to the library to return it, she's told that the book never belonged there. Curious, she starts to read the stories: tales of strange incidents in nearby towns, of journal entries chronicling endless, twisting pumpkin vines, birthday parties gone awry, and cursed tarot decks. And at the center of the stories lies a family of witches. And witches, she's told, can look like anyone...

As elements from the stories begin to come to life around her, and their eerie connections become clear, Amelia begins to realize that she may be in a spooky story of her own...

With hair-raising, spine-chilling prose, Dan Poblocki delivers a collection of interconnected stories that, if you're anything like Amelia, is sure to keep you up late in the night.

Butcher's Work: True Crime Tales of American Murder and Madness by Harold Schechter, 270 pages

 A Civil War veteran who perpetrated one of the most ghastly mass slaughters in the annals of U.S. crime. A nineteenth-century female serial killer whose victims included three husbands and six of her own children. A Gilded Age “Bluebeard” who did away with as many as fifty wives throughout the country. A decorated World War I hero who orchestrated a murder that stunned Jazz Age America. While other infamous homicides from the same eras—the Lizzie Borden slayings, for example, or the “thrill killing” committed by Leopold and Loeb—have entered into our cultural mythology, these four equally sensational crimes have largely faded from public memory. A quartet of gripping historical true-crime narratives, Butcher’s Work restores these once-notorious cases to vivid, dramatic life.

World of Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics #9, 181 pages

 

Glow by Raven Kennedy, 705 pages

 "I was nothing but a road to Midas. A means to get to where he wanted to go, and I paved that path in gold."

My life has been made up of gilded lies. But death has been shaped from rot.
Like a phoenix caught fire, I will need to rise from the ashes and learn to wield my own power. Because my wings may have been clipped, but I am not in a cage, and I'm finally free to fly from the frozen kingdoms I've been kept in. Yet the world doesn't want to let me.
That's the thing when you turn against a king—everyone else turns against you.
Good thing I have a different king in my corner.
But even with the dark threat of Slade Ravinger, the other monarchs are coming for me.
So I will fight for him and he will kill for me, and if we need to become the villains, then so be it.
Because so long as I live in this world, I won't be used again.

Mountains of the Pharaohs by Zahi Hawass, 213 pages

 The great pyramids of Giza have intrigued humanity for thousands of years. Questions about the construction and the purpose of these majestic monuments have existed since the middle period of ancient Egyptian civilization, but recent cutting-edge research has uncovered information about how and why they were built. In Mountains of the Pharaohs, Zahi Hawass, a world-renowned archaeologist and the official guardian of Egypt’s timeless treasures, weaves the latest archaeological data and an enthralling family history into spellbinding narrative.

Nearly five thousand years ago, the 4th Dynasty of Egypt’s Old Kingdom reigned over a highly advanced civilization. Believed to be gods, the royal family lived amid colossal palaces and temples built to honor them and their deified ancestors. Hawass brings these extraordinary historical figures to life, spinning a soap opera–like saga complete with murder, incest, and the triumphant ascension to the throne of one of only four queens ever to rule Egypt.

The magnificent pyramids attest not only to the dynasty’s supreme power, but also to the engineering expertise and architectural sophistication that flourished under their rule. Hawass argues that the pyramids—including the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still standing—were built by skilled craftsmen who took great pride in their work.

The Madness of Cambyses by Herodotus, 55 pages

 'Do you see your son, standing over there, in the antechamber? Well, I am going to shoot him.'

The story of the great and mad Cambyses, King of Persia, told by part-historian, part-mythmaker Herodotus of Halicarnassus.

Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.

Herodotus (c.484-425 BCE)

Sorcery and the Single Girl by Mindy Klasky, 394 pages

 Unfortunately, nose-wiggling doesn't cut it in real life. So witch or not, Jane Madison must deal with her insane work schedule, best-friend drama and romantic dry spell like everyone else.

But now the exclusive Washington Coven wants Jane to join. This could be a dream come true for the magical misfit, or it could be the most humiliating experience of her life. Either way, the crap's gonna hit the cauldron because Jane is about to be tested in ways she's never imagined -- and, pass or fail, nothing will ever be the same.

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell, 272 pages

 Production for the tenth season of Bake Week is ready to begin at the gothic estate of host and celebrity chef Betsy Martin, and everything seems perfect. The tent is up, the top-tier ingredients are aligned, and the crew has their cameras at the ready.

The six contestants work to prove their culinary talents over the course of five days, while Betsy is less than thrilled to share the spotlight with a new cohost—the brash and unpredictable Archie Morris. But as the baking competition commences, things begin to go awry. At first, it’s merely sabotage—sugar replaced with salt, a burner turned to high—but when a body is discovered, everyone is a suspect.

A deliciously suspenseful thriller for murder mystery buffs and avid bakers alike, The Golden Spoon will keep you guessing until the very last page.

Me and My Little Brain by John D. Fitzgerald, 137 pages

 Tom a.k.a. the Great Brain, is off to boarding school. Now his little brother, J.D., is free to follow in Tom's ingenious, conniving, and profitable footsteps. All of J.D.'s attempts at turning a profit fail miserably, and he soon realizes that he just doesn't have that crafty Great Brain knack. But when his younger brother is kidnapped, J.D. finds that his little brain may not be so ordinary after all . . .

