Adult

BASEBALL AS AMERICA examines how the American landscape, our language, literature, entertainment, food, and summertime living all bear the mark of a 19th-century game that has become intertwined with our nation's values and aspirations.

In the 10 years since 90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN was first published, millions of people worldwide have read the incredible true story of Don Piper's experience with death and life --- and in reading have found their own lives changed. Now you can experience the continuing story of 90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN with this special anniversary edition. Along with the story of his accident, death, return to life and painful recovery, Don offers personal reflections on the impact the book has had on him, his family, and the millions who have heard his story.

It’s Kate Murphy’s first day on the job, and the Atlanta Police Department is seething after the murder of an officer. Before the day has barely begun, she already suspects she’s not cut out to be a cop and rapidly learns that the APD is hardly a place that welcomes women. Worse still, in the ensuing manhunt, she’ll be partnered with Maggie Lawson, a cop with her own ax to grind --- a strategy meant to isolate Kate and Maggie from the action. But the move will backfire, putting them right at the heart of it.

Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella are back with another collection of warm and witty stories that will strike a chord with every woman. In HAVE A NICE GUILT TRIP, Lisa and Francesca continue on the road of life acquiring men and puppies. Ok, to be honest, Lisa is acquiring the puppies, while Francesca is lucky enough to have dates with actual men. They leave it to the listeners to decide which is more desirable and/or or easier to train.

Music historian James A. Grymes tells the amazing, horrifying and inspiring story of the violins of the Holocaust, and of Amnon Weinstein, the renowned Israeli violinmaker who has devoted the past twenty years to restoring these instruments in tribute to those who were lost, including 400 members of his own family. Juxtaposing tales of individual violins with one man’s harrowing struggle to reconcile his own family’s history and the history of his people, it is a poignant, affecting and ultimately uplifting look at the Holocaust and its enduring impact.

Nearing 30 and trying to avoid the inescapable fact that they have failed to live up to everyone's expectations and their own aspirations, cousins and childhood best friends Lizzie, Elyse and Isobel seek respite in an oddly-shaped, three-story house. As they work to restore the almost-condemned house, each woman faces uncomfortable truths about her own failings.

A vivid and intricate novel-in-stories, THE SCATTER HERE IS TOO GREAT explores the complicated lives of ordinary people whose fates unexpectedly converge after a deadly bomb blast at the Karachi train station: an old communist poet; his wealthy, middle-aged son; a young man caught in an unpleasant, dead-end job; a girl who spins engaging tales to conceal her heartbreak; and a grief-stricken writer, who struggles to make sense of this devastating tragedy.

On the surface, Olivia has it all: a high-powered career, a loving family, and a handsome fiancé. She even seems to be coming to terms with her mother Jane’s premature death from cancer. But when Jane’s final wish is revealed, Olivia and her elder sister Georgia are mystified. Their mother rarely spoke of her rural Southern hometown, and never went back to visit—so why does she want them to return to Huntley, Georgia, to scatter her ashes? 

Arthur is a wannabe writer who takes his sons to see the Great Lindemann, Master of Hypnosis. The Great Lindemann gets Arthur to tell him his deepest secrets and then tells him to make them real. Arthur empties his bank account and vanishes to become a world-famous author (F is for fake). But what of the boys? Martin grows up to be a priest without a vocation (F is for faith). Eric becomes a financier (F is for fraud), while Ivan, a talented artist, becomes a forger (F is for forgery). When the summer of the global financial crisis dawns they're thrown together again with cataclysmic results.

Jason Fitger is a beleaguered professor at a small liberal arts college. His department is facing cuts and squalid quarters, while another department is getting lavishly remodeled offices. His writing career is in the doldrums, as is his romantic life. In short, his life is a tale of woe, and the vehicle this novel uses to tell that tale is a series of hilarious letters of recommendation that Fitger is endlessly called upon by his students and colleagues to produce.