literary collections / essays

"Captures the heart and soul of life in rural America. Inspired by his mother's farm account books--in which she meticulously recorded every farm purchase--[the author] chronicles life on a small farm during and after World War II. Featuring a new introduction exclusive to this second edition . . . reminds us that, while our family farms are shrinking in number, the values learned there remain deeply woven in our cultural heritage"--Publisher.

"The former Los Angeles Times book critic expands his short book on the importance of reading to include considerations of fake news, siloed information, and the necessity of critical thinking as a key component of engaged citizenship and resistance. Ulin builds the case in favor of slow reading in this distracted and troubled time"--Back cover.

"Rate your pain on a scale of one to ten. What about on a scale of spicy to citrus? Is it more like a lava lamp or a mosaic? Pain, though a universal element of human experience, is dimly understood and sometimes barely managed. Pain Woman Takes Your Keys, and Other Essays from a Nervous System is a collection of literary and experimental essays about living with chronic pain. Sonya Huber moves away from a linear narrative to step through the doorway into pain itself, into that strange, unbounded reality. Although the essays are personal in nature, this collection is not a record of the author's specific condition but an exploration that transcends pain's airless and constraining world and focuses on its edges from wild and widely ranging angles."--.

"Present a collection of essays, including 'The Face of Sueng-Hui Cho,' in which the author explores the logic of the Virginia Tech shooter"--OCLC.

"An enthralling collection of nonfiction essays on a myriad of topics--from art and artists to dreams, myths, and memories--observed in #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman's probing, amusing, and distinctive style. An inquisitive observer, thoughtful commentator, and assiduous craftsman, Neil Gaiman has long been celebrated for the sharp intellect and startling imagination that informs his bestselling fiction. Now, The View from the Cheap Seats brings together for the first time ever more than sixty pieces of his outstanding nonfiction. Analytical yet playful, erudite yet accessible, this cornucopia explores a broad range of interests and topics, including (but not limited to): authors past and present; music; storytelling; comics; bookshops; travel; fairy tales; America; inspiration; libraries; ghosts; and the title piece, at turns touching and self-deprecating, which recounts the author's experiences at the 2010 Academy Awards in Hollywood. Insightful, incisive, witty, and wise, The View from the Cheap Seats explores the issues and subjects that matter most to Neil Gaiman--offering a glimpse into the head and heart of one of the most acclaimed, beloved, and influential artists of our time"--.

A collection of survival stories from the archives of Reader's Digest's 'Drama in Real Life' series. Whether out on a planned adventure or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, the heroes of these stories are connected by their fierce desire to survive against all odds. Wildfires, blizzards, attacks by grizzlies, jet crashes in the jungle, are just some of the conditions people face in these stories of survival.

Pamela Paul has kept a record of every book she's every read, tracing the trajectory of her life through reading, and how these stories have shaped her life.

"Michelle Obama is unlike any other First Lady in American History. From her first moments on the public stage, she has challenged traditional American notions about what it means to be beautiful, to be strong, to be fashion-conscious, to be healthy, to be First Mom, to be a caretaker and hostess, and to be partner to the most powerful man in the world. As Hillary Clinton has said, admiringly about Michelle Obama, our soon to be ex-First Lady exemplifies "the ideal concept of American womanhood." What is remarkable is that, at 52, she is just getting started. While many books have looked at Michelle Obama from a fashion perspective, no book has fully explored what Michelle Obama means to our culture. The Meaning of Michelle will do just that, while offering a parting gift to a landmark moment in American history. This deliciously readable collection presents a chorus of diverse voices with smart, engaging perspectives on Michelle Obama. There will be a preface by Ava Duvernay and an introduction by Veronica Chambers. Confirmed contributors include Roxane Gay, Rebecca Walker, Chirlene McCray, Melissa Harris Perry, Brittney Cooper, Tiffany Dufu, Alicia Hall Moran and Jason Moran, Sarah Lewis, Dr. Janet Taylor, Benilde Little, Marcus Samuelsson, Phillipa Soo and Cathi Hanauer. "--.

"You fall down. You get hurt. You get up again. You know Jennifer Weiner as many things: a bestselling author, a Twitter phenomenon, and "an unlikely feminist enforcer" (The New Yorker). She's also a mom, a daughter, and a sister; a former rower and current runner; a best friend and a reality TV junkie. Here, in her first foray into nonfiction, she takes the raw stuff of her personal life and spins it into a collection of essays on womanhood as uproariously funny and moving as the best of Tina Fey, Fran Lebowitz, and Nora Ephron. Jennifer grew up as an outsider in her picturesque Connecticut hometown ("a Lane Bryant outtake in an Abercrombie & Fitch photo shoot") and at her Ivy League college, but finally found her people in newsrooms in central Pennsylvania and Philadelphia and her voice as a novelist, activist, and New York Times columnist. No subject is off-limits in this intimate and honest essay collection: sex, weight, envy, money, her mom's late-in-life lesbianism, and her estranged father's death. From lonely adolescence to modern childbirth to hearing her six-year-old daughter's use of the f-word--fat;--for the first time, Jennifer dives deep into the heart of female experience, with the wit and candor that have endeared her to readers all over the world. By turns hilarious and deeply touching, Hungry Heart is about yearning and longing, love and loss, and a woman who searched for her place in the world--and found it as a storyteller"--.

"An enthralling collection of nonfiction essays on a myriad of topics--from art and artists to dreams, myths, and memories--observed in Neil Gaiman's probing, amusing, and distinctive style."--Provided by publisher.