The Clue in the Jewel Box by Carolyn Keene, 181 pages

 An antique dealer's revelation about a former queen's priceless heirloom starts Nancy on a trail of exciting adventures.

Madame Alexandra, now living incognito in River Heights, asks Nancy to find her missing grandson. With only one clue to go on - a faded photograph of the prince at the age of four - the young detective begins her search, which rapidly involves her in a series of dangerous and harrowing adventures. When Nancy needs help, she calls on Bess, George, Burt, Dave, and her special friend, Ned. How Nancy's discovery of the heirloom's secret unmasks a slick imposter and reunites the long-separated family climaxes this suspense-filled mystery story.

Archie's Favorite High School Comics, 416 pages

 Celebrate 75 years of Archie Comics with this fun-filled collection packed with over 400 pages of hilarious high school stories!

 
The ARCHIE’S FAVORITE COMICS series gathers some of the best and most-loved stories ever for fans of all ages!
 
ARCHIE’S FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL COMICS collects dozens of excellent, full-color stories featuring Archie and the gang in all kinds of high school hi-jinx! These hand-selected stories feature special behind-the-scenes anecdotes, making this a must-have for all Archie and comic book fans everywhere!

Come and Knock on Our Door: A Hers and Hers and His Guide to Three's Company by Chris Mann, 312 pages

 Come and Knock on Our Door delivers all the titillation and travails of the breakthrough coed roommate farce that landed John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, and Suzanne Somers to stardom in 1977. On-screen, the trio's dilemmas were always just zany misunderstandings riddled with pratfalls and double entendres and resolved with hugs and kisses. But behind the scenes, the real-life tensions of fame and controversy plus personal, financial, and creative conflicts threatened to end the love and laughter.

Wild Jasmine by Bertrice Small, 544 pages

 Princess Yasaman has been blessed with rapturous beauty, fierce intelligence, and an innocent sensuality that captivates two formidable men--her scheming half-brother, Salim, and her loving husband, Prince Jamal. But her days of bliss and nights of steamy passion are shattered when Jamal is murdered, and Yasaman flees to England and the court of James I. Calling herself Jasmine, she is reunited with her beautiful mother, Velvet, and her grandmother, the legendary Skye O'Malley de Marisco.

Before long, Jasmine is caught up in the tangled intrigues of the court of the Stuart king, James I, where she is admired by the most powerful men in England: Rowan Lindley, Marquess of Westleigh, her good-natured second husband; the Earl of Glenkirk, who tempts her with forbidden passion; and hot-blooded Henry Stuart, prince of England. It is here that she truly becomes Wild Jasmine, a woman who lives and loves with fierce abandon and who surrenders to the deepest pleasures of love. . . .

Dead People Suck: A Guide for Survivors of the Newly Departed by Laurie Kilmartin, 208 pages

 Death is not for the faint of heart, and sometimes the best way to cope is through humor. No one knows this better than comedian Laurie Kilmartin. She made headlines by live-tweeting her father’s time in hospice and her grieving process after he passed, and channeled her experience into a comedy special, 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad. Dead People Suck is her hilarious guide to surviving (sometimes) death, dying, and grief without losing your mind.

If you are old and about to die, sick and about to die, or with a loved one who is about to pass away or who has passed away, there’s something for you. With chapters like “Are You An Old Man With Daughters? Please Shred Your Porn,” “If Cancer was an STD, It Would Be Cured By Now,” and “Unsubscribing Your Dead Parent from Tea Party Emails,” Laurie Kilmartin guides you through some of life’s most complicated moments with equal parts heart and sarcasm.

March Sisters: On Life, Death, and Little Women by Kate Bolick, Jenny Zhang, Carmen Maria Machado, and Jane Smiley, 182 pages

 For the 150th anniversary of the publication of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Kate Bolick, Jenny Zhang, Carmen Maria Machado, and Jane Smiley explore their strong lifelong personal engagement with Alcott's novel--what it has meant to them and why it still matters. Each takes as her subject one of the four March sisters, reflecting on their stories and what they have to teach us about life. Kate Bolick finds parallels in oldest sister Meg's brush with glamour at the Moffats' ball and her own complicated relationship with clothes. Jenny Zhang confesses to liking Jo least among the sisters when she first read the novel as a girl, uncomfortable in finding so much of herself in a character she feared was too unfeminine. Carmen Maria Machado writes about the real-life tragedy of Lizzie Alcott, the inspiration for third sister Beth, and the horror story that can result from not being the author of your own life's narrative. And Jane Smiley rehabilitates the reputation of youngest sister Amy, whom she sees as a modern feminist role model for those of us who are, well, not like the fiery Jo. These four voices come together to form a deep, funny, far-ranging meditation on the power of great literature to shape our lives.

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes, 388 pages

 Who hasn’t wondered for a split second what the world would be like if a person who is the object of your affliction ceased to exist? But then you’ve probably never heard of The McMasters Conservatory, dedicated to the consummate execution of the homicidal arts. To gain admission, a student must have an ethical reason for erasing someone who deeply deserves a fate no worse (nor better) than death. The campus of this “Poison Ivy League” college—its location unknown to even those who study there—is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate…and where one’s mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder of someone whose death will make the world a much better place to live.

Prepare for an education you’ll never forget. A delightful mix of witty wordplay, breathtaking twists and genuine intrigue, Murder Your Employer will gain you admission into a wholly original world, cocooned within the most entertaining book about well-intentioned would-be murderers you’ll ever read.