Adult

In 1839, nearly 20,000 British troops poured through the mountain passes into Afghanistan and installed the exiled Shah Shuja on the throne as their puppet. But after little more than two years, the Afghans exploded into rebellion. The British were forced to retreat and were then ambushed in the mountains by simply-equipped Afghan tribesmen. Just one British man made it through. But William Dalrymple takes us beyond the story of this colonial humiliation and illuminates the key connections between then and now.

More than one million immigrants fled the Irish famine for North America --- and more than 100,000 of them perished aboard the “coffin ships” that crossed the Atlantic. But one small ship never lost a passenger. ALL STANDING recounts the remarkable tale of the Jeanie Johnston and her ingenious crew, whose 11 voyages are the stuff of legend. Why did these individuals succeed while so many others failed? And what new lives in America were the ship’s passengers seeking?

Nicholas Griffin tells the strange and tragic story of how the game of Ping-Pong was manipulated at the highest levels; how the Chinese government helped cover up the death of 36 million peasants by holding the World Table Tennis Championships during the Great Famine; how championship players were driven to their deaths during the Cultural Revolution; and, finally, how the survivors were reconvened in 1971 and ordered to reach out to their American counterparts.

Combining biography, European history, knowledge of Catholic doctrine and anthropology, JOURNEY TO THE SUN brings original research and perspective to America’s creation story. Gregory Orfalea’s poetic and incisive recounting of Junípero Serra’s life shows how one man changed the future of California and in so doing affected the future of our nation.

Cara Donovan’s summer tutoring job is turning out to be a challenge --- and not just because of her troubled 12-year-old student. It’s his uncle Josh who’s the real problem. If problem is the word for an irresistibly cocky, muscle-bound rancher with a taste for tight Levi’s and shameless flirtation...

Filled with edgy and honest stories of carnal challenge and triumph from women of all backgrounds and life stages, SEX AFTER... is Iris Krasnow’s signature take on EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK --- during all of life’s passages. Krasnow is a media and lecture tour favorite, and readers will applaud her eye-opening perspectives on the one issue that can change lives for better or worse like nothing else.

Silas Toliver, deprived of his inheritance, joins up with his best friend Jeremy Warwick to plan a wagon train expedition to  the "black waxy" promise of a new territory called Texas. Slavery, westward expansion, abolition, the Civil War, love, marriage, friendship, tragedy and triumph --- all the ingredients (and much more) that made so many love ROSES so much --- are here in abundance.

Hank, Leland, Kip and Ronny were all born and raised in the same Wisconsin town --- Little Wing --- and are now coming into their own (or not) as husbands and fathers. Seamlessly woven into their patchwork is Beth, whose presence among them --- both then and now --- fuels the kind of passion one comes to expect of lovesongs and rivalries. Now all four are home, in hopes of finding what could be real purchase in the world.

Law Beaumont and Kristen Hemmings have watched each other from a distance for years. But Law, a bartender with a bad-boy past, and Kristen, an assistant principal devoted to helping her community, couldn't seem more different. When they unite to mentor a young foster child and to help Law's troubled daughter through the aftermath of her parents' ugly divorce, their attraction deepens.

Samantha Bennett is a treasure hunter who has returned to Knights Bridge, Massachusetts, to solve a 300-year-old mystery and salvage her good name. Now she has everyone’s attention --- especially that of Justin Sloan. Samantha is daring, determined, seized by wanderlust --- everything that strong, stoic Justin never knew he wanted. Until now…