Striking a Chord by Lynn Johnston, 128 pages

 Johnston's acclaimed strip centers on the everyday life of a Canadian family, humorously portraying both the good and the not-so-good events that are shared by the Patterson clan and their extended family of friends and neighbors. Parents Elly and John; children Michael and his wife, Deanna, Elizabeth, and April; Grandpa Jim; and dogs Edgar and Dixie all live out the joys and complexities of modern life. From parents apprehensively facing their fifties and a young couple tackling new parenthood to a young woman confronting career choices and a girl's loss of a beloved pet, Striking a Chord brings compassion, understanding, and a lighthearted touch to every human interaction.

This collection includes cartoons from November 2002 through July 2003.

Reality Check by Lynn Johnston, 136 pages

 They say life is what happens while you're busy making other plans. And in the latest update of the Patterson family, life is ?happening? and a few new realities have set in. ? Still adjusting to their status as newlyweds, Mike and Deanna find that two cannot live as cheaply as one, and then learn an unexpected baby is on the way. ? After discovering that her live-in boyfriend was cheating on her, Elizabeth swaps steady date for blank slate. ? And Grandpa Jim catches everyone (including himself) off-guard when he and Iris elope to England. Life, it seems, always has a new surprise in store. Lynn Johnston has been bringing life to the Patterson clan for nearly 25 years, and for readers of more than 2,000 newspapers around the world, life just wouldn't seem right without her daily dispatch. This is the magic of For Better of For Worse: it is real life at its most realistic. Like real life, it is unpredictable, enlightening, heartwarming, honest, sometimes sad, and often very funny. Reality Check gives readers more of what they've come to expect from Johnston's beloved cartoon: a sense of connection, a shared intimacy with a family as familiar as their own, and a front-row seat to the enduring, endearing comic saga called life. Like the many For Better or For Worse collections that have preceded it, Reality Check is sure to resonate with fans around the world.

With This Ring by Lynn Johnston, 144 pages

 It was a big year for new relationships in the Patterson household. Wanting to avoid an elaborate, expensive wedding, Michael and Deanna married in secret and moved in together. Meanwhile, her mother continued to engineer a huge social affair, which threatened to upset an already delicate relationship between the two families. When Elly helped her reluctant daughter-in-law choose a dress, it brought them closer together-as confidantes and friends-and in the end, the wedding was beautiful. Meanwhile, Grandpa Jim began a slow, sweet courtship with Iris, whom he met at the Wednesday night Legion dance, and Elizabeth moved in with her boyfriend, Eric. She soon suspected he was not her knight in shining armor, and Anthony, the boy Elly and John always hoped Elizabeth would marry, becomes engaged to someone else.

Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food by Jon Krampner, 298 pages

 In "Creamy and Crunchy" are the stories of Jif, Skippy, Peter Pan; the plight of black peanut farmers; the resurgence of natural or old-fashioned peanut butter; the reasons why Americans like peanut butter better than (almost) anyone else; the five ways that today's product is different from the original; the role of peanut butter in fighting Third World hunger; and the Salmonella outbreaks of 2007 and 2009, which threatened peanut butter's sacred place in the American cupboard.

To a surprising extent, the story of peanut butter is the story of twentieth-century America, and Jon Krampner writes its first popular history, rich with anecdotes and facts culled from interviews, research, travels in the peanut-growing regions of the South, personal stories, and recipes.

Graduation: A Time for Change by Lynn Johnston, 136 pages

 For Better or For Worse's Patterson family has grown and grown up for decades on the comics page. Facing real-life issues with a continuously humorous, often poignant, sometimes sentimental stance, For Better or For Worse delivers storylines that reflect the life moments and family challenges that most people face. In this collection, Graduation: A Time for Change, life is transforming for each family member and their widening circle of friends. Elly and John face middle age and the decision to ask Elly's dad to move in. As Michael graduates from the safe confines of university, Elizabeth begins her college years with a surprising roommate. The pleasures of being the number one kid sometimes escape the often-lonely April. Throw in the engagement of Michael and Deanna and add another dog to liven up the household and you get a lot of laughs and a bit of chaos--just like real life.

Just One More Hug by Lynn Johnston, 128 pages

 Cartoons take a humorous look at the Patterson family paying taxes, celebrating the holidays, hiring a new baby sitter, visiting a farm, and preparing for school.

Family Business by Lynn Johnston, 144 pages

 Gleaned from the For Better or For Worse syndicated strip, this collection embodies the ups and downs of everyday family life.